Chapter Twenty-One
A sense of déjà vu flooded Maddie as she walked through the corridor to her grandfather’s room. The last time she’d come to the hospital… Would Gramps even speak with her today? Bryce had indicated he regretted what was said, but she needed to give him time to get over what she’d done. Was it too soon?
She hadn’t seen or heard from Gramps in more than a week. Not even after Bryce told him about her accident. Maybe she’d been right all along and Gramps didn’t care about her. Maddie shivered at the thought. She didn’t want to believe it even though the truth kept smacking her in the face again, and again.
She paused at the door. She could go home and forget trying to reason with Gramps. Begging him to reconsider. She’d already signed the paperwork to authorize the MRI and any other tests the doctor deemed necessary. So why did she turn the handle and step into the semi-dark room? She couldn’t give up hope, that was why.
Gramps lay motionless on the bed. Was he sleeping? The sedative might have knocked him out.
“Who’s there?”
Not asleep, and judging by his gruff bark, the tranquilizer had worn off. Maddie braced herself for what might come. “It’s me, Gramps.”
The light flicked on. “What are you doing here?” Gramps pressed the button and the bed rose until he sat upright.
At least he didn’t throw her out. Not yet, at any rate. That had to be a good sign. She blew out a breath, made her way to the vinyl-covered lounger, and sat. “I wanted to see how you’re feeling.”
“You should be at the winery making sure everything is running smoothly, not here.”
He wanted her at the vineyard? It didn’t make sense. “But Gramps, you kicked me out.”
He stared at her as if she’d gone insane. “Why would I do that?”
Oh my God. Doctor Clayton had told her Gramps couldn’t remember why he was in the hospital, but she’d assumed his short term memory was intact. Clearly that wasn’t the case if he didn’t recall what had happened when she and Wyatt came to visit. Her heart soared, then plummeted faster than a deflating balloon. Gramps’s memory loss was such a bad thing on so many levels. It meant the doctor might be right about the cancer metastasizing. Not going to think about it, not going to think about it. She’d cross that bridge if and when she had to.
“You wanted Bryce to run the winery until you got better. He’s there now.” She’d called him on the way here to let him know she’d be late in getting there.
“Why the hell would I want Bryce to run Scott Hill?” He lifted his hand and pointed a shaking finger at her. “I knew I shouldn’t have left you in charge.”
Maddie frowned. “But Gramps—”
“But nothing. You get back there right now. There’s no way the Beaumonts are going to get everything I worked for.”
Crap. He didn’t remember asking Bryce to run the vineyard either?
“You don’t have to worry. Bryce isn’t going to take Scott Hill away from you. I promise.”
He went on as if she hadn’t spoken, his breaths coming in short, sharp gasps. “I’m not going to lose my land. I can’t. Not after everything I’ve been through. If you won’t go I will.” Gramps tugged at his IV. “He’s not taking my vineyard. I won’t let him.”
“Stop it, Gramps. You’ve got to stop it.” Maddie pulled his hand away from the tube. It wasn’t hard. He barely had any strength. “I won’t let anything happen. Now, please. Lie down.”
Her grandfather fell back against the bed without a fight, his frail body ghostly against the white sheets. “You understand, don’t you?”
“Yes. I do, and you don’t have to worry.” Scott Hill meant the world to him. Buying it had been his dream, and he’d worked so hard to make the wish a reality.
“My Kay didn’t. She was so angry with me.”
Grams? Her heart skipped a beat. Gramps never talked about her grandmother. Not once in all these years. Why was he mentioning her now?
“That’s why she ran out. She shouldn’t have. It wasn’t my fault, Maddie. It wasn’t. No one was supposed to get hurt.”
What was he talking about? “It’s okay, Gramps. Just calm down. No one is mad at you.”
“It was a bad storm. She shouldn’t have been driving. It was bad enough I lost Ava. Why couldn’t she understand?”
First Grams and now her mother. Her head started to pound, and she rubbed at her temples to ease the pain. God, he wasn’t making any sense. “Are you talking about the evening Grams died?”
