Free Disturbed Ground by Carla Norton

meds, that was fine with Johnson. He would drive him back to Dorothea's so they could pick up his things.
    But once there, things got muddled.
    At first, when Johnson told Dorothea that Bert wanted to leave, she replied flippantly, "He can leave any time he wants." But then she wanted to know why he wanted to go.
    When Johnson explained that Bert wasn't happy because he didn't like having to take medication, she turned to Bert and demanded, "Then why did you wake me up at four in the morning the other day?"
    Bert turned sheepish. It seemed he had woken her up early one morning, asking for his medication because he hadn't been able to sleep. Bert's resolve disintegrated. Well, yes, the meds weren't so bad. He would take them. Well, no, he didn't really want to leave. He would stay.
    "My intention was to take him back to Detox," Bill Johnson mused later. "She changed his mind…. I could have told him to get in the van—I was his friend, he would have done what I told him—but all I could think was of him banging on the door [at Detox], and there'd be no mat for him."
    Johnson knew that Detox would be getting full once the weather changed; at Dorothea's, at least Bert was assured of a place to sleep.
    Less than two weeks later, on Wednesday, August 10, Bert again inexplicably returned to Detox. He spent that night on a vinyl mat on the concrete floor. Uncomfortable, no doubt, but familiar. Safe.
    The next morning, Bill Johnson again offered to take Bert back to 1426 F Street. Clearly, it was a better place for him. The food was better, he had his own room, his own TV. It made no sense for him to stay at Detox. He would be happier at Dorothea's. Really. He should go back.
    And Bert relented.
    When they got within three blocks of the house, Bert asked his friend to let him out at the corner. He didn't want Dorothea to know that Johnson had brought him back. He would walk the rest of the way so that she wouldn't get mad.

 
    CHAPTER 8
     
     
    Early in October, when summer’s hot grip had loosened and Sacramento residents could walk unbowed by the pounding sun, Judy Moise returned from vacation and plunged back into work. She felt refreshed and enthusiastic, not least because the VOA review, which she'd so dreaded, had gone astonishingly well. On top of that, the Mental Health Association had recently named her "Mental Health Worker of the Year." Though she seemed to be earning more recognition than money, this wasn't too bad for a woman who had reentered the work force at forty-two, without benefit of a graduate degree, specific training, or even clear-cut career goals.
    So midweek, when Judy popped in at Detox and peppered Bill Johnson with questions, eager to be brought up to date, she wasn't ready for the odd news he imparted.
    In his unhurried way, Johnson spoke softly of Bert... his unexpected reappearance at Detox, and how he'd returned to Dorothea's… what an uncommonly kind person Mrs. Puente was… cooking such fine meals, making sure Bert was going to church… She was even taking her tenants on a trip to Mexico—
    "Mexico?" For a moment, the room went out of focus and Judy had a sinking feeling. Then she recalled Dorothea mentioning a trip to Mexico, and an idea surfaced. "Why don't you call Dorothea and see how Bert's doing?" she suggested.
    Johnson placed the call while Judy stood waiting. When he hung up, he turned to her and announced, "Bert's in Mexico."
    Judy frowned as some vague muttering commenced in the back of her mind. "Well, why isn't Dorothea in Mexico with him?" she asked.
    "She was " he explained. "She took him down to visit her relatives in Guadalajara, and they stayed with her brother-in-law, who's a doctor down there. And you know what? Everyone liked Bert so much, they wanted him to stay longer. She says her brother-in-law has a nice home in the country, and Bert's really enjoying the country life. He's even stopped smoking. So she's letting him stay awhile."
    Country life? Didn't Judy remember