Chloe was happy to change the subject. She was trying to promote a reconciliation between father and son, not make Nathan furious. She nodded to Ben. “Did the tests show anything?”
“They suggest a few possibilities, but I’m not going to make a diagnosis when I’ve never met the patient, much less examined her,” Ben said.
“Thank God you’re a better doctor than shrink,” Nathan muttered.
Ed intervened, turning the conversation to neutral topics. Chloe listened with only half her attention as she worried about Grandmillie.
The one thing that kept her anchored was the feel of Nathan’s warm, strong hand around hers. Even when his anger flared, he hadn’t let her go.
Once the jet touched down, the trip to the hospital was a blur of Nathan guiding her through doors, past nurses’ stations, and down corridors. People and barriers just gave way before the force of his combined charm and authority. Ben helped with the medical staff and Ed handled logistics, but Nathan was the leader of the group.
They arrived outside Grandmillie’s room, and Chloe stopped to take a deep breath, bracing herself for what she might see in the hospital bed.
Nathan took both her hands in his and turned her to look at him. “The nurses all say she’s fine.”
“But they don’t know her.” She was afraid to find Grandmillie diminished in some way.
“Do you want me to go in with you?”
There was such kindness in his eyes and such strength in his grip that she wanted to lean on him. But she shook her head. “I need to talk to her alone about what happened.”
He gave her hands a light squeeze and released them. Chloe pushed the door open more forcefully than necessary and walked in.
Grandmillie lay on her back with her eyes closed, while Lynda sat reading a magazine in a chair alongside her. A couple of monitors blinked by the bed, and an IV line ran to her grandmother’s arm. Her usually well-groomed white hair was loose and tangled on the pillow. She looked tiny and frail between the shiny metal railings of the bed.
Anguish slugged Chloe in the chest.
“Chloe!” Lynda said, dropping the magazine. “That was fast.”
Grandmillie’s eyes snapped open, and she turned to frown at Chloe, all the spit and vinegar back in her face and voice. “I told you not to leave the wedding early.”
“Nathan has a very fast jet,” Chloe said, trotting to the bed so she could kiss her grandmother’s cheek. Tears filled her throat, and she had a hard time saying, “I’m glad to see you’re still your usual bossy self.”
“I’m due a little more respect than that, young lady,” Grandmillie said, but she wrapped her arms around Chloe’s neck and drew her in for a hug, a rare show of affection from her independent grandmother.
Chloe returned the hug with feeling, holding her grandmother’s thin body as carefully as a baby bird. When they separated, Chloe caught a watery gleam of tears in Grandmillie’s eyes, bringing back the air of fragility. Chloe had to blink hard to hide her own reaction. She sat down in an empty chair and took her grandmother’s hand before she looked over at Lynda. “Thank you a thousand times over for taking such good care of her.”
“Don’t mention it.” Lynda came around the bed and bent to give Chloe a peck on the cheek. “I’m going to leave you two alone while I get a sandwich in the cafeteria.”
Chloe wondered if Nathan was still outside but decided it was too hard to explain him to Lynda. So she just nodded and turned her attention back to her grandmother. “Now tell me what happened.”
Her grandmother sighed. “It was the same as the last time. I was in the kitchen making a turkey sandwich. I started to feel short of breath and a bit anxious. My heart felt as though it was flopping around in my chest. I got light-headed and then everything went dark. When I woke up, I was lying on the kitchen floor. I checked the clock and only a couple of minutes had passed.” Her hand trembled a little in Chloe’s. “As soon as I could, I called Lynda.”
“Why didn’t you just press the button on your necklace?”
“Phooey! I didn’t want all the fuss of an ambulance.”
Chloe blew out a breath of exasperation. “If you were having a heart attack, the EMTs could actually help on the way to the hospital.”
“I wasn’t in any pain, and I wasn’t unconscious for very long. I knew I wasn’t having a heart attack.”
Chloe laid her other hand on top of Grandmillie’s. “You have to take better care of yourself for my sake. What would I do without you?”
All weakness fled from her grandmother’s face as she smiled at Chloe. “Child, you’d be just fine. You’re a strong, bright young woman with a big heart. You’ll find a way to fill it when I’m gone, but I don’t plan to kick the bucket just yet.”
“If you aren’t more careful, your plans may not matter.” Chloe locked her gaze on her grandmother. “Promise me you’ll push the button next time this happens. Otherwise I’m going to quit my job and stay home with you all day long.”