After asking for his grandmother’s room number at the information desk, Wade went up to the second floor.  Walking slowly, he couldn’t help but think this was twice in a year his nana had been hospitalized. Before, she was healthy, like a horse.

                 Millicent Schroeder is a tough cookie, and she’ll be okay.   Wade took and a deep breath before opening the door.

                 “Wade, you came.”  His mom kissed his cheek before hugging him.

                 Wade returned the hug.  “Of course, I did.”

                 When she pulled back, he studied his mom.  At fifty-seven, Eve Ramsey still looked beautiful with her shoulder-length blonde hair, her dark blue eyes, and fair skin.  Here, wearing her comfortable pink sweater and blue jeans, she was Eve and not Mrs. Dr. Jordan Ramsey, who sometimes hosted for parties for prominent doctors and their wives, or went to elegant fundraisers.  He knew his mom didn’t like such events, but the love she had for his father made them bearable.

                 I won’t make Kelsey attend those kinds of gatherings if she doesn’t want to go.

                 The dark circles under his mom’s eyes made him glad he could take turns watching his nana.

                 “Eve, what did I teach you about sharing,” his nana teased.  She held out a slender, wrinkled hand.  “It’s not every day one of my favorite grandsons pays me a visit.”

                 His eighty-five-year-old nana was an older version of his mother, except for her silver hair.  Her hospital gown engulfed her petite frame.  

                 “I’m happy to share the title of “favorite grandson” with all of my twelve male cousins.”  Wade smiled because although she was pale, her blue eyes sparkled and held determination in them. A great sign she could get through the infection, surgery, and recovery.  He took the offered hand and bent to kiss her forehead.  “How are you?”

                 “Besides feeling weak, I’m fine.”  Wade's nana sighed.  “I hate that you drove all this way for me.   The surgery won’t be for a couple more weeks.”

                 “Don’t be silly.  I wanted to be here. “  Wade caressed his nana's hand.

                 “You were always a caring boy.”  She patted his hand.

                 Wade turned to his mom.  “Go home and rest.  I can take over.”

                 His mom’s troubled gaze went from Nana to him.  “Are you sure?  You drove a good part of the day.  You must be hungry and tired.”

                 “No.  I stopped to eat, so I’m fine.  And I’ll check into a hotel after while.”

                 “Why stay at a hotel?”  His mom frowned.  “You can stay in your old room.”

                 “Mom, you know why.”  He looked at her, hoping for her to understand.

                 “You and your dad have to see each other sooner or later.”

                 Wade raised his chin.  “I choose later, and he would too.”

                 Glancing upward, his mom said in German, “Lord, help my stubborn men.”  She stifled a yawn and grabbed her purse from a nearby chair.  “Fine.  If you’re sure, then I guess I’ll go.  Your Aunt Caroline will come tonight and sit with Nana.”

                 “I don’t know why someone has to stay with me all the time.”  Nana rested her arms on her stomach and sighed again.  “The nurses can take care of me.”

                 “We told you,” his mom said patiently.  “It’s not for your sake, but for our peace of mind.”

Nana threw her hands up in defeat.  “Oh, fiddle-faddle.  Okay, but remember, I never wanted to be a burden.”

                 “You’re not.  We just want to make sure your needs are met.”

                 Wade nodded.  “You have a tendency of not asking for help.”
                 “I don’t want to bother anyone.”  His nana adjusted her pillow and frowned.  “My Oma, Adelaide Baumgartner, was right, it’s heck getting old.  I love to garden, bake, and cook, but I doubt I can do those things anymore.  A person might as well give up on living.”

                 Wade exchanged worried looks with his mom.  Nana loved being independent, and if she thought she must be dependent on someone, her desire to live would diminish. He knew that having a positive attitude going into surgery was the key to getting through it and for her recovery.

                 He perched on the edge of his nana’s bed and reclaimed her hand.  “You still can do those things.  You will be a dependent person for a short time.  Don’t give up.”

                 “And you moving in with Jordan and me isn’t a prison sentence.”  His mom let out a light chuckle.  “The agreement before this setback still stands.  When you’re well enough, you can come and go as you please and do anything you want in and around the house.”

