Chapter 80 Recovering From Their Loss
Grandpa Ben was pronounced dead when they reached the hospital. Caleb called Lillian to inform her.
“What happened, Caleb? Did you find Grandpa? Where is he now?”
“Yes, we found Grandpa. Please come over to our hospital right away.” Lilian frowned on hearing his voice crack. Was he weeping? Her heart constricted with fear. Was something wrong with Grandpa?
“What happened to Grandpa, Caleb? Is he critical?”
“He’s no more!” whispered Caleb, breaking down totally. The phone fell from Lillian’s hand and she slumped to the chair in shock.
“What happened? What did Caleb say?” asked Christian, anxiously waiting for her reply. Since morning, they had been waiting in the living room to get an update on Grandpa Ben. There has been no update so far.
“They’ve rescued him.” She burst into tears unable to say a word more.
“And? Why didn’t they bring him home?” asked Grandpa Phil. Granny was in the nursery tending to the twins since Lillian couldn’t.
“Yes, where is he?” asked Christian anxiously.
“Is he critical? Has Steele attacked him?” asked Erica, her eyes wide with fear.
“Yes, he killed Grandpa. He’s no more! Caleb wants me there at the hospital.” Lillian sighed brokenly while the others sat with pale, shocked faces, too horrified to react.
“Killed him?” repeated Christian, his voice echoing in the room.
“Are you sure? I’ll call Caleb,” said Grandpa Phil, getting up agitatedly. He spoke to Caleb and found out everything.
“Come with me, Lillian. We have to go to the hospital right away. Ben had suffered three gunshots on his chest and abdomen. He succumbed to his injuries on his way to the hospital, but he killed Steele before breathing his last.”
“Why did he have to take matters into his own hands? I noticed how stressed he was last night. Why didn’t I talk to him? Maybe Steele had been reaching out to him after his unsuccessful attempt at killing me,” said Christian with a sigh.
“It’s no use pondering over what could have been. Even I noticed how stressed he was. I wish I had reached out to him,” said Grandpa Phil as he walked out of the house with Lillian.
“I wish I could go to the hospital too,” said Christian as tears fell from his eyes. Skylar held his hands, wishing she could somehow take him there. It was an impossible wish. He broke down immensely after Lillian left and Skylar pushed his wheelchair into their room. She helped him to the bed and sat there, holding his hand.
“We’ve become orphans, Skylar. I wasn’t close to my parents. It was always Grandpa who attended every PTM, and every ceremony at school, college, and university for me. He was always there for me. Now I don’t know how I’ll live without him.”
Skylar held him close as tears cascaded down his cheeks. She had no words to comfort him. Grandpa Ben’s sudden death shocked the whole family. They still couldn’t come to terms with it. There was no one to blame but Grandpa himself. He was the only one who had brought them up since their parents' death. He was always there for them, like a pillar of strength. Now with him no more, the three grief-stricken siblings became orphans, trying hard to cope with the reality.
After a few days, they arranged for Grandpa Ben’s funeral with a heavy heart. If only they knew of his intentions that night. They wouldn’t have ever allowed him to go alone to face the criminal. Maybe he would have been alive! Grandpa loved them so much that he gave up his life to ensure their safety. He took matters into his own hands and killed the criminal so that they could live freely.
The case was closed. The local goons whom Desmond Steele had hired for the hit-and-run plan were arrested. They were now free to live their lives to the fullest. Only none of them could.
Sebastian and Erica wanted to postpone their wedding under the circumstances.
“Please don’t cancel your wedding, Seb. Grandpa will be heartbroken. He wanted this for a long time. He had a blissful smile on his face when he united with the Almighty in heaven,” said Lillian, wiping her eyes. She couldn’t forget the look on his face when she went to see him at the hospital. He might have felt relieved after getting rid of Steele from their lives.
