Chapter 562: We Need To Prepare Ourselves
(Author’s POV)
"Or~ ... should I call you by your real name .... Denver Brooks?" Catherine said.
The moment she let out his name from her mouth, something triggered. The dull, dim light bulb started to flicker violently like a candle flame. Catherine’s eyes narrowed, but before she could understand what was happening, she noticed that the room, quite steadily, was filling up with strange, odourless, thick black fog.
She sensed something was off; her feet started to backtrack, her heels clicking urgently on the cemented floor. She twisted the door handle, but the heavy metal door refused to budge. She was ready to tear it down with whatever power she had left, but before she could get the chance to walk out, the smoke wrapped itself around her ankles like shackles, locking her in place. When she struggled and tried to shrug it off of her, it quickly moved up to her legs, then to her hips, circling her shoulders. Soon, it reached her face, engulfing it.
Once her entire body was shrouded in dark mist, the light went out completely as she too got mingled in that fog.
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"Miss, you shouldn’t run like this~ .... the patients are resting," A nurse called from behind, but Yelena wasn’t hearing anything. She had sped through several traffic lights to reach to the private facility as soon as possible. There was only one thing on her mind: her grandfather’s well-being. Everything else was a blank slate.
Yelena sprinted through the corridor without a care in the world, her eyes puffed from crying along the way. Once she spotted the room number Secretary Grey had texted her, her steps slowed down almost instinctively.
With footsteps as heavy as lead, she moved forward, her body tremoring unconsciously. Standing outside the room, she stared at the door for a good minute or two, her hand clasped around the knob in a vice grip.
Wiping off the tears from the corner of her eyes, she took a deep, long, steady breath. After composing and preparing her state of mind, she twisted the handle and entered softly.
Hearing the click sound, Oliver Grey, who was tending to Garry, with his back towards the door, turned around. When he saw it was Yelena, his already reddened eyes immediately welled up. With a hoarse voice, he said, "Ms. Yates, you are here."
Yelena looked at Oliver’s careworn expression, and a lump settled in her throat. She batted her eyelids as her eyes darted towards Garry, who was lying in bed with his eyes closed. His head was dressed with bandages.
Without uttering anything, she walked towards him, her feet staggering a little. The nearer she got, the more her eyes turned blurry.
Garry’s ashen face, the two inch long, bluish dark circles under his eyes, the lacerations on his lips, which he got from trying to endure and suppress the pain from the oath’s brutal backlash, his hollowed out cheeks, were a stark contrast from his normal, robust self.
She extended her hand to touch his face as she couldn’t help but shake like a leaf. Her nostrils flared, and her chin quivered when she tried to restrain the urge to cry. She took his hand in hers and, with a strained voice, asked, "Secretary Grey~ ... how~ .... how did this happen?"
Oliver bit his lower lip, then answered, "We were on our way to the airport when several speeding cars went past ours. The road was slippery because of the rain, so when I tried to steer away and dodge them, the car skidded and lost control."
Garry had clearly instructed his secretary not to let anyone in his family know about the real cause of the accident. Even though he wanted to reveal the truth about the culprit, his hands were tied.
Hearing his reply, Yelena finally noticed his fractured hand and heavily strapped left foot. She then asked, "Where did it happen? Who were they? Did you get their number plate?"
"It happened too suddenly~ .... I couldn’t~ ...." He left his words unsaid, his tone brimming with sorrow and regret.
"What about the dashcam? It would have captured the scene," she queried.
Oliver remained silent for a while as he clenched his free hand tight. With a shaking voice, he told her, "The car was totalled, the dashcam was crushed in it." His expression turned hangdog, his shoulders slumped in defeat. With misty eyes, he uttered, his voice sounding utterly small, "I am sorry. I am really very sorry, Ms. Yates. I failed to save him. I should have~ .... I should have been cautious. I am truly sorry."
Hearing his remorse filled apology, Yelena couldn’t hold back any longer. The dam broke, her tears started to flow like a fountain, soaking Garry’s hand.
Feeling the sudden moistness, Garry parted his eyes slightly. When he saw his granddaughter, a weak smile appeared on his lips, "Ye~lena~~~~," he uttered.
Yelena glanced at him, "Grandpa, you are awake." Her voice came out gruff.
Feebly, Garry lifted his hand to pat her head, "Yes~ .... I am~ ...."
"How could this happen? You were fine last night~ ...." her voice was hazy with uncontrolled trembling. "I should have accompanied you. I should have~ .... ~sent you off. It was my mistake."
Wiping away her tears with a shivering hand, he muttered, "Silly child, why are you blaming yourself? It has got nothing ... to do with you. I am glad ... I was in the car ... and not you. Don’t cry, Yelena. This old man of yours is already grateful for the time~ ... that I have spent with you."
"Grandpa~~~~ ...." Fresh tears spilt like raindrops falling from a dark sky. Yelena choked up, "Don’t talk like that. Nothing is going to happen to you. We will take you to the best medical facility. You will be alright; you will be okay."
Garry looked at his granddaughter, his eyes reddening, "Yelena, my kind, soulful child. My death is nearing. I just want to tell you~ ... once I am gone for good, take care of yourself and do what you want. This grandfather of yours will always support your decision, no matter what."
"Why are you talking like that? I said I won’t let anything happen to you. You cannot leave me. You cannot leave grandma. You cannot leave all of us." Yelena spoke, her voice heavy with emotion. She then turned to a weeping Oliver and said, "Secretary Grey, why is grandpa admitted here. We should take him to the best hospital. Go and arrange a medical chopper. We will airlift him."
Even after hearing her words, Oliver stood rooted in his spot. Yelena yelled, "OLIVER GREY, WHAT ARE YOU DOING? WHY THE HECK ARE YOU STANDING LIKE A LOG? GO AND ARRANGE A CHOPPER, RIGHT NOW."
"Ms. Yates," Oliver pursed his lips. "The doctors in this facility are the best ones in Esteria. They have~ ... they have already said to prepare ourselves~ ...." He paused midway.
"Prepare ourselves for what????" Yelena asked, her tone edgy.
"Mr. Yates senior has less than seventy two hours left. I have already informed Mrs. Yates and arranged a private plane. They will be arriving in a few hours," Oliver told her, which left her shaking to the core.
To Be Continued . . . . . . . . .
