Tightening his hand around Molly’s hip as he told his grandmother what she desperately wanted to hear, Devil turned to offer the woman he held by his side a warning look.  If he’d ever wondered what ‘she had blood in her eye’ meant, he now possessed firsthand knowledge.

His time on Earth might be even more limited than his Nana’s...because Molly was definitely going to try and kill him.

Nana’s squeal of delight, however, was enough to convince him that the split second decision he’d just made was the right one.  The old woman that had dedicated her life to him was thrilled.  Her final days would be filled with happiness.

Well, they would be if he could convince Molly to play along.  One look at her disbelieving face convinced him that was going to be one very huge if.

“Oh, lad!  You two have made me proud!  I just knew that once ye spent some time together you’d realize how perfect ye were together!  Come here, my bonny lass, and give your Nana a hug!  We’re truly to be family now,” she exclaimed, holding out her thin arms to Molly.

Exchanging a startled look with Devil, Molly forced a smile to her lips as she bent and embraced Devil’s grandmother. 

“How did this happen, girl?” Nana asked as her warm cheek pressed to Molly’s. 

“I…uhmmm… well, that’s a long story,” Molly replied, fumbling for a believable answer as she turned her head to glare over her shoulder at Devil, mouthing the words ‘You’re dead!’ to him before wracking her mind for a believable lie.  “It was… really sudden, Nana.”

“Posh!” Nana sputtered when Molly straightened again.  “Sudden?  You two have been circling each other for years.  Between you and me, lass, I think this lad thought he was too old for you.  But he’s still a strong, strappin’ man at thirty-eight.  There’s still plenty of time for him to give you a bairn or two.”

Devil gripped Molly’s arm when she paled and staggered on her feet.  “Now, Nana, she’s only just agreed to make an honest man of me.  Let’s not throw too much at her too fast.  We want her to get used to being my wife before we ask her to become a mother, too.  I’m sure once Molly and I settle into married life…”

“I’m sorry,” a choked voice croaked from the curtained door to Nana’s cubicle, “When Molly and who get married?”

Turning, Devil’s stomach sank to his knees as his best friend stared him in the eye.  How the hell long had Grant been standing there in the doorway?  “Grant!” he greeted the other man with a tight, forced smile.  “We didn’t see you there.  You haven’t heard our news yet either.  Come on in.”

Stepping into the room, Dr. Grant Ramsey made his way to the other side of Nana’s head and bent to drop a kiss against her cheek.  “How you doing, Nana?  Are they treating you alright here?” he asked in a kind voice.

“I can’t complain, laddie,” Nana declared with a wink.  “Especially not when I just got the most wonderful news,” she added, patting a still wan-looking Molly’s hand.

“So I overheard,” Grant murmured, raising his eyebrows as he offered Devil a look that promised he’d have a lot more to say as soon as they were alone.

“Isn’t it perfect, Grant!  We’ll all truly be family now,” Nana tittered, grabbing Grant’s hand in hers and squeezing.  “Why, it’s enough to give an old woman like me a new lease on life!  Did you know, you scamp?” she asked, smacking the doctor’s hand playfully.  “Of course, you did,” she scoffed.  “You and that grandson of mine never had secrets.”

“Until now,” Grant rebutted gently with a weak grin at Nana.  “I assure you, this is all breaking news to me, too, Nana.”

“Well,” Nana chided, clucking her tongue at the naughty new couple, “Ye two have been keeping all the people that love you in the dark, have ye?  Aren’t they the sneaky ones, Grant?”

“They certainly are, Nana,” Grant averred, looking from his guilty looking best friend to his shocked sister and back again.  “Don’t worry,” he assured the elderly woman with a wink, “I plan on taking them both to task for it later.  I’ve come with some good news of my own, too.  I talked to your doctor on the way in, love.  They’re going to move you up to the cardiac care unit in just a few minutes.  Visiting hours are already over up there, but we can all come back again in the morning.”

“I have to stay in the hospital overnight?” Kathleen’s formally animated face fell as she asked the question.

“Just until the cardiologist is sure that your condition has stabilized.  It’ll be no more than a day or two, and tomorrow, we’ll make sure that you have plenty of company,” Grant explained, dropping his hands into the pockets of his white physician’s coat.  “I’ll be around the hospital tonight though.  I’ve got a mother ready to deliver twins upstairs any time now.  I promise, I’ll sneak in and check on you once I have her and her new children settled.”

