23. Chapter Twenty-Three
Chapter Twenty-Three
Leo
I f I had to guess, I’m the last person my father wants taking care of him.
But a lot of times we get exactly what we don’t want.
When I arrive at the estate, I take a breath before heading up the stairs and making my way through the dark hallways to reach Dad’s bedroom. He’s not going to like the update that I have for him either.
I can hear one of the late night game shows he likes playing before I even step into the room.
“What is it?” Dad asks me, his eyes returning to the screen a moment after he glances at me .
I flip on the light, making him grimace as it floods the room. “I have to do your night stuff for Juliet.”
Dad immediately stiffens. “What? No, you don’t. Where is she?”
“Don’t make this more difficult than it has to be,” I sigh as I check the list that Juliet sent me. Luckily, there’s not much to do besides check some things. “Piper had to go to the hospital, so Juliet is there with her.”
His eyes grow wide as he throws the blanket off his thin body. “The hospital? What happened?”
I rush to his bedside and place my hands on his shoulders, keeping him from sitting up anymore. “Relax, Dad. You’re not going anywhere.”
“I can if I want,” he grits out as he tries to push my hands away.
“No, you can’t or you’ll end up in a hospital bed too,” I tell him pointedly before lowering him back down to the mattress. “You remember how Piper was sick a few days ago? She ended up getting viral pneumonia. They’re keeping her in the hospital until her breathing sounds better. ”
Concern ripples across his face. “She’s having a hard time breathing?”
“A little,” I say, seeing the pain in his eyes. He knows all about that.
He sighs heavily and pulls his blanket back over him. “Is she okay? Are they keeping her comfortable?”
“She’s sleeping. They’ve got her hooked to an IV and they’re giving her what medicine they can to help manage her symptoms,” I reply as I glance at his heart rate monitor. It’s within the range it should be according to Juliet’s text.
“That’s good,” Dad murmurs, shifting against his pillows like he’s too restless to stay still. “Poor Piper. Was she scared?”
I don’t say anything for a few seconds as I grab Dad’s pill box from the table next to his bed. I’m not used to hearing so much care and concern in his voice. After Mom died, it didn’t seem like he cared much about anything.
Not like a Dad would.
Where was all this care and concern for me? Why did he stop seeing me as a son and start seeing me as an employee?
“Leo. ”
“She wasn’t scared. She’s tough,” I reply before handing him his pills and a cup of water. “Just like her mom.”
Dad hums in agreement before putting the pills in his mouth and taking a large sip of water. He swallows and hands the cup back to me. “She’s a lot like her mom. She’s got her attitude and everything.”
The side of my mouth turns up. “Yeah, you’re not wrong. I’m surprised it doesn’t bother you.”
Dad shrugs. “I like that she’s gotten more outspoken. I could barely ever hear her when she was younger. She was so quiet.”
“She was nervous around you.”
“She’s certainly not now,” Dad says with a wheezing chuckle.
And it doesn’t bother him. That still jars me.
He’s a hard ass to me still, but he’s not to her.
“Piper getting sick really shook her,” I tell him. “I’m going to swing by the hospital tomorrow and visit them.”
Dad nods, his face turning more serious. “Tell Juliet that I want the hospital bill. I’ll take care of it for her. ”
My eyebrows lift. “Really?”
“She doesn’t need to worry about it,” Dad replies. “Get it for me, will you?”
“Okay, I’ll get it for you,” I say, surprise still lingering in my voice.
Dad sighs. “She’s been good to me, and she works her ass off as a single mom too. It’s the least I can do.”
Well, we agree on that.
“Did you hire her because you knew her?”
Dad adjusts the nasal cannula on his face. “I hired her because she was qualified and a good fit for the job.”
“Did she have an edge over the others because you knew her?” I specify, wanting him to be honest.
I’d expect him to deny her because she knew him.
Dad breathes in deeply before answering. “Yes, she had an edge. It was…easier. She already knew the estate and everyone who worked there. She was familiar with me, and I was familiar with her. It was better than bringing a stranger here.”
“There was a time when you looked down on her. ”
Dad’s jaw tenses. “I didn’t mean it like that. I’ve never thought ill of that girl. I just didn’t think she was right for you.”
I don’t know if I believe him or not, but I’m honestly just surprised that he’s even talking about this.
“She’s the best person I know, and she deserves the best. And Piper deserves that too.”
“Well, Piper’s father doesn’t match that,” Dad mutters.
My curiosity spikes. “Did you ever meet him? Or did you know him?”
Dad shakes his head. “No, I don’t know anything about him. She never wanted to talk about him. I assume it was a one night stand.”
Maybe that’s better than her falling in love with someone right after I left town.
“I guess it’s for the best that he’s not in Piper’s life.”
“I just wish she had someone,” Dad replies. “She does too much on her own.”
Yet she does it all really well .
“I’ll tell her and Piper that you’re wishing them the best. I’m sure they’ll appreciate that.”
Dad scoffs. “You’re going to do better than that. I want you to pick up a stuffed animal for Piper. She loves those. And some balloons. Whatever you think will make her feel better.”
Hell, he’s right. We can definitely do better than that.
Piper’s had a rough week. She deserves to be showered in gifts.
“What kind of stuffed animal?” I ask him.
I saw some on her bed when I was in her room, but I didn’t get a good enough look at them to identify what they were. I was so worried about her that I couldn’t focus on anything else.
“The most colorful one you can find.”
I can do that. The local grocery store still does balloons too, so I can swing by there in the morning on the way to the hospital.
“Anything else? ”
“If I think of anything, I’ll call you,” Dad replies. “If Piper feels up to it, I wouldn’t mind talking to her over the phone for a few minutes.”
He really cares about her. He’s acting like he’s her grandfather or something, but I’d rather him act like this than be cold toward Juliet and Piper for no reason.
Because he can be pretty damn frigid toward people.
“I’ll tell Juliet,” I say before fixing the tube of his nasal cannula so that his arm doesn’t get caught in it. “If she has to do a lot at the hospital with Piper, I’m going to check on you for her. She doesn’t need to drive all the way out here when her daughter needs her.”
To my surprise, he doesn’t protest about me tending to him again. He just nods.
What changed him? Time? Illness? Knowing he’s going to die soon?
Something happened because this isn’t the man who made my life hell during my last year of high school.
“Get some rest. I’ll be down the hall if you need anything,” I tell him before stepping away from his bed, switching the light off to cloak the room in near darkness aside from the glow of the television.
“Night.”
His voice is quiet and gruff, but he still said goodnight to me.
“Night,” I reply once the shock dies down enough for me to speak.
I head to my room and get ready for bed, but despite all the chaos of today, I don’t feel tired yet. My mind won’t stop racing. My adrenaline is high.
I wish I was with Juliet so that I could talk to her. I don’t even care what we talk about. I just want to be near her.
So, I settle for the next best thing.
My phone screen illuminates my face with a soft, white glow as my thumbs move over the screen, typing a message out to her that I hope she returns. Something tells me that she will.
You still awake?