Disabled Old Man Escapes Ward through Window to Gift Flowers to His Wife – Story of the Day

A disabled 69-year-old grandpa sets on a daredevil mission to surprise his wife with her favorite flowers on her birthday. He hatches a cool plan and escapes the hospital ward through the window, but something utterly unexpected happens.

"N—n—no, don't do this to me... Carlo, can you hear me? Nothing will happen to you… I won't let anything happen to you," Olly's loud cries broke the silence of the hospital corridor as he ran beside his grandpa's gurney, clutching his hand.

Tears slowly dropped from Carlo's half-closed eyes, 19-year-old Olly's faint figure slowly disappearing from his sight. Oh, how Carlo hated God that day! He wanted to live and make his grandson laugh, as always. He hated himself for making Olly, who was his moon and the stars and everything in between, cry.

The emergency ward's doors slid open and shut for the next two hours, with doctors and nurses frequenting in and out, talking medical terms Olly couldn't understand. An hour passed. And another. And then, as the door finally opened again, Olly bolted to the doctor...

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"Doctor, can I see him? Is he alright?" Olly gasped.

"He's fine now... but..."

Olly's heart began to race. His eyes welled up with tears, his gut churned with fear, and he started to sweat. He was not ready to lose the most precious man in his life.

"But??"

"Your grandfather cannot walk. But it's just for a short time. It could take weeks or even months before he can recover fully and be able to walk normally. Thankfully, he's out of danger, but he needs to rest."

Olly sighed heavily with relief. All he wanted was his Grandpa. Whether he walked or not didn't concern him, he just wanted his old man alive. Deep down, Olly knew he would do anything to get his Grandpa back on his feet again. He was that confident as he smeared away his tears and marched into the ward.

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The room was silent apart from Carlo's heavy breathing and the beeps of the heart monitor. Olly hated seeing his grandpa in that blue-white room. He'd never seen Carlo still and sleepy like this. He'd only seen him as a chirpy and energetic man who, even at 69, took life the way it came with his wild laughter and silly jokes.

Carlo had always been there for Olly, even when his busy parents weren't. Despite their age difference, they were thick friends and even shared secrets — Olly, about his recent crushes, and Carlo, about the nasty things he did to trick his wife, Rose, into falling for him. This grandson and grandpa duo was a twosome of mischief and fun wherever they went. But everything changed that afternoon when Carlo and Olly placed a bet on who would win the horse race.

Dressed in his old cowboy suit, Carlo challenged Olly he would certainly win. The boy was bewildered by his grandpa's confidence and energy, even at this age. The race began on a sunny autumn-kissed afternoon as Olly's and Carlo's horses galloped off the muddy track. Moments later, all Olly heard was a heavy thud followed by Carlo screaming in pain. He'd had a mini-stroke and was rushed to the city hospital.

A gust of wind slapped Olly's face as he returned to the moment. He could not forgive himself for not saying no to the horse race. "I'll do anything for you, but please come back, Carlo," Olly cried and quickly wiped his tears away when the door slid open. A young nurse walked in holding a tray of medicines and, without even looking at Olly, asked him to leave the ward.

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"When will he wake up, Miss... Miss Megan?" Olly kept gazing at Megan's ID badge while she busily filled the syringe.

"He will... soon. He needs to rest," she said.

Days passed, and Carlo regained consciousness. A few weeks later, he was able to take slow baby steps but still needed crutches and a wheelchair to move around. Olly was the happiest on the planet, and one day, as usual, he visited his grandpa with a bouquet of his favorite chamomile flowers and sugar-free cookies.

"What did ya think, fella? Captain Jack Sparrow ain't dying so soon... not until I date four pretty gals and take them yachting... Two on ma left and two on ma right!" Carlo joked. Even in this condition, he was hellbent on making the moment light with laughter.

"Quit it, Carlo! You almost gave me a heart attack... I hate you, alright? Don't talk to me."

"I hate you too, boy! Who wants these bland white flowers when you can bring me a bottle of wine?!"

"No more guilty pleasures. Did you hear what the doctor said?"

"Why not, fella? I can walk now. I'm back to normal!"

