The Heart Never Lies

My day on Thursday began with a phone call from my dad about my grandma. He informed me that she was going to have the surgery around nine or ten in the morning and it could easily last three to four hours. My dad also said that there was a possibility her surgery would be late if the doctors had other patients to deal with.

After I got off the phone with him, I trudged downstairs to watch some t.v. even though Danny was still sleeping. I smiled seeing that CSI:NY was on and I eagerly submerged myself into the episode.

I think two and a half episodes went by before Danny came into the room, but I wasn’t paying much attention to him with Don Flack on the screen.

“What does he have that I don’t?” Danny asked me, noticing my idiotic smile.

“He’s a cop and his eyes are gorgeous,” I replied, never taking my eyes off the screen.

“I could be a cop,” he mumbled as he walked up the stairs to use the restroom.

I snickered and continued to watch the show.

When Danny came back ten minutes later, his hair wet from washing it, he stared at me in an unusual way that kind of freaked me out.

“Um, Danny?”

He took a couple steps towards me without saying a word; his stare unchanging.

“You really should stop looking at me like that,” I stated, sitting on the back of the chair I was seated in, ready to run if I had to.

Danny did a fake-out kind of jump, causing me to hop over the back of the chair and move away from him.

“Ha ha!” he exclaimed, chasing after me.

“Ah! Get away!” I screamed, running to the first place I saw, which conveniently had to be his room.

I took a few steps into the room and then I was tackled to the floor by Danny.

“Danny! What are you doing?!” I exclaimed with a little giggle.

My right arm was forced behind my back, followed by my left and I squirmed under Danny.

“I can be a cop, too,” Danny whispered in my ear.

I laughed and tried my best to look up at him. “You’re seriously jealous of a guy that I will never in my life meet because I smile when I stare at him? You’re so weird.”

“Hey, you were watching him like he was a new car. I had to take drastic measures.”

“Weirdo,” I snickered. “Can you get off me now? This isn’t very comfortable.”

Danny shrugged, “I don’t know.”

“My parents would frown upon this, you know…”

“I don’t see what’s wrong. It’s just an innocent game of ‘Cops and Robbers’.”

“Yeah… That will go down well with them…”

“If you’re expecting to get in trouble if they caught us like this, I might make it more than what it looks like,” he smirked and kissed my cheek.

“Danny!” I squeaked in shock and embarrassment.

He chuckled and got off me, helping me up. “I’m just teasing.”

“Uh huh,” I crossed my arms, not believe him.

“Okay, so maybe I was hoping to go somewhere,” he snickered.

“And where were you hoping to go? Hm?”

I knew I was digging myself into a hole, but I couldn’t shut my mouth.

“Oh, I don’t know… Maybe right here,” he grinned and quickly touched my lips with his.
“See? It’s not bad.”

My eyes widened in surprise and his shined. Soon my face heated up, causing a silly grin to show up on Danny’s face.

Suddenly, he skipped away with a loud laugh and ran up the stairs.

What did I do? I let a stupid grin show up on my face, biting my lip, and then I lightly touched my lips with my fingers.

I was very happy.

My family greeted Danny and I joyfully when we arrived at the hospital again after a very silent drive.

“What are you two grinning about?” my Aunt Mary asked us.

I fought the urge to look at Danny, “We’ve just had a good day.”

“Fantastic,” Danny added with a little too much enthusiasm.

Mary looked between us, but I changed the subject before she could make assumptions.

“How’s Grandma doing? Dad said she didn’t go ‘til around noon. I didn’t know if they’d be finished by now or not.”

“Oh, she was out around three-thirty and the doctor said everything went great and that she’s healing beautifully already.”

“Are we able to visit?”

She nodded, “Yeah. Your dad and brother are seeing her now.”

My mom came up to me, “You and Danny can come with me.”

Danny and I nodded and then we sat down in some chairs that were a little distant from where my family was sitting.

I started fiddling with my fingers, feeling worried about seeing my grandma in her condition as Uncle Larry voiced how he refused to see her like that because he knew the pain she was feeling.

Danny covered my hands with his right, “Calm down. You’re grand-mum is fine.”

“Sorry… I’m just nervous about going to see her with Uncle Larry talking about all that,” I explained quietly.

Being discreet, Danny kissed my head, “It’ll be okay.”

I nodded slowly and forced myself to ignore the things my uncle was saying.

For thirty minutes we waited until my mom finally went to see Grandma. We silently followed behind her and I walked close to Danny for reassurance.

My mom poked her head in the door when we arrived at Grandma’s room and a very pretty nurse greeted us.

Danny grabbed my hand when the nurse studied us before she began a conversation with my mom about how my grandma was doing. I didn’t hear much because I was too busy trying to take in the sight of my grandmother hooked up to tons of strange machines and her arms being strapped to her hospital bed.

Slowly and methodically, my grandma would lift her right hand as far as it could go, trying to get to the stuff in her mouth, but the restraints on her arms kept her from possibly putting herself in fatal danger.

