Page 181 of Fly's Path

“Thanks for calling me. She’s looking for my mother again?”

“Yes.”

“Would you hold my purse for me?”

“Of course, it’ll be at the nurses’ station. Hit the call button if you need any help or if you think it’s time to sedate her.”

You can deal with this. It isn’t Grammie speaking. It’s the disease. Except it isn’t. Grammie was like this before…except with a hair more understanding as to who was in the room.

I step in and find a mess. She’s thrown around everything that isn’t locked down, which isn’t much.

“Finally. I’ve been telling those idiots that I need to speak to you for hours. You can’t keep leaving me like this. They’re your children. You brought that trash into the world even after I told you to get rid of them. If you leave them with me anymore, I’m going to kill them and kill you. Do you hear me?”

“Yes, Mom, I hear you.” Loud and clear, as I did when you were aware you were calling your grandchildren trash.

“Wanda, I hate you for what you did. And even worse, I hate that you made that man come every year to make sure they were alive. I had their graves all picked out. No one would have found them. I was going to kill them in their sleep. But you sent him to bribe me. And every year he comes. I want to kill them. I want to kill you. Why did you have to waste your life on that trash? Why did you waste mine?” Grammie runs up and starts hitting me.

I should fight her. I should step away and hit the call button, but I can’t move.

“Kill the trash.”

“Kill the trash!”

“Kill them!”

“Kill them!”

Holly and another nurse come rushing in just as Grammie pulls back her fist and slams it into my cheek.

That wakes me up. “I think it’s time to sedate her.”

The other nurse and I grab Grammie's arm as Holly pulls the syringe out of her pocket.

“Kill them. You have to let me kill them. Kill them. They need to die.”

Holly injects her, and Grammie starts quieting down quickly.

“Kewl wem.” Her body goes limp.

“This was a bad one.” Holly takes her feet as we lift her into the bed.

It was more than bad…it was the truth. “I’m sorry I couldn’t help.”

“You tried. Some days there’s just nothing you can do. The dementia controls them. Thank you for coming. She’s lucky to have such a caring granddaughter. So many of these people don’t have anyone that cares for them but us.”

My brain can’t think of any words to say. “Could I please get my bag?”

“Of course.”

We walk back towards the nursing station.

“Oh, you didn’t hear this from me, but they’re raising prices again. You should get a letter in a few weeks. From what I hear, it’s going to be a significant increase. I think they’re hoping to move a few patients to the state facility.” Holly unlocks a drawer and grabs my bag.

Maybe it’s time I think about moving her. Even as I think the words, I know I won’t do it. “Thank you for everything.”

“It was my pleasure. You know how much we all love you. And not just for your blondies.”

Just barely, but I make it out to the car before my body starts shaking.