That was all Nana needed to be distracted from her current health situation.  “Ohhhh, think of the wee babes we’ll be welcomin’ into the world when these two finally get completely settled, Grant,” Nana enthused gleefully with a fond look at Molly and Devil. 

Molly made a faint noise as Nana beamed at her, and Devil quickly coughed.  “We’ve still got some time before that happens, Nana.”

“Lots of time,” Grant agreed fervently, shooting a worried look toward his dazed sibling.

“Lots and lots and lots and lots,” Molly said faintly, wavering on her feet again.  “Soooo much time.”

“Well, don’t take too much time, lass.  It would be nice if I held those babes before departing this Earth,” Nana replied pointedly.  “Now, Willy, I see that Molly isn’t wearing a ring yet.  I assume that’s because you want to give her the Delancy diamond, lad.”   She beamed as she made the statement.

“We really hadn’t gotten that far yet, Nana,” Devil murmured with a quick look at the unstable woman beside him.  Molly looked like she was going to pop a vein at any moment, and he prayed she’d continue playing along until they were alone.  “I only just proposed a little while ago,” he added.  Hell, he was being completely honest there, he thought with a small degree of satisfaction.

“I’ll bet he did,” Grant muttered under his breath, coughing into one hand.

“That may be true, but the lass should be wearin’ the family diamond,” Kathleen insisted.  “Your great-grandmother wore it.  I wore it.  Your departed mum wore it.  And so should any wife ye choose.”

“I’ll get it out of the safe and install it on her finger tonight,” Devil promised quickly as Molly opened her mouth.  “You’ll love it, darling,” he said with a practiced smile at Molly, smacking a kiss against Molly’s cheek before she could blurt anything unfortunate.  “Just keep playing along,” he urged against her ear as gave her arm a little squeeze.  Seeing her press her lips together out of the corner of his eye, he knew he’d convinced her to stay quiet… at least a little longer. 

“Oh, yes,” Nana agreed.  “It’s a lovely ring, Molly.  A family heirloom.”

“I heard,” Molly said weakly, barely able to form the words as her mind spun in a million directions.  “I’m sure it’s beautiful, Nana.”

“Good, then it’s all settled,” Nana declared with a satisfied nod.  “When you come back tomorrow, I want to see the pretty sparkling on that special finger of Molly’s.”

“You will, Nana,” Devil soothed the excited old woman.  She certainly looked better since he’d announced his upcoming marriage.  Instead of the frail woman he’d first seen in the bed, she now had color in her cheeks and a twinkle in her eyes.  “But we should go so that you can rest.  I’ll be back first thing in the morning to check on you.  And you have them call me if you need anything.  I don’t care what time it is,” he demanded, looking from his grandmother to Grant.

“I’ll speak to the desk and let them know, Devil,” Grant offered with a nod.

Relaxing a little, Devil smiled.  “Tonight, I just want you to rest and concentrate on getting stronger.”

“Oh, I will!  I have something special to look forward to seeing.” Kathleen smiled.  “Before you go, though, I want one more thing.  Give an old lady a wee thrill and kiss your intended, lad.”

“What?” Devil and Molly sputtered in unison.

“Ach!  Don’t pretend you two haven’t stolen a few of those since ye’ve been together.  Kiss the lass!” she ordered her grandson, nudging him with her hand. 

“Yeah, Devil, kiss ‘er,” Grant chortled from the other side of the bed, his own eyes gleaming with mirth.  “This I’ve got to see!”

Devil could only hope his Nana thought Molly’s face was reddening with embarrassment rather than the anger he saw swirling in her expressive eyes.  The woman was going to do him bodily harm; it was only a matter of time.  He only hoped she wouldn’t choose this moment to exact retribution and bite his tongue off.  “Well, Nana has decreed it must be so,” he murmured, bending his head to cover her soft, slack lips with his.

Kissing her chastely against her parted lips, he expelled a breath of relief when he lifted his head.  Fortunately, she hadn’t tried to maim his mouth.  Bending again when she gripped his tie and pulled his head back to hers, her lips found his ear rather than his mouth as she whispered, “I just want you to know that in the last ten minutes I’ve come up with fifty ways to kill you and make it look completely accidental.  One more kiss from you, and I’ll make one of those fantasies into your new reality.”  She covered her hastily made threat well by brushing a cool kiss against his jaw before gently pushing his chest.

“Oh, now that’s just bonny!” Kathleen enthused, clapping her hands.  “Wasn’t that a bonny sight, Grant?” she asked the man beside her, shaking his arm happily.

“Oh, that was something, Nana,” Grant agreed with a nod.  “I’m just not sure what.”