I am so sorry for taking so long to update. I was taking summer classes then I finished them about three weeks ago, so I knew I had two weeks break before my fall classes would start so I took a break from the computer and just did some things that I wanted to do but couldn't because my summer classes took up my time. I just started my fall classes this week, so hopefully it won't be too bad this semester. I hope you'll like this chapter and please leave a review. I would love to hear from you. :)


As I came back from my final exam to my dorm, my roommate was studying for her biology final exam.

"Hey Kayla, there's a message for you on the answer machine." Taylor says without bothering to look up from her biology book. Suddenly, I felt this dread overwhelming me as I quickly walked to my phone.

"Aren't you going to listen to the message before calling? You don't know who it is." Taylor says, removing her reading glasses as she saw me picking up my cell phone.

I looked at her quickly, then back to my cell phone, staring at the phone number. "No…. I know who it is." I whispered as I dialed the familiar number. It rang twice, and then it was picked up.

"Kayla." A Scottish voice answered.

It was my granny's housekeeper of 20 years and caretaker, Mrs. Blackwood.

"Mrs. Blackwood, is she okay?" I replied, trying to keep myself calm.

There's a heavy sigh and a whimper. "Kayla…. She's not doing well. The doctor came in and told me that her heart is failing and that there is nothing they can do except to make her comfortable. Kayla… she is not going to be here any longer. We're at the hospital right now, at the Northside."

I inhaled sharply from the bad news and composed myself before answering.

"Mrs. Blackwood, is she resting right now?"

I could see her looking at my granny and nods her head.

"Yes. But you need to come here. She has been asking for you all morning since she collapsed."

I could feel hot tears coming down my cheeks as I nod. "Okay. Tell Granny that I'll be there and tell her…. That I love her very much."

"Of course, I will. Just get here. Drive carefully."

"Okay, thanks. See you soon."

I hung up and let out a sob, covering my mouth. Taylor came over quickly and wrapped her arm around my shoulder.

"Is it your Granny?" Taylor asks, rubbing my back in concern.

I nodded and let out more sob, and then I composed myself, wiping the tears away.

"I have to go, Taylor. She's dying. I… I need to pack, and then get the hell out of here." I replied, standing up and started to rush around to pack my carry-on bag.

"Do you want me to come with you, Kayla?" Taylor asked, watching me as I zipped up the bag.

"No, I'll be okay. I have Mrs. Blackwood and my old neighbors. Besides, you have the biology final exam. I don't want you to miss it since you are trying to get into the medical school. Thank god that I'm done with the finals. But thank you." I whisper and gave a quick peck on her cheek before running out of my dorm with my bag and car keys.

"I'll call you when you get there!" Taylor called out of the door as I ran down the stairs. I threw the bag in the back seat and jumped inside, cranking my car up.

I drove out the parking lot and was on my way to see Granny for one last time.


As I approached to Mrs. Blackwood, who was crying silently, outside of Granny's room. She grabbed my hands as she saw that I had finally arrived.

"Is she…" I asked, looking for any signs of grief on her face. She shook her head and cleared her throat before responding.

"No, my dear. She's still alive. She's been asking for you in her sleep."

I sigh out of relief and rubbed my face out of exhaustion. "I'll go in. Can you get some coffee for us? I'm sure that you need it after this morning." I asked gently, caressing her arm. Mrs. Blackwood nodded, then walked away to get some coffee for us.

I opened the door quietly, revealing my granny in her bed with the oxygen mask over her mouth and wires attached to her body. As I approach to her bed, I could hear her wheezing, along with the beeping of her heart on the heart rate monitor.

It kills me inside to see her suffering and it took me a lot not to break down. I took a deep breath and exhaled it out as I sat down in a chair near her bed. As I listened to her wheezing, I look down at her wrinkled but delicate right hand. There was an IV needle on top of her hand so I took it gently, careful not to mess up her IV needle.

I held her hand for a while until she gasped out.

"Granny, I'm here." I said, looking for her reaction to my voice. She frowned at first, and then squeezed my hand in response.

I let out a soft chuckle. "Granny, I'm right here. You'll be okay." I answered back, caressing her arm gently. She then opens her eyes and glanced at me with her beautiful green eyes. I gave her a soft smile. Granny tried to take her mask off, which I helped her with when I realized that she wanted to speak to me.

Granny let out a soft sigh and smiled at me. "My Kayla. Why are you here? You should be finishing up your finals." Granny asked, putting the mask back over her mouth so she can breathe easily.

"Oh Granny, it's okay. I finished all my finals, so don't worry about it. I'm here now so I can take care of you."

She took the mask off again and she looked so somber. "Kayla, you know that I'm not going to live….any longer. The doctor told me this morning. Kayla…. Please let me die in my home. Ask the doctor to discharge me… please," Granny pleads at me, grabbing my hand.

Tears came to my eyes.

"Granny, are you sure? You can rest easy with the oxygen and the morphine here."

Granny shook her head. "No…. I've always been determined to die in my home, where my family would be surrounded around me. You're the only family I have now….. Kayla, I have to tell you something, but not here. This is not the right place to tell you."

