Page 21 of Play the Last Card

“UNO.” I retrieve the cards from my bag and drag the hospital table over with me before settling back on the end of Pops’ bed. “I got a new set to leave here with you. You can play with the nurses during the day when I go back to school.”

I watch him as he shuffles the new set of cards and the urge to savor the moment sits heavily in my heart.

Sundays, playing cards and drinking coffee, will be what I miss most when he’s gone.

The thought feels like a truck running over my heart and lungs all at once. Cutting off my blood supply and ability to breathe. I tell myself he’ll be fine but when I really think about it, I’m lucky he’s even still here.

He survives for me.

I know that. After Nan, he was devastated. I’d heard one of the nurses talking about us once, just after Pops was admitted a few weeks ago. She’d worked with Nan pretty closely and taken over from her when she retired before passing. She’d had this sad look on her face when she’d told another nurse that if my parents had still been alive, Pops would’ve followed Nan pretty quickly. I’d really looked at Pops after that, reallyreallylooked. He’s sad, even after five years. He’s so sad and he misses her. He’s tired too. He hides it from me but it’s unmissable when you look long enough.

He survives for me. He is all I have left and even though we’ve both been heartbroken after losing Nan, Pops won’t leave me to grieve alone.

Suddenly, his annoying backwards parenting behavior—all the pushing for me to go out and meet people and date, even—makes all the more sense. It’s that thought that makes me set my coffee aside as he deals a hand of cards to me and say, “I have a date tonight.”

Pops stills, eyes meeting mine, jaw dropping just a little before he clutches his heart and takes a set of sharp breaths.

I stand, rushing to his side. “What?! What’s hurting? Oh god, I’m sorry!” With shaky fingers I press the call button beside his bed and the morning nurse, Carol, rushes in. “What’s wrong with him? He just clutched his chest suddenly!”

“It’s alright, Ivy, don’t worry. Step back for me,” Carol tells me calmly, her eyes on the heart rate machine that I always have trouble reading as she picks up Pops’ wrist to check his pulse. She waits for a beat before dropping his wrist, scowling.

“Billy Booker, you prankster. Can’t you see you’ve terrified the girl with your little joke?”

My brows furrow, eyes darting between Pops and Carol. Pops is grinning like a cat now, reaching for his coffee. He grins as he says, “Worth it. Carol, my little Ivy is growing up. She has a date!”

“Pops!” I say, stepping back to his seat and swatting at his arm. “Don’t. Do. That.”

“Couldn’t resist.” He waves me off, winking at Carol as she retreats from the room. “Sit down and pick up your cards, Ivy. I want to hear about my future grandson-in-law.”

“Don’t be dramatic, it’s one date.”

“What’s his name?”

“Scott.”

Pops looks thoughtful. “Strong name. How tall is he?”

I narrow my eyes, glaring. “Tall. Very tall. Why?”

“You can’t carry on the great Booker legacy without doing your best to breed with a D1 athlete, Ives! That would be a waste of all my efforts with your dad, and with you.”

“Oh my god.” I bury my head in my hands, Pops’ booming laughter filling the room.

“I’m just teasing.” He starts the game by picking up from the pack between us. “I’m excited to hear all about it, sweetheart. I am.”

“He seems really nice.” I can feel my face going red. “And he is really tall. So your legacy of a family line full of D1 athlete dreams seems safe.” I smile, throwing out a card in my hand, a sense of calm washing over me as we settle into the game.

Time with Pops does wonders.

I swear, he jokes about it a lot but I think he might actually have magic powers.

“Bye, sweetheart. I’ll see you soon.”

“Are you sure you’re okay? You barely ate lunch.” I tilt my head, watching him closely. He was fine most of the day but barely ate anything, pushing his lunch away claiming he wasn’t hungry. His color has paled a little as well as the hours flew past.

He waves me off. “I’m fine. The food here is barely food, you know that.”

“Hm. Okay. Well, call me if you need anything.”