That thought alone was enough to scare me.

I didn’t know how long we stood there, but every minute we stayed, the more my heart ached for my grandma who usually bustled around like a young adult. She couldn’t be independent in her state and that struck my heart.

Danny watched me and squeezed my hand, making me look at him. His eyes asked me if I wanted to leave and I barely nodded my head.

“Mrs. Rogers,” Danny interrupted politely. “I think we’re going to head back home because Syd’s getting a little tired.”

“Okay. Thanks for coming by,” my mom smiled. “Be careful going home.”

“We will.”

Danny pulled me out of the room and we silently made our way back to the family. Without stopping for too long, we said our goodbyes and got out of that hospital quick.

“Are you going to be okay?” Danny questioned me when we got outside.

I shrugged, “I don’t know. It’s a lot to take in.”

He wrapped his arm around me in a friendly manner, “I think you need some sleep. It’ll make you feel better.”

Nodding, I rested my head on his shoulder and we finished our walk to the car, loading ourselves in and heading home.

As we drove images of my grandma and scenarios that were scary haunted my mind and brought me close to tears.

One sniffle escaped from me and Danny immediately got of at the nearest exit, found a 24-hour Wal-Mart parking lot, and stopped the car in a space. Then he hopped out and came over to my side. I stared at him in confusion when he opened my door and actually started to sit in the seat with me.

“Danny, you won’t fit,” I stated quietly.

With no words, he sat on the edge of the seat and then pulled me onto his lap, repositioning himself to the middle of the seat. He shut the door and instantly began brushing my hair with his hand repeatedly.

“What are you doing, Danny?” I questioned quietly.

“Making you feel better,” he replied, pulling me into a hug.

I didn’t protest or reply; I didn’t know what to say. I’d never really seen Danny act that way and it confused me.

“What are you thinking about right now?” he quietly asked me.

“I’m confused,” I paused, “and I keep thinking about my grandma…”

“You know she’s going to be fine. You don’t have to worry so much about her.”

“It’s just… seeing her like that… it’s not… her.” I sniffled, “She’s too active to be lying in a hospital bed with machines hooked up to her and… her hand… seeing her try to get to her face…”

Danny tightened his arms around me as I took a deep shaky breath.

“It makes my heart hurt,” I finished, a few warm tears running down my cheeks.

“She’ll be moving again before you know it,” Danny reassured. “From what I saw when I met her, she’s a strong woman.”

I sniffled louder than before, “She is…”

“Don’t cry.”

My sniffles increased a little as I re-situated myself on Danny’s lap, so I could put my arms around his neck and bury my face into his neck.

“I don’t want to, but I can’t make it stop,” I whispered, squeezing my eyes shut.

Danny rubbed my back, not replying.

I placed my left hand on the center of his chest, feeling his heart beat, “I’m sorry I’m always crying around you.”

Sighing, I sat up and rubbed my eyes with my arm to make my tears stop, but Danny grabbed both my hands and kissed away the tears.

The blood rushed to my face and I looked down timidly.

“What do I have to do to make you smile?” he smiled, lifting my chin up gently with his fingers.

I shrugged, still too shy to look directly at him.

“Do I have to kiss you again?” he teased, a gleam in his eye.

A smile quickly appeared on my face and I hid my face in his shoulder when he smirked.

“So all I have to do is mention it to you and you smile.” He sighed, “That wasn’t even my best…”

“Danny!” I squeaked, covering the rest of my face with my hands.

“What? I’m just being honest.”

I giggled like a child, peeking through my fingers to look at him and curling up against him.

His own giggle filled the car, “You’re so cute!”

“You sound like a girl when you talk like that,” I snickered, blushing over his last comment.

“Your fault,” he stated. “You’ve turned me into a girl.”

“Well then I shouldn’t be sitting on your lap.”

I started reaching for the door handle, but Danny grabbed my hand again to stop me.

“Don’t go,” he said cutely.

My smile made his eyes shine. “For you, I’ll stay.”

He squeezed my hand and welcomed me back in his arms.

We sat silently for a while and then Danny spoke up.

“Are you feeling better?”

I nodded against his shoulder, “Yeah.”

“Good.” He paused a moment, “Can I… kiss you again?”

My face went red and I bit my lip, glancing around the car. “Um… Well we’re kind of… in a car and… it’s not that I don’t trust you… I don’t think I can trust myself… And it’s not like I don’t want to, but–”

Danny silenced me and chuckled. “I got it, Syd. You don’t have to ramble.”

“Sorry,” I muttered embarrassed.

“It’s okay.”

Silence filled the car again and I slid my head down from Danny’s shoulder to his chest, so I could listen to his heart. I shut my eyes and sighed contently.

Danny began stroking my head and playing with my hair.

It felt nice.

Eventually, I drifted off the sleep, wondering what he was thinking about.