My Grandfather: A Short Story

“Liv, wake up,” I hear my grandfather yell from down the hall where a smell of bacon and pancakes is emerging, making my mouth water. Little does he know, I’m already awake and getting ready to go. I throw on my new dress with purple and pink flowers and brush my teeth quickly. Using my grandmother’s brush, I yank at my snarled hair and tie it up on top of my head. In my rush to get back to the bedroom, I trip over the dog and he lets out a high pitched squeal. After messily throwing the covers back onto the bed, I scurry out to the kitchen where my grandparents are waiting for me with breakfast on the table. I’ve been excitedly awaiting the day we get to go visit mom and dad at the hospital. I eat breakfast hastily, as to rush our departure,

I hear just snippets of my grandparents’ conversation as I watch the trees zoom by in a mess of color, drifting in and out of consciousness.
“Do we know when she’ll be able to leave the hospital?” asks my grandmother.
“I’m not sure, but we’ll keep Liv for as long as they need. They just need some time.”
I know they’re talking about me so I lower my head into the blanket and pretend to be sleeping. I cough accidentally and my grandmother turns around in her seat, knowing I’m awake. She smiles and hands me a stuffed bear over the seat.
“This is from your parents,” she explains. I give her a small smile and notice a tiny, circular bracelet made of plastic on the left arm of the fuzzy brown bear. On it reads, “Ryan Michael Scott Duclos”. I look at the bear for a long time and notice that the anger I felt previously in the day has subsided slightly. I hold the bear close to my chest, leaning my head on the cool glass of the window, thinking about what my grandfather had said earlier in the day. Everything will be okay, I repeat in my head until slowly, I drift back to