Chapter Fourteen
“How could you not tell me you weren’t feeling well?” Emma paused to rake a hand through her hair. “Is that why you sent me that letter?”
Henry, who was propped against a few pillows, looked frailer than she’d ever seen him, especially with his gaunt, pale features and the paper-thin hospital gown that did little to hide the sharp lines of his body and collarbone.
“I didn’t send you the letter because of this.” He made a vague hand gesture to indicate the monitor beeping next to him and the small window overlooking the park across the street. “This is nothing.”
“You had a stroke,” Emma hissed. “That’s not nothing, Dad. That’s a pretty big something.”
And it felt like she was the only one, other than his doctors, who was taking it seriously.
Why were her parents still pushing her away?
“People have strokes all the time,” Henry argued with a lift of his chin. The top of his head glistened with sweat, and his bright eyes were fixed on her. “I sent you that letter because we need to talk about the eclipse.”
Emma stopped pacing and folded her arms over her chest. “Are you kidding me right now? Who cares about the eclipse?”
It was the least of her worries.
Everything else had taken a back seat as far as she was concerned.
“Youshouldcare. It’s really important we figure out the exact location of the treasure before the eclipse; otherwise, who knows if we’ll ever get another chance like this.”
Emma shook her head. “You should be resting and figuring out how to cut stress out of your life. Not playing detective because of some stupid treasure.”
Henry’s eyes tightened, and the corners of his mouth turned down. “It’s not some stupid treasure. It’s our family legacy. Once you realize what it is, everything will be clearer.”
Emma let her hands fall to her sides. “I don’t think so.”
Henry gripped the sheets on either side of him and lowered his head. “You have to keep looking into it, Emma. It’s important.”
“Because of the foreclosure notice? Do you really think whatever treasure you’re going to find is worth more than your life?”
Henry’s gaze snapped up, and a shadow settled over his face. “How did you find out about that?”
“Well, apparently, everyone knows.” Emma took a step in his direction and counted backward from five. “Everyone except me. I know we’ve had our differences, but do you really disapprove of my choices so much that you’d keep this from me? What did you think that was going to accomplish?”
Henry sank back in his seat, and his expression softened. “I wasn’t actively trying to hide it from you. You weren’t here, and I didn’t want you to worry.”
“That’s not a good reason, and you know it.”
The monitor began to beep faster, and his chest rose and fell in uneven bursts. “This isn’t how it was supposed to work. I didn’t want you to come back to this.”
Emma’s gaze slid over to the monitor, and her stomach tightened. “You need to rest. I’m going to go call a nurse and see if she can give you something to calm you down.”
Between the foreclosure and his obsession with the eclipse, it was all catching up to him.
As much as Emma hated to be kept in the dark, she knew if she pushed any further, she risked giving him another stroke.
The truth wasn’t worth endangering her father’s life.
No matter how scared and frustrated she was.
When her mother came back in, carrying a tray of coffee and a plastic bag full of snacks, the sedative had finally taken over, and Henry’s head had lolled to the side. Emma pressed a finger to her mouth and gestured to the small balcony attached to Henry’s room. The two of them crept outside, pausing to breathe in the crisp night air.
Slowly, Emma placed both hands on the rail and tried to make sense of her racing thoughts. “Why didn’t you tell me?”
“Your father didn’t want you to know, and I had to respect that decision. Even if I disagreed.”
