Granddad lay on the floor. His form awkward and unmoving.
“Granddad!” She rushed to his side. “Did you fall? Let me help you get back into bed.”
But as she tugged at his shoulders, there was no response.
She put a hand to his face, then yanked it back at the cold that greeted her fingertips. She rubbed her hand on her leg to rid herself of the offensive feeling.
No. It couldn’t be.
Forcing her trembling fingers forward, she held them over his nose and mouth, counted to one hundred.
No breath escaped.
The gray pallor in his skin made her want to lose her breakfast.
No.
With a hand to her forehead again, she closed her eyes. This couldn’t be happening! Not again. Not now. Her headache must have her imagining things. Granddad was indestructible. He’d survivedtwobouts of apoplexy!
She opened her eyes and stared at his form on the floor.
No nightmare.
It was real.
As she knelt beside Granddad, time stood still.
She couldn’t breathe. Couldn’t utter a sound.
The ticking of the clock on the dresser suddenly broke through the cloud in her mind.
Tick, tock. Tick, tock. Tick, tock.
Each sound grew louder and louder until she put her hands on the side of her head. With a gulp of air, she collapsed on her grandfather’s stiff chest and sobbed.
He’d always been there. Always. Ever since Dad died—well, left—Granddad had been a father figure to her. Besides Mama, he’d been the one to understand her the most. Something she desperately needed—because she wasn’t merciful like Maddy, nor fun loving like Havyn. She was just like him. He’d said so on hundreds of occasions.
He’dalwaysbeen there.
But ... he wouldn’t be with them any longer.
Granddad ... was dead.
Tears clogged her throat and blurred her vision. It was too much. The throbbing in her head grew as she wailed out her anguish into Granddad’s shirt. But what was a little more pain in the face of another horrific loss?
The clock ticked the minutes away until her nose was stuffed and her tears dried up. Straightening and swiping at her eyes, she stared down at her grandfather.
No.No!This wasn’t happening!
She looked up at the ceiling. “Why, God? Why would you do this to us? Do youhateus? Want to rip away everyone we love? Don’t you know how much we need him? Especially with Mama gone. How are we supposed to go on?”
Heat rose within her. Choking her. This waswrong! She jumped to her feet. “Or are you punishing me?” She spat out the words. “What? I haven’t had enough faith? Haven’t been good enough? I’m too strong-willed? I let my temper get the best of me too many times?Why?”
Her fury faded into silence. No answer. No sense of God. There was only...
Nothing.
The same silence, the same void that, for too long now, had met her attempts to pray or to sense God. It was almost as if He were dead too.
