Page 37 of Always Us

“Garret, how are you feeling?”

“I’m fine. I feel better now that I slept and took a shower.”

“You grew a beard overnight.” She laughs a little.

“Yeah. I’ll shave. See you soon.”

“Wait. Garret?”

“Yeah.”

“You heard, right?”

“Heard what?”

“About your grandfather.”

When she says it I realize I forgot to check the news this morning. I didn’t even think to check. I just assumed he passed away overnight. But if he had, Jade wouldn’t have left this morning. She’d want to be with me. And she’d sound sad. She doesn’t sound sad.

“What happened?”

“Your grandfather made it through the night.” She sounds happy, hopeful.

I’m neither of those. Truthfully, I’m disappointed. Fuck, that’s messed up. He’s my grandfather, but shit, he’s pure evil and I wanted him gone.

“Garret, did you hear me?”

“Yeah. So they said he’s getting better?”

“I’m not sure. He’s still in a coma. You should call your dad.”

“I will. I’ll do it right now. I’ll see you at lunch.”

After we hang up, I turn the TV on and search for any updates. I find one on a financial channel.

“…condition remained the same overnight. His wife, Eleanor, has asked that her husband be transferred to a medical facility closer to their home in Connecticut.” The camera pans to the other news anchor. “The stock market took a nosedive yesterday as reports of—”

I click the TV off and call my dad.

“Yes, Garret.” He sounds like he’s in a hurry.

“What’s going on?”

“It’s not a good time to talk. I’m in crisis mode here. One of our plants had a fire last night and this morning one of our distributors wants to—”

“Not about the company. What’s going on with Grandfather?”

He sighs. “My mother is moving him to a different facility.”

“Wait. Back up a minute. So he’s better? He’s recovering?”

“His condition hasn’t changed. And it doesn’t look like it will.”

“By different facility, you mean the clinic?”

“Yes. Not the one you were at, but a different one. It’s in the Hamptons. It has the latest equipment. A top notch staff.”

“What does this mean? You think they can help him?”

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