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I sit at the table for a moment until my cell phone vibrates in my pocket.
It’s my dad’s number, so I pick it up. “Dad?”
“Where the hell have you been? Your grandmother had a heart attack. We’re in Lake Starlight, at the hospital.”
All the air leaves my lungs. “I’ll be right there.”
I hang up and knock on the office door. Mandi opens it, and I see the pile of tissues in her trash can.
“I have to go, but if you need me, call me, okay? I’ll be back in a little while.” I take her limp hand and squeeze.
“You’re very sweet. I’ll be fine. I always am.”
I wish I could stay, but I squeeze her hand one more time before letting it go. Then I grab my suitcase and head out to my truck to rush to the hospital.
By the timeI reach the hospital, my dad is pacing the entrance, which tells me that either my grandma died or he’s planning on hightailing it outta here as soon as I arrive.
“Please explain to me why I’m getting these phone calls?”
I stuff my hands in my pockets. “They needed two emergency numbers left with the retirement home. Sorry, but I figured her son being the second one was a better option than a complete stranger.”
“Did you purposely not answer your phone?”
I stop in front of the sliding doors. “Yeah, because that sounds like something I’d do, given the fact I’ve been her only family for well over ten years.”
“You don’t understand the ramifications of what she did,” my dad snipes.
“Where is she? If you want, I’ll take it from here. I’d hate for you to be put out.” I walk through the hospital doors, but he’s right on my heels.
The nurse’s eyes bulge—probably because my dad and I have the same big build that tends to shock people at times.
“Oh no, because now your mother is sitting with her, and I can see she feels guilty, which means this little stunt is putting a thorn in my side.”
My dad leads the way to my grandma’s room while his words leave me clenching my fists.
“My assumption is I didn’t have a signal when they called.”
“I’m sure they must have left a voice mail.”
“Maybe so, but a notification didn’t show up on my phone when I got a signal. Trust me, if I’d gotten the call or voice mail, I would’ve come without having them bother you.”
“I told you years ago if you want to continue a relationship fine, but don’t pressure me to.”
“No one is pressuring you, but she’s only getting older. What if she’d died tonight? Wouldn’t you have regrets? I mean, you really can’t just forgive her?”
Our voices are growing louder, and when my mom comes out of a room with the look of disapproval at both of us, I assume we were even louder than I thought.
“You two need to stop it. You heard the doctor, stress will only hurt her more. Rex, straighten up and don’t blame Noah. We had no choice but to come.”
My dad blows out a breath and glares at me out of the corner of his eye.
I walk into the hospital room and find my grandma lying on the bed with her eyes closed. Her dark-rimmed glasses sit on the nightstand. Holy shit, the fact she’s only getting older strikes me like a branding iron. I hate not seeing her full of life, or piss and vinegar, as she puts it.
“What happened?” I ask, staring at her monitor as though any of the information on there means anything to me.
My mom and dad look at one another, and my dad rolls his eyes. “A guy named Isaac called 9-1-1. I guess he and your grandma…”
I nod. “Got it.”
