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He couldn’t know that. None of us knew that yet. But I appreciated his comfort.
I gripped his hand and sighed heavily, wishing they would hurry with the results already. Chris sat on Sean’s other side, leaning forward with his elbows on his knees.
After a few more moments of silence, the doctor left Grampa’s room and walked down the hallway toward us. I braced myself for the news. Whatever it might be.
“Your grandfather is in stable condition,” he announced. “No head trauma or broken bones from the fall, just a couple of bruises. He’s going to be fine, but he’ll need to be careful, and no more ladders, until we get his blood pressure medication adjusted properly.”
I knew we’d all feared the worst, that he’d lost his balance because of a stroke, a heart attack, whatever awful things happen to people as they get older. Dizziness from his blood pressure dropping too fast was nothing compared to those.
There was a collective sigh between the three of us. Sean put an arm around my shoulder and squeezed.
“Can we go see him?” I asked.
“Absolutely. We see no need to keep him overnight, so the nurse will be in soon with his discharge papers.”
We followed the doctor to Grampa’s room. I knocked on the open door, relieved when he smiled at me from the bed. He had more color in his cheeks now and seemed much happier. I rushed to his bedside and threw my arms around his neck, hugging him close and inhaling his familiar scent of Dial soap and Old Spice.
He was my rock. I didn’t know what I’d do without him.
“I’m okay,” he said quietly, rubbing my back. “Your grampa is okay.”
I pulled back and playfully swatted his chest. “You need to be more careful,” I said. “No more heavy lifting with Chris.”
He nodded and chuckled. “Yes, ma’am.”
“Damn it,” Sean hissed. He was staring at his phone. “Nicole’s car won’t start. She’s stuck at the school.”
“Why was she there?” Chris asked. “It’s Saturday.”
Sean sighed. “She volunteered to teach Saturday school. Usually, she finishes at the same time as everyone else, but she stayed to finish some grading. She just tried her car, and it’s not working.” He groaned. “I feel bad making her wait until Grampa’s discharged.”
I’d ridden in the ambulance, so I couldn’t offer to help.
“I can take them home,” Chris offered.
Sean sighed in relief. “Thanks, man. That’d be great.”
Chris stared at me, like I might have something to say about it.
I shrugged. I just wanted to go home. I didn’t care who took us.
Sean kissed my cheek. Then he moved passed me to hug Grampa and tell him bye. I glanced at Chris from behind his back. He gave my brother a bro hug before he left the room.
“Thanks for coming,” Grampa said to Chris. “I know you still had some work to get done today. Sorry if this put a damper on your progress.”
Chris shook his head. “Are you crazy? Of course I was gonna come and make sure you were okay. Work can wait.”
We settled into casual conversation while we waited for Grampa to be discharged. They put him in a wheelchair, and I rolled him down the hallway and onto the curb. He didn’t want to be in the wheelchair any longer than necessary. I sat between him and Chris in the truck.
The radio was on low as we drove, and I lectured Grampa about putting too much stress on himself.
“Oh, I’ll be fine,” he said dismissively.
“Grampa,” I chastised. “It could be more serious next time. You’ve got to make sure you take your pills on time and let the doctor know if you don’t feel quite right. Don’t wait until you fall to point out how dizzy you’ve been next time, please?”
“I’ll be more careful.” He patted my hand. “Try not to worry.”
“I don’t want to have to go back to that hospital just because you’re not taking care of yourself,” I warned, crossing my arms.
