She sat up straight, her heart pounding against her chest with impossible hope. "Grams?"
Another flicker, then a blink, and Tessa was staring into her grandmother's light blue eyes. There was no recognition at first, but another blink seemed to bring Phoebe closer to awareness.
"Oh, my God. You're awake." She clapped a hand to her mouth. "It's me, Grams—it's Tessa."
Phoebe's mouth trembled but didn't open, and a silent battle went on in her eyes that grew more panicked by the second.
"Oh, no! You can't talk, can you?"
Phoebe didn't answer or couldn't answer, Tessa wasn't sure which. "I don't know what to do. I should call the nurse or the doctor or William," Tessa said wildly, looking around the room for something, someone…
The door opened as her prayers were heard, and she looked toward it in relief. Even seeing Alli step into the room didn't diminish her feeling of relief. "Thank God you're here! She's awake. Grams is awake." Tessa jerked her head toward Phoebe. "But she can't talk." Tessa jumped to her feet. "We should get someone."
"She's awake?" Alli echoed, coming around the other side of the bed so that Grams lay between them.#p#分页标题#e#
"Isn't that what I just said?"
"I'll call the nurse." Alli pushed the call button lying on the mattress next to Phoebe, then she picked up Phoebe's hand and stroked it reassuringly. "Everything will be all right, Grams."
Tessa watched as Phoebe's eyes focused on Alli's face. It was plain to see that her grandmother could hear Alli, that she was listening with every last ounce of her energy.
Alli smiled down at her reassuringly. "Don't worry. You're just half asleep, Grams. It takes a few minutes for your muscles to catch up. You know, you've been sleeping all day. It's about time you woke up. Don't try to talk yet. You need to get your energy back first. Okay?"
Tessa stared at her younger sister in amazement. Who was this calm, supportive woman? She looked like Alli, but she certainly wasn't acting like the impulsive wild teenager she remembered. This woman in the black jeans and black sweater seemed graceful, assured, in complete control.
But when Alli looked across the bed at her, Tessa saw the fear in Alli's brown eyes and felt a shocking sisterly connection that she'd thought had died a long time ago.
"When did she wake up?" Alli asked.
"A few minutes ago. I was talking to her, and she suddenly opened her eyes."
"I tried to get her to wake up hours ago." Alli looked back at Phoebe with a more familiar and uncertain smile. "I guess you heard Tessa's voice and had to wake up, huh?"
Tessa heard the insecurity. It had always been that way. Alli putting her own ridiculous spin on a simple word or an innocent gesture. Before she could say a word, a nurse walked into the room.
"Can I help you?" the nurse asked.
"Our grandmother is awake," Alli replied.
The nurse smiled as she walked over to the bed. "That's good news, isn't it? Mrs. MacGuire?"
"She doesn't seem able to speak," Tessa interrupted.
"I'll call Dr. Price and let him know that your grandmother is awake." The nurse checked Phoebe's vital signs and noted them on the chart. When she was done, she patted Phoebe's hand. "You're doing great, Mrs. MacGuire. Just rest and don't worry about anything."
"Will Dr. Price check on her tonight?" Alli asked the nurse.
"I'll leave him a message, but Dr. Rogers is on call tonight. I'll have him stop by to check on your grandmother. This is the first step, and sometimes there are just baby steps in the beginning. You'll have to be patient." The nurse sent them both another reassuring smile and walked out of the room.
"Baby steps. Be patient," Alli muttered. "These nurses drive me crazy. And they barely stay long enough to get one question answered, much less two."
"Do you think Grams knows what happened to her?" Tessa asked.
Alli's gaze returned to her grandmother. "You had a stroke, Grams. You're in the hospital, but you're getting better."
"Alli, do you think you should have told her just like that?" Tessa protested.
"She can hear you as well as me, you know." Alli turned back to Phoebe. "William will be back in a few minutes. He has barely left your side since you got here. He'll be so happy to see the roses in your cheeks."
Tessa's stomach clenched at one of her grandmother's favorite refrains: Go outside and run around, put some roses in your cheeks. You don't need to wear blush to be pretty, you just need to live life.
Tessa started shaking her head, feeling hot and cold, caught in the past, trapped in the present. "This isn't right. Grams shouldn't be here. She shouldn't be this sick."#p#分页标题#e#