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“Grandma!” Elijah raced to her and dropped to his knees. Her eyes were closed, and she was clutching her chest. She was pale and not moving.
Elijah jumped to his feet and raced to the landline on the wall. He dialed 9-1-1.
“Fire, ambulance, or police?” the operator said.
“Ambulance! My grandmother is on the floor, and she’s not moving!” Elijah looked back at her, and she let out a low moan. Was it a heart attack, stroke? Had she fallen? At that moment, he felt like a failure.
As hard as he was trying, he wasn’t enough for them. His grandparents desperately needed twenty-four-hour care. Tears filled his eyes as he talked with the operator, giving the information she asked for.
Soon, he heard sirens. Elijah hung up the phone and went to his grandmother, gently taking her hand. “Help is on the way. Hang in there.”
His granddad was on the porch, oblivious to what was going on. Elijah wanted to go to him, but he didn’t want to leave his grandma. The problem was solved when the EMTs came inside, Grandad following behind them.
“Claire!” Elijah’s grandad hurried over, trying to get to his knees, but his knees were weak, so Elijah helped him. “Claire, sweetheart.”
“You have to move so the EMTs can help her,” Elijah said gently. “Granddad, please.”
Tears filled both their eyes as Elijah helped his granddad stand. “Go in the ambulance with her. I’ll find a ride there.”
His grandad nodded as he wiped his eyes. “We’ve been together for sixty-seven years. We met when she was only twenty. Married a month later.”
Elijah already knew that. He rubbed his grandad’s back. “Go with her, Granddad. I’ll take care of everything else.”
His grandad shuffled off, following the stretcher. Elijah quickly grabbed his grandad’s and grandma’s coats and ran them out to him.
When he came back inside, Elijah called Wild Tiger.
“Wild Tiger,” Mason said when he answered.
“It’s Elijah.”
“Hey,” Mason said in a cheerful voice.
“I need a ride, fast,” Elijah said. “I need to get to the hospital. Please, Mason.”
“I’m on my way.”
Chapter Three
Elijah was near tears by the time Mason pulled into the driveway. All he wanted was to get to the hospital to check on his grandma. He wiped at his eyes as he jumped into the passenger seat, and then Mason took off.
“What happened?” Mason asked.
He told Mason what he’d found when he got home. “I don’t even know how long she was on the floor.”
Mason reached over and took Elijah’s hand, giving it a light squeeze. “She’s going to be okay, Elijah.”
He knew that Mason was only trying to comfort him, but Elijah wasn’t as optimistic. She was in her late eighties. Although his grandma was in pretty good health—except for the fact she kept calling him Kit, his mother’s name—she got around without any help, cleaned the house, even though Elijah told her he would do the work, and continued to bake with no problem.
But at her age, one wrong tick of the heart could lead to death.
“Hey, get out of your head,” Mason said. “Think positive thoughts, hon. I know this is scary, and you’re worried, but she’s in good hands now.”
Elijah nodded, thankful for Mason’s hand. He needed to distract himself on the ride. “Can I ask you something?”
“Sure.” Mason nodded. “Ask me anything.”
“Promise you won’t think I’m crazy?”
