Chapter Three
Henry ignored the itch in his chest. If he rubbed at it Nick would be sure to notice and then become concerned.
He didn’t want to worry his nephew. Nick had taken to hovering over him like he was going to disappear from their lives at any moment.
It was concerning, especially since Henry’s health wasn’t the best.
After the surgery Nick had been a great help but now that Henry was feeling better and was more active again, Nick was still hovering. Oliver didn’t seem to be affected by it at all.
It was concerning to see Nick so anxious.
Cora had assured Henry they were going to therapy and it seemed to be helping but Henry wondered at the root cause of why Nick felt like he always had to take care of those around him.
Why he was always so on edge and quickly volunteered to do whatever he could to make a situation better.
“Are you okay Uncle Henry?” questioned Nick as he grabbed one of the hotel towels from the lounge chair beside Henry.
Henry realized he had been rubbing the healing scar on his chest while lost in his musings, something he had been trying not to do. He dredged up a tired smile. “I’m good. It’s healing so it’s a little itchy. Nothing to worry about.”
“I thought after the surgery you would feel better,” said Nick as he plopped down on the lounge chair, toweling his hair.
“I do feel a little better,” lied Henry.
He constantly felt tired and lately was out of breath even from just walking.
Twelve year old Nick gave him a disbelieving look and Henry knew he wasn’t convincing.
“I will feel even better if I get a new heart. However I’m probably going to get worse before that happens because there are people on the list before me. So we take each day at a time, okay?”
Nick nodded. He balled up the towel in his hands, staring at it. “Mom is worried. I overheard her and Uncle Ben talking. Dad left all his money to me but didn’t leave any for Mom or Oliver. Uncle Gerrit had to sell our house. That’s why she had all our stuff put into storage.”
“What?” a concerned Henry asked. He had just found out last night from one of his lawyers about Cora’s state of finances. Henry had no idea that Nick knew exactly what was going on.
“She doesn’t know that I know,” confessed Nick as he turned to look at Henry. “Why can’t I give my money to Mom and Oliver? Why can’t I share it with them?”
“That’s a really good question,” murmured Henry as he absorbed the news. “I think it has to do with the terms of your father’s will. I’m planning on talking with your mom later today about it.”
“You can’t tell her I told you,” said Nick frantically, putting a hand on Henry’s arm. “She has enough to worry about without adding me.”
“What else has been going on with your mom?” questioned a frowning Henry. He had a quick look at ten year old Oliver who was swimming in the pool. “I will help her however I can but I need to know what the problems may be if I’m to find a way to help fix them.”
Nick sighed. “Just that we have nowhere to live and the baby is coming. Mom is having trouble with the insurance guys. I heard her talking over the phone with them and I guess she had to use Uncle Ben’s credit card to get it sorted out.
Then she was calling Ben and crying. She tries not to have us know anything but it’s not like she can hide it all.
Oh, and that guy from the FBI, the one who keeps asking questions, was back again.
I didn’t get to hear what they talked about but it really upset Mom. ”
Henry was silent as he digested the news. “I’ll try to help her if she will let me.”
“I wish I were grown up,” commented Nick wistfully. “Then maybe I could help her.”
“You are helping her. You told me and I will do what I can,” softly said Henry. He gave Nick’s arm a squeeze. “Now why don’t you get your brother? It’s almost time to order lunch and head back to the hotel room.”
“Thanks Uncle Henry. You are going to be okay, right?” Nick’s concerned eyes watched him.
“Once I get a new heart, I will be fine,” said Henry. He had no way of knowing that. He might not even get a transplant. Just because he was on the list was no guarantee it would happen before his body gave out. “Let’s just concentrate on helping your mom right now.”
Nick nodded and went to get Oliver from the pool.
They had been staying at the hotel for the past few months.
Henry had been trying to help out as much as he could with the boys.
He enjoyed spending time with his nephews and wished he had been more present in their lives.
It wasn’t until he had resigned from his position with the hotel chain in Asia that he had been able to come back home.
However, his attempt at retirement had been short lived after Gerrit’s arrest. Someone had needed to step in.
Addison had taken over more responsibility at the company and it was through their combined efforts that things were still running somewhat smoothly.