                 “Ach, I don’t want to be a charity case.”  Nana frowned.

                 “Mom, you will be doing me a favor.”  She stepped closer.  “It’s lonely in our big house with Wade gone and with Jordan on call most of the time.  I need company.”

                 “And I want you to meet Kelsey and Hannah.  You will love them.”  Wade smiled, thinking about them.  “You and Kelsey can bake together, and I will let you tell her embarrassing stories about me.”
                Nana’s eyes brightened.  “So, you two are getting closer now?”

                “Yes.”

                “I’m happy for you.”  Nana squeezed his hand and nodded as if she was giving her blessing.  “You deserve happiness, like my Karl and I had for sixty years, God rest his soul.  I miss him every day.”  Her eyes welled up with tears, and she stared at the ceiling for a couple of minutes and then exhaled.  “But he would want me to be around as long as possible, so I will fight to live.  I’m too ornery to die anyway.”

                Wade and his mom both laughed.

                Wiping the tears that now cascaded down her cheeks, his nana said, “Now, Eve, go home and sleep.  You’ve been here since last night.”

                “Okay.”  His mom dabbed her own wet eyes, went to Nana’s bedside, and kissed her cheek.  “I love you, Mom.”

                “I love you, too.”

                His mom gently squeezed Wade’s shoulder.  “Thank you for coming,” she whispered.  “I know with you here; she will cheer up.  Her mood has been like a yo-yo.  You just witnessed it.  She needs you.”

                “She needs all of us.”

                His mom nodded.  “And our prayers.”

                When Wade's mom left, his nana looked at him.  “Tell me what’s going on with you.”

                “Nothing much.”  He shrugged.  “Working at the clinic and spending my spare time with Kelsey and Hannah.”

                “That’s what I want to hear about.  You and Kelsey.”  Nana pulled herself further up on the bed.  “When can I expect wedding bells?”

                “We are taking things slow.”  Wade rubbed his jaw.  The urgent conversation Kelsey wanted to have with him before his dad called still bugged him.  Was she having second thoughts about getting involved with him?   He prayed that wasn’t the case.  Had Parker said something to upset her?   He blamed Parker for her lack of self-esteem when it came to men and love.  Wade tried to show her she was worthy of being loved again.

                Perhaps I need to tell her.

               His nana’s voice brought him back to the present.  “Why the frown?  I thought things were better.”

               “They are.  Well, I thought so.”  He raked a hand through his hair.  “I believe her ex-husband said something to put a damper on her new confidence with men.  The day before Hannah’s birthday party, Kelsey agreed to go out with me, and then after the party, she wanted to talk to me urgently.  Dad called before I could find out with was bothering her.”

               “Your dad called about me, right?”

               “Yes.”  Wade straightened her covers.  “Don’t worry.  I’ll talk to her about it when I get back.  Everything will work out.”  He said it more for himself than for his nana.

               “I have faith it will.”  Nana yawned, and her eyelids drooped.

               “Me, too, but let’s not talk about it anymore.  You need to rest.”

               “Yes.”  She yawned again.  “I get tired so easily nowadays.” 

               “Do you want me to make the bed flat so that you can sleep?”

               “Yes, please.”

               Wade pushed the down button on the bed railing.

               Once his nana fell asleep, he texted Kelsey that he made it to Dallas safely, and he missed her.

               Once I find out what is weighing on her mind, I will make it all right.  She will know I love her, and that I’m not Parker.

***

               Abba’s Mama Mia roused Wade from a deep sleep.  After realizing it was the ringtone he had set whenever his mom called, he sat up, his back against the headboard.  Wade hoped nothing happened to his nana.  He closed his eyes and sent up a silent prayer before answering.

               “Mom, what is wrong?”  His heart pounded.  “Is it Nana?” 

               “No. Your nana is fine.  I need to ask you for a favor.”

               He glanced at the digital clock on the nightstand.  Seven-thirty.  Usually, he would get upset for oversleeping on a weekday, but he had no place to go at a fixed time.  His Aunt Caroline had agreed to have one of her daughters call him when they needed to leave the hospital so that he could sit with Nana.

