Gran was still sleeping, but mum was up and reading the paper by the bedside. I knocked on the door as I walked in so as not to startle her. "Do you want the light on?" I asked. "No, that's fine. I am enjoying the backlight from the sun," she said. "How was your night?" I asked. "It was fine," she said. Then mum stood up, walked to me, kissed me on my forehead, and asked if I had helped Annie in the garden. I told her that I had, but it would have been nice if she had given me some warning that she was on her way last night. Mum nodded in agreement and told me it was an oversight. She patted me on my left shoulder and made her way toward the door. "I am going to go get some breakfast. Sit with Gran, and I will be back soon." She said as she walked out the door. I could tell she was exhausted. I sat in her seat and picked up the paper she had been reading.

There was an article about the Centennial Park and the Spring Tennessee Craft Fair that was coming up. Gran loved taking me to the park during festivals. I loved the craft fair as much as she did. We would visit each booth and ponder the various treasures we would find there. My favorite was the carved wooden bears that were made by a man who lived near the smokies. Those bears were the cutest. I always wanted to get one for Gran. The festival started in two days. I started reading the article to Gran, and when I finished it, I told Gran it was time for her to wake up so we could go to the festival together.

No sooner than I said it than I regretted it. I caressed Gran's hand, and I said: "You wake up when you want to Gran, I just miss you so much." I cried softly and hugged her arm. After a bit, I wiped my face and found the crossword puzzle. I pulled out a pencil and started to try and solve some of the questions. It was so hard. I was seriously out of practice. I passed half an hour that way when I caught myself humming a song Gran had taught me years ago when I was a young girl. I could not remember the words, but I had the tune. I hummed it to her and stroked her hand. I knew I was going to have to go back to New York in two weeks or take the semester off.

I could deal with that later. Maybe Annie would go with me to the Craft Fair, and we could get Gran that bear. I texted Annie, and she texted back that she was in for the festival. When mum got back to the room, I told her my plans about getting the bear, and she said it sounded like a good idea. Mum told me the doctor would be dropping by in a few hours to discuss Gran's progress. We started doing the crossword puzzle together. Both of us were too nervous to talk about Gran's health. Almost as if by not discussing it, she would suddenly get better.

When the doctor arrived, we were both ready to pounce. The doctor was a young man of maybe 35. He had a mustache and mischievous brown eyes that danced when he spoke. He told us he was happy with what he was seeing on Gran's chart and said that it was time to encourage her to wake up. He said that the nurses were going to ease up on the medication slowly, and she would be exhausted for the next few days but that it was a safer and easier way to bring her back up. We thanked him, and mum and I hugged each other, and both of us smiled for the first time in a long time we both felt relief. I sighed, and so did she. We were getting Gran back.