"Yeah, you can walk but hardly five steps without crutches. You're not completely alright, Carlo. No more drinking and no more nothing. Be a good boy and behave! Or I'll report you to grandma."

"Fine, whatever!! It's been days since I had some sunshine. This ward is taking the life outta me. Take me somewhere outta here, boy!"

Olly grinned because he couldn't say no to his grandpa. He was ready to move mountains to make the old man smile, and it was just a matter of giving him some sunshine. So he gently put Carlo in the wheelchair and pushed him toward the window.

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"Are you kiddin' me?! This is not the sunshine I wanted. I want to go out... to the café," Carlo grumbled.

"Look, Carlo, you're not allowed to go out until you're discharged. I'll take you to the lawn here tomorrow, but that's it... not any further."

"Yeah, whatever!"

The two stood by the window, gazing at the sunset, and something strange sprang into Olly's heart when Megan walked in. He looked into her cloudy grey eyes and couldn't steal his gaze away.

"Mr. Hopkins, time to take your medicines," she said.

Her honey-dripping voice enchanted Olly, reminding him of the days when he and Carlo chatted about their crushes and their dream girl. Olly had never heard a voice so mesmerizing nor seen eyes so beautiful. He never believed in love until seeing Megan. And at that very moment, he felt his heart swaying in the air for her.

Days passed, and Olly's feelings for the nurse soared to new heights. He loved everything about her, especially how she cared for his grandpa, who was his world. So one fine day, the lad decided to confess his feelings for Megan and approached her with a bouquet of red roses.

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"But those are for you! I got them only for you," Olly was disappointed when Megan distributed the flowers to a bunch of kids in the hospital.

Olly's day was off to a terrible start. His heartbreak doubled when he saw the nurse leaving the hospital after her shift with a gang of cool bikers. He loved cars and not bikes. But Megan seemed to love bikes and not him. He was terribly disheartened but never gave up.

So the next day, he approached the nurse again with a box of chocolates and a fluffy white teddy bear holding a red I Love You heart. "Grandpa told me he wooed grandma with chocolates. I'm sure Megan will say yes!" he thought, excitement and joy twinkling in his eyes.

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"I'm a nurse, and I advocate healthy eating. I don't like chocolates!" she turned Olly down. "If you think you'd win my heart with flowers or chocolates, I'm sorry, I'm not sold! Have a good day, SIR!"

Olly was so upset and confided his heartbreak to his grandpa.

"I did everything, Carlo... I even parked my new car in front of her so that she'd see how cool and rich I am. She hates red roses... what woman on earth would hate red roses?! She refused to take these chocolates. I love her, but she does not understand my feelings."

"You little fool!! Women love it when we men go to a great extent for them!" Carlo chimed in a raspy, taunting voice. "No woman likes it easy. She wants a man... a daredevil! One who is ready to take risks. Like a lion!"

"A lion?! Carlo, women are insane. They toy with our feelings. Now should I grow long hair and tattoo myself and wait for her on a Harley Davidson to show her I'm cool?? I hate bikes. Remember how I fell off a bike in school?"

"Quit talking like an ole man, you fool! You get an F in romance! Why would she need your rotten flowers and teddy or chocolates to fall for you? She ain't a kid! You've got to do something to convince her you're cool like those guys! You know, these women, they are like a puzzle."

"Alright! I'll try... see you tomorrow, Carlo!" Olly left. The next morning when he visited, his grandpa was upset about something and was on the brink of tears.

"I need your help, boy," he spoke as Olly sat down, only to be shuddered with shock after hearing Carlo's strange request.

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"Look, only you can help me. You know your grandma's birthday is tomorrow, right? She'll come to visit me, and I want to surprise her with a gift. All you have to do is wait outside the window tonight and help me climb out. I need to find flowers for her, and today morning I saw some gorgeous tulips on the front porch here! She loves tulips!"

Olly was shaken. Not only was his grandpa's ward on the first floor, but it would be risky to climb out of the window and land safely on the ground at this age and in this condition.

"Carlo, are you outta your mind?? I can just bring the flowers, and you can give them to grandma."

"You've gone crazy, Carlo! Grandma is 67 years old, and she'll definitely not want you to climb down the window and hurt your bottom just for those flowers!"

