By the time Brandon and Levi reached the hospital, Grandma Daley was showing some signs of recovery. Levi smiled from ear to ear when she greeted him by slowly drawing out his name in slurred but clear syllables. The nurse said, “She has a few words, and your name is clear. Your grandmother is a tough old bird. I’m not saying that in a derogatory way. I admire people like her. She’s a fighter.”

Brandon watched the right side of Grandma Daley’s mouth turn upward into a smile. He leaned over the bed and bent down to kiss her on the cheek. “I hope you remember me. I’m Brandon. You gave me the best tasting lemonade ever.”

She nodded twice in response. He pulled a small Mason jar from behind his back stuffed with flowers from the little garden by the cabin. “I know some of them are wilted, but it’s a long canoe ride from the cabin.”

Levi said, “Grandma, your eyes are sparkling! You’ve always loved your flowers. Brandon insisted on cutting them. They are gorgeous. The delphiniums are at their peak.”

After a visit that lasted for nearly an hour, Grandma Daley drifted off to sleep. The nurse returned to the room and said, “If you can be here at 10 a.m. tomorrow morning, the doctor will stop in again. I think he has some good news to share. She’s not out of the woods yet, but there are reasons to be hopeful. The future is hard to predict with something like this. He will tell you much more.”

Levi said, “We can be here then, or at least I can. We’ll go downstairs and get some coffee while she’s sleeping. Maybe she’ll wake up again this evening before we have to leave.”

The nurse nodded. “She is drifting in and out. I would say there’s a good chance you’ll see her open her eyes again before you have to go.”

While they stood in line to pay for their coffees in the hospital’s small cafeteria space, Brandon said, “I’ve been thinking more about those incredible paintings stored up at the cabin. Each one is surely worth at least three or four times what a small painting brings in. Isn’t that the case?”

Levi paid for his coffee and looked for a place to sit before he answered the question. As they sat down at a small round table, Levi said, “I don’t know. I’ve never thought about that. Mr. Wagner handles the financial arrangements with Grandma’s art. I don’t look at it in terms of the money. I’ve concerned myself with protecting the paintings. I’ve never thought about selling the large works.”

Brandon couldn’t believe Levi’s comment. Surely, he’d thought about the fortune he stored in that shed. Wealthy people didn’t collect diamonds without ever wondering what they were worth. Brandon asked, “What does a single small painting sell for?”

“Most recently, they’ve been selling for around $5,000 according to Mr. Walker. Grandma looks at the specific numbers, but I don’t pay much attention.”

“And how many paintings are there in the shed? There must be close to a hundred or so, and every one of them would be worth a lot more than the small paintings. That’s a whole lot of money.”

Levi sipped his coffee. “I don’t think I want to talk about this. Can we talk about something else? Grandma looked a lot better. She loved the flowers. You were right to bring some along. Let’s talk about that.”

Brandon wanted to talk about the paintings. There was a tremendous amount of money stored in that shed. He didn’t know very much about art and paintings, but he guessed that trying to store them in a shed in the woods wasn’t a good idea. They could easily deteriorate over time. He thought the best option was figuring out a way to sell the canvases before they had a chance to deteriorate. Levi could deposit the money into a bank account, and he would be set for the future. As he pulled himself out of his thoughts, Brandon looked across the table. Levi was unhappy.

Brandon said, “She does look much better, and she spoke. You won’t take her back out to the woods after this, will you? I suspect she’s still in a lot of danger of experiencing another stroke.”

“I’ll do what she wants me to do. If there’s anything I’ve learned from three years living with Grandma Daley, it’s that you should follow your gut and follow your dreams. If she wants to return, I’ll take her there. She feels closer to Grandpa out at the cabin, and I understand that.”

Brandon protested, “But it’s a huge risk. We’re all lucky that she survived the trip to the hospital this time.”

Levi shook his head. “There’s a tiny nagging voice in the back of my head asking if I did the right thing this time.”

“The right thing? You called for help. What else would you do?”

“Grandma told me more than once that it was her time to go if she laid down and couldn’t get back up. The hardest thing about her not being able to talk is I don’t know what she wants.”

Brandon asked, “Would you let her die?”

Levi frowned. “Don’t ask me that question. I don’t want to look at it that way. Would I do what she wants me to do? The answer to that question is yes. Let’s go back upstairs so I can say goodnight.”

Brandon watched Levi get up from the table, throw his coffee cup into the trash, and proceed to the elevator without looking back. Brandon barely slipped inside the elevator with Levi before the door closed.

“I didn’t mean to upset you.”

Levi said, “Drop it, please. I’m thinking about Grandma now.”

In the hospital room, Brandon stood back while he watched Levi gently enfold his grandmother in his arms. She spoke his name softly once more. Seeing the scene caused a single tear to leak from the corner of Brandon’s eye.

As Levi said goodnight and stepped back, Grandma Daley reached her right arm outward again. Levi said, “She wants to hug you, too.”

Brandon stepped up close and gently placed his arms around the frail woman. He whispered, “I’m so happy I got to meet you. I can’t wait for you to be well again.”

As he released her from the hug, Brandon thought he saw a smile on the right side of her face. Levi said, “Goodnight, Grandma. I’ll be back tomorrow.”