Raina appeared with a warm sandwich wrapped in foil and a proper winter coat borrowed from a shelf of donation supplies. The coat was dark blue, a little oversized, with a zipper that worked and cuffs that met Eli's gloves. When he put it on, warmth gathered around his shoulders and stayed there. He looked down at himself as though somebody had replaced an important part of his body while he was not paying attention.
"We need to get you home and see your mother," Raina said. Eli's expression changed before he could hide it. She waited for his shoulders to settle, then explained that they would not surprise Darla with a crowd or arrive making accusations. They would call first, and if Darla did not answer, Eli would decide whether to accompany them while they checked on her welfare.
Raina dialed the house number from her office phone. It rang six times before Darla answered, her voice slow and thin. Eli heard the relief in Raina's breathing when she realized his mother was awake and able to speak. She introduced herself as a friend of Caleb's, explained that Eli was safe and warm, and asked permission to drive him home and bring groceries.
Darla went silent long enough that Eli thought the call had ended. Then she said, "Please bring him back." Raina promised she would, but added that there were important things they should discuss together before the weekend was over. Darla did not argue. It was an uncertain beginning, but it was a beginning.
On the drive home, Eli sat in the passenger seat of Raina's truck with his boots near the heater vent. The coat felt heavy in a pleasant way, and the sandwich rested in his stomach like proof that the morning had happened. Raina asked about school, but he answered with short phrases until she realized the subject was more complicated than tiredness or missed assignments. She did not push, and Eli appreciated her restraint without knowing how to say so.
At Clearwater Road, Raina waited beside the truck while Eli went inside. Darla stood in the hall wearing a cardigan with one sleeve pulled halfway over her hand. She looked first at the new coat, then at her son's face, and her own expression changed in a way he had not seen for months. "Did you walk there?" she asked.
"Yes," Eli said. Her eyes filled, but she blinked quickly and looked away. "I'm sorry," she whispered, so quietly he almost missed it. Eli wanted to say that everything was fine because he had been saying it for years, but he could not make the words come. Instead he told her that Raina had brought groceries and wanted to meet her.
Their first conversation took place at the kitchen table beneath a lightbulb that flickered when the refrigerator compressor started. Raina did not speak for the club as though she were conducting a rescue operation. She asked Darla what she needed, what appointments she had missed, and whether there was anyone she trusted enough to contact if she felt unable to leave her room. Darla answered reluctantly but honestly, and by the time Raina left she had agreed to another visit the following week.