Saving Grace (30 page)

The last time she was in a hospital was when she was seven, waiting to hear if her parents made it through surgery.  The sensations that came back from the night of her parent’s accident and death were overwhelming and she silently prayed the outcome would be different this time.

The first thing Grace saw, after following Anne into the room, was the desperate hang of her grandfather’s frame as he stood stooped over her grandmother’s hospital bed.  It looked like he’d not slept in days.

She softly walked up behind him, almost unable to bear what was to come next. Grace sharply drew in a breath, and held it in when she saw her grandmother lying in the hospital bed.  She looked lifeless, as if on her last leg.

Anne laid her hands on Grace’s arms and pulled her into her side. 

“I’m here.  It’s okay,” she said, stepping them forward.

Andrew watched his wife hang on to dear life, wishing there was something he could do for her.  Technically she should have passed on by now, but it was as if she was clingingly desperately to life with purpose … like she was holding out for something.

He looked down to his stubborn wife and truly appreciated that quality for the first time.  Even though he’d been telling her all night that it was okay to go and given her permission to leave, she was standing firm in the face of death and beating the odds. 

His heart surged with pride for the fighter she’d always been and still was.  He regretted that it took these circumstances to allow him to feel something he’d thought he’d lost … love for his wife.

              Although she could speak, she was heavily medicated, as the doctors were trying to make her as comfortable as possible.  They weren’t even sure how she was lasting this long.

              The EMT’s, who performed CPR on her at the family home before transporting her, didn’t expect her to make it to the hospital.  And when she held on, they passed her off to the ER doctors, who didn’t expect her to make it through the night … yet she held on.

             
You’re a fighter, Lilah,
Andrew thought, questioning at this point if she was going to get better or if it was just a matter of time.  He stood at the edge of the bed, head hung when he heard someone shuffle in behind him.

              “Grandfather,” Grace said softly, in an almost childlike voice.

              Andrew spun around to take Grace into his arms.

              “Sweet Grace, I thought we’d lost you. I’m so glad you’re safe.”  His voice broke. 

It was then that he saw Anne standing further away, unsure how to approach him.

              He dropped one arm from around Grace, and extended a shaky hand to eldest granddaughter.

              Anne reached for her grandfather’s aged hand, and expected to shake it in greeting, only to be pulled strongly into his embrace.

              Shocked, she put her arms around the two and laid her head on his chest, listening to his heartbeat, as tears escaped down her face.

              “I’m so sorry,” Andrew said sadly, burying his face into Anne’s hair.  “I spent my life separating myself from Lilah’s world, hoping that being there for you girls was good enough.  Only I wasn’t really there for you – and I wasn’t good enough.”

              Anne’s head popped up to see her grandfather’s misty eyes.  She blinked and slowly closed her own, not knowing what to say.

              “Thank you,” Anne finally said, in return, and lifted her eyes back up to meet her grandfather’s. 

              As the two mended bridges, Grace sank into Lilah’s bedside.  She took her grandmother’s hand into hers and leaned over to whisper in her ear.

              “I’m home, grandmother.  I’m here.  And, I’m sorry I said such hateful things to you the last time we spoke.”

              Grace would never know the power her words held, as they truly shook Lilah to her very core.  Her eyelids lifted, revealing her bright blue eyes.  And, although they weren’t as lively, her eyes still held clarity.

              Lilah lifted her free hand and began fumbling with her oxygen mask, mumbling something in return.

              At the sound of her movements, Andrew and Anne attentions were drawn to her.

              “Lilah, you mustn’t…” His voice trailed, as he watched his wife ignore him, and pull her mask away.

              In a small and pained voice, she began the words she’d been planning for weeks if she ever was lucky enough to see Grace again.

              In that moment, seeing how tiny and frail her grandmother was, any resentment Anne felt fell away.  This wasn’t the woman she’d battled with so many years ago.

After such warm words had been exchanged with her grandfather – her heart was filled with forgiveness for them both.

              Anne stepped from behind her grandfather, to sit down in the chair next to Lilah’s bed, hoping she could express how she felt to her grandmother before it was too late.

              Lilah’s heart almost couldn’t take it.  She had waited, hoping to see Grace.  She fought with all her might to hold on for as long as she could, but to see Anne in the same room was enough to send her over the edge not knowing what kind of reunion this could be.

              Anne saw her face go pale, when she stepped within sight and reached out to touch her arm. 

              “Is it okay that I’m here?”  Anne asked, hoping not to be rejected.

              Concern crossed Lilah’s face but she soon nodded, relieved.  She opened her mouth to speak, and took a deep breath.

              “I need to tell you both …” Lilah caught her breath.

              Grace watched the heart monitor spike as she tried to speak.

              “Shhh, it’s okay.  Just rest,” Grace softly ordered.

              Lilah shook her head and frowned, before finally saying between breaths, “Don’t … know … how much … time I have.”

              Grace sobbed uncontrollably.  She wasn’t prepared.  She wasn’t ready.

             
God, please help her.  Don’t let her go.

              Lilah brought her mask up for air, before pulling it away to continue.

              “I was wrong to treat you both the way I did.  I see that now.”  Lilah seemed to gain strength.

Grace knew she had to pull it together.  She wiped her nose, took a deep breath, and leaned in to hear her Grandmother’s weak voice.

