down the street.
“Mrs. Nelson? What? I thought she was at the bake sale.”
“She left a few minutes after Sasha did.”
Sasha left?
My phone rang and I pulled it out, I saw that it was Sasha.
“Hell—”
“Gam collapsed! She’s not…I don’t know what to do…”
“We’re pulling up now.” I jumped out before the vehicle came to a stop and I rushed inside.
Linc was right behind me with the kit. Everything was a blur as I ran into the house. I saw Sasha on the floor and Mrs. Nelson lying beside her.
“Gam! Gam!” Sasha shouted as tears fell down her cheeks.
I had just kneeled down when Mrs. Nelson’s eyes began to flutter open. “Gam!”
“Why are you shouting, Chipmunk? I’m right here.”
Sasha sat back in relief as Linc and I began to take Mrs. Nelson’s vitals, get a rundown of her medications and generally assess her. After about ten minutes on oxygen and an IV drip, her pulse was still weak, her blood pressure was low, and she was complaining of a headache, so the decision was made to take her to the hospital.
Linc went out to get the gurney. Once we got her loaded, Sasha asked. “Should I follow you?”
“You can ride in the ambulance,” I offered.
Mrs. Nelson reached out and grabbed Sasha’s hand, with her oxygen mask she wasn’t able to speak, but it was clear that she wanted her to ride along.
“Okay.” Sasha nodded. “Okay.”
I moved around the gurney and began to roll it out when I noticed the suitcase on the floor next to the purse she was picking up. My heart clenched in my chest. I’d known, of course, that Sasha was leaving, but seeing her bag packed made it real.
Linc drove and I rode in the back of the rig with Mrs. Nelson and Sasha.
“You’re gonna be okay, Gam. I’m right here.” Sasha repeatedly assured her grandma as she held her hand. Then every few minutes she would look up at me. “She’s going to be okay, right?”
I didn’t know the extent of what was going on with her. All I’d been able to do was stabilize her enough to transport her. She would need to get blood work, scans, and have someone look at her medical history to find out what her prognosis was.
Sasha was a smart girl. I was sure that she knew all of that, she just needed me to reassure her in this moment so that’s exactly what I did.
“Yes,” I answered every time, even though I had no way of knowing the outcome.
The nearest hospital was about thirty miles away in Parish Creek, but with the siren on we easily made it in less than twenty. About ten minutes into the drive, Mrs. Nelson reached up and pulled down her oxygen mask.
“You can’t leave with Drake,” she told Sasha.
“Mrs. Nelson, you need to keep that on.” I replaced it, doing my best to ignore what I’d heard her say.
A few minutes later she pulled it down again. “Tell her, Beau, tell her she can’t go on the plane with him.”
“Gam, please leave your mask on,” Sasha pleaded as I replaced the mask again. “I’m not going anywhere,” she assured her. “I’m right here, Gam. I’m not going anywhere.”
Mrs. Nelson tried one last time to tug her mask off, but Sasha put her hand over it to stop her. “It’s okay. I’m right here. I’m not going anywhere. I’m not getting on the plane.”
For the rest of the ride, Sasha held the mask in place and continued assuring Mrs. Nelson that she wasn’t going anywhere. When we arrived at Valley Memorial, we pulled up to the emergency room and two nurses were waiting to do her intake. Linc and I wheeled Mrs. Nelson inside, gave the triage report and helped move her from the stretcher to the bed.
When we were leaving, Mrs. Nelson reached out and grabbed my hand. I could see in her eyes she was asking about Sasha. I looked around and saw that they must have stopped her on the way in.
“I’ll go find her. And don’t worry, you’re in really good hands here.”
She nodded and I went back out to the waiting room where I found Sasha filling out paperwork.
“Is she okay?” She jumped up when she saw me.
“She’s fine. Dr. Hammond is on duty. He’s one of the best.” I wasn’t just saying that. If it was one of my loved ones on that bed, he would be the person I’d want overseeing their care.
“Can I go back there?”
“Yes, just