Chapter 17
CHAPTER 17
E lla
After I cleaned the rest of the kitchen, I walked over to Lily’s. Stepping through the sliding door, I saw her sitting on the couch.
“Hi.” She smiled.
“Hi.” I sat next to her. “You okay?”
“Morning sickness.” She placed her hand on her belly.
“It won’t last much longer.” I smiled. “Where’s Adrien?”
“He’s with my dad and Henry. They went to look at the space for the art gallery. My dad insisted he sees it so he knows what needs to be done, even though I showed him the plans.”
“See. I told you everything would be okay. You want to know my thoughts?”
“What?”
“I think Stefan used it as an excuse to get to know Adrien better.”
“Maybe.” She sighed. “So, how is Dr. Malone? I saw his car parked in your driveway this morning, which means he spent the night, and you two had sex.” A smirk crossed her lips.
“He did. We did.” I grinned.
“And? How was it?”
“Incredible, Lily.”
“Is your body still feeling him?” Her brow arched.
“Maybe.” I smirked.
“You’re in love, Dr. Kind.”
“No. I’m not.”
“Let me ask you this. When you and that cheating asshole had sex, could you still feel him afterward?”
I twisted my face. “No. You know the sex wasn’t all that great.”
“Exactly!” She pointed at me. “You, my beautiful genius cousin, are in love.”
“I wouldn’t say love. Anyway, I think he’s hiding something about his past.”
“Why do you think that?” Her brows furrowed.
“Because whenever I bring up his childhood, he deflects to something else. He did tell me this morning that his dad was an oncologist. But Uncle Christian told me he was a surgical oncologist.
“Doctor, surgeon. Whatever. Maybe his dad beat him or something, and he doesn’t like to talk about it.”
“I don’t think his dad beat him. It’s something else. I can feel it in my gut, and you know my gut is never wrong.”
“I know. You and your gut saved me from dating terrible guys in the past.” She smiled.
“Where was my gut when I was seeing Landon.” I rolled my eyes.
“Forget him. The moment your dad told you he didn’t like him, it fueled your rebellious side.”
“Maybe.” I shrugged.
The sliding door opened, and Lily’s sister, Rory, walked in. “Hi, Ella. Hey, sis. Mom wants to know if you want to go shopping with us.”
“Tell Mom, not today. I’m way too tired.”
“Okay. She thought it would be fun to look at baby things. She’s so excited, Lily.”
“You were always good about the guilt trips.” Lily sighed. “Tell her I’ll be over in thirty minutes.”
“Okay. Ella, do you want to come with us?”
“Thanks, Rory, but maybe next time. I have some things to do. I’ll let you go get ready.” I reached over and hugged Lily.
“I’ll talk to you later, cousin,” she said.
I went home and into my office. Opening my laptop, I searched for Dr. Malone, Surgical Oncologist. A link to an article popped up, so I clicked it.
Beloved Oncology Surgeon dies of a massive heart attack at 43.
Dr. Cane Malone, an oncology surgeon at Cedars-Sinai in Los Angeles, died of a massive heart attack. He was just forty-three years old. He was found in his bedroom by his thirteen-year-old son, who called 911. Dr. Malone lived in the Hollywood Hills and was beloved by his patients. He was a great surgeon and will be dearly missed.
I sighed, leaning back in my chair, pondering why Graham didn’t tell me he was originally from California. I did some more digging and found another article.
Malone Family In Tragic Car Accident.
Dr. Cane Malone and his family were heading to San Francisco when a car struck them head-on. His wife, Colette, was killed in the accident. Dr. Malone and his son were rushed to Cedars-Sinai with serious injuries. The driver of the other car was killed, and results later showed that he was highly intoxicated.
I closed my laptop and walked over to my dad’s house.
“Hi, sweetheart.” He smiled. “I take it Graham left?”
“Yeah. He had things to do. Can we talk?”
“Of course. Let’s go sit on the patio. What’s going on?” he asked as we sat in the loungers.