Getting up, Henry held out a towel to Oliver before putting the damp ones away in a bin the hotel had available for guests.
As they went up to Cora’s hotel room, Henry tried to think about how he could approach the situation delicately.
He didn't want to overstep but he also wanted to help if he could. It wasn’t as though Henry couldn’t afford to help her.
He had more wealth than what he knew what to do with and had set some of it aside in trusts for the boys, and for Addison’s coming baby.
He also had a variety of charities in his will, before distributing the rest of the funds to his siblings and sister-in-law upon his death.
It was a bit macabre to think about at his age, but necessary.
After the elevator ride, the boys raced in the hall to the room. Henry didn’t have the heart to tell them to slow down. He felt it was good for Nick and Oliver to have a little fun. They had been so quiet and serious since their father died.
What they needed was a house. A place with a pool and a yard, with room enough for them to play and have fun. Near the school and somewhere they could bring their friends over. While living in the hotel for the last while had been okay, it wasn’t a permanent solution for two growing boys.
Going into Cora’s set of rooms, Henry noticed that Nick was making sure Oliver followed the rules of changing into dry clothes before parking themselves in front of the television for video games.
Henry leaned against the kitchenette countertop as he thumbed through his phone, placing an order for food to be delivered.
Once that was done, Henry called his bank, taking care of a few details and asking for the courier to bring over the necessary documents.
“Uncle Henry, are you going to play with us?” asked Olliver. “Ben is already waiting online.”
“Absolutely,” smiled Henry as he went to the living room. Setting himself on the couch he took the offered controller. When he had been in Asia, Henry had made it a point to have weekly video games with Nick, Oliver, and Ben. It was a good way to stay connected to family.
He would have a chat with Ben to see just how much his youngest brother knew about what was happening with Cora, decided Henry. It was important to get as many facts as possible so Henry knew what Cora was dealing with.
“Have you found a new personal assistant yet?” questioned Ben as they set up their characters for the video game.
“Still interviewing. No one is quite as efficient as my last one. If I could have convinced him to come from Asia, I would have,” ruefully said Henry.
“Offer him more money,” suggested Ben.
Henry shook his head. “He says the school system is better there. He has everything planned out for his son. The kid is three and already they have him pegged for five different types of careers and are saving to make sure he gets into the best schools available.”
Ben whistled.
“Are we supposed to know what we want to do for a career already?” questioned Nick, looking at Henry in surprise.
“No. Absolutely not. This is your time to explore and figure out what you enjoy doing,” advised Henry, hoping he wasn’t adding to the boy’s anxiety.
“Can we stop talking about boring grownup stuff?” wondered Oliver with a touch of impatience.
“Sure. Why don’t you and Nick take the first round?” asked Henry, distracted by the ringing of his phone.
“Aw, you’re supposed to turn the phone off,” complained Oliver, his shoulders slumping. “You always have calls from work.”
Henry pulled out the phone, frowning when he saw it was Addison. “I’m going to be a moment.”
He answered the phone as he stepped away, hoping to put some distance between himself and the boys in case there was something happening that they shouldn’t overhear. Ben was chatting to them so they should be distracted. “Henry here.”
“FBI Agent Kepler has taken Cora to the local police station for questioning. I told her not to say anything and already called my lawyer,” Addison told him, her voice worried. “I think you should come. I would feel better if you were here.”
“Did they say what it was about?” wondered Henry.
“I might have eavesdropped and heard Kepler say the autopsy came back and Nate didn’t die from a heart attack like originally assumed,” revealed Addison.
Henry closed his eyes at the news, a sinking feeling in his stomach. He and Nate hadn’t been particularly close even before Cora married his brother. However, never would he wish that someone might have had a hand in Nate’s death. Someone was deliberately harming the people in his family.
“Henry?” prompted Addison.
“I’m coming,” he decided. “Text me the address.”
He turned around to find the boys watching him.
“I can be at the hotel in twenty minutes,” offered Ben.
“I thought we were supposed to have the morning together,” sighed Oliver.
“We were but this is important,” sighed Henry. He didn’t like disappointing his nephews. “I wouldn’t go if it weren’t.”