Page 3 of Unwrapping Love

“I just talked to the nurse at the desk. She said that Michele signed off and the doctor will be in within thirty minutes, then they will start the discharge papers. We need to get home so I can bring Sandy to her friend’s later.”

Because it was all about her sister.

“Michele was here and said that I need to read the labels on food better.”

“That’s on you,” her mother said. “You’re old enough to figure it out. You want to go to college next year and you won’t be underfoot for me to monitor everything.”

Her grandmother coughed in her hand. It wasn’t as if her mother monitored much. At least not now, but she had earlier on years ago.

“Saylor, why don’t you come home with me and stay the weekend? You need some rest anyway. School is getting out in three weeks, right?”

“Yeah,” she said. She’d be a senior next year. Just turned seventeen two weeks ago and it was already off to a shitty start with the hospital stay.

“Maybe it’d be good if Saylor lived with me for the summer,” Grandma said. “Some one on one learning to cook, what foods are better for her, reading labels. I’ll help her.”

“Can I, Mom?” Anything to not have to be stuck in the house with her sister for the summer. “I wanted to get a job too.”

She had her license but no car. Her grandmother would let her use her car though.

“I don’t care. It might be good for you,” her mother said. “It will be quieter in the house without you winding up Sandy.”

“She’s the one who starts it,” she argued.

Her mother sighed. “I didn’t mean it any way other than the two of you in the house cause problems when your father isn’t home. You’re older and should be the bigger person and you just get emotional,” her mother said. “She feeds off of that.”

Before she could say anything about her sister, her grandmother spoke quickly, “Then it’s settled. You’re going to live with me this summer and if you don’t mind working in an office, I’m positive I can get you an internship at my place. We can go in together a few days a week.”

Saylor nodded her head. “I’ll do anything,” she said. “Whatever they need.”

“How about whatyouneed, Saylor?” Grandma asked. “That’s what you need to focus on.”

“You two work this out,” her mother said. “I’m going to see where the doctor is.”

She looked at her grandmother. “Thank you.”

Grandma got up and moved to the side of the bed. “You’ll get through this and come out a better person in the end. And if people don’t want to be around you because you’re a diabetic and they don’t understand it’s not a big deal, then that’s on them.”

She nodded again, another tear cascading down her cheek. Grandma wiped it away.

“I know,” Saylor murmured.

“You say you know, but you have to believe it. The right people in your life are going to look past it and love you for you. And they are going to understand just as much about your health and support it as you do.”

She sniffled. She doubted that day would come, but it was nice to dream.

1

CONSERVE MY ENERGY

Nine Years Later

“Attention passengers.We are making an emergency landing in Denver. We’ll be arriving in twenty minutes. Please fasten your seat belts, return your trays to their positions, and follow the directions from your flight attendants.”

Saylor looked around the plane at the anxiety mounting in the surrounding passengers.

Her flight from Des Moines to Tucson hadn’t been bumpy. It’d been pretty mild in her mind.

She couldn’t imagine what was going on, but it couldn’t be the weather just yet. Knowing she would fly through some storms, she changed her flight to leave earlier and was thrilled she could.