The woman in front of her had forgotten everything. She couldn't remember her name, her family, or even where she came from.
The only thing she vaguely remembered was living somewhere near the treatment center.
Wynette looked around the parking garage. She thought it over before deciding to take the woman back to the center.
She could not leave her here. Something bad might happen to her.
"I'll take you back," Wynette said softly.
The woman looked at her hopefully. "Home?"
Wynette nodded. "Yeah. We're going home."
The woman instantly smiled, her eyes curving happily. "Home. Going home."
Wynette took her hand and led her toward the elevator. After they took a few steps, the woman suddenly stopped. "That's not the way home," she said stubbornly. "It's over there."
She pointed toward the garage exit and refused to keep walking.
Then she yanked her hand away from Wynette with an angry look. "You lied. You're a liar. A big liar."
Wynette almost burst out laughing from helplessness. She did not even know how she was supposed to explain herself at this point.
The woman refused to listen to her. She muttered "liar" over and over again and walked toward the exit.
"Hey, lady!" Wynette hurried after her, afraid she would wander off.
But the woman ignored her completely and kept walking ahead.
Wynette had to stay closely behind her.
Luckily, the staff arrived not long after.
They tried to take the woman back, but she immediately hid behind Wynette and refused to go with them.
Wynette gently coaxed her. "Didn't you say you wanted to find Pumpkin? Let's go with them and look for Pumpkin together, okay?"
The woman had been talking about Pumpkin the whole time, so Wynette could only use that to calm her down.
The woman finally agreed, but she still clung tightly to Wynette's hand and insisted Wynette come too.
Wynette took her hand and exchanged a look with the staff.
Together, they slowly guided her back to her room. The moment they entered, the woman anxiously looked around while calling for Pumpkin.
One of the caregivers calmly picked up a stuffed doll and placed it in her arms.
The woman quieted down right away.
She hugged the doll and sat on the couch by the window, gently patting its back while humming a soft lullaby.
"Ms. Jewell, thank you so much," the caregiver said gratefully. "If you hadn't stayed with her, we really don't know how we would've gotten her back."
Wynette often visited the center; most of the caregivers in the building already knew her.
After she came upstairs, she realized this woman's room was on the same hallway as Ryker's, only two rooms away.
Still, the door was almost always closed, so Wynette had never met her before.
Wynette smiled faintly. "It's fine. What matters is that she's safe."
She didn't ask any more questions about the woman.
The center had strict rules about patient privacy.
As Wynette slowly looked away, something on the bed caught her attention.
A stuffed toy was lying under the blanket, with only part of it sticking out. For some reason, it looked strangely familiar.
"How's my mom?" A familiar voice suddenly came from behind her.
That lady was his mother?

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