Chapter 15 CHAPTER 15: Unforeseen Demands
Hazel
"Well, well," she drawled, a tight smile twisting her lips. "What a touching family reunion." I ignored her accusatory tone and cleared my throat, trying to put distance between me and Adam.
“Aunt Phoebe, this is Adam, William’s friend” I croaked.
Aunt Phoebe came close and took Adam’s extended hand, smiling ruefully.
“I am Willie’s favorite aunt. So nice for you to visit, she said as her eyes darted between us.
I cleared my throat “Adams, maybe you could come later to visit as Williams is still asleep”? I said, faking a smile. Meanwhile, my heart was beating very fast, and I was wringing my fingers unconsciously. I only noticed when Adam's eyes darted towards it.
“That’s perfect Haze, but can I see you for a second?” Adam asked, his eyes pleading.
“I’ll give you a call Adam” I replied. He nodded gravelly and left the room.
Immediately he left, Aunt Phoebe took a long look at me.
“I sensed a bit of tension in the room when I came in…is everything okay between you two”? She asked with a hint of mock concern in her eyes.
“Totally” I replied, concentrating on digging into my doughnut.
“If you say so... Inasmuch as I would love to stay until my nephew wakes up, I can’t” she said suddenly.
" I came straight from the airport and right now I’m exhausted, and I would love to get home and come back later.”
“Any arrangements for your stay”? I asked.
“Oh yes, I called Maria on my way from the airport, so John should be here anytime to pick me up” she replied.
I was taken aback because I was unaware of the arrangement but was not surprised as it wasn't the first time Maria had taken an initiative without consulting me first. She had never really made me feel like I was welcomed, so I just shrugged it off and nodded.
“It's fine even though I wasn’t informed any family member would be coming to visit” I stated with bated breath.
She gave a short laugh “Hazel, I think I am allowed to visit any of my nephews at any point in time and especially in situations like this. If it’s a problem for you, I could always stay in the family house” she added with a hint of irritation and, bating me to oppose her.
“That’s not a problem at all, I’ll meet you at home later, Aunt Phoebe” I replied calmly, trying not to aggravate the situation.
"Good" she replied, then she stood up from her seat, walked up to Williams and kissed him on the forehead before she left the room.
Immediately she was out the door, I breathed a sigh of relief and slumped on the couch she had just vacated. I decided to forget all about our exchange as I settled into the couch and got lost browsing through some social media and news platforms to stay updated on new gossip about me and my husband and about his business. There were a lot of misleading news articles and gossip concerning his accident and I shook my head as I sipped my latte which had gone cold. I gritted my teeth and hoped he got better faster so he could debunk the rumors, little did I know what was coming n for me in the nearest future.
A sliver of light pricked my eyelids, dragging me from a sleep thick with unease. Whispers, like rustling leaves, snaked through the sterile air. I cracked open one eye trying to make sense of my environment, then I spotted Emily sitting across from Williams, their heads bowed close, voices a low murmur. My heart jumped to my throat as I remembered the events of the morning and I felt shivers down my spine as my heart began to beat fast.
Fear gripped me as I strained my ears to eavesdrop on their conversation but could not make out what they were discussing except Emily’s fake chuckles. With a groan, I stretched, the sound echoing through the tense space making them turn.
"Sleeping Beauty awakens," Williams chuckled, his voice warm and teasing. Relief washed over me, momentarily erasing the shadows that clung to the corners of the room. I managed a smile, knowing my secret, for now, remained buried.
Emily swiveled in her chair and plastered a fake smile on her face.
“Mabel, you are awake, hope you had a good rest seeing as you were up all night?” she faked a smile. I stared at her and I noticed her bandages were gone. She looked less pale than the last time I saw her. I ignored her earlier statement and smiled up at William, whose blue eyes were trained on me.
“I’m so sorry you had to stay awake because of me”, Williams chirped.
“Oh, I’m not sure she didn't mind, or did you, Mabel?” Emily added, looking straight at me and daring me to reply.
I returned the look, “Its Hazel, Emily”, I corrected for the umpteenth time. Then I looked at William, whose eyes darted between us without a word.
"To answer your question...no, I did not mind staying awake to take care of my husband. I'll do anything for him" I replied, staring at him and daring her to do her worse. She kept mute. " I need some air" I declared. Without waiting for a response, I stood up, adjusted my trousers and stormed out of
As I rounded a corner, I nearly bumped into the doctor, his clipboard clutched tightly in his hand.
"Ah, Mrs. Thorn," he said, a hint of concern in his voice. "Could I have a word in my office? It's about your husband’s progress."
