I reached for my hated alarm clock, I wanted to throw it out the window, as usual. It read 5am as it chirped incessantly, the fake cheery song annoying me out of my warm, fluffy nest.
I sat up and moved about an inch, a voice in my head telling me it wouldn't hurt to sleep another ten minutes. I lay back down on my bed, still trapped in the fog between slumber and awake. I really wasn't a morning person, I'd happily sleep till noon if I could. My late nights probably accounted for part of my problem getting up for work in the mornings.
I finally made it to my kitchen counter and almost hugged my best friend, the coffee pot. As I waited for my brew I went outside to check the mail I hadn't bothered collecting for the last few days. I thumbed through the pile of garbage advertising and free papers and saw a handwritten envelope. I never got many of these and I dropped the rest of my mail and scrutinized the letter back and front. The return address was from a firm of attorneys located in the small town where my grandmother resided.
I felt my heart skip a beat as I opened the letter with trembling fingers.
She had not been well lately and I had spent the weekend with her less than a month ago.
She helped raise me and we shared a very strong bond. I remember her rocking me in her arms as she comforted me when I heard the terrible news that my parents had lost their lives in an horrific car accident. They were on their way home after going out to dinner to celebrate my Dad's promotion when a drunk driver plowed into them, killing them instantly and shattering a young girl's life in the process.
That was the day I realized that my future
lay in law enforcement. I swore I would do everything in my power to lock away as many criminals as humanly possible.
I worked harder and longer hours than any of my fellow colleagues. I had a lot of accrued leave I never took and as I unfolded the letter I silently thanked God for that.
It turned out Nana, as I called her, was in hospital. She had a stroke and was currently heavily sedated. Her Lawyer wrote to tell me that he would advise that I come to town as soon as possible as she had left instructions should anything happen to her. He had included his business card and requested I come and see him when I arrived there.
I wondered why the hospital had not called me directly. I looked over at my answering machine and the red blinking light meant my machine was full. I wasn't very good at listening to my messages. I really needed to have my calls forwarded to my cell phone.
My boss was going to have a fit but it was about time the others started to pull their weight and not rely on me to tie up all the loose ends and finish all the last minute paperwork.
I grabbed my giant coffee mug and filled it to the brim. The smell of freshly brewed strong black coffee was one of my favorite scents in the world, especially in the morning.
I grabbed a large suitcase from my guest room. I say guest room but I've only used it as storage seeing as I am always too busy to invite guests over to stay. There is a bed in there somewhere but I hadn't seen it in a long time. I really needed to clear out some of the junk I've accumulated over the years.
I threw random items of clothing into the case and grabbed my coat as I headed out to the police station.
"Damnit Woods! We have a ton of processing work to complete before the end of the week and there's that stake out, you organized, happening tomorrow!" My boss looked at me, his brow creased by the large frown he now sported. I could swear I saw a vein throbbing on the side of his head, ready to pop.
"I don't mean to be insensitive but you really could not have sprung this on me at a worse time."
"I'm sorry Sir but it is an emergency and I have a ton of leave that I have to take at some point. I will make sure Reynolds is up to speed with everything he needs to know to take point on tomorrow's job. It's practically in the bag anyway. These perps aren't smart, they've left a trail of breadcrumbs everywhere they've been up to no good. As for the paperwork I could name a few guys who haven't clocked in any overtime in months." A crooked grin formed on my lips as I imagined the pissed off faces of my lazier colleagues. They'd chew me up for this later but I had more pressing issues right now.
I finished up everything that needed to be done and was headed out the door before lunch time.
I jumped in my truck and headed out on the road. It would take me at least four hours to get to Nana's place. I was planning to look in on her first but after checking with the hospital it seemed I would need to wait for her doctors to complete a few scheduled tests before I could see her. This way I could change out my work clothes and take a shower. I also wasn't sure who was taking care of Tubby, her cat.
The trip was uneventful, no traffic and I arrived just after 3.pm. I parked behind Nana's ancient Buick and grabbed my stuff to take inside. I found the spare key taped under the porch swing, where it always was. I had just made it inside when I was ambushed by Tubby. The plump fur ball started rubbing his ample black body against my legs and I almost tripped over him as I lugged my suitcase inside.
