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She digested that news for a long moment, puzzlement growing on her face.

“Nana?”

“When?” she asked.

“Two and a half days ago.”

She licked her lips. “Dying?”

“Not today, old lady.”

My grandmother’s eyes drifted shut and opened again. She looked at me. “Go home?”

“You want to go home, Nana?”

She made a humming noise. “Home.”

“That will be up to the neurosurgeon and Dr. Ames,” I said. “You’ve been through a lot. It’s a miracle you’re alive.”

“Way to go, Nana Mama!” Damon said just as Jannie and Ali walked in.

“She’s awake!” Jannie exclaimed.

“I knew it,” my younger son said, grinning. “Nana’s not going anywhere.”

My grandmother got a bemused expression on her face before closing her eyes again and swallowing hard. “Water.”

Dr. Sydney Ames came in. “Whoa, this is quite a crowd.”

“She’s awake and wants water, Sydney,” I said.

“Ice chips,” Dr. Ames said, shaking a plastic cup of them as she squeezed past Damon and Jannie to get to my grandmother’s bedside. She took a small plastic spoon from her pocket, scooped a couple of ice chips into it, and brought it to Nana Mama’s lips. Nana Mama sucked them in, smiled.

“Does that feel good in your throat, Regina?” the surgeon asked.

“Mmm,” my grandmother said.

“More?” Sydney said. “Of course. Much as you want.” The doctor carefully fed her more, then looked at us. “She’s not choking. This is a good sign. Did she recognize you?”

“Seems to,” I said.

“Did she understand you?”

“I think so. She was trying to answer my questions.”

“Did she?”

Nana Mama said, “Yeah.”

Dr. Ames grinned at her and gave her more ice chips. “Well, that’s good. We’ll have a speech pathologist come in tomorrow to make sure. And I’ll do a more thorough evaluation in the morning.”

“Home,” my grandmother said. “Go home.”

“You want to go home?”

“Mmm.”

“Well, we’re not there yet, Ms. Regina. We need to run some more tests and see if there’s any damage to your brain. And then you could be in for a couple of weeks at a rehab facility before you can go home.”