Falling Fast

It takes me a few minutes to pull myself together enough to wash my face and get dressed in the sweats, T-shirt, and flip-flops Nina brought me. After dumping my clothes into the trash, I open the door to find Colton standing there waiting for me, just like I somehow knew he would be.

“Hey.” His concerned eyes meet mine, and it takes all the strength I have left not to throw myself against his chest and cry. “Come on.” He takes my hand and leads me back to Grandma’s side. I take a seat next to her bed, and he pulls up a seat next to me, taking my hand once more, locking our fingers together in his lap. I know I should pull away, but I don’t, because it feels good being connected to him, having his support and his strength when I’m all out of those things.

“Gia Caro?” a man wearing a doctor’s jacket asks, coming into the room and looking around at everyone.

“That’s me.” I stand, and Colton does the same, tightening his hold on my hand when I attempt to pull away.

“Miss Caro, do you have a minute to talk with me in my office?” he questions, and I look at the bed, feeling completely torn.

“We’ll stay here with her, honey,” Nina says, and my eyes go to her.

Giving her a nod, I look at the doctor once more. “Sure.”

“Good, follow me,” he instructs, so I do, in a complete daze, not even realizing that Colton is still with me until we reach the office and step inside. “Have a seat.” He motions for the two chairs across from him. Taking a seat, my heart starts to pound so hard that I feel lightheaded. “I just got off the phone with your grandmother’s doctor. She told me that she was going to be calling you this afternoon to explain the results of the CT scan she ordered.”

“Okay,” I whisper, and Colton’s fingers squeeze mine.

“As you know, your grandmother was diagnosed with vascular dementia,” he begins, and I nod, even though I had no idea she had vascular dementia. I thought she just had dementia. “That diagnosis still stands, but the illness is now at a stage six, which is why she has had such a sharp decline in memory loss.”

“What do we do?”

“I wish I could tell you there was a cure for her illness, but unfortunately that isn’t the case, and even more unfortunately, I’m going to have to suggest she be placed in a nursing home and go on hospice care.”

“No,” I deny, shaking my head. “No way.”

“Miss Caro.” He drops his voice as he sits forward in his chair. “I understand this situation is a difficult one, but we have to do what’s right for your grandmother and you. She is only going to get worse, and after what happened tonight, you know what worse could mean for the two of you.”

“She should be with me,” I whisper.

“I have a nursing home I work closely with. They are one of the best in the state. Family is always welcome all hours of the day and night. You can spend as much time with her as you like. The nursing staff at that location is great, and your grandmother would have round-the-clock care, someone checking on her every hour, making sure she’s safe,” he explains, and my eyes close. I failed her, completely failed her. “I know it’s never an easy decision, but it’s the best one you can make for her and you right now.”

“Can we check it out before we agree?” Colton asks, and my eyes open to look at him.

“Of course,” the doctor agrees. “I would suggest you do that anyway. I know nursing homes have a bad stigma, but I promise that after you meet some of the staff and see the location, you’ll feel differently about it.”

“We’ll go today,” Colton states, squeezing my hand.

“Good. Now do you have any more questions?” he asks, handing me over a brochure before standing.

“Not right now,” I tell him, and his face softens.

“It will be okay, and Gia, I can tell that you think you failed her, but you didn’t. You saved her life. I can’t imagine how hard it must have been to pull her from that house, but you did it,” he says, and tears fill my eyes. “Check out the location then get back to me. I plan on moving your grandmother to a new room and keeping her here for a few days so we can keep an eye on her to make sure she’s okay after the fall she took.”

“Okay,” I murmur, because there is nothing else I can do.

“We’ll talk soon. My card is attached to the back of that pamphlet. Call me if you have any questions.”