I finish reading the final paragraph of Great Expectations and close the cover. “See, Nan? This is why I’m always nice to homeless people. You never know when they might turn their lives around and become grateful rich people who want to give you heaps of money.”
I put the book on the floor with the growing pile that have already been read and yawn. I’ve slept here for the past few nights. I figure if I can’t be with Max, I’ll be with Nan. I just wished that when I talked to her about how my life seems to be spiraling into areas I can’t seem to navigate, she spoke back. Maybe then I wouldn’t feel so lost.
“Nan,” I say and brush a stray piece of hair away from her face. “I haven’t said it for a few days, but ... could you wake up now? I miss you.” My throat tightens and my eyes well up. “God, how I miss you. I swear, if you just wake up you can lecture me all you like about my love life. In fact, I’d welcome you meddling right about now.” I wipe away a stray tear. “I have an amazing man, but there’s this terrible feeling I’m losing him, and I don’t know why.”
I take her hand, and for a brief second I think I feel her fingers tighten around mine. But as I hold my breath to see if it happens again, I realize it must have been wishful thinking.
Feeling frustrated and way too emotional, I wipe my face dry and hug her arm. “Please wake up. Please.” I close my eyes to stop the tears. “I’ve tried life without you, and I hate it. Come back to me. Please.”
I pray silently for a while, and I must eventually doze off, because I have a dream in which Nan lectures me about how wonderful Max is. As I come to, I hold onto the last vestiges of it. I’ve missed the sound of her voice so much, even hearing it in a fantasy makes me smile.
“I mean, really, Eden. It’s probably all in your head. You clearly love him. Why are you trying to sabotage things before you’ve even tried?”
God, that’s so realistic, it’s scary.
I snap my eyes open to see Nan staring down at me, eyes blue and bright.
“Oh, so you are awake? And here I was thinking you were pretending to sleep just to avoid the conversation.”
I sit up so fast, my head spins. “Nan?”
She looks down at her arm. “Oh, thank God. You’ve been leaning on that thing for so long, I can barely feel it.”
I stare at her in shock for a full three seconds, until the reality of what’s happening slams into me like a Mack truck, and then I lunge for the remote and hit the nurse button at the same time I yell at the top of my lungs.
Nan recoils. “Good God, Eden, keep your voice down! You’ll wake the dead with that caterwauling.”
Shirley hurries into the room, and when she spies a conscious Nan, her mouth drops open in disbelief.
“You see it too, right?” I whisper, terrified I’m actually still asleep.
“Oh, yes, honey,” Shirley says. “She’s most definitely awake.” Another nurse comes in, and Shirley instructs her to page the doctor immediately.
Nan looks at each of us in turn as if we’ve lost our minds. “Of course I’m awake, and what’s more, I’m starving. What’s a girl have to do to get a sandwich around here?”
High, hysterical laughter bubbles out of me, and then I’m bawling like a baby as I sprawl across Nannabeth’s chest and hug her as hard as I can without hurting her.
“Oh, sweetie,” she says as she pats my back. “It’s okay. I was only joking about the sandwich. But seriously, I’d murder someone for a coffee. And an explanation as to why I’m wearing this hideous gown. I look like an old woman.”
*
An hour later, Nan has been thoroughly x-rayed and examined, and the reality of what’s she’s been through finally sinks in when the doctor announces her left arm is partially paralyzed.
“It’s quite normal to have something like this after a head injury,” he tells Nan, “but I can’t guarantee it’s not permanent.”
Nan waves him off with her good hand. “I’ll be fine. Do you think I’m going to let a coma slow me down? Please.”
I laugh, because if anyone can beat a little pesky brain damage, it’s my nan.
“Now,” Nan says. “When can I get out of here? And don’t tell me a few days, young man, because I’m not having it. I have a duck to get home to.”
He glances over at me. “Uh ... it’s normal for patients to be disoriented. I wouldn’t worry too much about minor delusions.”
“Oh, I’m not worried,” I say. “And that’s not a delusion. She really does have a pet duck.”
Nan looks at the doctor with a smug smile. “Now, about you getting me a speedy discharge ...”
As Nan browbeats the doctor about leaving, I’m floating on cloud nine. She’s back. Thank you, Lord!
I pull out my phone to call Max, but then I realize he’ll be in the middle of a date, and I really don’t want to break such happy news in a voice mail. It’s weird that not being able to share my happiness with him takes the shine off it a little. Like nothing is truly real until he knows about it.
“Eden?” I look over to see Nan staring at me. Apparently, she’s chased the doctor away. “Everything okay, sweetheart?”
“God, Nan, I should be the one asking you that. You’re the one who’s been comatose.”
She smiles. “I’m fine. I’m just cranky they want to keep me here for the rest of the week. Poor Moby must be out of his mind with worry, even if Max has been visiting him.”
I go over to her. “How do you know that?”
“Oh, I heard lots of things over the past two weeks.” She gestures to the chair beside the bed. “I can’t believe you waited until I was unconscious before getting yourself a boyfriend. Really, Eden. You deprived me of all of the juicy details. So just in case I missed anything, I want you to tell me the whole story from the beginning, and don’t leave anything out. I want to know everything about your handsome Max Riley.”
TWENTY-THREE
Morning Delight
It’s all Nan’s fault that I’m on my way to Max’s apartment at seven a.m. wearing only sexy underwear beneath a trench coat. She grilled me for hours about Max and what’s happened between us, and when I mentioned his work was causing tension, she told me I had to be proactive in addressing our issues. Last night she practically shooed me out of her room and told me that if I was worried about losing our connection, I should show up unannounced this morning and ‘blow his socks off’. I don’t think she meant ‘blow’ as in suck his dick, but with Nan, I’m never sure. She can be filthy when she wants to be.
As I climb the stairs to his apartment, I’m surprised to hear voices. From what he’s told me about the hours he’s been working, I expected him to be fast asleep after a long night with multiple clients, but it sounds like he’s having breakfast with Dyson.
Dammit. I’m wearing thigh-high stockings and stilettos with a super-short trench coat. I don’t think it will take too much imagination for Dyson to figure out why I’m here. I wonder how embarrassed Max will be to have his friend witness my blatant booty-call.