Chapter 97 Illness
ALICE
I was surprised to find out that Francesca was in her office when I walked in the next day. Eleanor was the one who told me. "She asked me to tell you as soon as you walked in."
As I went to her office, I couldn't help but feel nervous. Yes, I'd been wanting to speak to her about this whole thing and after what Theo told me last night, I was even more grateful for her involvement in all this.
I still felt nervous, though.
I knocked on her door first, and she told me to head inside. The blinds of the only glass wall were down, which meant that I couldn't see Freddie's office.
Francesca looked up at me and smiled. "Alice, my dear! Let me stand up and give you a proper greeting!"
We embraced and I noticed that her hair was different. A wig, perhaps? She pulled away first and peered at my face. She looked paler than usual and her lips were bloodless. "How are you feeling about all this? Have you spoken to Theo? Freddie tells me that he's here every day."
I blushed. "Yes. We're definitely...closer now. And to answer your question—yes, he told me. I'm beyond grateful for your help."
"Oh, you don't have to thank me. Please, sit down."
I sat across from her and she reached out to grab my hands once she was seated. "You know, the change in my grandson is remarkable. I don't know why nobody else in our family has noticed. Oh, well. You can't have everything in life."
I wasn't sure what she meant by that but I didn't ask her to clarify it. "For whatever it's worth, I've noticed a change in him, too." I paused. "Sometimes I ask myself how I ever hated him."
Francesca threw her head back and laughed. "Oh, don't worry. That's how it always is. Your opinion of people you don't know personally will never matter, and we're rarely right about a first impression. A human being's real character is only truly known by the people who interact with them day after day. Family. Close friends. Partners."
"I guess you're right."
She smiled and squeezed my fingers. "I'm very happy for you, my dear. For both of you. I'm confident that you'll both be very happy together."
"Thank you, Francesca."
She opened her mouth to say something else, then paused. I watched her face closely, so the way she grimaced didn't escape my notice. "Francesca?"
Again, she tried to say something else, but she began trembling—I felt it since we were still holding hands—and then she just fell over. I exclaimed and stood up quickly before hurrying to her side, saying her name loudly.
Blood gushed from her nose.
I kneeled beside her and tried to help her sit up. "Oh my God, Francesca! I should call someone for help! I should—"
"No, no," she whispered quickly, still trembling. "Please, don't call. I just need...my meds. In my bag. The silver...case."
I reached for her bag with trembling fingers, hurrying to get her the help she needed. I opened the case, took one of the little white pills, and then popped it inside her mouth. She swallowed it and I hurried to get her some water from the minibar close to her desk.
I brought it to her lips. "Here. Drink this."
Just then, a knock at the door startled us both. "Miss O? Are you alright? I heard something. Is Alice in there with you?"
Francesca and I exchanged a look and she shook her head at me. I cleared my throat, understanding, and told him loudly, "We're fine! It was just a...a spider."
Freddie paused. "You're sure?"
"Yeah. Don't worry."
Francesca added, "It's alright, Freddie. Everything's fine."
"Oh. Okay."
He went away and I helped her sit up. She rested her back against the wall behind her and closed her eyes while focusing on breathing. I was so concerned. I grabbed the tissues from her desk and helped her wipe her nose. Some blood stained her silk blouse. "Why don't you want to call for help?"
"I'm sick, Alice," she said instead. "I've been sick for a long time. I haven't told anyone and I don't plan to."
"You haven't told anyone at all?"
She shook her head.
I could hardly wrap my head around this. "But why?"
"They're already at war with each other. Things got bad enough after my son, Theo's father, passed a few months ago. I saw them for what they were, Alice. Their greed. Their bad intentions. I saw it all so clearly. I don't mean Theo, of course, and Oliver isn't as involved in the business. He's a family man. But everyone else? They're disappointing. I still hold the majority of the shares in our company, so they respect me. They listen to me. If they find out I'm dying..."
I felt so sorry for her. This was awful.
Tears filled her eyes and my heart broke at the sight of her devastated expression. "Theo's mother...she's an awful person, Alice. I made a mistake with her. I made my son marry her and he suffered for it. That's why Theo won't do the same. I won't let him. Love is a powerful thing."
She raised her cold, pale hand and touched my face. "At some point, I feared that he would end up just like his mother. If he married Carmella, he would definitely go down that path. I couldn't let it happen. Theo is my only hope, Alice. My only hope."
"He'll be devastated when he finds out."
"Yes. But I'm an old woman. Everyone knows I can't live forever." She dropped her hand. "Please. Don't tell anyone."
"I won't."
Francesca closed her eyes. "Thank you."
"But you'll need help. Getting out of here, at least. Is there a doctor who can see you? Someone who can come to your aid?"
"Yes. I'll need to get home."
"I'll help you."
"I accept your help."
I helped her get to her feet and we waited until her head stopped spinning. She told me where her car keys were, and then I opened the door to her office and looked around to make sure the coast was clear. Eleanor was behind the front desk, but she was distracted.
It was important that she didn't see the blood on Francesca's shirt.
"You stay on my left and we'll be fine," I told her as I fixed an arm around her thin waist. I grabbed both our stuff with my right hand and pushed the door open. "Let's go."