Maddie woke with a start. The torrential downpour nearly drowned out the yelling in the next room. Why was Grams upset? She couldn’t hear what she was saying.
Her bedroom door banged against the wall. Grams stood silhouetted in the opening, muscles quivering. Maddie dove under the covers, her breaths coming in short, sharp gasps. What had happened? She’d never seen Grams angry. Not ever.
“Get up,” Grams ordered. She stormed to the closet, grabbed a suitcase, and tossed Maddie’s clothing inside.
Her entire body started shaking. “W—what’s wrong, Grams?”
“We need to leave. Now.” Grams abandoned the luggage, scooped Maddie into her arms and carried her downstairs.
Gramps blocked the front door. “I won’t let you take her, Kay.”
“Get out of my way, George.”
Gramps folded his arms over his chest. “No.”
Grams lowered her to the ground, turned and raced out the back door.
“Why did she go?”
Maddie blinked, Gramps’s ragged voice dragging her from the memory. “I don’t know.” He’d never told her why her grandmother ran out in the middle of the night. God, she hadn’t thought about that night for years. Why was Gramps talking about it now and what did it have to do with him believing he’d lose Scott Hill?
“It wasn’t my fault.”
“No it wasn’t.” Grams skidded off the road and into a tree. Like I did a few days ago. Bryce could have been driving Zoe’s car, Wyatt had said. No. Maddie blew out a breath. Bryce wasn’t responsible for her accident. Running someone off the road wasn’t his MO. Blackmail was. It was just a coincidence she and Grams had had similar accidents. Grams lost control of her car due to the bad weather.
“No one was supposed to get hurt, Maddie. No one.”
“It was an accident, Gramps. No one blames you.”
“It’s Wyatt Leone’s fault.”
Oh God. Gramps blamed Wyatt for her grandmother’s death too? Her heart sank. How could he? She’d never understand why Gramps hated Wyatt to such an extent.
“No, Gramps. The roads were slick from the rain and Grandma lost control of her car.”
“I didn’t hurt her on purpose. I loved her.”
“It’s okay, Gramps. Grams knew that.”
“I only did what I had to.”
Maddie bit back a scream. She couldn’t keep up. “What did you do, Gramps?”
“I can’t lose Scott Hill. Go back, Maddie. Please. Save my vineyard.”
Why did he think he’d lose the winery? No one could take it from him.
“It’s all I have.” Gramps coughed and wheezed.
Enough was enough. She had to put an end to this before he worked himself up again. Maddie pressed the nurse’s call button.
Jack walked in. She remembered him from the last time she’d visited. When Gramps believed he’d spoken to Daddy. She’d forgotten about the incident after everything that had happened. Why hadn’t she taken time to figure out if someone had really visited, or if he’d been hallucinating? That was a symptom of the brain cancer, wasn’t it? It was probably too late to see if any of the hospital staff remembered someone calling on Gramps that day.
“What’s going on George?” Jack grasped Gramps’s wrist and measured his pulse. Her grandfather tried to tug it away.
“I’m fine. Go away.”
“You need to rest, George.” Jack walked to the door. “I’ll be right back with a sedative.” He disappeared into the hall.
“Please, Maddie—”
“Shh, Gramps. Go to sleep.”
Jack returned and injected a syringe into Gramps’s IV. He turned to Maddie. “He’s going to be out for a while. Why don’t you come later for a visit?”
Maddie nodded. “I will. Do you know when Dr. Clayton plans to do my grandfather’s MRI?”
Jack shook his head. “I’ll have someone call you when they schedule the test.”
He left and she brushed the hair from Gramps’s fevered brow. “It’s okay, Gramps. Everything is going to be fine.”
His eyes glazed over. “You’ll take care of everything?”
“I will.”
“So sorry, Ava.”
Maddie shuddered. He was hallucinating again.
“I only did what I had to. It’s not my fault,” he mumbled.
Why did he keep saying that?
“Didn’t mean to kill her.”
The room started to spin, and she couldn’t breathe. Gramps killed someone? No. It couldn’t be true. Could it?
“Didn’t kill who?”
Gramps’s eyes closed and his grip went slack.