Grandma looked at that name for a long moment as we walked past it.
Her mouth went tight.
Inside, the lobby smelled like coffee and floor cleaner. A television above the vending machines was playing the morning news with the sound turned low. A man in a gray uniform was mopping the floor near the gift shop. The gift shop wasn’t open yet. Through the glass, I could see rows of teddy bears and balloons that said “GET WELL SOON.”
Grandma didn’t stop at the front desk. She didn’t ask for directions. She didn’t look at any of the signs.
She just walked.
Straight across the lobby. Past the elevators. Down a short hallway. Through a set of double doors with a sign over them that said FAMILY WAITING AREA.
She seemed to know exactly where she was going. Like she’d walked that hallway a thousand times.