After putting my things in my old room I went to take a quick shower and then headed to the kitchen to feed the cat. Thank goodness Nana started using the auto feeder I got for her otherwise I would have had to change his name to Skinny. I petted him and he purred happily as he munched away.
I looked up at the clock, I still had over an hour to kill before heading to the hospital so I opened the fridge and threw out the spoiled perishables and made a mental list of what I needed from the grocery store.
I grabbed Nana's mail and put it in my purse as I exited the door.
I drove into town and made my way to the Attorney's office. There were only 3 lawyers practicing but in a town with about only 2000 permanent residents I guess that was sufficient.
The secretary told me to have a seat and wait for Mr Hobbs to call me into his office.
I looked around the drab room. It was furnished with relics from the seventies and there was even a dusty fake plant standing forlornly in the corner. Magazines that were several years old were stacked on the table in the waiting area. Business wasn't booming apparently.
I heard a buzzer signal at the front desk, that was my cue and I was ushered into the office.
"Good afternoon Ms Woods. I am your grandmother's attorney, Eric Hobbs. Please do sit down and make yourself comfortable."
Mr Hobbs was a balding, rather portly man who hadn't received the memo that Brill cream was no longer in vogue. He wore a dull brown tweed jacket over his off white shirt and his bright yellow tie did not fully cover the ketchup stain he obviously obtained during lunch.
"Thank you for reaching out to me Mr. Hobbs. I am rather confused that the hospital didn't contact me directly to inform me of her stroke. I am obviously worried about my grandmother's condition and came as soon as I could. You said you needed to see me regarding some instructions she left in case of emergency?"
"Yes that is correct. Mrs Woods listed us both in case of emergency and I informed the hospital that I would contact you and let you know about the situation. I tried several times to call you but I got no answer and your answering machine was full. Your grandmother is a very thorough woman and has left detailed instructions about her estate and continuity of care should she fall ill. She's even left instructions about her funeral arrangements should she pass.
All the information you need is in this folder." He handed me a red binder which held a relatively thick stack of pages inside.
"The folder contains numerous documents including the deed to her property, share certificates and bank account details. I suggest you take that with you and read through it carefully. Any questions you may have I will gladly answer for you but it's pretty self explanatory. Your grandmother's estate is rather substantial Ms Woods and you are her sole beneficiary. You have general power of attorney so you will be able to access her funds for any payments you need to cover with regards to her medical bills and household expenses. She has also appointed me as the executor of her will should it come to that."
I stared at the binder in my hand. Nana was the only close family I had. I never had any siblings. There were a few uncles and aunts as well as a handful of cousins out there somewhere but I hadn't seen them in years and apart from the occasional Christmas card I didn't really have any contact with them. I felt the heaviness of grief start to settle inside me. I closed my eyes and prayed that Nana would recover soon. I wasn't ready to face a life without her. Looking at this binder made it all to real that my time with Nana was finite.
"Thank you Mr Hobbs. I shall look over these documents as soon as I return from visiting my grandmother and finding out the doctor's prognosis."
I stood up and shook his hand and he opened the door for me to leave.
"You are most welcome Ms Woods and if there's anything you need please do not hesitate to ask. Please convey my wishes for a speedy recovery to your grandmother. Good day to you."
I walked out of the office, the late afternoon sun was beginning to fade and a chilly breeze had started blowing. I hugged my coat close to me as I made my way back to the truck.
I had spent more time at the attorney's office than I thought I would have so the groceries would have to wait till after I had gone to visit Nana.
I found the floor that Nana's room was located on and stood in the elevator waiting for everyone to file in. The typical hospital smell assaulted my nostrils. I hated this smell, it reminded me of the worst day of my life, the day my parents had passed away. I mentally scolded myself and shook it off. I had to be strong for Nana.
I walked to the nurses station and introduced myself, asking to speak with the doctor who was treating her. The nurse smiled at me as showed me to the waiting area.
"Dr. Edwards is just finishing up his rounds and will be with you shortly. Your grandmother is in very good hands my dear and luckily we got to her in time to save her life."
