Page 23 of Nanny and the Beast

She looks away for a moment, giving me an answer even before she speaks.

“These things take time, Emma,” she says. “She’s on several medications at the moment. Once we taper her off, we’ll need to run tests to determine whether there’s been any improvement. But from what I’ve seen, your grandmother is a fighter.”

I glance inside the room.

“She’s the strongest woman I know,” I whisper.

My grandmother took me under her wing when I didn’t have anyone else. She raised me all on her own. She was always there for me.

And now, it’s my turn to take care of her.

“She woke up from the coma, so I wouldn’t be surprised if she makes a full recovery,” Tessa says.

I nod.

When I first brought her to the hospital, my grandmother was in a coma. It lasted for five days, and it was the darkest point of my life.

The worst part of all this is that we still don’t know why she got so sick. A team of doctors is working on her case, but we still don’t have any answers.

“I know I should be grateful that she woke up, but it makes me feel so helpless that I still don’t know what caused it,” I say.

“Hey, that’s what we’re here for, okay?” Tessa says. “We’ll figure it out.”

I gnaw on my bottom lip, wondering if I should ask her the question on my mind.

“Have you noticed anything strange in the hospital lately?” I ask.

“Pardon?” Her eyebrows furrow together.

“I mean, did you see anything out of the ordinary?”

“You’re going to have to be more specific, Emma,” she says.

Heat creeps up my cheeks.

“A person,” I say finally. “Did you notice any suspicious-looking visitors in the hospital?”

Her pager goes off again. This time, she ignores it. Her eyes are fixated on me.

“Is there something you want to tell me, Emma?” she asks.

I don’t have the courage to tell her the truth.

“It’s nothing,” I say, shaking my head. “I don’t want to take up too much of your time. I should probably go see my grandmother before the visiting hours end. See you later, Tessa.”

I’m about to open the door when Tessa grasps my wrist.

“Are you sure it’s nothing?” she asks.

I try to smile at her, but my lips remain frozen. The truth is on the tip of my tongue. It would feel so good to share it with someone and remove some of the weight off my back.

“It’s just the uncertainty of this whole situation. I know that the team is doing their best, but the hopelessness just feels like it’s too much sometimes.”

She looks unconvinced but gives me a quick hug.

“Hang in there,” she says. “It’s normal for these things to take time, but I’m sure we’ll hear back from the forensics team soon.”

“Thank you.” I hug her back.

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