                “Sweetie,” his mom said, getting his attention.  “Did you hear me?  I said I need to ask you a favor.”

                “Ask away.”  He swung his legs over the edge of the mattress.  “You know I’d do anything for you.”

                “They’re releasing your nana in two days, and I want to move her bedroom furniture from her house to ours so that Nana can be more at home.  The downstairs guest room is already cleared out beside the bed, but I’ll disassemble it while y’all load your nana’s furniture.”  She sighed.  “I wish your father and your Uncle Walter would hire movers, but they believe it’s a waste of money when they can do it themselves.  They think so, anyway.  So, please, honey, will you help them?”

                Wade heard bacon sizzling in the frying pan and her footsteps.  His mom always talked to people on the speakerphone when she was cooking.  He could see her pacing around her kitchen in her favorite flannel pajamas. 

                "Why can't one of your other five brothers help them?"

                 "Your Uncle Michael is away on business, and your other uncles are working, too," Wade's mom explained.  “I know your uncle Walter will do too much and tweak his back again.  My brother forgets he's sixty-five, not twenty-five.  And your dad is so particular about everything and your uncle is not.  With the two of them fighting, they will never get the job done.”

                Wade knew his mom had a point.  Whenever his dad and uncle Walter tried to work together, it ended up as a disaster, and somebody usually got hurt.  Wade remembered when they had attempted to build a playhouse for Christina.  He subconsciously touched his forehead, where they had accidentally hit him with the hammer, which they were fighting over when he had tried to stop them from arguing.  At fourteen, Wade learned not to intervene when two men double his size were fighting.

                After that, his dad hired somebody to build the playhouse.

                Wade grabbed a buttoned-up shirt and put it on.  “So you want me to help, and play referee.”

                “Yes.”  She paused, and he heard her pour herself some coffee.  “Look, I know your dad, and you have some unresolved issues, but this is about your nana.  Please.”

                He groaned.  “Mom, I want to have a relationship with Dad, but he needs to forgive me first and quit changing his mood whenever I’m around.”

                “Yes, I know.”  His mom sucked in a breath.  “It breaks my heart; he won’t forgive you and has been distant with you after all these years.  You feel you have to stay at a hotel, and I hate it.”  She sniffled.

                “Don’t cry, Mom.”  Wade cleared his throat.  “Maybe one day, he’ll forgive me.”

                “I pray that every day.”

                Wanting to change the subject, he said, “Tell Dad and Uncle Walter I’ll be over at Nana’s house to help as soon as I can.”

                “Thanks, sweetie.”

                Wade let out a little chuckle.  “Just hope no one joins Nana in the hospital.” 

 

***

                Wade’s dad closed the back of the U-Haul van.  “I think that’s the last of it.”

                “I’m glad that mom doesn’t have a lot of bedroom furniture.”  Uncle Walter panted and wiped his bald head with a bandana.  “Thanks to Wade’s help, we got done faster than I thought.”  He slapped Wade’s back.  “Maybe unloading will be even faster.”

                Wade brushed off some dirt from his jeans.  “I’m glad to help.”

                “Walt, let’s get going.”  His dad opened the driver’s door and hopped in.

                Uncle Walter shrugged at Wade.  “The cantankerous boss has spoken.”

                Wade laughed, grateful for his uncle’s levity.  “I’ll see y’all there.” 

                Taking the detour to get to his parents’ house, he thought over the morning.  His dad and uncle had behaved themselves for the most part.  A few arguments about which furniture to disassemble first, but then they had decided to start with the bed.   Wade smiled, thinking his mom and Uncle Walter’s wife, Glenda, must have warned them not to lose their tempers.   He shook his head when he thought about how his dad had barely spoken to him except to give instructions.  Though every now and again, Wade caught his dad looking at him with a sad expression and had helped him without being asked.

                Wade raked a hand through his hair.  His dad had been a puzzle to him since Christina’s death.  Before, his dad had tried to be the best dad he could as a neurosurgeon who was busy saving countless lives.  After Christina died, his dad pushed him away.  When he wasn’t ignoring Wade, he was yelling at him.  Wade knew his dad missed Christina; his attitude toward him needed to change.

