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I knock lightly and hear Brooklyn say, “Come in.”
“Hey,” I whisper when Brooklyn lifts a finger indicating to be quiet. “How did the morning go?”
“Okay. She’s been sleeping a lot. Well, when they’re not coming in to mess with her, anyway. They’re always checking things.”
“That’s good, honey. They’re doing their job.”
“I know, but they keep waking her up.”
I hand her drink to her and she grins, taking a sip. “Thank you. I was getting pretty hungry. Did you happen to bring food, too?”
I motion with my head to look behind me and her face falls slack.
“Hi, Grandma. Hi, Grandpa,” she says with zero enthusiasm.
“Hi, peanut,” Dad replies. “How are you doing?”
“Okay.”
“We have lunch,” he says, lifting the bag.
She offers up a tiny smile in return and stands from her place next to Aunt Dorothy.
Dad places the bag on the little table next to the hospital bed and moves to get a closer look at his aunt.
“What are the doctors saying?”
“Not much new this morning. The nurse this morning said she’s supposed to come by later this afternoon.”
Dad hands out the sandwiches and I can’t help but laugh as Brooklyn takes in their attire. Her eyes dart back and forth between them and me comically and she raises her eyebrows in question. I shake my head slightly, hoping she gets the hint not to ask questions.
“Thanks for bringing lunch,” she says.
We unwrap our sandwiches and Brooklyn and I sit, mouths agape, as we watch my parents tear into their food like ravenous dogs.
“Were you hungry?” I ask.
“Starving,” Dad grumbles. “We haven’t eaten since yesterday.”
“We were offered a soggy sandwich,” Mom grouses. “I wasn’t sure why it was soggy but I wasn’t going to risk it.”
“Glad we picked up some protein boxes, too,” I remark, still in awe of how quickly they’re eating.
Dad polishes off his sandwich in no time and I hand him the other half of mine, which he graciously accepts.
“There’s chips and cookies in the vending machine. Or I can run back to Starbucks for more,” Brooklyn offers.
“Chips and cookies, you say? I could go for both. Want to go for a walk with me?” he asks Brooklyn. “My treat. I saw some at Starbucks, too. You probably need some fresh air. Why don’t we take a walk?”
This is a good move. I know Dad would like to spend time with Brooklyn so he can have the chance to show her that he loves her no matter what. It would be good for her to get out of the hospital for a bit.
Brooklyn glances my way and I assure her with a smile and head nod that she should go with her grandpa.
“Can I finish my sandwich first?”
“Of course.” The way he sits up a little straighter tells me he thought she wouldn’t agree to go with him and the fact she did makes him incredibly happy.
Once her sandwich is gone, Dad and Brooklyn head out to Starbucks. Brooklyn looks a little nervous and Dad looks excited to have some alone time with her, even if it’s only for a few minutes.
