Leaning my head against his shoulder, I said, “That is the sweetest thing I’ve ever heard. And after meeting your grandmother, I see why you couldn’t tell her no.” I would have been clay in her hands too.

“We were lucky,” he said.

“You are lucky,” I corrected. I didn’t want either of them talking about her in past tense. She wasn’t deceased. Please don’t let her be.

Orion looked down at me. “Are you okay?”

I nodded. “Why?”

“I felt you...shudder. Are you, cold?” he asked.

Lying, I said, “A little.”

He let go of my hand and wrapped an arm around me pulling me close. “Better?” I nodded and he smiled. “I can ask a nurse for a blanket if you need one.”

“No. This is perfect.” Being in his arms was exactly where I wanted to be, just not at this location and for this reason.

The door opened and Finn came out. I could tell from his expression that he was about to deliver some difficult news. Orion picked up on it too.

“How...how is she?” he asked.

Finn said, “She is stable but in critical condition. She suffered a major heart attack. There were three separate times that she coded, and we needed to revive her.”

It was a blow to us all, but especially Orion and Mayson.

“She’s going to be okay, right?” Mason asked.

In a serious tone, Finn said, “We are doing everything we can for her. But her condition is very serious. We will be taking her down for more testing after she wakes up. That will determine if she is a candidate for a bypass surgery or not.”

“Open heart surgery? It’s that bad?” Orion asked.

“From the initial test, we can tell there is a lot of damage. But we won’t know everything until later. If you’d like to go in and see her you can, but not all at once. She is sleeping right now which is good. And we also do not want to stress her about anything, so keep your visit short,” he instructed. “Any more questions?” The brothers shook their heads and Finn said, “You know how to find me if you think of any.”

When we were alone, Mayson said, “Why don’t you go in? I was with her all night.”

“Are you sure?” Orion asked. Mayson nodded. Then Orion looked at me and said, “Would you like to come in with me?”

I had never been in a hospital except for when I had Joey. Never been around anyone sick except for my son when he had a cold. But Orion needed me, and I wasn’t going to let him down. Not after all he’d done for me.

Nodding, I said, “Of course I will.”

He took my hand, and we went inside. Instantly my stomach started to twist in a knot. She had intravenous tubes in both arms and an oxygen mask on her face. Even her coloring wasn’t as it was the other night. The room was filled with the sound of machines monitoring her. I was almost afraid to approach, but Orion guided me with his hand on my back.

As we stood by her bed, he said, “I’m glad you’re here with me.”

“So am I.” Looking down at her I said, “Grandmother, I have a request. When you wake up and are all better, I need you to teach me how to knit.”

Orion pulled me closer. “You better wake up because if I teach Raya, you know what they will end up looking like. I know you don’t want that,” he said, trying to follow my lead.

She didn’t move, and there was no change on her monitor either. The nurse said, “She might not respond, but I believe she can hear you.”

I leaned over and touched her hand gently. “Rest and I will see you when you get better.”

Orion let go of me, leaned over the bed rail, and kissed his grandmother on the forehead. “I love you, Grandmother. You are strong and I expect you to fight to get better. I need you around to guide me and teach me to be a husband and father someday.”

Was he telling her what he knew she wanted to hear? That might just do the trick based on our visit the other day. She didn’t hide the fact she wanted to see him settle down with a family. It was funny because she had been looking at me whenever she talked about it.

I’d like you to be around to see it too.