Something Unexpected by Keeland Vi

Author:Keeland, Vi
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: C. Scott Publishing Corp.
Published: 2023-07-01T00:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER 18

* * *

Beck

“GIGI!” MADDIE RACED to Gram’s hospital bed and climbed up. She had on her usual Saturday outfit of shorts and a T-shirt, with her green Girl Scout sash across her body displaying her seventeen badges.

“Easy, baby. Gigi is feeling better, but you need to be careful.”

Gram also looked a heck of a lot better. It helped that she was sitting up in bed, already dressed in street clothes, with a full face of makeup on.

Gram frowned. “Don’t listen to Captain No-fun. What’s shakin’, pip squeak?”

Maddie pointed to her great grandmother’s eyes. “I like your eyeshadow. It’s sparkly.”

“Everything is better when it sparkles. If I could eat glitter for breakfast and shine all day, I would.”

Maddie flashed her tiny teeth. “I want to sparkle, too.”

“You do? Well, grab me that makeup bag on the end table, and we’ll fix you right up.”

Watching my grandmother with my daughter reminded me so much of my mom and me—not that she’d made up my face with glitter, but she’d had a way of passing on experiences without making me feel like I was a little kid.

“Daddy said you’re coming to stay with us,” Maddie said.

That had been a bone of contention over the last few days since Gram and the doctors had started talking about discharge. She had been in the hospital for two weeks, so it wasn’t surprising that she wanted to go home to her own place. But the doctors had said she shouldn’t be alone right after discharge, since she might become weak and lightheaded. I waited for the argument to come again today. Shockingly, it didn’t.

“That’s right, my love.” She tapped her finger on Maddie’s nose. “I’m looking forward to it.”

Gram’s smile seemed to glitter as much as her eyeshadow. And the fact that she’d come around to the idea of staying with me without another fight made me think I should be scared. But maybe she was starting to feel the weakness the doctors had warned about. Either way, I thought it was best not to look a gift horse in the mouth. So I took a seat at the foot of the bed and watched as Gram colored my six-year-old’s eyelids with purple sparkly shit.

A nurse walked in as they were finishing up. “Hey, Ms. Aster.” She looked at Maddie and smiled. “Oh, hello. Who do we have here? I love your eyeshadow.”

My daughter beamed. “I’m Maddie. I’m six years old, and this is my Gigi.”

“My goodness, look at all those badges. Are they all yours?”

Maddie nodded. “I’m going to earn them all.”

The nurse smiled. “Well, if you’re as determined as your great grandmother, I have no doubt that you will.” The nurse spoke to Gram. “I’m just finishing up with your discharge paperwork. Give me about fifteen minutes, and I’ll come in and take out your port. Then we can go over your medication and discharge instructions so you can bust out of here.”

“Thanks, Lena.”

As she walked out, Nora walked in.

I hadn’t seen her since our infamous limousine ride home, though I’d replayed it a million times since then.

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