Chapter Three #2
“Thank you but I think his brothers will be here soon,” Ann replied. She knew that Noah and Max would figure out which hospital Michael had been admitted to pretty quickly and were no doubt on their way.
“Okay,” Kelly gave a supportive smile. “Remember, we would like to limit them to visiting one at a time and only for fifteen minutes each. It would be best not to tax Mr. Ramesly too much right now.”
Ann nodded. She got a coffee and something from the vending machine before heading back to Michael’s room. It was a good thing everyone thought she was his significant other. She would never have such access to him otherwise.
Michael was peacefully sleeping, and she was thankful. When he had started crying… it had frightened her badly. This was her Michael. Unflappable, patient, strong. She had never seen him shaken by anything.
He could not read. He could not speak. She sat down and looked at the pamphlets. She would be depressed too if she could not talk to people. Ann put the pamphlets away and looked at her phone. Geanie had called. Ann called her back.
“Ann, could you hold on a moment?”
“Sure.” Ann sipped her coffee and looked at Michael. He looked exhausted even as he slept. The white bandage around his head was not doing him any favors either.
“I am in the bathroom. I am just checking the stalls… no one is here,” explained Geanie.
Ann could picture Geanie leaning with a hip against the counter in the ladies’ room of the company.
“It is a crazy mess here. Everyone has heard about Mr. Ramesly transferring his shares to you and resigning. Ozzit is threatening to sue but I talked to Deegal, and he says there is no case. Mr. Ramesly and he made sure of that when they did up all the contracts of transferal. Mr. Noah Ramesly looks like he wants to pull out his own hair and those of everyone around him. I don’t blame the poor man.
They are like to make him head of the board just because of his last name and we all know that is not what he wants.
Mr. Maxwell was trying to calm everyone down, but it is hard with Ozzit whipping them into a frenzy.
Finally, both the Ramesly brothers left, and Gains is trying to get everyone to get back to work.
He is not having much luck. Where did you and Michael go?
Has he finally swept you off your feet?”
Ann gave a watery sigh. “Oh Geanie.”
“Oh dear,” Geanie knew that tone. “What is it?”
“You cannot tell anyone,” Ann trusted Geanie. They had been work friends for ages but Geanie did like to gossip. “I mean it. If I tell you this, it goes absolutely no further. I would consider it a betrayal of our friendship.”
“Hey, did I say a word about how you have got the hots for the boss?” Geanie was a little offended. “I can keep a secret.”
Ann took a deep breath and plunged in, “He cannot speak properly. He cannot read. Geanie, I don’t know what he is going to do.”
Geanie absorbed this for a moment. “Ann, are you okay? We are talking about the same Michael Ramesly, right?”
“He had surgery this morning to remove a couple of tumors in his brain,” Ann explained. “His brain has been damaged during the surgery.”
“Oh my,” Geanie breathed. “He is going to be okay though?”
“Other than the language thing, he seems alright,” Ann replied.
Now she was worried that there were other side effects that they didn’t know about yet.
It was scary enough, all the other things that could yet go wrong.
She was petrified that she was going to lose him.
Two days ago she had finally been ready to walk out of his life and now she could not imagine leaving.
“The language. Not being able to read. Is that temporary?” Suddenly Geanie said. “Excuse me, this bathroom is out of order. Use the one on the next floor.”
Ann waited until Geanie said that the bathroom was empty again. “It is permanent.”
“Is that why he resigned?” Geanie was quick on the uptake. “He knew this could happen, didn’t he?”
“I think so,” Ann could hear voices in the hall. “Geanie, I have got to go.”
“Okay. You need anything you call me, okay?”
“Thanks,” Ann ended the call and went into the hall to find Noah and Max talking to the nurse at the nurse’s station.
Max saw her first. He came over and gave her a hug which, she reflected, must be a statement as to her level of exhaustion.
She must look a complete wreck. Max had always been the more affectionate of all the brothers, but she had not seen him in six years.
It was unlikely he was giving out free hugs to her unless she looked like she really needed one.
“Where is he?” Noah asked.
“You can see him, one at a time, for fifteen minutes. He is sleeping right now,” Ann pushed back the hair that had come out of her braid.
“How did this happen? Why didn’t he tell us?” Noah ran a hand through his hair, frustrated.
“He only found out a few days ago,” Ann said softly.
“Don’t defend him, Ann. He should have told us.”
“Yes, Noah, he should have,” Ann said sharply.
He should have told her too. Instead, he had tried to be strong and independent as always, not wanting to bother anyone probably.
It would be hard to understand his motives since he could not articulate them anymore, yet it was something he would do, keeping his pain and uncertainty to himself.
Michael simply did not share his own vulnerabilities, not because he thought it made him weak but because he didn’t want to impose on others.
“I know you are hurt by his actions, but he has just been through surgery and I will thank you to calm down or not see him at all.”
Noah looked at her in surprise. Ann had never been short with him before. Max put a hand on Noah is shoulder and said, “I will go first so Noah can reorganize his thoughts. Where will you be in the meanwhile?”
“There is a waiting room right down the hall,” she pointed to it. It had become her home while she waited during the surgery. She had read every single magazine, cover to cover. Not that she had absorbed much of what she had read. “I will be there.”
Noah followed her to the waiting room and they both sat in silence for a few minutes before he said, “I am sorry, Ann. I should not have taken my anger out on you.”
Ann sighed. “He didn’t tell me about the surgery either. I literally got into the car as it was leaving the company yesterday morning and refused to budge. I found out when we arrived at the hospital.”
Noah stared at her for a moment. “He was going to go through this whole thing alone?”
“I guess so,” she shrugged. “I talked to the doctor. It was unlikely that he was going to survive the surgery. Maybe he thought he would just spare us all the worry.”
“They thought he was going to die?” Noah was shocked.
Ann nodded. “The odds were not good. It was brain surgery.”
“Have you been here the whole time?” asked Noah.
“Yes.” All twenty-seven excruciating hours. She felt incredibly fatigued. Even the naps she had taken in the chair beside the bed were not really enough.
“You should go home.”
“No,” Ann opened her eyes which had been drooping.
“Max and I can see to things here,” insisted Noah. “We will look after him. He is our brother.”
“No. He is my…” Ann trailed off. What was he? Her boss? Her friend? She had been about to say her Michael, but he was not. Yet instinctively she knew that Michael would never have cried on Noah or Max’s shoulder. He was hers even if he would never admit it. “I am staying. He asked me to stay.”
She neglected to mention that Michael had been asking her to stay when she was quitting the company, not at the hospital. But today he had held her hand like he did not want her to go. That was enough.
“Can I get Elle to bring you some clothes and whatever else you need?” questioned Noah.
“Please,” said Ann. “I would appreciate that.”
Max came into the room and slumped into a chair. He rubbed his face. “Your turn.”
Noah left, and Ann watched Max as he struggled with what he wanted to say with some sympathy. “It is difficult.”
Max gave bitter laugh. “You have no idea. I haven’t seen Michael for six years except at Noah is wedding and the twins’ baptism.
He barely spoke to me. Then he turns up with an apology and angling for a vote which I thought made no sense but hey, it is what he wanted and who am I to judge?
Then he disappears and has brain surgery. He looks like death warmed over.”
Ann nodded and that was all Max needed to continue.
“He is my big brother. He is twelve years older than me and other than migraines, I don’t remember him ever being sick a day in his life.
He used to give me advice. He taught me how to swim.
I have looked up to him for years. Did you know Dad was going to sue me over the medical fund for those kids? ”