Once I was done showing, I applied some lotion and got dressed in a summery blue gown. I planned to drop Finn off at school on our way to the airport. He’d woken up already and I could hear the tap running in his bathroom, Cora singing as she bathed him. Poor boy. He’d be gutted to see her leave.
Padding down the stairs, I picked my phone back up and placed a dial across to Mom. She picked up on the first ring, much to my surprise.
“Elaine?” she sounded somewhat shocked, which was understandable. “Oh my God. What’s wrong? Did something happen to Finn?”
I snorted and rolled my eyes. “Well, Good morning, Mom.”
“I’m sorry, I’m sorry. Good morning. Is my grandson okay?”
I blew out a sigh, exasperated already. “Yes, he’s fine. He’s doing great. Sorry that I’m calling so early. There’s an emergency.”
“Oh, God, Elaine. Stop apologizing, you’ve done nothing wrong. And you know that you can call me whenever you like. It doesn’t have to be whenever… you’re in trouble.”
I knew I was gonna regret this. “Okay, um. Cora’s father had a stroke. He’s currently in the hospital.”
“Goodness gracious!” she gasped. “How is she taking the news? Better?”
I nodded. “She’s pretty much downcast. We’re hoping that he’d be discharged soon, though from her tone it’s serious.”
“She has to go to him. And quickly too. He needs her at this critical point in time.”
“Yes. She’s leaving this morning,” I paused, rubbing my left temple that was hurting. This was the part I normally hated – asking for her help. Not that she wasn’t gonna give it, but I didn’t particularly like someone. “I need your help.”
“Oh – ”
I didn’t let her continue. “Yes. I was wondering if I bought you an airline ticket, would you please come down to Manhattan and help look after Finn until Cora gets back? She’s betting that her father would be discharged latest next week and promises to be back by then.”
“Of course, sweetheart. I haven’t seen my little boy for four years so I’m more than happy to come over. I just need to put together some arrangements so your father can be comfortable while I’m gone.”
I sighed, visibly relieved. It felt as though a huge weight had been lifted off my shoulders. Wiping the tears that had slowly gathered, I said, “thanks a lot, Mom. You don’t know how much this means to me.”
“Don’t mention. You can buy a ticket for an early morning flight for me tomorrow. I need to go to the market and get cooking. I’ll tell your father you called.”
I finally asked what I’d been dying to ask for a long while. “How’s his health? Is he feeling better?”
“He’s started his normal evening strolls and now plays tennis with the neighbors sometimes, so that’s a lot of progress.”
Dad’s fever bouts were frequent these autumn days. I was glad to hear that he was faring well. I missed him so much. “That’s good news. Tell him that I miss him. I’ll call him later in the day.”
“Yeah, that’ll be best. Talk to you later, sweetheart.”
“Yeah. Love you. Bye.”
By 8 am sharp, I dialed Max. I knew that he often got out of bed early to freshen up and have his coffee, then probably do some workouts before washing again and dressing up for work.
Unfortunately, his phone was switched off, so I was forced to call the house directly.
“Hello. Margaret speaking,” a female voice crooned. She sounded elderly, which was oddly a relief.
“Hello. I’m Elaine Matthews, Max’s assistant. I’ve been calling him but he’s not answering.”
“Yes, Ma’am. Sir Sturm hasn’t come back home yet since last night. I’m his housekeeper.”
That was strange. Where could he have gone after our fight?
Shoving down the depressing thoughts springing up, I cleared my throat. “Well, I really wanted to speak to him. There’s an emergency at home, so I wouldn’t be able to come to work today, but I’ll surely come in tomorrow. I would’ve rung the office directly, but I wanted him to know personally.”
“That’s alright, Elaine. I’ll make sure I inform him that you called the minute he comes home.”
I sighed in relief. “Thank you.”
Hanging up I dived for the couch in glee, punching the air. “Yes! I did it. Without facing him too.”
I wiped the tears that were threatening to spill as I watched Cora and Finn walk into the school together, hand in hand. We’d decided not to destabilize his concentration in school today by breaking the news of Cora traveling. I knew my little boy…he absolutely adored Cora and she had always been around, constant, since his birth. It would be a lot to take on.
When she came back out, her eyes were reddened and swollen. She forced a smile at me, wiping them as she got into the cab beside me. I immediately pulled her into my arms, kissing her hair. “Oh, come on now. Stop crying.”
“I can’t…” her voice cracked and she sniffled violently. “I can’t bear to be away from the both of you for a day, how much more a week. It’s heartbreaking.”
“I know, sweetheart. But you’ve got to be strong. Your father would be okay and you’ll fly back to New York before you even know it. Chin up.”
After the cab dropped us off at the airport, we crossed the parking lot over to the other side, towards the terminal. Cora had her arms around her, trying to regain her composure, while I rolled her box along on the concrete. When we got to the lounge, my phone trilled off unexpectedly and I frowned when Mom’s name came up on the screen.
“Hey, Mom.”
“Darling, we’ve got an issue.”
My frown deepened. Oh, God. “What’s wrong?”
“It’s your father, honey. He had a heart attack.”
My jaw went slack, a hefty lump lodging in my throat. I swallowed hard. “What?”
“Yes. But it’s not that serious.”
“H-How…how did this happen?” Fucking shit.
“Honey, I don’t know how to explain it myself. One minute we were standing out on the porch talking and teasing each other and the next he’s falling over on his face.”
This couldn’t be happening. I shut my eyes, hot all over. “Where is he now? Did you take him to the hospital?”
“What’s wrong?” Cora asked, her lips curling up into a frown. “Elaine?”
I clamped a hand over my phone to whisper. “Dad has got a heart attack.”
“Oh, shit.”
“Sweetheart, are you still there?” Mom asked uncertainly.
“Yes. What were you saying again?”
“We’re currently at the hospital, love. And the doctor says that though it’s not serious, your father needs a lot of bed rest. I’ll have to take care of him since Molly’s daughter put to bed and she has to go take care of the infant.”
Molly was our housekeeper. “So this means…”
“I’m so sorry, darling. I can’t come over to New York. Where’s Finn?”
Fuck. “We’re at the airport so he’s not with us. Cora’s about to leave.”
“Oh. Tell me, hun, don’t you have any other options?”
“None whatsoever, sadly,” I drew in a deep breath. How did this mess become my life? Ugh. “Talk to you later, Mom. Cora’s flight has been called.”
“Okay, love.”
“This is messed up,” I said as I tucked my phone back into my pockets. “I don’t even know what to do at this point. I was really hoping on Mom coming over tomorrow.”
Cora hummed, stroking her jaw thoughtfully for a moment. I placed my head in my palms. It was beeping hot. “Say…I’ve got an idea.”
I lifted my eyes to her.
She shrugged. “Why don’t you hire Ma to look after Finn while I pay for her services? Since you’re short on cash, I wouldn’t mind helping you out. All your plans fell through.”
“No, no, no,” I clasped her hands together in mine. “I can’t let you do that, Cora. I’ve been dependent on you for so damn long.”
“I never said I was complaining. And frankly, what other choice do you have? Finn is like a son to me as well. I often tell you this. So let me handle my responsibilities to him as a loving mother does.”
“Cora please…” I trailed off, tears filling my eyes. Why she was…why was she so good.
An air hostess announced her flight over a microphone as she cleaned the tears off my cheeks. “Dry those eyes. I’ve got to leave now. But I promise to send you the money once I get down from the plane,” I hand her suitcase over, nodding. “Tell Finn that I love him.
“I will. Goodbye, sweetheart.”