Obsession With My EX-wife

Chapter 7: Leonard's Grandpa

Catherine followed Leonard to his Grandfather's room with the butler Smith. Smith had worked for the Campbell Family for most of his life. Catherine nodded and said hello to the butler. Like the old man, Smith had also treated her with kindness while she'd been married to Leonard. "It is nice to see you," she said.

Smith nodded respectfully and replied, "Miss Winston, it is nice to see you too. Thank you for coming." 

 Catherine turned and looked at the old man lying in bed. Although he was asleep, she could tell that he was not sleeping well.

"Master just fell asleep," Smith said softly. "You may have to wait for a while for him to wake up." 

"Sure," Catherine said. "I have the time. I have been assigned to Mr. Campbell as his Personal Surgeon. But the way, can I take a look at his medical records?"

Smith bent slightly and said respectfully, "Yes, I'll fetch them for you." 

Once Smith was gone, Leonard turned to look at Catherine, and there was a greedy but gentle look in his eyes. He had never looked at her like this before. "Can you cure Grandpa's illness?" he asked her.

Catherine sighed and said that she couldn't. She didn't have to look at his chart to know the answer to the question. After all, recovery was not possible when a man of this age had a heart attack. A major operation for heart disease was inherently very risky. If something went wrong on the operating table, it would be a serious problem. 

Leonard nodded, and in a low tone of voice, he said, "I will arrange for the best doctor to treat Grandpa. I hope that you will come to see him, even if you are not responsible for his care."

"If I do come," Catherine said, "it will be for your Grandpa, not for you."

Leonard nodded but said nothing. 

When Smith returned, he quickly noticed the tensive atmosphere between Catherine and Leonard. He sighed, shook his head, and decided to keep his thoughts to himself. The tension between them, he suspected, was the result of the child they'd lost. Smith still wanted to see Miss Winston "with child," but he was too embarrassed to say so. After all, the Campbells had not treated her very well while she had been a part of their family. Forget it – he thought – let these young people solve their own problems."

Smith handed Catherine a clipboard and said, "Miss Winston, this is Master's medical record. Would you like some water? You may be here for a while."

Catherine smiled as she took the clipboard. She said, "Thanks. Can I get a bottle of mineral water?"

Smith looked at her curiously and said, "I thought that you didn't like mineral water?"

Catherine shrugged and said, "Tastes change." As a matter of fact, Catherine did not like mineral water, but she had suffered a lot because of the water in this place.

Smith glanced at Leonard.

Leonard nodded and said, "Fetch it for her."

Smith: "Okay." 

After Smith left, Catherine lowered her head and seriously studied the old man's medical record, and Leonard didn't bother her. He sat down on the sofa next to her and silently watched her. Catherine felt his eyes on her but she didn't want to acknowledge his presence. She read the medical records page by page, and with each page, her face became more and more solemn.

"Is Grandpa's situation dire?" Leonard asked. 

"Yes," Catherine replied. "I will do a full checkup for him and write up an assessment later, and then I will carefully review and reevaluate his treatment plan." 

Leonard: "Okay. Thank you." 

Smith returned with a bottle of mineral water. Catherine thanked him and set it aside after she checked to see that the seal had not been broken. When Leonard saw how paranoid she was being, he frowned, but before he could say anything, he was interrupted by his Grandfather. 

The old man had woken up. He called out Catherine's name – "Cathy…" – and they both turned their heads in the bed.

Catherine smiled and went to sit beside the old man. She adjusted his pillow and said, 

"Grandpa, how you..." 

The old man waved his hand, sighed, and said, "I'm fine. I've missed you, though. What's wrong? You don't look very well…"

The old man's concern touched Catherine. After her father's death and her divorce, no one had cared about her. Tears began to build up in her eyes. She smiled and said, "Grandpa, I am very well. You are the one who is unwell, and that is why I am here – to see if there is anything that I can do to help! I am a Doctor now!"

The old man smiled and said, "Congratulations! With you here, I will be fine!" He seemed to be in a good mood and have a positive attitude, and it occurred to Catherine that if he could maintain this positively, his treatments would be more effective. 

The old man held Catherine's hand and he said, "Cathy, have you been busy lately? You never come to see me. If you don't like here, tell me where you live, and I will visit you once I am well."

Catherine frowned. She did miss him, but his Grandson had divorced her. The Campbells did not want to see her, and she didn't want to see them either. After a moment, she said, "Grandpa, you can give me a call when you miss me, and I'll come over." 

Catherine didn't like being at the castle, but she knew that if Leonard's Grandfather knew where she lived, he would worry about her. There were benefits to sharing a house with others, but she didn't think that he would understand.

"Shall we start the examination now?" Catherine asked.

"You may," the old man replied, "but as you will quickly discover for yourself, I am fit as a fiddle."

Catherine's hand froze. If you're not unwell – she thought – then I needn't have come over... So, what am I doing here?!?!

 Catherine turned to look at Leonard and scowled.