“Graham is from California. He lived in the Hollywood Hills until he was thirteen.”
“Okay?”
“When I asked him if he always lived in New York, he said yes. He just told me this morning that his dad was an oncologist, but he was a surgical oncologist. He left out the surgeon part.”
“I don’t understand, Ella.”
“He lied to me, Dad. He lied about growing up in New York. I did some research and found an article about his father’s death and then another one about the accident they were in when Graham was six. A drunk driver hit them, and his mother was killed.”
“That’s terrible.” He shook his head.
“Why would he lie to me, Dad?”
“I don’t know, sweetheart. People hide things for a reason. He did lie to you, and that’s a red flag.” His brow arched. “Think about that very carefully. Maybe he isn’t the guy you thought he was.”
“Maybe.” I looked down. “I sure know how to pick them.”
“Come here.” He reached over and hooked his arm around me.
“I really like him, Dad.”
“Then you know what to do. Talk to him and find out the truth. Ask him why he lied. You know I’ve always taught you that communication is the key.”
“Really, Dad? I believe I’ve taught you that over the years.” I smirked.
He let out a long sigh.
“Speaking of talking to someone. I need to go over to Grandma Barb’s and talk to her.”
“Why?”
“Dad, I’m really worried about her. Don’t mention this to the family yet.”
“Why are you worried? Ella, what is going on with her?”
“She’s been forgetting a lot of things. I started noticing it last year, but it’s getting worse. Grandpa talked to me about it yesterday at the barbecue.”
“How bad is it?”
“It’s bad, Dad.” I stood up. “I’m going over there now.”
“Okay, sweetheart.” He stood and hugged me. “Keep me posted.”
“I will.”
I already knew she would put up a fight and tell me I was being ridiculous, but I couldn’t let this go on any longer. She needed to have tests done and get some help.
“Grandma, are you here?” I shouted, walking into her home.
“Lily, is that you?” I heard her upstairs.
“No, Grandma. It’s Ella.”
She walked down the stairs, stopped, and stared at me. “Ella, darling. What brings you by?”
“We need to have a talk, Grandma.”
“Okay. I’ll pour us some lemonade.”
I furrowed my brows because I’d never known her to drink lemonade. She opened the refrigerator.
“I swear I had a pitcher in here.”
“It’s okay, Grandma. I don’t want any. Come over here.” I took her hand and led her to the couch. “How have you been feeling?”
“I’ve been raising quadruplet boys and am exhausted. You have no idea how troublesome they can be.”
“Grandma, your sons are fully grown men with wives and children.”
She stared at me for a moment with a blank look. “Yes, darling. I know that.”
“Grandma, I want you to come to the hospital tomorrow and get an MRI done on your brain.”
“For what?” She became defensive and jerked her hand out of mine.
“You’ve been forgetting a lot of things lately, and I just want to check your brain to see what’s going on.”
“I’m older, Ella. Of course, I forget things. Who doesn’t at my age.”
My grandfather walked down the stairs and into the living room.
“Barb, sweetheart. Listen to our granddaughter and get the scan done.”
“So, you’re taking her side, Curtis?” she yelled. “What the hell is the matter with the two of you?”
“Grandma, calm down,” I said. “Please. Get the MRI done for me. I’m worried about you and need to ensure you’re okay.”
She stared at me with her cold eyes. “I’m not sure why you’re asking me to do this. You’re a child.”
“I’m a neurosurgeon, Grandma. Remember?”
“Yes. I remember.” She looked away, walked to the kitchen, and gripped the edges of the island. “What time tomorrow?”
“Any time you want. I don’t have any surgeries scheduled.”
“I can come in around eleven o’clock.”
“Thanks, Grandma.” I walked over and hugged her. “Just come to my office. I’ll be in there waiting for you.”
“If you’ll excuse me, I must tend to the flowers outside.” She walked out the door.
“Thank you, Ella.” My grandfather hugged me. “You know she won’t listen to me.”
“I know.” I gave a sympathetic smile. “I’ll see you tomorrow, Grandpa.”