Love to Hate You

Chapter Seven

Jennie

It is a little after nine at night when I wake in fright to a call on my phone. Much to my dismay, I find myself fully clothed but upside down on my bed, and I have no clue as to why.

I shake my head to get hold of my senses and start rifling through my multiple piles of crap to locate my phone. When I finally answer, I find it's the hospital calling about my Nana. I have to use both hands to stop my phone from shaking.

My Nana Dolly, the one shining beacon in my life, has been admitted to St Joseph's. All I hear is cracked ribs, lacerations, and stable condition. The rest of the conversation is a blur. Before I know it, I'm flying down I309, picking up a speeding ticket, and rushing through the hospital like a lunatic, all in one breath.

"Nana!" I slide around the doorway of the hospital room. I briefly look down, trying to understand why I feel like I'm on a slip and slide, and realize that although I am fully-clothed like a normal person, I am still wearing my slippers. "What happened? Are you okay?" I stammer.

Nana startles from her sleep and jerks her head up. "Nini! Is that you?" she shouts in my direction. I know straight away that she has fiddled with her hearing aid.

I am now by her side and grab hold of her hand, wrapping it tightly in mine. "Yeah, it's me."

"Oh, good!" she smiles.

"Hang on, one sec." I reach behind her ear and lower the volume. I do a quick visual inspection before frowning. "You're black and blue. Not to mention purple."

"Just a little busted up. They gave me all sorts of drugs, so I'm happy as Larry," she chuckles. "You're lucky I recognized you. I had a conversation with the chair earlier."

Tears sting my eyes, and I squeeze her hand. "Oh, Nana. What happened? Who did this?"

"Oh, I did this. I crawled on the roof to empty the gutters, and as I went down the ladder, it gave way. So, I fell to the ground like a sack of potatoes."

"Nana!" I gasp in horror. "Do you not remember your age? You're seventy-two!"

"I'd rather forget, but thanks for reminding me," she smiles half-heartedly. Somehow her platinum hair has remained perfectly coifed, just like it always did. I remember pulling at it as a child, convinced it was a wig. Nana went along with it for a few summers until she finally told me to quit it. The patience of this woman is unbelievable.

"I almost had a heart attack when I got a call from the hospital. I thought that..." I choke up.

Nana is my world, my everything.

She is my family.

Sure, I have distant cousins that I have met once in my life, and this and that, but no one comes close to Nana. My mom was killed in a car crash when I was three, and no one seems to know who my father is, so he is obviously not around. Since I can remember, it has always been the two of us, and I would fall to pieces if anything happened to her. On my way over, I called Trixie and left a blubbering message, which she probably won't understand, but I really need to hear her voice and hope she calls me back.

"I'm fine, love. Don't stress." Nana places a hand over mine. "Would take more than that pesky ladder to get rid of me."

I rest my head against her stomach, just like I did as a kid, and listen to her breath. "Promise me you won't do anything silly again."

"Love, I can't even remember what I ate yesterday, let alone promises. But you don't need to worry about me, okay?" she smiles, patting my hand. "I'm as tough as nails."If only it were that easy."

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A/N:

A cute little update for today just to introduce Nana Dolly