Mend

𝑻𝒘𝒆𝒍𝒗𝒆

"Come here, Alex." Mr. Daniels, a blue eyed old man at Pamoja, called to me from his wheelchair and I walked over wondering what crazy things he planned to say today.

I'd just gotten back from my lunch break and was grateful that the funny old man would be the first person I interacted with. He had a way of knowing exactly what to say to put a smile on your  face, no matter what mood you were in.

"What do you want, old man?" I asked him with a grin on my face as I squatted to avoid making him crane his neck.

"You have to promise you'll give it to me first." he smiled, all the wrinkles on his face stretching along with his mouth.

"Then you can forget about it. I'm sure this is some kind of scam."

"It's not a scam, Alex. It's a serious request."

"Then request away, old man." I said in a blasé tone. "I don't have all day."

"Fine." he grumbled and lifted a finger to point in the direction of the reception. "I want her."

I looked over and saw Cheyenne standing with Nurse Brenda, the two women discussing something that seemed lighthearted in comparison to the things we'd had to talk to Cheyenne about on Monday last week.  It had been nearly two weeks since we ran the tests on her grandmother and adjusted the visiting hours, and today, Cheyenne had visited her grandmother during normal visiting hours. From the relaxed set in her shoulders and the easy way in which she interacted with Nurse Brenda, I believed the session went well. I was getting lost in the sight of the skirt and body fitting t-shirt she had on when I remembered what Mr. Daniels said.

"You want Nurse Brenda?" I asked incredulously. "She's a married woman, Mr. Daniels."

"Not her, you idiot." he said with a disappointed shake of his head. "The girl."

I laughed so hard at that, I drew attention to us. Cheyenne's eyes landed on us and Mr. Daniels waved sheepishly. Crazy old man. "First of all, old man. That's gross. You're old enough to be her grandfather."

"That's never stopped a handsome bachelor like me." he said confidently. "What's the second thing?"

"The second thing is that you need to wheel yourself back into your room if you don't want to miss today's episode of Judge Judy." I said slyly, my voice full of barely contained laughter.

"I see you don't want to help me." he shook his head, but turned his wheelchair in the direction of his room, where one of the nurses was waiting for him in the doorway. Over his shoulder, he shouted, "I always get what I want, Alex."

I smirked and shook my head as I walked to the reception, where Cheyenne was filling out a form.

"Afternoon, ladies," I greeted, "how are we doing today?"

"Good, and glad you're here." Nurse Brenda said in a hurried tone, her words cutting off whatever Cheyenne was going to say. "Please man the desk for me for a few minutes, Dr. Mujulizi? Nature calls."