“Then cancel our reception party. We only want a church wedding,” said Sebastian. So, after three days, they had a quiet church wedding with only the family present to bless the newly married couple. Sebastian left for New York with Erica to handle the business.
“I want to continue with my therapy, Lillian. I want to be up on my feet as soon as possible. Grandpa wanted both of us to look after his dream company.”
“Yes, I’ll call Ted Johnson to start with you right away.”
Just as Lillian promised, Ted arrived the next day and Christian started a rigorous routine with him. This time, he pushed himself to the limit. He was determined not to disappoint his grandpa. His sacrifice shouldn’t go wasted. He would do what he wanted him to do in life. He would fulfill his grandpa’s dreams!
After a month, the results showed and he could help himself to the wheelchair all by himself. He still couldn’t walk, but he could stand up with the support of his crutches. It was a mammoth improvement, and even his doctor was impressed by his sheer determination.
“I will start going to work from tomorrow. Will you accompany me, Skylar?” he asked her hopefully. Although Skylar was apprehensive about working at the SJ Metropolitan Suites, she didn’t show her true feelings to her husband. She didn’t want to demotivate him. After Sebastian left, Lillian and Caleb re-joined work and life went on as usual. Although they still missed Grandpa Ben in their lives, they tried to cope with their loss. Christian, therefore, wanted to keep himself extremely occupied to keep from depression.
The next day, Skylar accompanied Christian to SJ Metropolitan. This time, Christian was dependent on her for everything and she lived up to his expectations. Claudia and Cecelia came over to convey their condolences. Afterward, they left them alone.
“Thank you for being there for me, Skylar,” he said when they returned home in the afternoon for his physiotherapy.
“I’ll be always there for you Christian.” Christian smiled for the first time since Grandpa died.
“I’m lucky to have you in my life!” Skylar smiled back, her heart filling up with relief to see him recover from his loss.
“I’m luckier, Christian.”
“Then come here and kiss me. I need the energy to go through Ted’s torture!” His smile deepened, and Skylar complied, her heart doing a somersault with happiness. It had been almost a month since they kissed one another. They were too grief-stricken to even think about it. She sat down on the bed beside him and wrapped her arms gently around his neck.
“Are you comfortable?” she whispered, but Christian just groaned and pulled her closer. He claimed her lips in a needy kiss. It was the fuel he needed to recover!
It was a slow one, igniting an intense passion in them for more. All he wanted was to embed himself deep inside her, but it had to wait until he gained control of his body. After Grandpa’s death, he had lost the will to continue his therapy, but now he was happy with his decision. He could see the results of his hard work. Maybe in two more months, he could walk with the aid of crutches.
His body responded wildly to the passionate kiss when she kissed him back, slowly, lingeringly.
A knock on the door made them release one another and stare at the door.
“It should be Ted,” said Christian ruefully.
“Yup. We’ll continue this later.” His eyes glazed with fire as she winked and went to open the door.
It was indeed Ted. Skylar left the room but throughout the time, Skylar’s promise kept on ringing in his ears. He eagerly looked forward to getting her all to himself. The brief kiss had already made him long for more.
“Excellent work, Chris! Tomorrow we’ll start walking one step at a time using crutches.”
“That’s great! So how long should it take for me to gain complete control over my legs?”
“Two months tentatively, or maybe more.”
“Two months?” His heart sank with disappointment. Two months was a long time and he would surely go crazy by then.
“Yes, it’s the minimum time frame. At least you should be thankful your body is responding to the treatment so quickly. Most patients get paralyzed after fasciotomy and spine surgery.”
After Ted left, Skylar brought him dinner, and they shared it in his room since he was too tired to go out and eat with everyone.
“I’ll take two more months to walk normally like before!” he grumbled, but Skylar grinned at him happily.
“Wow! That’s the best news I heard this month. I know you can do it, Christian.”
“I will do it. I can’t wait to make love to you,” he whispered hoarsely, making her blush at the roots of her hair.