I frowned at her and Granny stared at me for my confirmation until I nodded. She lets my hand ago and puts her mask back on. She then went back to sleep, still wheezing.

I went to her doctor and spoke to him for a couple of minutes. It took a while to convince the doctor to finally discharge her with the three oxygen tanks and some morphine in case she was in pain.

We were able to take Granny home on the same day and we decided to put her in the guest bedroom on the first floor so she would not have to climb the stairs.

Granny pretty much slept the rest of the time ever since we brought her home. I had this fear that she would never wake up.


Two days later

After not sleeping well for the past couple of days, I have been packing some of the rooms up in the house. There was no way that I was going to keep the house after she dies. It would be too much for me.

Mrs. Blackwood was doing the laundry while I was packing up Granny's master bedroom. The realization hits me suddenly that Granny is dying. I sat down on her bed, crying. It's so painful for me to pack up all of her, knowing that I would never see her again.

"Kayla!" Mrs. Blackwood called out and I dropped everything, running out to the stairs.

As I ran down the stairs, Mrs. Blackwood looked so terrified.

"What? What's wrong?!" I asked quickly, holding her hands.

"Kayla, you need to talk to your Granny. She's saying all the terrible things. I think you need to calm her down."

I could hear Granny whimpering and crying outside of her room.

I ran in quickly and could see her moving around in her sleep, mumbling nonsense, but crying and whimpering.

"Granny, Shhhh…. It's okay. You're having a bad dream." I whisper to her ear as I held her hand. She gave a soft gasp, opening her eyes in a fright.

"Kayla…. Oh my Kayla," Granny started to sob out, squeezing my hand.

"Hey. It's okay. It was a bad dream. You gave us a fright," I say, giving her a soft smile then caressed her white hair.

"No, it wasn't a bad dream. It was memories. Bad memories of what happened to your Mama."

I paused at the mention of my late mom then sat down, still holding on her hand.

"Granny, what are you saying?"

Her breathing went back to normal after her nightmare, but she was still wheezing. She started to drift in and out of conscious then finally looked at me.

"Kayla, you know how I told you… that your mama died in a car accident?"

I nodded.

Granny sniffle, then sighed heavily. "I am so sorry. I had to protect you. You were so terrified that you didn't speak for a year."

My heart started to beat really fast and my breathing quickens.

"Granny, what are you trying to tell me?" I whisper.

"Sweetie, I took you in because your mama was murdered."

Her confession took my breath away and I froze. The memories of my mama smiling and laughing came flooding into my mind, then faded away as I let out a sharp sigh with the tears in my eyes.

Granny opened her eyes to me one last time and squeezed my hand. "Forgive me for not telling you the truth about your mama. If you want to know more, go back to New Orleans…where you were born and….where she was murdered."

I let out a sad sigh. "Granny…. I forgive you regardless. You had to protect me and I thank you for that," I whimper, wiping my tears away that had trailed down on my cheeks.

She gave me her beautiful smile and went back to sleep, her breathing now in labor.


I never left her side all night until about four in the morning when I was being shaken awake by Mrs. Blackwood.

"Kayla, I called the doctor. Her breathing is getting worse and she's in pain. I just gave her some morphine," she says as I checked on Granny.

Granny had the oxygen mask back over her mouth and was unconscious, but I could see the pain on her face as she slept.

I looked back at Mrs. Blackwood, who was standing in front of the bed, holding on tightly to the headboard, tears running down on her cheeks.

"Mrs. Blackwood…. Granny's holding on… I think that… she needs to let go so she won't suffer anymore..." my voice broke at the last sentence as I tried to keep myself from breaking down.

Mrs. Blackwood begins to sob and nodded. "I agree… you're right."

She went over to my granny and kissed her forehead. "Thank you for taking me in when I needed the job. It was wonderful to work for you for twenty years. You have become my family and like my sister that I never had. I'll miss you," Mrs. Blackwood sobs, kissing her forehead as I wiped my tears away.

Mrs. Blackwood then walked away and before leaving the room, she squeezed my hand. "I'll be outside if you need me."

I nodded. She left me and Granny alone, so I can say my goodbyes. I took a Granny's hand in my hands and kissed it, letting out a shuddering sigh.

"Granny, I don't know if you can hear me, but I just wanted to let you know that I forgive you. I know that you did it to protect me. I wanted to tell you that thank you for everything that you have done for me. Thank you for taking me in and raised me with the wonderful memories that I'll cherish for the rest of my life. You were like a mom to me more than a grandmother. You were also my best friend. I love you so much, Granny and this is so hard for me to say goodbye to you. But I can see that you're in pain and that…. You're holding on to me. Granny…. It's okay. I'll be okay. You have raised me to become a fine and strong woman that you'll ever know. Just like you, Granny. You can let go now, Granny. Go and see Mama for me. Tell her I said hi," I sob, squeezing her hand.

As I watched her face, there was peace all over her face and she smiled gently. Then her breathing stopped. I let out an anguish sob, knowing that she was gone for good now. I kissed her forehead and removed her oxygen mask.

"Goodbye, Granny," I whispered, kissing her forehead for one last time.


I would like to say thank you to my new follower, tate4eva. Also, thank you for leaving a review! :)