My Saving Grace Pt. 03

"You gave us quite a scare, hero," he said thickly. He was swallowing back tears, I was shocked to realize. The only time I'd ever seen him cry was when his Mother passed away.

"How's Gracie?" I croaked, and was alarmed at the rough sound of my voice.

"She's going to be fine. They discharged her this morning. Your Mom and your Grandparents are with her, son. She's going to be one miserable girl for a few more days, but she's going to be just fine. You saved her life."

"Thank you, God," I whispered, and slept again.

When I woke up again, daylight was streaming through the window. "Good Morning!" came a cheery voice from my left. I turned to see a nurse bustling about my room, checking the IV drips hooked into me, and making notes on what I assumed to be my chart. I went to brush the crust out of my eyes, only to find that I couldn't move my arms!

"Relax, honey," she said. "We had to restrain you because you were delirious. You were thrashing around so much that we couldn't treat you! Your doctor will be here in just a few minutes, and I'm certain he'll order them removed. How's the pain? Better?"

"Yes," I said, slowly. In fact, it was a good deal better. My head didn't ache near as much. My hands and feet were really sore, but it was no worse than that.

"Good!" she replied.

"Nurse-"

"West," she replied, answering my question before I asked it. Clearly anticipating my next one too, she continued, "I can't discuss the specifics of your condition until the doctor talks to you. But between you and me, sweetie, you're going to be okay." Her eyes revealed her sincerety and conviction. I was going to be fine, just because she said so...or else!

"Thank you, Nurse West," I said politely. She smiled and laughed.

"Oh please, call me Hannah. There's no reason to be so formal. Incidentally, your family will be here soon. They were exhausted and decided to leave and get some sleep, but not before they made me promise on pain of death to call them as soon as you woke up." She held up her cell phone to show me she had done so.

The doctor's visit with me was almost anticlimactic. He told me I was mostly over the aftereffects of the hypothermia, and that I hadn't suffered any permanent damage, other than a cut along my left leg that had required stitches to close. It would almost certainly scar, he cautioned me, but that wasn't a big deal. Hell, I didn't even remember receiving the wound. I'd been scared about frostbite, but he reassured me that there hadn't been any. He just wanted me to follow up with my family doctor after I was released.

"Which will probably be tomorrow morning," he noted pleasantly, then left.

"Hannah," I said, catching her before she left.

"Yes, Kevin?"

"How long have I been here?" She smiled kindly.

"You've only been here three days. There's probably still some turkey waiting on you at home!" she said in a teasing tone.

"Huh," I scoffed. "You say that cause you don't know my family, Hannah!"

"Flirting with the nurses already, huh Kev?" came my sister's voice. Her tone was filled with humor, not anger. She knew better than to think that of me, after all.

"Well hello, Gracie!" Hannah said. "How are you feeling, honey?"

"A lot better, thanks, Hannah," Grace replied as she stepped into my room. Mom, Dad, and our Grandparents were right behind her. I studied Gracie carefully. She was walking normally, and as far as I could see, she looked fine. Beautiful in fact. Her smile was nothing less than beautific as her gaze held mine.

"I'll let you guys catch up. Hit your call button if you need anything, okay Kevin?" Hannah said as she slipped out.

For the next thirty minutes or so, we did just that. It was nice to talk with them, but I only had eyes for my precious Grace Finally though, Hannah stuck her head in.

"Sorry folks, but I can only give you a few more minutes. It's technically after visiting hours now, but I'm willing to stretch it. Just a few more minutes though, and then this hero here needs his beauty sleep!"

Reluctantly, my family got up to leave, all except Grandma. "Go on, all of you," she said, kindly. "I just need a word with my grandson. My brave, strong, incredibly stupid grandson!" They all smiled and departed, Gracie doing so with a longing glance over her shoulder. When we were alone, Grandma's gaze turned to me and her smile faded to nothing.

She quietly moved a chair to my bedside and sat down without saying a word. As she gazed at me, I stared back, quietly waiting. My Grandma, at 5'2" tall and 90 pounds (if she was soaking wet, maybe) she didn't cut a very imposing figure. That was especially true when you factored in the fact that she was pushing 80. But, as soon as her eyes hit you, you could see that she was a petite little dynamo, and not someone to be trifled with. Her next words confirmed this.

"Talk to me about what you're doing with Grace, Kevin," she began. "And don't bother lying to me. It won't end well for you if you do."

My breath caught in my throat as I stared at her in shock. Her face was devoid of emotion, but I could see something smoldering in her eyes. Something, indefinable. Did she know something? I wondered. How? Is she bluffing me, hoping to get me to say something? I blinked, and for the first time I found myself in fear of a member of my own family. It appeared that this time, there might be consequences arising from My Saving Grace.