Chapter 39
Will drove like a mad man to the private hospital. Emma insisted she come with them. Conrad was so sweet to her, and she cared about him. Will didn’t say anything, but he hadn’t stopped her from coming with him. Emma sat in the back with Conrad’s head in her lap.
“We should have called an ambulance,” Emma commented.
“Shut up,” Will said. He knew she was right, but he wasn’t thinking straight. The image of his grandfather fainted on the floor was burned into his mind. His heart raced. If something happened to his grandfather, he would never be okay.
The butler had called ahead to the hospital. They were ready to received Conrad as soon as Will pulled up. The hospital staff took Conrad to the OR and directed Will and Emma to the waiting room. Emma settled on a hard plastic waiting room chair. Will was silent, but he couldn’t stop moving. He would sit with his head in his hands while one of his legs bounced.
“He’s going to be okay,” he muttered to himself. “He has to be okay.” He paced back and forth; his eyes red from crying. He was jittery and tense. Emma didn’t know how to comfort him. He’d never shown her any emotion like that. She sat there in silence, hoping that her presence was enough to bring him some peace.
After what felt like an eternity, a doctor walked into the waiting room. Will launched himself from his seat and went to the doctor.
“Mr. Stewart,” the doctor said. “Your grandfather is going to be fine.” Will almost fell to the floor with relief. “He had a heart attack, so he’ll need to be careful. There is a pre-existing heart condition and it seems he hasn’t been properly caring for himself.”
“I’ll make sure he’s careful. Thank you, doctor.” The doctor smiled and left him. Will sank into a chair next to Emma. The tension left his body. “I was so terrified. Pop is all the family I have left. I don’t have anyone that cares about me. He’s the only one. I can’t lose him. I need him.”
Vulnerability was not something she expected to ever see from Will. It was a side she didn’t know he had. For once he wasn’t the hot-headed, arrogant, moody playboy. He was sensitive, caring and scared. She saw the little boy from the photo. The little boy who loved this grandfather. *I care about you,* Emma thought. She reached out to comfort him, but he realized he’d been too exposed in front of Emma. He straightened up, his cold and aloof demeanor back in place.
“Are you Mr. Stewart’s family?” a nurse asked.
“Yes,” Will answered abruptly. “Is anything wrong?”
“Not at all, sir. He is awake and would like to see you. I can take you to him if you’d like.”
“Yes, of course.” Will and Emma got up and followed the nurse. They walked into Conrad’s room. He was sitting up and smiling. A nasal cannula was looped around his ears and placed in his nose providing him oxygen. An IV line was placed in his left arm. The clinical stillness of the room was at odds with Conrad’s bright smile.
“Pop!” Will called out when he saw his grandfather was okay with his own eyes. “You’re all right!”
“Of course I’m all right. We Stewarts are made of tough stuff you know,” he joked.
“That’s not funny. The doctor said you weren’t careful. Did you forget to talk your medicine on schedule?”
“I might have.”
“You can’t do that! There’s a schedule for a reason. You have to be more careful!”
“Well, that’s certainly no way to treat a man who has just had surgery,” Conrad laughed. “Will, would you leave me alone with Emma for a few minutes?”
“Why?”
“Please? Just a few minutes.”
Will looked upset, but indulged his grandfather’s request.
“I’ll go talk to the doctor about your treatment.”
Conrad waited until Will left before addressing Emma.
“Sit by me, dear.” Emma sat on a chair by his bed. “I’m sorry about him. He’s overreacting.”
“I don’t think so. He was so very worried.”
“He shouldn’t. My heart condition is nothing new. I’ve been managing it for a few years now. There was no need for him to be so panicky.”
“He loves you. He was such a mess,” Emma explained.
“He’s been living with me ever since he was a young boy.”
“What happened to his parents?”
“Oh, well that is an upsetting story. They separated soon after he was born. They stayed married, but their relationship was strained. They often used Will as a weapon against each other. So I took him away from that environment and chose to raise him. He was so withdrawn because he didn’t know what it was like to feel a family’s warmth. I wasn’t much better I’m afraid. My wife was great with him. I worked very much to maintain our wealth. She called me a workaholic often. When she passed, may she rest in peace, he was destroyed. He cried for days. He was raised by a series of nannies. None stuck around very long. The only constant in his life was Grace. She was everything to him. But now he has you, and that makes me so very happy.”
Emma’s heart broke for baby Will. It explained so much, why he didn’t show affection or weakness. And now she understood why he was so hung up on Grace, and his reaction to finding out that she was getting married. He still loved her. There was no room in his hearts for anyone else. She was crestfallen. Now she was sure that Will would never reciprocate her feelings. *Even more reason to never reveal them.*
Conrad mistook Emma’s sudden melancholy for disappointment.
“He is treating you well, isn’t he?” He asked.
“Yes, he is,” she answered, trying to flash him a bright smile. After meeting him, Emma understood why Will couldn’t deny his grandfather anything. He was one of the sweetest people she’d ever known. In their short time together, Emma decided she would do anything for him. She would miss him when her contract ended.
“He better. You just tell me if that grandson of mine misbehaves in anyway, or mistreats you. I’ll kick his ass,” Conrad winked. Emma giggled. Yes. Conrad Stewart was a great man.
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