Seventy

VALERIA

She didn't look too good. Was it a trick of the light or my imagination? I gently ran my fingers across her cheek. She stirred, opened her eyes. I watched the awareness come into her eyes slowly, too slowly. It seemed her reflexes too weren't as good as they had been the last time I saw her.

"Hi honey. You're here. You should have woken me up immediately. How long have you been sitting there?"

Worry knotted my insides at the sound of her hoarse voice. She looked so weak, so frail. What had gone wrong now?

"You're not well, gran," I said.

She smiled and struggled to sit up. I reached for her, wanting to give her my support. With a smile, she waved me off and sat up herself.

"I'm fine, dear. I'm fine. I'm just a bit under the weather today. It's nothing serious." She looked at something over my shoulder. "Isn't that right, doctor?"

"What did I miss?" said the doctor cheerfully.

He came further into the room and started examining her.

"I commented on how pale she was looking," I