Chapter 426
“No sign of him at all?”
“Exactly.” Another colleague chimed in, “That’s why a lot of us think Ms. Ross must be divorced already. I mean, it’s been more than half a year if she wasn’t, how could she go this long without ever mentioning her husband?”
“Yeah, that makes sense.”
If that’s the case, it did sound plausible.
If Charlene were still married, how could York openly, almost brazenly, pursue her like this?
Still, Gaylord couldn’t shake off the unease inside him.
He’d never considered that Charlene might have already been married.
Noticing how lost in thought he looked, Charlene glanced up from her desk. “Something on your mind?”
Gaylord wanted to blurt out, “I heard you’ve been married before, is that true?”
But peppering your boss with personal questions at work, especially more than once, was crossing a line. He caught himself just in time.
“It’s nothing,” he replied, quickly looking away.
Later that afternoon, Charlene received a phone call.
Right after she hung up, just before everyone was packing up to leave, she turned to Stewart. “I’ll probably come in later tomorrow, maybe after lunch. Can you take my place at the morning meeting?”
“Of course.” He studied her for a moment, then asked, “Everything okay?”
“My mother’s having some tests done at the hospital tomorrow. I want to go with her.”
Stewart had no idea Sybil Ross’s health had worsened; he figured it was just a routine check-up. “Not a problem. Go ahead, I’ve got things covered here.”
Charlene nodded and headed out for the evening.
The next morning, Charlene, her sister Helena, and Maisie arrived at the hospital bright and early.
Even so, all they could do was keep their distance, careful not to let Sybil notice them.
During her tests, Sybil would sometimes become suddenly agitated, fighting and yelling like a woman possessed. It often took several nurses and orderlies to hold her down long enough to finish the procedures.
Sybil went through over a dozen tests that morning.
Afterward, she left with the staff from her care facility. Frail and exhausted, she was wheeled away, leaving Charlene behind with one of the doctors to wait for the results.
Most of the tests wouldn’t come back until later that afternoon, or even the next day.
Still, the few results they did have already pointed to the fact that Sybil’s condition was far from good.
Charlene listened to the doctor, feeling her heart sink lower with every word.
After saying her goodbyes, she took the elevator down, intending to leave, but as she stepped into the hospital’s main lobby, a young girl’s voice suddenly rang out. “Mom!”
Charlene froze. Her grip tightened around her purse, and she instinctively tried to turn away, pretending not to hear. But Jasmine had already rushed over and thrown her arms around Charlene’s waist. “Mom!”
Charlene turned, ready to say something, when she caught sight of Thorne standing among the crowd some distance away.
She quickly looked back down at Jasmine, hearing her cough. Her voice was gentle but calm. “You’re sick?”
Jasmine nodded, then coughed again and looked up. “Why are you at the hospital, Mom? Are you sick too?”
“I’m not sick.” Charlene brushed a hand across Jasmine’s forehead. “Do you have a fever?”
“I had one last night, but it’s gone now.” Before Charlene could respond, Jasmine hugged her tighter, glancing at Thorne as he walked over. She pouted, “I wanted to call you and ask you to come home last night, but Dad said you were too busy, so I didn’t…”
Charlene didn’t acknowledge Thorne, just said, “I am busy. I’m glad you’re feeling better.”
She paused, then added, “Why did you come to the hospital? What about the doctor at home?”
Normally, Jasmine wouldn’t need to come all the way to the hospital for something minor.
At this, Thorne stepped in. “She’s here for a check-up.”
Charlene didn’t press for details. Jasmine, still clinging to her, blurted out, “Mom, I don’t have to go to school today. Can I go with you to visit Great-Grandma?”