Bronton was seated in his office, a pen in his mouth. His brain was tired from all the meetings and thinking he had done. He promised himself some rest as soon as he got back to his grandfather. He was worried about his health and had he not insisted that Bronton leave for his trip, Bronton would have stayed with him at the hospital. Bronton had never had to take care of any sick person. The last time his grandfather was sick, it was the maids that took care of him. He had wanted to stay but did not know what to do so he had left with the promise of visiting. Thank God he got well before Bronton could return.
Bronton's mind was also filled with thoughts of the phone call. He had been celibate for a long time and someone pinning a pregnancy on him was absurd. He was not opposed to kids, as a matter of fact he had thought about having a few of his own. He had not had the best of parents; neither his mother nor father showed him any kind of parental love. His grandfather however, had given him all the love he ever needed. He had promised to treat his child, if he ever had any, the same way his grandfather had done to him; a firm but gentle approach.
Thinking about the phone call only got him more stressed. He had to occupy his mind with something else. He was not even sure if the message was true or false. He shook his head to clear the thoughts. He had to see the woman he was about to marry first before thinking about kids. He was not sure if the woman in question would agree to marry him.
He still had one more day to kill before going back to his grandfather. It would be a long time before he could come back to this city considering the fact that he had to have a wedding as soon as he could. His grandfather's health was deteriorating and he needed to fulfill his wish if he wanted to inherit his assets. He was thinking of how to spend his day when his phone rang.
"Good heavens, I cannot seem to catch a break." Bronton said before picking the call. The caller was unknown.
"Yes. Who is this?" He did not bother with greetings.
"I am calling from the hospital. Your grandfather said to contact you in case of anything." The voice on the other end said.
Now alert, Bronton asked, "Is my grandfather okay?"
"I am not supposed to tell you this but he is deteriorating. His lungs have collapsed. He has lost hearing in one ear." She whispered.
"Thank you for informing me. I will be with him before evening." He said.
He disconnected the call and dialed his pilot's number.
"I need you to take me back to my grandfather." Bronton started when the pilot picked the call.
"I will be with you shortly." The pilot said.
This was the good thing about being rich. You did not have to worry about booking flights early or get stressed in case of any emergencies. Bronton had three personal jets. He liked using the biggest for business trips and meetings. This was because it could accommodate his workers from both branches. They could hold impromptu meetings while on air.
Bronton picked his laptop and placed it inside his bag. He opened the door to his office, stretched and got out. He called out to his housekeeper and told her to take care of the mansion. The housekeeper nodded and then asked if he wanted something to eat before leaving. Bronton said no, he would eat in the jet. Besides, he was too anxious and worried about his grandfather to eat.
On air, he decided to get some shut eye. He had woken up early to finish up on some projects and had thought about taking a nap before the phone call. Sleep did not come to him no matter how hard he tried. He was worried about his grandfather. He hoped he would not die before seeing his bride, that would be a bummer. He loved his grandfather so much that the thought of him losing him filled him with trepidation throughout the whole flight.
"Sir, we are here." The pilot said after cutting off the engine. Bronton had been so engrossed in his thoughts that he had not noticed that they had landed.
"Thank you." Bronton said.
Bronton's driver was waiting for him at the airstrip. He had contacted him before leaving his house.
"Boss." The driver acknowledged him before taking the laptop from him and placing it at the backseat of the car.
Bronton acknowledged his greeting with a nod. He instructed the driver to take him to the hospital where his grandfather was. He was in so much hurry that he did not wait for the driver to pack the car properly before jumping out. He did not even acknowledge the nurse who greeted him.
"Are you okay?" Bronton asked as he held his grandfather's hand.
There was no response. Bronton hoped he was not late and that his grandfather was still alive. Bronton senior was almost gone. He was not dead but was having difficulty breathing. They had put him on oxygen. Bronton watched him with a lot of sadness; he was trying to fight tears. He had not cried ever since he was a teenager. The only time he had cried was when his grandfather had gone for a business trip and left him alone with a maid. He had felt his heartbeat faster as he tried to fight the feeling of being neglected once again. His grandfather never left him, he went with him to all his business trips.
In the hospital bed laid a man who was rich enough to buy this hospital plus others yet all that money could not save him. He looked frail and small. The hand which Bronton held was warm and small. Bronton senior was leaving this world as a rich man. Bronton wished he could trade every riches they had for some time with his grandfather.
"Sir, you are already here. I was going to call you." The nurse-in-charge said upon entering the room.
"Will he be okay?" Bronton asked. He had pulled a chair close to the bed.
"I am not so sure he is going to survive this. He had a pneumonia attack. We had to put him on oxygen. He only has a few days left." The nurse said.
There was nothing Bronton could do except rush the marriage. He had to call his potential father-in-law as soon as he got out of the hospital. He took his grandfather's hand again and held it gently. He would wait for him to wake up.