The two were quietly speaking after that, and I knew interrupting them would be the wrong thing to do. Ren provedshe could take care of herself, but more importantly, she cared enough about my grandmother to treat her with love and tenderness. I crept down the hallway and out the front door, smiling at the thought of them being together, thinking about how to make Ren’s unhappiness vanish.
CHAPTER TEN
Renata
A few daysafter my second meeting with Grammy, Vicky and I were watching The Proposal for the fortieth time, laughing at Betty White’s antics. Like I’d said. Legend.
When I recounted my first experience at Grammy’s again, we laughed even louder. Every time I mentioned it, I’d remember something else about her funny friends. MJ had gone to bed, so we were trying hard not to laugh too loudly, but it was impossible with this movie.
“Good thing she doesn’t like chanting,” she said, making me spit out my tea as we watched Betty’s iconic scene where she donned a headdress around a fire.
“Small miracles,” I snorted. “I’m not as talented a dancer as Sandra Bullock.”
We were all just about to go to bed an hour later when both Miles' and Vicky’s phones started going off with notifications. He frowned as he read the texts that were coming in like rapid fire.
“No, no, no,” he whispered.
Vicky grabbed her phone, which had slipped under the sofa cushion. When her finger swiped quickly, her expression matched her husband’s.
“What is it? What’s happening?” I asked, my heart racing. Something was seriously wrong when Vicky started tearing up.
“Grammy. It’s…they just rushed her to the hospital. Mike thinks it’s her heart.” Looking up at me, her hand over her heart, she said, “It doesn’t look good.”
She looked at Miles who nodded. “I’ll head up there now.”
My stomach plummeted to my feet. This couldn’t be happening. She was fine when I left her a few days ago.
A tight pressure built in my chest, the feeling akin to losing someone who mattered to me. It made no sense. I’d just met this family. I wasn’t a part of this close friend group. Not yet, anyway. Not in a way that made my reaction make sense.
But all I could think about was how frantic Mike must be. Wherever he was, whatever he was facing in that hospital at this moment, every instinct screamed that I needed to be there beside him. My feelings may have been jumbled, but there was no denying our insane connection. And at that moment, nothing was keeping me from getting to him.
“I need to go, Vicky. I feel like I should be there. I know it makes no sense since we just met, but I just…I just need to be there with him,” I said, looking around for my shoes.
When I turned, Miles exchanged a look with her that I couldn’t decipher.
She stopped me momentarily when she touched my arm. “Ren, are you sure? I’ll have to stay with MJ, but Miles and the others could be there for hours. I promise he will keep us updated. Just spend the night here with me.”
I shook my head rapidly. “No. I can’t explain it, but I know if I don’t go, I’ll regret it somehow.”
“Amore, I’ll take Ren up there and see what we can help with,” Miles said, grabbing his keys and wallet.
Vicky nodded, her expression still confused as a crease formed between her brows as she watched me grab my purse.
She hugged me and whispered, “Take care of him, then. Besides us, she’s all he has here. And tell him I’m praying.” I knew exactly what she meant about how important his grandmother was to him. I nodded and squeezed her one more time.
“I will.”
Twenty minutes later,Miles and I walked into the waiting room that the nurse at the desk had instructed us to. It was already filled with everyone from the group, except for Vicky and Sofia, who had stayed home with the kids.
There were tears and looks of despair on each of their faces as they spoke to Miles in hushed tones while I looked around for Mike. I was sure they were wondering why I was here and not Vicky. If asked, I had no idea what to tell them. What could I possibly say? That being here with Mike was as necessary as my next breath.
Lord, why do I feel this so intensely? What are You doing in me?
“They only allowed him in for ten minutes at a time. He should be back soon. ICU rules are stricter,” Leyla said when she saw me looking for him. “His pastor and a few people from his church have been here to pray with him.”
“How is she? How’s Mike?” I asked, wringing my hands.
She shook her head. “They think she had some kind of heart event. Still taking tests, so we’re not sure. And Mike? He’s not doing well at all. We’ve all been preparing for this since we mether. I mean, she’s eighty and a bit fragile since the fall, but nothing really prepares you, does it?”
