She beamed. “Yes. And tickets. Now you go to school. You have to graduate and go to college.”
“Grandma,” I said gently. “I did. I’m a psychologist. I went to college and graduated. You came to my graduation, and we went for a big steak dinner.”
She nodded. “Of course.” She peered over my shoulder. “Where is your boyfriend?”
Again, my heart kicked up painfully in my chest. “I’m not dating anyone.”
The wrinkles in her face deepened. “Yes, you are. That boy who comes over all the time. The one with the blond hair.” She peered at me over her glasses. “You’re sure he’s Jewish?”
I didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. “Ezra? Yes, of course, but—”
“That’s him. Ezra.Ay yi yi.Those pretty eyes. A heartbreaker, but I see how much he loves you. And you love him.”
Helpless, I sought my mother out for guidance. She nodded, her smile trembling.
“Mom, Ezra and Monroe are only friends. You saw him last night.”
“Last night?” Her words came out slow and rounded, as if she was moving her mouth carefully. “Last night you were both with me. But he was too.” Tears rolled down her face. “Him and Monroe, they’re together. They love each other.”
Dr. Robinson called for a nurse to assist my grandmother to bed, then took us aside. “In stroke cases, emotions are often on the surface and patients cry easier, so we try not to overly excite the patient.”
“We understand,” I said, glancing at my mother, who nodded along with me. “We’ll make sure not to get her upset about anything.”
“Monroe.”
The call from my grandmother sent me running to her side. I picked up her small hand. It felt so cold, and I made a promise to whatever deity might be listening that I’d do anything if my grandmother would only get better.
“What is it, Grandma? Is anything wrong? Does something hurt?” Various machines were hooked up to her, and I could see the heart monitor lines squiggle across the screen.
“You and Ezra? He loves you.”
Why did this have to be so hard? “Grandma, no, we’re friends. That’s all.”
Her grip tightened on my hand. “No, no, no. It’s okay that you like boys. Your parents and I don’t care. He’s the one.” Her eyelids fluttered shut, but the monitors were beeping faster, and I saw the spike in her heart rate. When it was obvious she was sleeping, I extricated my hand from hers and joined my mother.
“I didn’t do anything.” For some reason, I felt guilty, like a little kid who’d been caught lying. “She’s hell-bent on insisting Ezra and I are together.”
Dr. Robinson examined the monitors, and after issuing some orders to the nurse, called us outside. “She’s going to sleep for a while now, but when she wakes up, you should try and stay on subjects that won’t distress her.” She tipped her head and studied me. “Who is this person she keeps talking about? Can he visit her?”
“Ezra?” The shock in my voice brought a puzzled look to her face.
“If that’s the one. Is there a problem having him come to see her?”
I recalled the darkening of his eyes as we spoke in my apartment the night before and the strange connection that had sprung up between us. “I-I don’t think so, but I’d have to speak with him and find out.”
My mother worried her lower lip. “I’m sure Ezra won’t mind. Not after how he helped us last night.”
At my mother’s words, Dr. Robinson nodded. “Okay. If so, it might help her relax so she can concentrate on herself, instead of you. We’re going to start her on some therapy, but I have to say, she’s a remarkably lucky woman. The stroke was a mild one and affected her speech and memory, but not her motor skills.” From the compassion in her eyes, I knew how lucky my grandmother was in her care as well.
“I’ll make sure to do whatever she needs to get well.” If that meant going to Ezra and asking him to come see my grandmother, I’d do whatever necessary. I hoped last night wasn’t an aberration.
“I’ll see you later. Why don’t you go grab some lunch or go home for a little while?”
“Thank you, Dr. Robinson.” My mother brushed the tears from her eyes. “You don’t know how much we appreciate your concern. So many times, doctors see an elderly patient and don’t want to bother, presuming they’ve already lived their lives and more attention should be spent on younger people. But when it’s your relative, you want everything possible done to help them.”
“I understand completely, Mrs. Friedman. I was exceptionally close to my grandmother, and your mother-in-law reminds me of her: feisty, smart, and family-first. You don’t have to worry. I’ll do everything I can to help.” With a squeeze of my mother’s arm and a smile, Dr. Robinson left.
“Thank God for doctors like her,” my mother said. “I feel better now about leaving for a little while.”
