Total pages in book: 130
Estimated words: 131728 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 659(@200wpm)___ 527(@250wpm)___ 439(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 131728 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 659(@200wpm)___ 527(@250wpm)___ 439(@300wpm)
“And?”
“He’s had an aneurysm.”
“When he fell?”
“Most likely before, and that’s why he fell.”
I nod.
“I’m sorry, Henley. Unfortunately, there was no brain activity detected.”
“Meaning what?”
“It’s highly unlikely he will come back from this.”
I already knew.
“So what happens now?” I ask.
“The next twenty-four hours are critical. We will make him comfortable.”
I nod as I stare at my father. “Okay.”
“I have other patients to see. I’ll come back in a little bit.” The doctor puts his hand on my shoulder. “I’m sorry the news isn’t better.”
“Me too.” The lump in my throat is back.
The doctor disappears out the door, and I pull a chair up beside the bed and sit and hold Dad’s hand. Like I’ve done so many times before.
Only this time it’s different.
I’m savoring every second, listening to his breathing, trying my hardest to soak in every minute detail.
For five hours I watch him, reminiscing on our life together. Going over every single little detail of his personality and what I love about him.
He takes a deep breath and holds it.
Beeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeep.
The heart-monitor line goes flat.
No . . .
I screw up my face as I hold his hand. His silhouette blurs.
The long beeping sound of the heart rate machine is echoing through the room.
But I’m not here. I’m having an out-of-body experience, hovering above as I watch my father die.
Two nurses come to the door.
“Leave us alone,” I ask. “Give us privacy, please.”
I hold his hand as I watch the life drain out of him. The man that I love the most in the world is leaving it.
It doesn’t seem dramatic enough, big enough, worthy enough. It’s all too simple, yet the hole that he will leave in my heart is immeasurable.
“I love you, Dad,” I whisper through tears. If only he could say one more sentence to me.
Just one.
I watch him as I wait for something, some earth-shattering sign that he’s okay, that Mom has come to take him to their next life. That he knows how much he is loved.
That he loved me.
I wait and I wait.
But no sign comes . . .
I rest my head on his chest and cry.
Chapter 27
Juliet
“Come on, Bazza.” I stand at the door with the leash. I slept like a log, didn’t even hear Henley leave this morning. He must have had an early meeting or something. He left much earlier than usual. I walk out the front door and stretch on my veranda. Carol sees me and comes walking across the road.
“Morning, Carol.” I smile.
“Good morning, dear. Is everything all right with Henley?”
“Yeah.” I frown.
“I was up getting a glass of water, and when I saw him speed down the street at three this morning, I got a little worried.”
“What?”
“Yes, he went somewhere in a hurry in the middle of the night.”
“Oh.”
What the fuck?
“I’ll check on him. Thanks, Carol.” I go to walk back inside, and Barry pulls his leash in the other direction. “Let me get my phone.”
“I’ll watch him. You go get your phone,” Carol says.
I run inside and grab my phone off the charger and quickly call Henley. It goes straight to voice mail.
“Hello, you’ve reached Henley James. Leave a message.”
Hmm, he’s either on the phone or it’s turned off.
I glance at the time: 6:30 a.m.
Why would his phone be turned off at this hour of the day? I walk out front again.
“Any news?” Carol asks.
“He’s not answering,” I reply, distracted. “Maybe he had an early Zoom meeting or something.”
“Yes, of course. That would be it,” Carol agrees. “Can’t be easy running a multinational company with all those different time zones.”
“Yeah,” I reply, but I get the feeling something is off. He didn’t mention an early meeting last night. Maybe he just forgot. “Thanks, Carol. I’ll go for my run and try him again later.”
“Let me know if everything is okay, won’t you?”
I smile. Forever the neighborhood busybody. “For sure.” I begin to walk up the road with Barry. “Come on, Baz. Let’s go.”
It’s 10:00 a.m., and I am getting worried.
Henley still hasn’t turned his phone on. Something is off here.
I call his office.
“Hello, Henley James Engineering. Monica speaking.”
“Hi, Monica, it’s Juliet. Can I speak to Henley, please?”
“He’s not in today, Juliet.”
I frown, taken aback. He distinctly said he was working today. “Can I speak to Jenny, please?”
“Sure, I’ll transfer you now. Have a good day.”
I wait.
“Hello, Jenny speaking.”
“Hi, Jenny, sorry to bother you.”
“Hi, Juliet. What’s up?” Her tone is abrasive.
“Sorry to bother you, but have you heard from Henley today?” I ask.
“He emailed this morning to say he had external meetings all day and that he wouldn’t be in to the office.”
“Oh, yes. I completely forgot about that.” I hold on the line while I think. She obviously doesn’t know anything either. “Okay, thank you. I just couldn’t reach him. I’m sure he will call me back soon.”
“He’s a very busy man, Juliet.”