Fiona's POV:
I wake up to the blaring sound of my IPod playing Poison and turn my head towards the small device. Today's the day, I think. Today I'm going with dad and Terrie to see my grandmother in her nursing home. Quickly, I get up and make my bed, messily I'll admit, and change into a plain yellow dress and white flats.
By the time I'm done I can hear dad and Terrie across the hall, they probably woke up late again. I head into the hall and down the old wooden stairs into the kitchen. The kitchen has dark granite counters and a small island in the middle. We have stainless steel appliances and several overhanging white lights, which, still reminds me of some futuristic movie.
I prepare a light breakfeast of toast, bacon, and eggs, and sit down at the dining table. I'm half way through with breakfeast by the time dad and Terrie reach the table. Dad's dark brown hair was tangled and reached down past his ears, and his brown eyes were hazy with sleep. He wore a blue dress shirt and dark dress pants, though, he had several of his shirt buttons in the wrong holes.
Terrie, however, seemed sickly perfect. She was my father's girlfriend and had been living with us the past two years. I just didn't get what he saw in her, to me she looked like a doll. She had shoulder length blonde hair and dark blue eyes. Unlike me who had inherited mom's red hair and dad's brown eyes. She wore a light green floral print dress and idioticly tall high heels.
We eat the rest of breakfeast like any other, in silence, and walk out the front door to our Ford Escape. It takes us half an hour to reach Grandma Helen's nursing home, Moonyard Nursing Home. When park in a front handicap spot and jump out. (We always do that,) And I rush through the doors into the lobby. I wanted to end this quickly. For one thing, nursing homes are creepy (especially the caretakers) and for another I barely even knew Grandma Helen!
"Fiona, sweety? Are you OK?" My father asks, gently placing an arm around my back. I nod my head and nudge him away. Dad sighs and shakes his head, turning to the receptionist(?) with Terrie and getting Grandma Helen's room number. They return shortly after we circle around the lobby room. "She's in room 28. On the um...3rd floor," Terrie says reading a note the receptionist had written. She turns to look me in the eye and I turn away, suddenly finding a giant tropical fish very interesting.
"Let's go then," I answer, sounding rather cold. "Let's just get this all over with," Turning back towards them I stride to the elevator and press the 'Up' button. From behind, I can feel dad's piercing glare and I know what he'd say, 'Don't be so rude. Helen's a wonderful person and you need to respect others more. It hurts Terrie to think you don't like her,' I chuckle under my breath, that's fine Terrie's not my mother, I think. No one can be my mother but mom.
My mother's name was Kathrine Richards. She died three years ago with lung cancer. I just, didn't see, how dad could get over her so quickly. He met Terrie a little over a year later and they started to go out. But, just can't find it in myself to trust Terrie, to lean onto her...
We reach the third floor and I walk ahead of the other two, reaching Grandma Helen's door first. Shyly, I knock on the door, "Grandma Helen? It's Fiona," I hear a croak from inside and guess that means I can come in and step into the room, closing the door. Dad just wanted me to meet her so, I'm sure they won't come in. Not with Terrie.
The room is small and includes only one stuffed bookcase and a hospital bed. A single window let's in a beam of sunshine on Grandma Helen's small, angular face. "Hey, Grandma Helen," I say walking up to her bedside. She looks so fragile like one touch and she'll break into a million pieces. Gosh, I never want to get old like that. "Fi-Fiona," Grandma whispers holding out her hand. I take it and grip onto it tightly, sitting down by her bedside.
"Oh, my dear." Grandma says, using her other hand to cup my cheek. I could understand how this was mom's mother. Her touch was the same. Warm, soft, and protecting. "Hey Gramms," I say, I hadn't called her that since I was small. She smiles, fingering my hair, "You look so much like your mother. She'd be so proud," I smile back, feeling tears forming into my eyes. "You haven't changed a bit Gramms," I say, looking down in shame. "I'm s-sorry I haven't visited you." Gramms uses her bony little hands to wipe my tears away and shifts her white hair out of her bright green eyes. "People never change my dear. Their hearts just start to melt and harden," I hug her tightly, and she lets out a small gasp of pain,and I let go with an apolegetic look.
"It's ok my dear...Hey, wanna hear a story?" She says all of a sudden. I look at her curiously then nod my head. "Ok, then. How about, the story of your mother? I'm sure she'd want me to tell you at some point," Gramms says, reaching for several worn looking letters. "What're those?" I ask, grabbing one from her hands. "You're mother was always writing about her days, ever since she first learned how to write. And she always hoped that one day, oh, I'll tell you about that later," Gramms says and I notice somethings off about her now. She seems to be gasping for air.
"Gramms? Gramms! GRAMMS?! Are you OK?!" I scream as she starts to slump down into her bed. Her head falls back and her eyes close and that one heart machine makes that big BEEEEEEEEEE- sound. I cry and cry, grabbing onto her now lifeless body. "DAD!" I scream. And then I feel someone come up behind me, pulling me away. I kick and claw them, trying to get back to Gramms side and then I hear their voice. "Fiona Helen Richards, stop thrashing right now." I hear my father say and immediatley stop.
He lets me go and I walk slowly back to Gramms where I can still see her holding the letters she was about to read me. I carefully pick them out of her hands and clutch onto them like a lifesaver. What had she been about to tell me? Mother hoped that what? And I felt the tears starting all over again.
***
So, how was that? I don't know much about lung cancer and the like so forgive me if I'm inaccurate. But, I'll be focusing on this story and my other one from now on! :P Bye!
