Page 52 of The CEO's Revenge

“Mrs. Maitland is fine. Let me show you to her room.”

Impatiently, I stepped into the corridor and followed her as she walked slowly down the corridor. Only the fact that I did not know where I was going forced me to follow her. Finally, she stopped at a door and turned to face me.

“She has been out of surgery for a few hours, but sometimes the local takes a little longer to wear off so she might still be a bit groggy.”

She opened the door and I stepped in. My face broke into a relieved smile as my mother’s face lit up at my appearance.

“Savannah.”

“Mom.”

“I’ll leave you now. Please remember visiting hours end in twenty minutes,” the nurse said, as she closed the door behind her.

I hastily pulled up a chair and sat, reaching for my mother’s hand. “What happened? You gave me such a scare! The last thing I expected today was to come to the hospital because you’ve been in an accident!”

“It’s not anything to raise a commotion over.”

“It is when they say you’ve just come out of surgery.”

“I told them not to call you unless I said so,” my mother said stubbornly.

I smoothed a lock of her hair back from her face, allowing my fingers to caress her soft cheek. “What happened, Mom?”

“It’s not a big deal. I was doing some yard work and slipped. They said I popped my Achilles’ tendon. I guess I’ll be in a leg cast for a few weeks.”

“Slipped? On what? What were you doing?”

She went red and her eyes slid away from mine.

I narrowed my eyes suspiciously. “Mom? What were you doing?”

“I was trying to clean the gutters. A bit of a storm passed through and I had a few leaves that were stuck in it.”

“Mom! Where was Benny? He’s supposed to be doing all the labor yard work. You had no business being up on a ladder at your age.”

Her lips compressed with annoyance. “Excuse me. I’m barely fifty. Not some old granny, Sav.” Her eyes suddenly twinkled. “At least not yet.”

I was not going to be put off. “Where was Benny?”

“He was stuck in traffic. He got there when the ambulance did. Don’t blame him.”

“Where were you anyway?” she asked, skillfully turning the conversation spotlight on me.

“In the hills. I needed a bit of a break from the city.”

“Oh no! I’m so sorry to spoil your little vacation.” She reached out and caressed my cheek affectionately.

“You didn’t,” I said instantly.

“Did you get any rest? You look as if you’ve been out in the sun.”

“I’ve been hiking along some fantastic trails.”

“I’m really sorry you had to cut your retreat short because of my foolhardiness.”

“Oh, Mom, I would have been back in a day or two, anyway. You haven’t spoiled anything. I’m just glad you’re okay.”

I wanted to stay and talk some more with her, but visiting hours were over and I had to leave. When they discharged her in a couple of days, I planned to pick her up and take her home. I also intended to stick around for a few days to make sure she was truly able to take care of herself.

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