"Let no man pull you low enough to hate him." ~Martin Luther King Jr.
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Nicolai's P.O.V
Today was the day that my grandmother would have gotten discharged.
Would have being the key words.
The doctor's words washed over me in waves, but I couldn't comprehend what he was saying. It was like my ears were clogged with water.
It was sudden.
I'm sure she felt no pain.
I'm so sorry.
When the apologies came around, I snapped out of my daze, staring up at the doctor questioningly.
"I'm sorry, I don't understand," I apologized in exasperation. My heart was beating so slowly, my pulse was barely there. It was like I was frozen in time, drowning.
The doctor's frown deepened, his sadness visible.
"Your grandmother's injuries were extensive when she came in and the attack put major stress on her heart," he paused, collecting himself before continuing. "Her heart was just too weak and it couldn't take it. She passed peacefully in her sleep this morning. I'm truly sorry, Nicolai. There was nothing we could do, there was no warning."
I felt a lump in my throat as his words registered in my mind.
She was gone.
The doctor placed his hand on my shoulder, trying to comfort me. Or make sure I didn't fall apart in the middle of the busy hallway. Either or.
"I have to tell you," his voice dropped into a whisper. "Last night, she was talking to one of the nurses and she told them she knew who attacked her for sure."
My head snapped up. "It was my father, wasn't it? She never answered me when I asked her. She said it didn't matter."
"Unfortunately, it was him," the doctor sighed. "I just thought you should know. I had the nurse write down a witness statement in which she recounted everything your grandmother said."
He handed me over a bunch of papers and I took them halfheartedly.
"It's up to you what you do with this information, son. But, if I were you, I'd make the bastard pay for what he did to that poor woman."
I swallowed back the lump in my throat, my eyes catching his name tag.
"Thank you, Doctor Thames," I said, holding out a hand for him to shake. "For everything."
He gave me a kind smile, shaking my hand firmly.
"I am sorry, Nicolai. I hope that no more pain comes your way."
With a grip on the shoulder, he left silently down the hallway, on to the next patient, the next dilemma.
And I was left there, staring aimlessly at the nauseating white walls, hands full of paper.
Today was the day my grandmother would have gotten discharged.
And now, she's gone.
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My phone rang for the 19th time as I sped down the highway. Finally fed up with constant blaring of the ringtone, I picked up the call.
"Hello," I answered in a monotone voice. My eyes stared straight ahead, slightly unfocused. My mind was elsewhere.
Thea's voice came through like music in my ears.
YOU ARE READING
Broken Ice
Romance"All the hardest, coldest people you meet were once as soft as water. And that's the tragedy of living." ~Anonymous Thea Crystal is Fairview High's very own Ice Queen. She is an anomaly. She doesn't have friends, boyfriends, or any close family. Fo...
