dress Grandpa’s wound.
“Then why did you take a shower every time?” I asked.
“So I could be as clean as possible and avoid introducing another infection. I changed my clothes too. Grandpa made me
promise not to tell anyone.”
I turned toward him.
“Why didn’t you trust us?”
Grandpa took a heavy breath.
“Because your mother would sell everything again to save me. I’m already an old man. I didn’t want you to lose your futures
because of me.”
But Emily still looked deeply worried.
“I can’t keep doing this alone,” she said. “The infection has become worse. He needs to go to the hospital tonight.”
Grandpa tried to object, but I was already calling an ambulance. At the hospital, the doctor told us that if we had waited just
a few more days, the infection might have spread into Grandpa’s bloodstream. He was admitted for emergency treatment.
Emily and I were sitting in the hallway when Mom came rushing through the doors. At first, she was furious that something
so serious had been hidden from us. Then she wrapped her arms around Emily and held her tightly.
“You tried to save him,” she said through her tears. “But you should never have had to carry something like this alone.”
