When Carter arrived home after school that afternoon he went through his usual routine. He called out to his Grandma that he was home, he threw his bag on the kitchen table and pulled out his notebook to look over his assignments for that night. However, when what he expected next didn't happen he frowned slightly. Carter was a creature of habit and when what was expected didn't happen he would find out what caused the hiccup in his schedule and seek to remedy it. Normally as he was going over his assignments his grandma would come out and asked if he was hungry, he more often was than not. Then she'd make him a snack and ask what he wanted for dinner. But his grandma hadn't even come out to say hello. He knew she'd been a little sick but she always at least came out to say hello to him. Something had to be wrong so he put down his notebook and made his way to his grandma's room.
He gently knocked on the door, "Grandma, you okay?" When he heard no response he cautiously opened the door, "Grandma?" He saw her sleeping on her back like always. Carter gave a little smile, she must be really worn out. He considered just letting her sleep, but something inside of him pushed him to wake her up, just to tell her he was home. Maybe ask her if she wanted him to make her some soup. He wasn't totally inept in the kitchen, he could make condensed soup. He walked over to her and gently shook her shoulder, "Grandma." Nothing...wow she must really have been tired, "Grandma," Carter said shaking her a bit harder. Still nothing, a creeping suspicious started to creep it's way into his mind as he kept shaking her, "Grandma, Grandma, Grandma." He started getting hysterical as he grabbed both her shoulders, "Grandma, come on, wake up, please, don't...I can't, Grandma, please, wake up." When she still didn't move Carter backed away from the body in horror and ran into the dresser knocking over a framed picture of him with his grandpa and grandma, when he was about three years old. He stared at the broken glass and the frozen in time smiles of his grandparents. He often looked at this picture to remember his grandpa's smile...he knew he now would have to do the same for his grandma.
No...no...911, doctors, they can fix anything...I'm sure she's fine...just took too many sleeping pills. Maybe she has that sleeping beauty syndrome. He grabbed his cell phone and quickly dialed. As the operator managed to make out Carter's garbled panicked sentences he heard them say they were sending someone over. Shortly after he immediately texted Grace and the Hudsons...he didn't...couldn't be alone right now. With nothing to do but wait he just sat on the floor outside his grandma's room curled into a little ball as he rocked back and forth with the mantra 'she's gonna be okay, she has to be, it's gonna be okay' in his head.
He was startled out of his little world when he heard the banging and shouting at the door. At first he thought they were the worst EMTs in the world, but then he realized he knew that voice...Grace. He stood up and shakily made his way over to the door. He opened it slowly and saw her standing there. All he managed to make out was a simple, "Grace?"