Four days.
It was 4 long days after Nana went into the hospital for good that Malia was informed that her grandmother wouldn't make it through the night.
Fortunately for Malia, Brooklyn was able to convince her to go see her grandma one more time two days ago. Nana laid there in the hospital bed with 7,000 different machines hooked up to her.
Malia remembered when she was younger and how much she hated Nana's reckless comments. How she was insensitive and cracked inappropriate jokes. She always made humor out of bad situations and Malia hated it.
But 2 days ago at that hospital, all Malia could wish for was her Nana to say something. She didn't say anything, though. She couldn't.
Malia laid in Ja's bed in his house, the stillness around her so unsettling. The pillow was clutched to her chest, the covers were pulled up to her nose as she laid their on her side facing his large walk in closet.
Ja was there at the hospital with Nana and Malia was here, unable to watch her grandmother take her last breath.
Jamie was somewhere downstairs tending to Kaari, waiting for Ja to call her with the news that was going to crush Malia's world. Malia's phone was somewhere dead because she didn't want to talk to anyone at all.
It was around 4 PM when Brooklyn came to see Malia. She didn't stay long because Malia meant it when she said she wanted to be alone.
She didn't want to see or be around anyone, unless they could perform a miracle. Malia knew how selfish and ridiculous the thought was but that's just how she felt right now.
Malia really just wanted help understanding how this was part of any plan. It was almost embarrassing to think about how much she had to go through, how many graves she'd mourned, and all the things that happened to lead up to right now.
With no direct correlation with anything else, Nana was about die and there was simply nothing Malia could do to change it. Begging God wouldn't work and praying wouldn't work. Malia had to roll with the punches.
At around 11 PM, Malia was staring straight ahead at the same walk-in as before, attempting to find comfort in the silence around her.
She heard a phone ring downstairs and it echoed through the entire house, sending chills up and down Malia's spine. There was a brief conversation between Jamie and whoever was on the phone.
Then, she heard them.
Malia heard the footsteps of caution and hesitation on the marble stairs. She knew why the steps weren't as confident as they would've been, had Jamie just been coming upstairs to ask her if she needed something.
They weren't quick or urgent steps that would give Malia hope that something miraculous had happened.
Malia knew.
She knew what Jamie was coming upstairs to say.
Ja's bedroom door creaked open and Jamie stood there quietly for a second. "Sweetheart..."
Malia could hear the sympathy in Jamie's voice but she didn't respond to it directly. Instead, she clenched her eyes shut and clutched the blanket even closer to her chest.
Her boyfriend's mother sighed sympathetically, waiting at the door for something that told her to proceed into the room. When she saw the gentle shaking of Malia's shoulders and heard her release that very first heartbreaking sob into the pillow, Jamie rounded the bed and pulled Malia into her arms.
Gut wrenching sobs filled the room, as Malia made desperate attempts to grasp control of the situation.
"I know, baby girl." Jamie rubbed Malia's back as the other women held onto her like her life depended on it. "I know."
