Chapter 26

NANA WAS ALIVE. That’s what mattered; it was all I cared about right now. But I did wonder why it was that when you lose someone or are about to lose someone important to you, they become more precious than ever.

It was hell waiting for her to come back from tests at the hospital. I had to sit for hours in a sterile, fluorescent-lit corridor, while my mind ran through every possible worst-case scenario, a bad habit of mine from work. I tried to fill my head with memories of Nana, going all the way back to when I was ten and she had replaced my parents in my life.

When they finally wheeled her out, it was a gift just to look into her eyes. She’d been unconscious when we arrived, and there had been no guarantee I would ever see her alive again.

But here she was, and she was talking.

“Gave you a little scare there, did I?” Her voice was weak and wheezy, and she looked even tinier than usual sitting up on the gurney, but she was alert.

“More than a little scare,” I said. It was all I could do to keep from squeezing the life right back out of her. I settled for a lingering kiss on the cheek.

“Welcome back, old woman,” I whispered in her ear— just to make her smile, which it did.

“Good to be back. Now, let’s get out of here!”

Chapter 27

ONCE WE GOT Nana settled—in a hospital bed—the cardiologist on call came in to meet with us. Her name was Dr. Englefield, and she looked about fifty, with a compassionate face but also the kind of professional detachment I’ve seen with a lot of specialists.

She worked off Nana’s chart while she spoke.

“Mrs. Cross, your general diagnosis is congestive heart failure. Specifically, your heart isn’t pumping enough blood into your system. That means you’re not getting enough oxygen or nutrients, and that’s most likely why you collapsed this morning.”

Nana nodded, not showing any emotion. The first thing she asked was “How soon can I leave the hospital?”

“The average stay for something like this is four or five days. I’d like to adjust your blood pressure medication and see where we are in a few days.”

“Oh, I’ll be at home, Doctor. Where will you be?”

Englefield laughed politely, as if she thought Nana was joking. As soon as she was gone, though, Nana turned to me.

“You need to speak with someone else, Alex. I’m ready to go home.”

“Is that so?” I asked, trying to keep it light.

“Yes, that’s so.” She wagged her hand, trying to shoo me out of the room. “Go on. Make it happen.”

This was starting to get uncomfortable for me. I’d never called any shots for Nana before, and now, suddenly, I had to do just that.

“I think we should go with the doctor on this one,” I said. “If a few nights in the hospital means we don’t have to repeat this morning, then I’m all for it.”