"You're such a fool! Your grandma is 67, but she's still sweet 17 at heart! And she'll love it if I take such a risk. I'm still young... look at me! Forget the wrinkles and sags. Now listen... All I want you to do is help me climb down the window and carry me to the flowerbed. You distract the security while I pluck those flowers. Then you help me climb up back to my room. You owe me! I did a lot for you... I hid your beer bottles the last time your dad checked your room... and I..."

"Alright! Alright! Fine, I'll do it. I hate you for this, Carlo! I hope we don't get into trouble."

"

I hate you too! Now go... And be here tonight. I'll be waiting."

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That night, Megan walked into Carlo's ward and was shocked to find a bare empty bed staring back at her. Carlo was missing! She dropped the tray of medicines she was holding when she saw the window was wide open.

"Oh, my God! Where did he go??" she panicked, realizing the old man had disappeared from his ward through the window that night. Megan bolted to the securities and alerted them.

"He cannot walk on his own. He's not there in his bed," she gasped.

"What?? A 69-year-old disabled man who can barely walk suddenly disappeared from his ward in the middle of the night... through a window??" one of them shrieked.

"This is unbelievable!" added the other. But little did they know what the old man was up to meanwhile for the sake of his love.

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"B-But he was not there when I checked... A-And that window was open," Megan was puzzled when she ran back to the ward. Carlo was in bed, smiling back at her as if nothing happened. The nurse stared at him in disbelief.

"Goodnight, dear!" he said, hiding his wicked smile under the sheets.

The next day, Carlo's ward was filled with laughter. The entire family had visited him to celebrate his wife Rose's birthday. And when everybody least expected it, he took the bouquet of tulips out.

Everybody burst into laughter when Carlo revealed how he got those flowers.

"He's the coolest boyfriend I've ever had!!" Rose chuckled.

"She's having half a day off today, so I think it's the best time to put my plan into action. I'll meet you with a smile and good news soon. Bye, Gran pops! I hate you!"

Carlo sighed, his heart fluttering with high hopes and blessings for Olly to succeed in winning Megan's heart, at least this time. But he wouldn't have imagined what he would get to see two hours later.

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"Careful... You're crazy... just like your grandfather!" Megan entered the ward, grumbling. Beside her stood Olly, with his left leg bandaged and raised in the air, his arm wrapped around Megan's shoulder for support.

"Jesus, what happened, silly??" Carlo gasped, unable to hold back his laughter.

"Like grandpa, like grandson!! He climbed the wall to my roof and crawled to my bedroom window this evening... and knocked like a crazy kid holding white roses in his hands," revealed Megan.

"Oh, my freaking God!!" Carlo was stunned.

"But I didn't think the window would open outwards. I went flying with the flowers when she opened the window. And AAAaaOOOoooWWWww... that hurt!" Olly added.

Megan and Carlo could not help but laugh. From that day onward, for the next few weeks, Olly and his grandpa shared the same ward, cared for by the two most beloved women in their lives, Megan and Rose.

"If Olly stays the same... as crazy and adventurous like his grandpa, then you'll be the happiest, gifted wife, sweetie!" Rose told Megan. "Just look at how happy I am if you don't believe me!!"

Megan did not answer, and her gaze slowly shifted to Olly, who was making a hand-heart gesture at her from his bed. This time, Megan smiled, and her cheeks blushed crimson red!!

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What can we learn from this story?

• A heart full of unconditional love sees what is invisible to the eye. Olly wanted to impress Megan and win her heart but failed. Eventually, his grandpa helped him understand to see what her heart desired.
• When you truly love someone, you will bend the skies and move mountains for them. Despite being unable to walk, Carlo took a risk to surprise his wife on her birthday. With his grandson's help, he climbed down the window and picked flowers for her because he knew that would really make her happy.

Tell us what you think, and share this story with your friends. It might inspire them and brighten their day.

A carefree and spoiled rich man's life takes a turn for the worse when he gets the scariest phone call after his mother goes missing at 78. Click here to read the full story.

This piece is inspired by stories from the everyday lives of our readers and written by a professional writer. Any resemblance to actual names or locations is purely coincidental. All images are for illustration purposes only. Share your story with us; maybe it will change someone's life. If you would like to share your story, please send it to info@amomama.com.