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“Ms. Sutton is doing as well as can be expected in her condition.”
“Her condition? What’s her condition?”
The nurse looked me up and down, and her friendly smile turned cautious. “I’m sorry. Who are you? How are you related to Ms. Sutton?”
A red sign on the wall over Nora’s head caught my attention.DNR.Do not resuscitate? Why the hell would that be there?
I raised my voice. “What happened to Nora?”
“Sir, I’m going to have to ask you to step outside.”
A familiar voice came from behind me. “Bea, this is my grandson. He’s with me.”
I turned to find my grandmother holding a cup of coffee. Her face was solemn, and dark circles hollowed the skin beneath her eyes. It looked like she hadn’t slept in a while.
“Gram, what the hell is going on? What happened to Nora?”
My grandmother and the nurse exchanged glances before Gram pointed over her shoulder. “Why don’t we go sit in the waiting room and talk for a few minutes?”
I stared at Nora’s still body for a long time before finally following my grandmother out of the ICU and to an empty room at the end of the hall.
Gram sat on an orange plastic chair and patted the seat next to her. But I was too wired to sit. I raked a hand through my hair. “What the hell is going on, Gram? Is Nora okay? Are you okay?”
She smiled sadly. “I’m fine, sweetheart.”
“Did you have an accident or something?”
She shook her head. “No, no accident. Nora isn’t well, Beck. It isn’t my place to tell you. She didn’t want anyone to know about her condition. But since you’re here… I suppose you’ll find out anyway.”
“Condition? What condition?”
“Nora has cardiac rhabdomyosarcoma—malignant recurring tumors that infiltrate her heart.”
“Has? She told me she’dhada tumor, but it was removed and she was cured. I saw the scar on her chest.”
“She’s had quite a few surgeries. Her condition is recurring, just like her mother’s was. But the current tumors are inoperable.” Gram frowned. “She’s been doing really well, but two days ago, she suffered a heart attack.”
My eyes bulged. “A heart attack?”
Gram nodded. “She’s holding her own. But they have her in a medically induced coma now. They’ll probably keep her that way for a few more days.” Gram held out her hand. Since my head was now spinning, I took it and sat.
“Why didn’t she tell me?”
“Probably because she wanted her privacy. I know you think you’re hiding it, but I can see something has grown between you two. She lights up when she’s texting lately, and there’s a brightness in her eyes that hadn’t been there before. But I know it wasn’t something she’d planned on. Nora didn’t want to get close to anyone new, only to hurt them when…”
I swallowed. “When what? Are you saying she’s dying?”
My grandmother squeezed my hand. “Nora doesn’t live in my building, son. We met at a Living at the End of Your Life group meeting.”
I couldn’t breathe. The insipid brown walls closed in on me. I pulled at the collar of my shirt, though it wasn’t tight around my neck. “I need air.”
The color drained from my grandmother’s face. “I’ll go get a nurse.”
“No. I just need air.” I stood. “I’ll be back.”
My grandmother got to her feet. “I’ll go with you.”
“No.” I shook my head. “I need a few minutes.”
