Old Lady Hears Her Nurse's Phone Ring, Takes It and Recognizes the Caller as Her Estranged Son — Story of the Day

An older woman learned a shocking truth about her young nurse when she picked up her phone one day and recognized the caller.

Nancy Sutton was raised in a nuclear household, unlike her friends, because her mother was an orphan and her father Anthony and grandmother Dorothy were estranged.

"Your grandmother never got it, Nancy. She didn't even show up when you were born! She hated me, you, and your mother," Anthony complained when she asked why she didn't have any grandparents like her friends.

"But dad, why did Gran abandon us? I'm sure she had a reason!" 15-year-old Nancy protested.

"Hun," Erica, her mother, explained. "Some things are best left unsaid because they can hurt you. Your father and I had a hard time with your grandmother. Nobody has any idea where she is. Please, don't bring this up again, okay?"

But Nancy wanted to. She was curious as to why her grandmother was so upset with them. So when her parents tried to dodge the subject, she snuck into their room, stole Dorothy's picture from the family album, and began looking for her on Facebook. Unfortunately, the search didn't yield any results.

"Ah! I wonder whether Gran even knows how to use Facebook!" she thought out loud and sank on her bed. Will I ever get to see Gran? Ughhh…I guess not!

Several years passed. Nancy worked hard in school and went on to become a doctor. Meanwhile, she tried to find Dorothy a few more times, but nothing came of it, until one day when her supervisor Dr. Carter suggested she visit her new next-door neighbor.

"Good morning, Nancy! Would you mind checking in on a special patient this afternoon? She just moved into my neighborhood and appears to have some orthopedic concerns," Dr. Carter said when they met near the coffee machine in their hospital cafeteria.

"A very good morning, Dr. Carter. Umm…" She checked her watch. "Yeah, I think I'll be able to make time for today. Could you please email her files to me?"

Life surprises you when you least expect it.

"Ugh, well, I don't have her file as such, but I can give you her address. She's a little grumpy... I'm warning you, and she said she couldn't come here, so I figured I'd send you. After all, you're one of the best orthopedists we've got!"

"Oh, no problem, Dr. Carter. I'll pay her a visit at 1 p.m. Is that all right?"

"That would be wonderful, thank you!"

Nancy smiled and walked away to check on her patients for the day. When she finished her half-shift for the day, she remembered Dr. Carter hadn't provided her the address yet, so she dropped by her office to get it, then booked a cab and proceeded to the woman's house.

However, when she arrived, she practically froze in horror at the sight of the woman. "Are you Nancy? The one who was supposed to see me today?" the woman asked her in a firm tone.

"Ugh, well," Nancy stammered. "Yes, ma'am. I'm Nancy - Nancy Sutton," she replied, stunned that the older woman, her patient Dorothy Sutton, was her grandmother. She was clearly older than she'd seen in the images, but her face, though wrinkled, and her hair, though whiter, bore a striking similarity to her younger self.

"Oh, thank God you came. My knees hurt all the time. I can't even walk anymore. You better ask your hospital to treat me properly! The medical services are so costly these days!"

"Ugh, yeah, sure, ma'am," Nancy replied, forcing a smile. Oh my god, I can't believe it's Gran! What should I do? Should I ask her about what happened? But what if she gets angry?

"Hello, young woman, do you get paid to stand like that at your hospital?" Dorothy grumbled. "Aren't you going to check what's wrong with my knees?"

"Oh, sure, Mrs. Sutton, please have a seat," Nancy replied as she helped her to settle on the living room couch.

It turned out Dorothy had a simple muscle catch rather than a knee condition, which could be corrected with basic physiotherapy. So Nancy suggested physiotherapy sessions for her every day at 9 a.m.

"Don't you have nurses in your hospital who can do that? I guess the condition is more serious, and I require 24/7 care!" she demanded.

Nancy cracked a grin. "Well, Mrs. Sutton. When I was fresh out of college, I worked as a nurse at a nursing home, so consider me your new nurse starting today. And, yes, I believe the problem can be fixed in a shorter period of time. So, see you tomorrow," she said with a smile before departing.

As she walked towards her car, Nancy was jumping in joy. She planned to spend some time with Dorothy, get to know her better, and then gradually coax her into reconciling with her family and with her. Little did she know the time would come sooner than she'd expected….

A few days into their regular physiotherapy sessions, Nancy noticed Dorothy had run out of groceries, so she decided to stop by a supermarket and get the old woman some groceries before she left her house for the day. She didn't know, however, that she'd left her phone at Dorothy's house in the process.

When Anthony called her, and the phone started ringing, Dorothy got irritated. "How reckless is that young woman? She comes here to look after me but can't take care of her stupid phone!" she grumbled as she walked up to the table where the phone was.

However, when she held it in her hands, she almost felt disoriented looking at the picture that had popped on the screen. The contact's name was "Dad," and Dorothy quickly realized that Nancy was more than simply her nurse.

"Mrs. Sutton? Are you alright?" Nancy asked worriedly as she returned from grocery shopping and noticed Dorthoy sobbing on the living room sofa.

"Why didn't you tell me, Nancy? You're my granddaughter, aren't you?" she asked, teary-eyed.

"Oh!!" Nancy's heart started racing fast. "Mrs. Sutton…I mean…Gran…How did you find out?"

"Your father called you just now when you were out. Does he know you've been coming to see me every day?"

"I'm sorry, Gran. I was waiting for the right time to tell you everything. Mom and Dad would hate me if they found out I was working at your house, so they don't know about you yet. They - They…."

"They hate me? Well, they're not wrong. I never supported their relationship, and that's why I never came to meet you. Your father had called me after you were born, but I refused to see you even then and cut all relations with him. It's all my fault. I deserve this because I brought it on myself! I am deserving of their hatred. Your parents are correct. You should hate me, too, sweetheart... I am a very horrible person..."

"Oh, Gran," Nancy wrapped her arms around her. "Enough of this nonsense! I believe both sides have endured enough setbacks over the years. So let's forget everything and start over, all right? Come on, Gran! Stop crying now!"

"Oh dear, I don't deserve you! I don't…."

"Everything will be alright, Gran. Don't worry, okay?"

That weekend, Nancy brought Dorothy home and invited her parents to dinner so they could work out their differences. Of course, it wasn't simple, and Anthony didn't want to sit at the same table with Dorothy.

However, when Dorothy began pleading for forgiveness, Anthony's heart softened a little. Erica, too, thought it was better to let go of the past and start over. "It's fine, honey," she assured Anthony. "Don't you see how happy Nancy is when she's around her? Can we please put this behind us for a moment?"

Anthony nodded, and that day, Nancy's parents and Dorothy reconciled.

What can we learn from this story?

• Let bygones be bygones. Dorothy realized her mistake and begged for forgiveness from Anthony and Erica. The pair decided to forget the past and start fresh.
• Life surprises you when you least expect it. Nancy had no idea her new patient was going to be her grandmother.

If you enjoyed this story, you might like this one about a woman who was completely baffled when she arrived at her late son's grave and met his carbon copy there.

This account is inspired by our reader's story 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.