Everything Has Changed: Book Three

Chapter Eighteen: It Won't Be Like This For Long

This is the last chapter and I'm starting book four :)

The last part of this chapter is based off the song "It Won't Be Like This For Long" by Darius Rucker
It is attached to the side and it is country

*****

Chapter Eighteen: It Won't Be Like This For Long

I hear soft beeping from where they connected Grace's chest to a heart monitor. Her blood pressure is normal and the doctor told me she was stable over three hours ago, but I can't sleep. I tried, but Grace kicked me out of the bed because there isn't enough room for her to sleep comfortably. She's facing me, her eyes shut, her blonde hair thrown behind her. Her lips are slightly parted and I'm watching her breathe.

The chief checked Emily out after Grace fed her, and now Emily is sleeping. I know Emily is going to wake up soon, and I can't wait. If she wakes up, Grace wakes up, and if Grace is awake, she might talk. If Grace talks, I'll be happy again.

We didn't get to bed until five, so it's around eight.

I really want to wake up both of them. Emily so I can hold her and Grace so I can talk to her.

I grab my phone off the couch I'm supposed to sleep on and walk into the bathroom to pee. After the toilet flushing goes quiet again, I wash my hands, dry them, and then use my phone to call the house.

It rings once and then stops.

"Hello?" Scott asks.

I hesitate.

"Did you go to sleep?"

He's quiet for a second, and then, "No, none of us did."

I hesitate, "Why?"

"Did you sleep?" He asks.

"Well...no," I mumble.

"Why not?"

I hesitate, "Probably the same reason you didn't sleep."

"Exactly. We've been sitting by the phone since we got home."

"She's stable." I say. "She's just sleeping, but I'm paranoid."

I hear Emily starting to fuss through the bathroom door so I slip into the hospital room. Grace is starting to stir and Emily's eyes are shut, but she looks like she's about to scream.

Grace peeks her head up to look at me. She rubs her eyes and sighs.

"Who is on the phone?"

"Your Dad." I tell her. She holds her hand out for the phone. I hand it to her.

"Dad?" She asks. "I'm fine. When are you coming back to the hospital?" She pauses. "Well can you go to McDonald's for me? There's twenty bucks in my room at my bedside table." I hear her sigh. "Because I'm hungry. I almost died last night, you know."

"Are you guilting him?" I whisper. She shrugs.

"If it's breakfast time, I want a sausage egg and cheese McMuffin and a caramel frappe with extra caramel drizzle...and make sure they give me-actually, you know what? I want two sausage egg and cheese McMuffins. And I want a hash brown." She pauses again. "No, the mocha one is gross. I want caramel...now, if it's lunch time, I was two McDoubles, a medium fry, a large unsweet tea with lemon...and a crispy snack wrap. Tell them not to put any ranch on it and get honey mustard on the side. I don't know. Get him a Big Mac or something." She looks at me and raises her eyebrows and I nod. "If it's breakfast, get him..."