                Wade ran a hand down his face.  Tonight, he would call Kelsey.  Hearing what she and Hannah were doing would take his mind off things.

                He parked in front of his parents’ three-story house.   Not seeing his father or uncle by the U-Haul van, he assumed they’d decided to take a break.

                Chills ran down Wade's spine when he entered his childhood home for the first time in nearly five years.  It looked even cleaner and perfect than ever.  The house appeared as though as it had been decorated by a professional for Christmas, although he knew his mom did all of it.   The ornaments on the large, tall fake tree in the corner of the spacious living room were arranged to balance out the tree, and chosen to match the rest of the room.  A garland with gold ribbon and pine cones wrapped the banister.  The figurines of elves, Santa Clauses, and nutcrackers scattered about, perfectly uniformed.  His great-uncle, Otto’s hand-carved manger scene on the upright piano, stood out, and he loved it because it didn’t match.
                I miss it when it looked like a family decorated it. 

               The image of his mom, Christina, and himself decorating the tree with homemade ornaments and silver ribbons popped in his head.  Wade could hear his sister’s squeals when he would lift her up so she could put angel topper on the tree.

               He sighed.  I hope Nana will inject some life into this museum.

               When his dad came out of the guestroom, dragging the metal headboard, Wade’s thoughts ended.  “Wade, help me move this to the garage.”

               Taking a fortifying breath, Wade went towards his dad and lifted the other end of the headboard.
               “I guess Mom disassembled the bed while we were gone.”

               “Yep.”

               A one-word answer. Wade shook his head.  I have a feeling it will be harder than this morning.

***

 

              After showering, Wade sat on his hotel bed and dialed Kelsey’s cell.

              “Hello?”  Kelsey sounded tired.

              “Hi, Kelsey, it’s me.”  Wade raked his hand through his wet hair.  “Is something wrong?  You sound like I feel.  Worn out.”

              “No.  Everything is fine.  I had a busy day at the bakery, that’s all.”  She yawned.  “Excuse me.  Everybody seems to be ordering their Christmas cookies in advance so they can freeze them.  Well, I guess not that much in advance.  It’s less than two weeks away.  I’m always swamped during the holidays.”

              He smiled.  “You are the best baker in town, and everybody knows it.”

              “Thank you.  Hey, how is your grandma?”

              “Fine.  She’ll be going home with my parents tomorrow.”  He leaned against the pillows and rubbed his eyes.  “Today, I helped move my nana’s furniture to my parents’ guest room.”

              “No wonder you said you were worn out.”

              “Yeah, but my dad and my uncle helped me.”

              “Uh-oh, how did that go?” she asked with curiousness and concern in her voice.

              Emotionally draining.  “It went.”

              “I’m sorry.  I know there’s something wrong with y’all’s relationship.”

              A groan escaped from the back of his throat.  “There is, but I don’t want to talk about it now.  How is Hannah?”

              “Doing well.  Hannah's at Brianna’s house working on their history project.  She’ll be sorry she missed you.”

              “I miss y’all so much, but I’m planning on coming home on Saturday or Sunday.”

              “So soon?”

              Disappointment filled him at her question.  He rubbed his chin.  Didn’t she miss him?  “Yes.  Why?”

              “I just thought you might want to spend Christmas with your family.”

              “As much as I want to, it’ll be better if I don’t.  The tension between my dad and me would ruin the Christmas mood.  I’ll be coming back for Nana’s surgery after the New Year anyway, so if I stay until then, everybody might get sick of me.  Besides, I want to spend it with you and your family.   And, beforehand, we can go on our date.”

              “I’d like that, but I need to talk to you before we do.”

               Wade's heart sank.  He had hoped whatever had been bothering her would disappear.  A foolish thought on his part.  It wouldn’t be resolved until they talked, and he prayed he could ease her mind.  “Sure.  We’ll talk when I get back.”  Wade hoped his voice didn’t sound shaky.

             He placed his cell phone on the nightstand and then stared at the ceiling.  Please, God, let things work out between Kelsey and me.