I followed Dr Ken to his opulent office. Premier hospital was rumored to be the best specialist hospital in London at the time and Dr Ken was the resident doctor. The office had a nice view as it overlooked the city. You could see skyscrapers looming ahead. I took in the interior décor of the office. The walls were dark gray and decorated with calming artwork. There were some green plants at the corners of the office. An examination table, and other basic doctor equipment. I plopped down on one of the comfortable purple couches. I subconsciously chose purple as that was my favorite color, then I began to feel a sense of calm. It has been a roller-coaster week, and I was at my wits' end.
“Coffee?’ the doctor quipped as he poured a cup for himself.
“Yes please.”
Sugar and cream or black?
“Black please” I replied, and he poured a cup and took it over. I took the coffee from him and thanked him as he nodded and walked back to his seat opposite me.
“So, doctor, what’s the progress”? I asked, looking up at him.
“Well, good and bad news, Mrs. Hazel” he said, with a tight smile.
“Good news first doctor” I replied, tensed.
“So far, so good, he is healing nicely, and it isn’t as bad as we thought it would be” he replied, giving me a kind smile.
“The bad news is, part of his face was damaged during the accident so he will need light plastic surgery to erase the scars. Also, his legs from the knees down are terribly damaged and he will need physical therapy. We have arranged a physiotherapist that will take care of him after he is discharged.” He rambled on as I sat there trying to take it all in.
“How long will he be in the hospital until he is discharged?” I asked.
“He will be here between four and six weeks” he quipped and adjusted his glasses.
“I don’t know how Williams will feel about this news as he does not like to be confined in a space”, I told the doctor.
“We will look into how to speed up his healing process…one step at a time, right?” he asked, raising an eyebrow. I gave a sad smile and left the office.
I hated to be the one to break the news of William’s long stay in the hospital, and so I dreaded going back into the room, but I knew I would have to take care of that sooner than later.
As I got back to Williams’ room, I noticed Mr. Thorn, his father, was in the room having a deep conversation with him. When they noticed my presence, they both turned in my direction. I noticed William had a stormy expression on his bandaged face. He had always had an expressive face, so whatever he was feeling was pretty obvious, but, his father, on the other hand, had a blank look.
“Everything okay?” I asked as I got close to the bed.
“Hazel, yes everything is fine…my dad was just telling me how pressing work is at the moment for him and how they need me back in the office,” he said, “Any idea when I’m leaving this place” he asked, looking up at me, hopefully.
“Ah, about that”. I scratched my head, the next word catching in my throat. I hated to be the bearer of bad news but, as it is, the responsibility had been laid on my shoulders. I cleared my throat, gulped and looked up at him.
“I just spoke to the doctor” I replied.
“And”? They both asked expectantly. I racked my brain to see how to break the news to them.
“Hazel, what is it? Say something…what did the doctor say?” Mr. Thorn thundered.
“Dad please keep your voice down” he winced in pain as he chided, then turned to me “Hazel, what did the doctor say? He asked softly.
I drew close and sat beside him in his bed. “ The doctor said that you will need scar correction surgery while you are here and physiotherapy when you are discharged, but you may likely be here approximately four to six weeks?” I squeaked.
“That’s impossible, we don’t have that much time” William’s face contorted in pain.
His father grunted and sat up, putting his elbows on his knees.
“Share prices have dropped by 2%, investors are threatening to back out, and we are at the risk of financial distress because everything has been put on hold. Since the accident we’ve not addressed the public and everyone is frantic” Mr. Thorn rambled.
“Why has the public not been addressed if I may ask,” I asked, looking at Mr Thorn. He stared back at me contemplating if he should answer or not before he cleared his throat. “That’s because the board thinks an intimate family member should be the one to make the announcement to draw the pity of the public, so in the light of the current situation I will have to set up a press conference to that effect, and you will be issuing a statement during the press conference to address public concerns in order to maintain the positive image of the company”. He declared, looking pointedly at me.
“What? My stomach clenched "But I don't know anything about the company!" My voice cracked, a stark contrast to the chilling calm of his words.
William had not seen any need to introduce me to his family business since we got married, and I had never asked to be a part of it because I thought he did not want me to be involved. I looked over at him to see his reaction, but he kept mute and tried to avert my gaze.
Then Mr Thorn gave a humorless smile. "That's the least of our problems," Mr. Thorn murmured, a single bead of sweat tracing a path down his temple.
He continued, "I've looked into your file and I know you can handle it." He said.
"You have a background in business, don't you" ? He asked, looking back at me. I simply nodded and turned back to William, who had not said anything since the conversation began.
"The. We have nothing to worry about. The real question we should be asking is, are you willing to be the face of a company on the brink?".