Page 45 of By His Play

My breath catches, and the tears that were trapped in my lashes spill over at the sight of Grams lying in bed.

She looks like she has every other time she’s been sleeping.

Peaceful.

My heart clenches painfully, but a little bit of relief also trickles through my veins.

She’s no longer fighting, no longer suffering.

She’s at peace.

It’s all I’ve ever wanted for her.

But also…I miss her.

My entire body trembles as the grief tightens around my chest, making it almost impossible to breathe.

I don’t move. I can’t. I’m frozen as I stare at her.

All the medical equipment has been removed, and the room just looks… like a room now.

The only clue that it’s a medical facility is the bed, but I can see past that.

My lips part with my need to say something, but for long, painful seconds, nothing happens.

When I find my voice, it’s so quiet I barely hear it.

“Hi Grams.”

12

KIERAN

It took everything I had not to break down as Effie said her final goodbye to Grams. My eyes were full of tears, my own grief ripping at my insides.

Losing my own grandparents didn’t leave an impact on me, but losing Grams will.

But as much as it hurts, I need to be strong for Effie. She needs me to be her rock.

I know death is inevitable. It’s going to be a part of everyone’s life at some point. But fuck…it’s devastating and life-changing. No, life-destroying.

Effie will get through this. But it’s going to impact the rest of her life.

We stayed at the care home with Grams for almost an hour before she decided that she’d said everything she needed to.

Thankfully, Laura kept her distance. I’m not sure if that’s because of her guilt or the look I gave her earlier, or a little of both.

Whatever the reason, I’ll happily never see her again.

I don’t care about the lies, but the way she’s used Effie and Grams for her own gain is something I really fucking care about. And one way or another, I’m going to make sure she knows exactly how much I dislike it.

It may not happen today, or even next week, but she will learn a very important lesson over this.

Effie is one of the most important people in my life, and you do not mess with my family. Ever.

The drive back home was as quiet as the journey there. A couple of times, I thought Effie had fallen asleep, but every time I glanced over, I found her staring out of the window blankly.

As soon as we stepped into Grams’ house, she slipped her sliders off and headed straight for her bedroom.

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