              “When you mother got married, I took it personally … like she left me.  I disowned her out of hurt – because I cared … too much.  Then when I’d learned she died – a part of me died too.  I knew I had to do right by her and raise you two.”

              Grace interrupted. “You did good, grandmother.”

              She looked to her sister for reassurance, but with one look at Anne’s face - she could tell she didn’t have much to give.  She knew Anne spent most of her adult life resenting Lilah, and this was probably coming at her too fast.

              “No, I was wrong to treat you girls that way I did.  I withheld love from you … to keep from getting hurt like I did with your mom.”

              Lilah searched Anne’s hard eyes, and took another deep breath before asking, “Can you ever forgive me?” 

Lilah then looked to her sweet Grace, who’d always been loyal and loving no matter her actions, and started to cry.  “Both of you – can you forgive me?  I’m so sorry.”

Grace nodded her head, not able to speak from the emotions that she felt.  She turned to her sister, hoping Anne could let go and forgive.

“Anne?”  Grace asked, staring to her sister with hope.

Anne’s face slowly softened toward Lilah, and Grace was happy to see her sister make the right choice … to forgive.

Anne nodded to her sister, letting go of any trace of anger she’d been holding in, and then stood to kiss her grandmother’s cheek.

“You did the best you could,” Anne whispered, and then gently laid her hand on Lilah’s arm.  “And truth be told, I could have done better too.  I’m sorry.”

As tears freely flowed from both girls, Lilah’s monitor started a slow but steady decent.

“I’ll go get the doctor.”  Andrew rushed from the room.

“Grandmother,” Grace called, leaning in to hug her, only to hear the monitor’s alarm sound.

She and Anne took a step back, and what they both saw was something Grace would never forget. 

She looked into Lilah’s eyes, which were normally a bright blue, only this time they were dilated to the point of being black.  This definite shift in Lilah was a change that both girls were unprepared to witness.

Grace’s chest felt tight.  Panic bubbled up at the thought of watching her grandmother die. 

“Anne?” Grace grasped her sister’s hand.

It was then that it happened.

Lilah, almost comatose and lifeless in her bed, lifted her chin towards the ceiling with wide eyes.  It was almost as if she was looking through the ceiling tiles, toward something no one else in the room could see.  And, her face was filled with a look of glory.

The emotion was so thick on Lilah’s face, that both Grace and Anne were sure she saw a host of angels coming for her.

Grace even looked to the ceiling where Lilah was staring to see if she could see what her grandmother saw, with no vision of her own.

“Gracey?”  Anne cried and pulled her in, letting her sister cry on her shoulders.

By the time the nurses came in, it was too late.  Lilah’s head had dropped back down, and she was gone.

Within the hour, Burke and Grace … and Chad and Anne, two somber couples, exited the hospital hand in hand.

As the girls left, a cameraman got a tight shot of Anne and Grace’s forlorn faces as they got in their limo with their men.  Grace was never more thankful for dark tinted windows. 

Since no one could see inside, she could let loose and slide into Burke’s lap without judgment.

Now that the show had their parting shot, Chad and Anne were finished with their commitment to Broadcast Affair and were free to start their life together. 

Grace looked on as her sister curled into Chad’s embrace; happy to see she had found someone to lean on too.  Only now that her grandmother had passed, Grace had no idea what was next in her life.

Chapter 36

Six months later

              Burke stood on the lanai and watched Grace, as she faced the ocean, much like the way he’d first seen her.  He quickly reflected on how much had changed since that first day, with her black eye and broken spirit.

              Now she stood in nearly the same spot, but there was nothing broken nor frail about her.  She was as strong as the tides that pulled them together.

              He smiled at that thought a quickly walked down the pathway to join her. 

“Hey you,” he said lovingly and extended his hand to grasp hers.

Grace turned and looked over her shoulder with a smile, happy to have him join her.  She laced her fingers with his and rested her other hand on her belly.

Burke’s heart warmed from the inside out at the sight of her normally small frame expanding to make room for their first child.  He never knew that you could literally feel love extending through every portion of one’s body – but with her and now their child - he was in awe at how much he felt.

“Come sit,” he stooped down and brought her onto his lap.  He laid his hand and her belly and leaned over to kiss it.

              “You sure she’ll be okay to fly?” He lifted his hand from her stomach and leaned in to kiss her lightly on the lips.               

Grace laughed and shook her head.  “Yes, I even got a doctor’s note because I knew you’d worry.  We’re both going to be fine.”

              He breathed in through his nose and nodded with reassurance.  He finally had the family he’d always dreamed of, and remembered to thank God every day for it.

              “Are you packed and ready?  We need to leave in a few minutes.”

              “Yes.  I just needed to get my last view before we go.” She winked at him, before returning her gaze back to the ocean.  Grace smiled as the waves crashed into the sandy shore a few feet away.  She looked to her growing midsection and was never more thankful she married Burke right here on the beach; at the very spot they met.

              Directly after her grandmother’s funeral, she, Burke, Anne, and Chad all flew back to Oahu.  It was the only place any of them felt could give them solace after all they’d experienced.

              The second they stepped back on the sand behind Burke’s home, he dropped to his knee and pulled Grace in.  It was then that he proposed, which led to a short engagement, as they were married the next week.