Eli stood outside by the hospital’s emergency entrance then punched in the Wi-Fi code the nurse gave him. When Facetime didn’t connect, he tried again only to be surprised that Oran’s granddaughter answered the call.
“Bessy? Hey! Where’s your grandfather?”
Bessy bit her lip and then answered. “We’re at the hospital. That’s why I took the call.”
“Everything okay?” asked Eli.
“You should talk to my grandfather about that.”
“Can he talk? Is he the one in the hospital?” Eli’s voice rose slightly with concern.
“Yeah. But it’s not my place or for me to say why.” Her voice trailed as she spoke the last two words. “Hold on. Okay?”
Bessy disappeared from the screen as she put the phone against her chest and the black fabric of her blouse appeared. Next thing Eli saw was Oran’s face. The unmi
