To continue and clarify what I started with last week I wanted to try and write a few more short scenes in which power relationships and expressions of power are the main focus. My ultimate goal is to combine what I have observed with what I observe or collect from visiting the Drop Inn center into a longer piece of creative fiction. As it is now I am only trying to get the hang of writing situations where power relationships are the main focus. Any ideas or suggestions on how to improve my writing, or any possible suggestions as to where to take my initial idea would be much appreciated. I wrote two scenes. The one that is not posted here has a young man who buys his first suit. Wearing a suit is all about expressing power, I thought the power relationships between the buyer of the suit and seller of the suit was interesting. Here is the other scene I came up with recently, partially from first-hand experience:

“You can’t see him,” Mary said to her two grandkids. “He’s sleeping.” Her back hurt from leaning over the bed too much, to collect excess spit from his lips, or to pat an arm reassuringly. Hospitals, despite the amount of time she’d spent in one, had never sat right with her. The doctors too professional. Little hand sanitizer dispensers; the surfaces so clean life couldn’t possibly exist. Her grandson Sean saw her jaw tremble after this thought. He wasn’t sure if it was because she’d yet to have a drink that day.
“That’s alright, we’ll see him later. How are you doing?” said her granddaughter Jackie.
Youth and their irrelevant questions, Mary thought. She felt scared, trapped by the past fifty years and an event that would happen too soon. She picked at a scab on her hand. “I’m fine,” she said. “Just hanging in there. I’m so glad you two made it.” She provided each grandchild a hug.
“How’s he doing?” said Sean, Jackie’s brother.
“He’s in and out. He’s been sleeping a lot lately. He really only talks when I’m around.”
The two grandkids murmured reassurances, asked who else had been to visit, and provided stock answers to questions about their own lives. A nurse let them know they could see their grandfather if they wished. They didn’t match their grandmother’s crawling pace and entered the room before her. When she entered she could only see their backs blacking the view of her dying husband.
“Pops, it’s good to see you,” Sean said. Jackie bent down to give him a hug. Over her shoulder, Mary could see the look in her husband’s eye, and wished that he would look less scared. They stayed in the room only for a few minutes. Their mother was calling and both needed to talk to her. She could hear pieces of her grandchildren’s phone conversation as they paced in the hallway.
“Bill,” Mary said to her husband. “Why don’t you try to eat something?”
“He looks bad, Mom. He’s lost a lot of weight, I don’t think…” She could hear Sean saying.
Bill shook his head and closed his eyes, shrinking farther into the corner of his bed.
“Do you want anything? Do you want me to get the nurse?” He only responded with labored breath.
“…when we found that raccoon trapped in our dumpster? That’s what his eyes look…” Mary heard as Sean paced back in front of the door.
“Do you want me to shut the door?” She wanted him to say yes. He didn’t respond.
“…Not sure how long we’re staying. I’d like to get back at a decent hour. I have to…” Jackie had the phone now.
“I could just get the nurse,” Mary said to Bill. “She could do something for you.” She took a thick cough for an affirmative answer and buzzed the nurse. She could still hear her granddaughter in the hallway as she watched the nurse make adjustments to his medication, and then all feeling drain from his eyes.