Love In Hidden Places

Chapter 7

Kaitlyn's POV

We get off the elevator and have a car waiting for us. I presume it's my brother's, but I don't know for sure and I don't really care. I'll ride in anything if it means I get to see him one last time. When I get into the car, tears just start streaming down my face. I don't cry. Ever since my Mother passed away I haven't. Crying shows weakness. You can't show weakness in my line of work. But there's nothing I can do. Just like when Mommy died, there was nothing I could do.

Nick reaches over and holds me tight in his embrace.

"It's going to be okay Blake. It's all going to be okay, no matter what happens."

"I don't want to loose him Nick, he was basically my father. He was the only person who cared about me after my mother passed away. I'm just not ready to loose him too."

"I get it brother, I get it. Grandpa is the best man I know."

He let go of me and the rest of the ride was in complete silence. It was just me and my thoughts. If only I wasn't screwing around last night, I would have been able to spend more time with him. How could I be so selfish? I love that man more than anything else in this world. I'm not ready to let him go. I'm not ready to let another person I love deeply leave me.

We arrived at the hospital, and I quickly jump out of the car and run into the building. I don't know where I am going but I have to get to his room fast. Then I hear a voice shouting behind me, "Three fifty three!" I mentally thank Nick, and keep running.

I get to the room and I feel like I am almost out of breath. But I try to slow my breathing as quickly as possible. I slowly open the door and see my grandfather asleep on the hospital bed. He doesn't have many tubes or machines attached to him. Just an IV and a heart monitor. He must have asked for as little care as possible. Typical. My father is asleep right next to grandpa, his head is on the bed while he sits in a chair with their hands intertwined together. I can only see half of my father's face, but I can see he's taking this really hard. Harder than I would have expected him to. I continue to look around the room. My sister-in-law is holding my niece while she's playing with a toy. And my step mother is sitting next to them with a tired face.

"Blakey Blakey Blakey!" My niece Ashley shouts, while getting off her mother's lap and running over to me.

"Baby Ashley!" I say as I pick her up and twirl her around. "I love you so much, Ash. But we have to be quiet so grandpa and great grandpa can get some sleep. Okay?"

"Okay," she whispers in my year and gives me a big hug "Don't cry. Mommy says great-grandpa is going to live with the angels soon." She pauses for a little while we still hold on to each other, "I love you uncle Blakey."

"I love you too baby Ashley."

"But Blakey, I'm not a baby anymore." She says still in a whispering voice.

"I know, but I'll always remember when you were a baby and how much I loved you then and how much more I love you now." I say as I kiss the side of her head and put her down so she can walk back over to her mom.

It seems as if Ashley's shouts brought all the attention to me. I could see my father stirring in the corner of my eye, and just knew grandpa would be up at any moment.

Elle, my sister in-law, walks over to me, gives me a big hug, and says, "I'm sorry Blake, I really am." She bends down to pick up Ashley and heads out of the room to go find Nick.

Tiffany, my step mother, does the same right after her. I know she means well, but I always saw her as a replacement for my mother, and it really ruined our relationship. "Thank you Tiffany. That really means a lot to me."