Page 48 of Twenty-Three Years of Longing

“Grandmother, if you won’t listen to what I say, then listen to Dr. O’Connor or Mayson,” I stated firmly.

She looked at Mayson and asked, “Will you stay with me tonight if I agree to spend the night here in the hospital?”

“Grandmother, you don’t need Mayson here. They have people who can help you if you need it,” I explained. I knew Mayson wasn’t going to interrupt his ‘love life’ for anything.

She shot me a look. “I wasn’t asking you. I was asking your brother.”

“If that’s the only way you will agree to spend the night, then I will stay with you, Grandmother,” Mayson said.

I was blown away. I would have never guessed that he’d agree. What the hell was going on? “You’re really going to stay with her?” My tone didn’t hide my shock.

“I said I would, didn’t I?” Mayson replied. “It’s not like you can. You have a lot to take care of right now.”

“Especially with his new lady friend, Raya. Have you met her? She’s lovely.” She turned to Finn and said, “He brought her to my home last night to introduce her to me. It’s the first time he’s ever brought a woman home and he’s almost forty. So, I will stay at the hospital so I can be around for their wedding and hopefully get to rock my great-grandchildren.”

I felt my heart skip a beat and was sure Finn was about to have another patient on his hand. I met Finn’s gaze, and he seemed taken aback by her announcement too. Mayson was just standing there grinning. Fuck you. If you even open your mouth, I’m going to shut it. Time for me to put an end to these rumors before they spread. “Grandmother, you shouldn’t talk like that.”

“Why not? It’s true. Did you not bring her to meet me last night?” she asked.

“We came by to make sure you were feeling well.” That reminded me that I needed to tell Mayson about the loaded gun.

“You’ve checked on me before and never brought a woman,” she challenged. I had no comment. She did. “And Raya was lovely.” She turned back to Finn and asked, “Have you met her?”

“I have,” Finn replied.

“Don’t you think they look good together?” she asked.

I let out a long-exasperated sigh. “We are not together. We’re just friends.”

Mayson laughed. “Okay. Just very friendly. I mean, I don’t kiss my friends.”

I never kissed Raya in front of Mayson. That much I knew for sure. Did he catch her in my arms? Yeah. But that wasn’t a kiss. Not that we hadn’t been kissing. But he was just adding fuel to the fire, and he was enjoying it too fucking much.

This is the Mayson I know. Always pushing my buttons. But it was dangerous pushing them when it came to Raya. That’s too far.

Finn tried coming to my rescue. “I’ll have your room set up so Mayson can stay with you. Is there anything else you will need?”

She shook her head and turned to me asking, “You don’t look at her like she is just a friend.”

“Grandmother, this isn’t about me and Raya. This is about your health. Can we please focus on that?” I suggested. No matter what there was between us, my grandmother’s wellbeing was important. I knew Raya would agree if she were here. At the moment, I was glad she wasn’t, so she didn’t need to hear all of this.

She shook her head. “I do not know why you are pretending as though she doesn’t mean that much to you. Can you imagine how hurt she would feel if she heard you? I know it breaks my heart just listening to you.” She turned back to Finn and asked, “Do you ever deny your love for your wife?”

“Please, Grandmother. Dr. O’Connor is not here to discuss his personal life.” Neither am I.

“Orion, I thought I brought you up better than this. I do not know why you are interrupting me when I am speaking to someone. Now, as your brother said, you are a very busy man. Why don’t you go and attend to something and leave us to finish our conversation,” she stated.

If I stayed and argued with her, it would only get worse. She was right. I was raised not to talk back to my elders, and I have never done so before. But this wasn’t about me. It was Raya that I worried about. Marriage. Children. Not casual topics.

I walked over and kissed her on the cheek. “Sleep well, Grandmother. I’ll talk to you tomorrow.” Then stopped by Mayson and said, “Call me if you need me. Don’t care what time. Understood?” He nodded. One last person to talk to. Leaning over to Finn, I whispered, “Can you give her something to make her forget this conversation.”

He chuckled softly. “Sorry. What she has isn’t something I want to fix.” I looked at him for a second and he whispered. “Hope. The best medicine there is.”

As I left the examination room I wondered if everyone had lost their minds. Maybe I’m the one who needs some medication because none of this makes sense to me.

I got into the SUV and immediately dialed Raya. I had texted her earlier that I was going to be late. She had responded saying that we could make it another time. Very sweet of her. But Joey was going to be here in a couple of days. We needed to make the most of our time together. Time alone. It was still early enough for us to enjoy our evening.

“Hello, Orion. How is your grandmother?” she asked.

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