Page 7 of Why We Break

“Hush, granddaughter. Leave this old man alone. But, I guess I do need to try to remember to do that,” he says with a shrug. “But, like I said, I’m sure Hannah will take good care of you. I’ll be in the cattle pasture if you need me. I’ll see y’all around dark.”

“Sounds good. Thank you again, Mr. Scott,” I call as he walks toward a red ATV parked beside the house.

He pulls off, leaving Hannah and I alone. I glance at her, and she gives me a friendly smile before asking, “Are you ready to get this day started?”

I nod and follow her to an old farm truck. She jumps inside and fiddles with the radio until “Summertime” by Kenny Chesney blasts through the speakers.

As she cranks the truck, I can’t help but smile. Getting paid to spend the summer with an incredibly gorgeous girl? Don’t mind if I do.

CHAPTER 7

HANNAH

By the time I step into the assisted living facility on Thursday night, I’m dead on my feet. It was close to midnight by the time my friends left last night and all the cows were back in their rightful place. After they were gone, I’d gone to check on Ruby, just intending to make sure she had enough hay to rest on for the night. But when I got there, she looked so pitiful in the large cattle trailer by herself, whining for her mother who definitely wasn’t coming back to comfort her. And as different as our situations were and as much as I liked to pretend I didn’t care, I was all too familiar with that feeling. So instead, I sat down in the hay and let her lay her small head in my lap while she finally went to sleep.

It had been almost two in the morning before I’d stumbled into the house, taken a shower, and collapsed into bed. But since the farm requires some attention in the mornings before I head off to school, I’d been back up at five to refill the water troughs, check on the horses, and feed Ruby and Leroy.

I try to hide my exhaustion as I step into my gramp’s room, but the concern that flashes across his face is enough to let me know I’ve failed.

“Hey, old man! How are you feeling?” I say, much more cheerfully than I feel.

“Well, my Hannah Banana, I’d be a lot better if you’d get me out of this damn place and let me come home to help you with the farm. You look like you could fall over dead any minute now,” he says with a snarl of frustration.

“Gramps, don’t do this to me tonight. You know I’d give anything to have you home with me. But you’ve had four major surgeries in the last year, and you’re recovering from a heart attack. The house isn’t accessible for your walker, and you fell down the stairs the last time you tried to get in the tractor,” I say sadly, and he must hear the defeat in my voice because he just nods sadly.

“You’re right, my sweet girl. I’m sorry. You know I’m just an old grumpy bastard. And I feel horrible I’ve left you to take care of that huge farm by yourself on top of taking care of me. This place is expensive. Just get me out of here and leave me on the side of the road to rot,” he says with a wink.

I roll my eyes at him before saying sarcastically, “Great idea, Gramps. I’ll get right on that. But, you hush. This is one of the nicest facilities in the area, and don’t think the nurses haven’t told me about your girlfriend, Gladis, down the hall. What would she do if you didn’t show up to your Friday night bingo date tomorrow?”

He lets out a chuckle before he relents. “Okay, fine, you’re right. I don’t mind this place, but I just wish I could help you, Han.”

I feel moisture gathering in my eyes, but I blink it away quickly, knowing if I start crying he’ll start asking questions about the finances and state of the farm which I definitely can’t answer right now. As I look at the elderly man sitting across from me, all I can feel is frustration with myself for letting it get this bad. Gramps never hesitated to take me in when my parents decided they didn’t want to be parents anymore and left me with him while they went on a vacation they’d never intended to come home from. This man has done everything he could for me to make sure I was always taken care of, and here I am letting the only other thing he ever cared about waste away.

I paste on a fake smile before I respond. “Don’t worry, Gramps. I’ve got it all under control. Will and some of the boys are going to redo the fence for me, and I’m working on some plans for the spring to get the garden going again. That way when the Farmers’ Market comes around I’ll have some extra income there. It’s all going to be fine.”

He gives me a content smile before nodding. “Oh, that would be nice. And tell Will thank you for me. He’s such a good man. When are you two going to finally admit that you’re in love?”

I almost choke on the sip of water I had just taken before responding. “Gramps, what kind of meds do they have you on in here. Clearly, it has to be some of the good stuff because you’re delusional.”

Gramps lets out a laugh before holding up his hands in a sign of surrender. “Okay, fine, fine. Say what you want, but I’m convinced you two will end up together. He looks at you the same way I used to look at your MiMi.”

I snort because I’m pretty sure the only way Will Thompson has looked at me in the last seven years is in annoyance, but I just nod since I don’t have the energy to argue with my gramps tonight. We spend the next hour chatting about the farm and the activities he’s enjoyed here since I came to see him on Sunday. By the time I hug him and stand to leave, I’m feeling a bit more like myself and like maybe there’s a way to figure all of this out.

“Okay, Gramps, I’ll be back on Sunday. I love you,” I say as I go to leave his room.

“Love you too, my Hannah Banana. I’ll see you then,” he calls after me, right before I close the door.

I make my way back to the front lobby and am just about to exit through the double doors in the front when one of the receptionists calls after me. “Miss Scott, could I talk to you for a moment?”

I turn to see it’s Mia, the young girl who usually handles my monthly payments, who called for me.

“Oh, hi, Mia. How are you tonight?” I say with a smile, hoping it isn’t obvious I’m about to fall over in exhaustion if I don’t get home soon.

“Oh, I’m okay. I just wanted to talk to you because of the issue we’re having with your grandfather’s Medicaid. As you know, you’ve been paying for his room and board while Medicaid has covered some of the medical expenses through a waiver due to his most recent surgery. But I got a notification today that they’re unwilling to continue paying their part since he’s several months out of recovery.”

It feels like all of the blood drains out of my body as I stare at her. “Okay, so how much will the cost increase?” I ask.

“Probably around an extra thousand to fifteen hundred dollars a month,” she says sadly. “We’re going to do what we can on our end, but I did want to give you a warning.”

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