Tara hears the fluorescent lighting buzzing overhead as she quickly runs through the white, sterile hallway of the hospital. She had washed promptly off her makeup at home. Now she has on her gray sweatsuit and her Whipple. She approaches the nuns from St. Rose. Sisters Willa, Eugena, and Andre are sitting in plastic chairs in a makeshift waiting room at the end of the hall. They have gathered and are waiting for news about Sister Evelyn.
Tara makes her way down the long hallway and asks the group, "What happened?"
Sister Andrea sits withdrawn, facing Tara. She answers, "She was roaming the halls in the convent late, mumbling something incoherent. Then she collapsed. Sister Eugena found her and called the ambulance."
Sister Eugenia clutches her rosary, her lips moving silently as she nods to Tara.
Sister Willa pulls a chocolate bar from the vending machine, arms crossed, and turns around. Willa states, "Tara, why didn't you answer your phone? I called six times. Six!"
"I told you," Tara replies, her voice tired but steady. "I have a headache. I took a Tylenol and fell asleep."
Willa blinks, her eyebrows lifting. "You fell asleep? Well, I'm glad you woke up and I finally got ahold of you."
Willa lightens her tone, "Even though you don't live at St. Rose, you are important to us. We also know you are close to Sister Evelyn."
Andrea stands now, her tone argumentative. She says, "You always have a headache when things get inconvenient. With long naps?"
Willa frowns, glancing between them. "What's she talking about?"
"Nothing," Tara says quickly.
Just then, the doctor appears. He is elderly but manages to show a reassuring face. "Sisters," he begins, "Sister Evelyn is stable. She's going to survive."
The nuns share a breath of relief.
"However," the doctor adds, "there's damage. She may have partial vision loss, and she'll need significant rehabilitation to walk again."
Sister Eugena slowly begins to cry, and Sister Andrea hugs her.
Finally, the doctor adds, "Why don't you all return to St. Rose tonight? There's not much that can be done now. It's the middle of the night. We will call with updates if we need to."
Tara nods. Andrea doesn't even look at her.
After the second frozen drive home of the night in the Sky Chicken, Tara enters her apartment. She shuts the door and doesn't even take her shoes off. Sister Tara sinks to the floor and cries.
For Tara, the next few days blur together. She feels in a daze. She continues to work and goes to mass twice a day. Evelyn's condition, the rehab paperwork, and the community updates seem to overwhelm her. Tara's thoughts bounce back and forth between Sister Evelyn and her own nude body dancing on stage at Bonita's Spice Sweet Spice. She doesn't even think about the time she posed for the photoshoot with Taylor.
A few days later at Maple Tree Rest, Jenna approaches her.
"We need to talk," Jenna says, nodding toward a quieter, empty hallway. Her usual playful tone is gone.
Tara stiffens. "About?" They walk together to find a private space, and Tara looks over her shoulder to check.
"Taylor took photos of you. I saw the proof sheets from the pictures he took," Jenna says quickly. "I saw you."
Tara stares. "What?"
Jenna nods. "The swimsuit shots. And others. You know."
Tara inquires, "How did you... Why were you looking at those?"
"I didn't go snooping," Jenna replies. "Taylor's my boyfriend. I was randomly looking through the proof sheets on his workbench with the loop."
"You shouldn't have. That wasn't meant for..." Tara struggles to finish her sentence.
"I wasn't meant for me. I was not supposed to see them," Jenna finishes for her. "I know. But now I have. Tara, you're a nun for crying out loud."
Tara softens. "It's not what you think."
Jenna folds her hands. "Then tell me what it is."
Tara opens her mouth, then closes it. For once, there's no lie ready. No headache excuse. Just silence.
"I'm not usually a snitch. Tara, you're a nun. I should tell someone," Jenna says, her voice low but steady. "The photo, they could ruin things. For you. For St. Rose."
Tara's tone gets defensive. "Ruin what, exactly? Me standing in a swimsuit? That's not a sin."
"It's not just the swimsuit, Tara. And you know it," Jenna says. "There's context. The secrecy. And it's not just you. Taylor could get in trouble too."