Chapter 3 – Scott
“I just can’t believe that I didn’t know about it.”
Maria shook her head and patted my hand. She was trying to tell me that it was going to be okay, but I didn’t feel like it was. I needed to see Jesse, but I knew that it was going to be a while till she could get down to the hospital. They hadn’t given my father much time to live in his current condition. While there was no way I could have known about his cancer, I somehow felt like I should have. I felt like it was my fault for resigning and then making it so that we didn’t see each other. I should have truly forgiven him. Then I would have seen what was right in front of me the whole time.
“You know how your father is, Scott. He didn’t want anyone to know that he had cancer. He didn’t want to appear weak. I think that was the biggest worry for him, and that’s why he’s been refusing chemo. He doesn’t want to lose his hair.”
“But he could have told me.”
“Yes, but with everything that was going on with the business, he wanted to give you some time.”
“How did you know about that?”
“I’ve known him almost as long as you have, Scott. He’s a complicated man, but there is a good part of him that’s like gold. He just keeps it wrapped up too tight. I know that it’s a lot to take on all of a sudden, but he doesn’t have much time, and I know that he wanted to make amends with you.”
“Thank you, Maria. Thank you for being there for him when no one else was.”
She waved me off, then smiled when she saw who was coming into the waiting room. As soon as I saw Jesse, I felt a large weight being lifted off of me. Maybe everything would be okay now. As long as Jesse was there, I knew that I was going to be okay. She moved to me and gave me a hug, telling me how worried she was.
“I wasn’t trying to make you worry, Jesse. I just got wrapped up with everything. I don’t know what I was thinking.”
“It’s fine, Scott. I was just afraid that you’d been hurt or were leaving me.”
I chuckled and asked her how she thought that I could ever do that. “I don’t even want to wake up in the morning if you’re not next to me. I love you, Jesse, but seeing Dad this way, I just forgot about everything else. Please don’t be mad.”
“I’m not, Scott. I was just worried.”
“Where is Glenn?”
“He’s with my mother. She’s going to watch him for the night, and she can watch him tomorrow if she needs to. I’ll just have to run over and bring her a few things. I’m all yours, Scott. We’ll stay here until they know something.”
“Thank you, Jesse. I’m already feeling better with you here. Maria called and told me what was going on. It took almost all day to convince him to come here. I thought he was going to die right there. He’s so stubborn.”
“Yeah, I wouldn’t know anything about that…”
I kind of chuckled and laughed. It was true that I was just as hard-headed as he was. For the longest time I’d hated to have anything in common with my father, but in many other ways I was proud of who I was and where I came from. He was a strong man, and although he was a hard father to live with, he was a great man to look up to. As a businessman, he was one of the best.
“Well, I’m glad you finally called. I don’t know what I would have done if something had happened to you, Scott. You and Glenn are my world.”
“Mine too Jesse. Mine too.”
***
“There’s something that I need you to do for me, Scott. Something I need you to promise me.”
“Okay, whatever it is, Dad, I’ll do it.’
“I need you to take over the business again. I’m not going to be here that much longer, and I just want to know that everything is going to keep going. I know that you’ll do that and I know that you’re the best man for the job. Let me give you something, my legacy, Scott. I know that I’ve done many things that I’ll always regret, but in spite of me, you turned into one hell of a man. Take the company, Scott, it’s yours.”
He chuckled. “Seems like me dying is the best thing that could have happened to us. At least now you’ll listen, and I’ve no more time to guide you. You don’t need it anymore. I’m proud of the man that you’ve become.”
I was close to tears, so close I had to fight them back so I wouldn’t embarrass myself in front of everyone. Jesse seen them, though, and she squeezed my shoulder a little tighter. It didn’t matter that my father had said such bad things about her. She was there for me, and that was the kind of loyalty that everyone wanted and needed in their life.
“Thank you, Dad.”
Jackson turned to Jesse, and I could feel her stiffening up a little bit. It didn’t matter that my father was being nice now. I knew that she remembered what he’d said about her before. But she wouldn’t say anything, not now and most likely not ever. She was just that kind of woman.
“I owe you an apology, Jesse. I thought that you were going to be disaster for my son, but I see that you’re exactly what he needed.”
Jesse’s face got a little red with the praise, and then she told him that it was I who’d saved her. I couldn’t have loved her more in that moment. There was a knock at the door and Jesse went to it. From the way she was up so quickly, she seemed to know who it was.
“I hope you don’t mind, Jackson, but I thought it was about time that you met the next generation of Scotts.”
I didn’t know that she was going to have her mom bring our son to the hospital. I knew that she was worried about germs and everything else, but I couldn’t help but feel a tug at my heart when I saw my father’s eyes light up. He’d called once after Glenn was born, but I’d been too busy to visit. Now I wished that I’d done what Jesse was doing. She really could see the bigger picture far better than I could.
My father was ever so gentle holding Glenn. He told me how much he looked like a Scott. I could tell that he was happy to see the blue eyes that we both had. It was a moment that I was never going to forget, and it was all because of Jesse. I really didn’t know what I would do without her.