Saving Grace (Narry)

Twenty-Five

Twenty-Five

When Grace did gradually wake up it took her some time to shift her faded blue eyes around to try and figure out where she was. Her hospital room was so unfamiliar that she began squirming in the bed, wanting to get out of it. That then led to her becoming upset, her whines soon turning into cries.

Niall and I were both there for it as it happened. I was in the room with her at first and Niall was standing just outside her door. A nurse walked by and told us that we could both be in with her and that it shouldn't be a problem. I was relieved that Niall got to join me, both of our focuses were immediately put to getting Grace to calm down and reassure her that she was all right.

Niall told me to go around to the other side of her bed, motioning to her hand and saying that I should try and play with her to distract her because her movements could irritate her IV. Of course, I did what I could to make sure that Grace wasn't even aware of it, talking to her sweetly and not trying to get worked up when she wasn't listening or just because I haven't slept properly for a really long time.

Eventually, we were able to get Grace to stop crying. She was still a bit drowsy from the drugs that she was given. Niall and I shared a chuckle as we watched Grace easily fall back asleep after only being awake for just a few minutes. That was pretty much how she was the entire rest of the first day.

I told Louis that and he laughed, saying that he wished he was there to see it. Niall recorded it on his own phone and sent it to Louis, who was then really happy and couldn't believe how tired she was.

Leaving Grace that first night was difficult because the both of us didn't want to. What if she woke up again to see that we were no longer there? We didn't want to abandon her even though we would come back the first thing the next morning. Hopefully, Grace would like the nurses and respond to them in the way she did with us.

On the drive home, Niall brought up the idea that we pack overnight bags and see if we could fid a hotel that was closer to the hospital. It was over an hour drive there and the same amount back. We were both exhausted so driving that distance wasn't the best idea and if we stayed at a hotel we'd be closer to Grace.

That was another problem that we were now facing.

"Niall?" I whispered his name as I turned onto my other side, trying to get comfortable in our bed. "Niall, are you awake?"

I heard Niall shuffling to turn his body as well, his eyes meeting mine as he let out a soft sigh. "Yeah, can't sleep. I keep thinking about how Grace is doing right now."

"Same with me. I just want to be able to monitor her every second until she's back home." I tucked some of the blanket under my arm, not really knowing what to do with it.

When we came home from the hospital after visiting hours were over, Niall and I still went into Grace's room, feeling odd that it was now empty. We stayed there for a bit, looking around at everything and even staring down into her crib like she was still there. I fixed up her little group of stuffed animals that sat in one corner of her crib.

We really missed her but we knew she'd come back soon. I think her being gone right now felt like a little test to see how we would be once she was gone for good with Louis. It was going to be extremely tough having her room set up when we knew she'd never be in it again. One day we'd have to take everything down off the walls and the move the furniture out.

The room would belong to someone else someday. They wouldn't leave us until they were 18.

"You think she's asleep? Maybe the drugs have worn off by now and she's not tired anymore." Niall said, his voice having trouble with keeping to a whisper. He didn't have to be quiet anymore with Grace gone.