The Lengths Of Love (ON HOLD)

Chapter 19

Austin

#

As I walked the short distance to my grandmother's room, I couldn't get his face out of my head. I feel like I've seen him somewhere before. I just can't place where.

It's been a few weeks since my accident but some things are still blurry. Luckily not enough to forget who caused my accident.

I'm not sure if he knows I saw him when he tried to bribe me or not. Either way, there's nothing he can give me to make me abandon his daughter.

To abandon the beautiful, intelligent, free spirited, headstrong, determined woman I've come to know. And to love.

Turning into my grandmother's room, I saw her looking out her window to the garden below.

"Grandma?" I spoke softly as not to startle her.

Her attention immediately shifted to me. "Oh, Austin sweetheart. How lovely to see you. How have you been?"

This was typical of my grandma. Even though I haven't been spending as much time with her as I used to, she always asks how I am before I can ask the same.

"I should be asking you that." I approached her, stopping and kneeling in front of where she sat. "I'm sorry I haven't been visiting you much lately. I've been caught up between work and helping Letty."

"Don't worry darling," she told me grabbing my hand in hers.

"How's that going? Are you two happy?"

"It's going good. We're very happy. Just trying to figure out this case. We've got tons of help."

"Good. Good. But, remember what I always told you even those that appear as flowers, may be amongst the most cunning snakes. Please be careful who you trust. What you are getting into is very dangerous. You don't want to cross the wrong people."

A knock sounded at the door. We turned to see a woman in a nurse's uniform, holding what appeared to be my grandmother's daily medication and some water on a tray. I've never seen this nurse before.

"Oh, hello. I didn't know Mrs. Marten had visitors."

"Umm, yeah. I'm her grandson, Austin."

"Very nice to meet you Austin. I'm Celeste. I'm a new nurse here. I've come to give you grandmother her medication."

My grandma jumped up from her place beside me.

"No! I am not taking that medication." She turned to me, grabbing my shoulders, her eyes wild. "They're trying to poison me. That's not my medication. They changed it. This one makes me sleepy all the time. My other medicine never did that."

Hearing this is very concerning. Usually I could brush off my grandma's ramblings as her paranoia, but this was different.

I walked up to Celeste and peered in the small recyclable cup sat on the tray. It looked like the other medication I always saw her take.

"Grandma, this looks exactly like your medicine."

"It's not," she told me, grabbing onto my arms again. "Please, trust me. I don't want to take it. I've been fine. I don't need it. It doesn't help, only makes me sleep."

I looked into her pleading eyes, knowing I couldn't make her take them.

Turning to Celeste once more, I said, "I'll get her to take them. Can you just leave them here until I convince her."

Celeste hesitated momentarily before putting the tray down on the bedside table.

"Thank you."

She nodded. "Please don't tell anyone I did this. I just got this job. I really need it."