Page 48 of Beauty and her Billionaire Beast
21
Knox
A nurse at the hospital reception desk looks up Pops’ information for me when I arrive at the main intake area. “Morris Steele. He’s been placed in a private room in the emergency ward,” she informs me. “Room one-nineteen. It’s down this hall. Follow the green footsteps all the way around to theback. You can’t missit.”
I’m confused. “Miss, can you check again? My grandfather should be in the oncology unit, notemergency.”
“There’s no mistake,” she says. “He was admitted for a laceration to the head and a possible concussion, caused by a slip and fall accident of some kind. He’s in room one-nineteen. When you get there, ask the desk nurse there to call the attending physician.They’ll review the status and prognosis withyou.”
“Okay. Thankyou.”
I rush through the hallways, unable to breathe. My chest is heavy, and I can’t think straight. It’s bad enough that Pops has to deal with being terminal. How did he end up falling? The guilt builds up in my chest to overflowing. This is all my fault. I should’ve hired someone to be with him full time. I shouldn’tjust take the man’s word that he’s fine. He’s a proud old fool. He’d never admit to being weak or tired. This shit is onme.
“Pops,” I say way too forcefully from his door. I step inside and instantly feel better when I find him looking alert and healthy in his hospital bed. The man is chatting up the nurse checking his vitals. “You scared the hell outtame.”
“Hey kid. Relax. I’mfine.”
“What happened?” I demand once I’m at hisside.
“A little mishap. Nothing tooserious.”
I wait for the nurse to finish up, and after she leaves, I rest my palm on the side of his face, cupping his jaw. That’s as close as I’ll get to holding onto him. He’ll lose it if I try to hug him. The way he sees it, men don’t need to go that far with the whole being affectionatewith other men, not even family. He’s old school, from a long line of pigheaded alpha males who are too stubborn to get with the times. But then again, I’m not muchdifferent.
“You scared me, oldman.”
He covers my hand with his and gives it a short squeeze before moving my hand away. “Calm down with the PDA. I said I’m fine.” I’m so relieved that he’s his usual self that I ignorehis aversion to being held. Lowering to his side, I wrap an arm around his neck and hold on. He pats my back for two seconds. “That’s enough, Knox. Keep it up and I’ll have you banned from coming to see me,” he says, but I know he doesn’t meanit.
“How bad are you hurt? They said something about a concussion and a slip andfall?”
“I just told you it was nothing. I tripped on thatdamned Persian rug at the foot of my bed. Bumped my head on the edge of that Chesterfield. The thing’s padded. It barely hurt, but the maid heard me and got all panicked. I’m okay. Didn’t break my hip oranything.”
“I’m glad she was around,” I say. “We’re going to have to hiresomeone.”
“No. We’re not doing to do any such thing,” hegrumbles.
“Okay then. I’ll move back intoyour house, and I’ll work from home so I can keep an eye onyou.”
He gives me a mean look. “One little spill and you’re gonna go all soft on me? Fine, dammit. Hire a nurse. Just make sure she’s nicelooking.”
“Good. I’ll take care ofit.”
He looks around the room for a moment, then returns his gaze to me. “Jesus H Christ. Check your damn messages,boy.”
I smile andput my hand on his shoulder. “I will.Later.”
“No. Do it right now,” he insists. “There’s enough goddamned beeping and buzzing from all these monitors around here to make me have a real medicalemergency.”
“Fine,” I tell him, and pull my phoneout.
Taking a seat in one of the visitor’s chairs, I unlock the phone and notice there are five messages in my voicemail, but nothingis waiting in my text message inbox. That’s when I remember Foster was fucking around in my phone earlier, and said something about fixing my girlfriendproblems.
The first thing I do is open the message history fromIsabelle.
“Fuck,” I say out loud, forgetting that Pops is right next to me. “Sorry aboutthat.”
“Watch that language around me, kid. Just because I’m laid upin the hospital doesn’t mean I can’t still wash your mouth out withsoap.”
“All right, Pops,” I say distractedly, because all my focus is on thescreen.
