Secrets Of The Vineyard

Chapter. 4

After Jessica made breakfast she took a tray of it up to her mom's room and was happy to see her awake. She put the tray on the nightstand and sat on the bed and hugged her mom.

"Well good morning mom, how are you feeling?" Jessica asked as she sat back up and looked at her mom.

"Not well dear, tired and sore. I apologize for not being awake when you arrived yesterday, I wanted to greet you but I just couldn't get out of bed. I'm afraid I'm much worse than I said. I don't really have much longer my darling. A week maybe. I'm sorry I wasn't truthful, I didn't want to tell you such news on the phone." Joan said in a barely there whisper. Her energy was almost gone, her body ached, her throat so sore from coughing so much, she was ready to go and Jessica could see that now that Joan was awake. Jessica wanted to break down and cry, she could feel her chest getting tight and her throat closing in on her as she fought hard to keep her composer but it was extremely difficult to do.

"It's ok mom. I'm here now and I'm not going anywhere. Would you like something to eat? I made breakfast for you." She attempted to keep her hurt out of her voice as best as she could but Joan noticed. Of course she noticed, Jessica was her daughter and was losing yet another parent so early in life.

"Maybe just a little toast, I'm afraid my stomach can't handle much else. I would like a smoothie though, mango and pineapple if it's not too much trouble."

"Not at all. Here I'll get the toast, maybe some butter or would you like strawberry jam?" Jessica went to the tray and Joan said butter so Jessica grabbed the butter packet and put it on the toast and took the plate to her mom and kissed her cheek and took the tray back downstairs to make the smoothie. She got the fruit out and the smoothie mix and put it in the blender after she cut the fruit up and mixed it together. Once it was done she looked at it and sighed, feeling her heart break over her mom's health and what it's come down to for her to not even be able to eat much at all.

"Are you ok?" She jumped at the voice and looked at the doorway and saw Stephen standing there.

"No. She just told me how sick she really is, how long she has. A week if that, she said. Has she known long?" Jessica asked and Stephen sighed and walked over to her.

"Yes Miss. Joan has known for about a couple of months now since her last and final appointment. With all that's going on around here she didn't want to burden you with her health and the issues around here. When she fainted the other day we convinced her to tell you. She didn't want you to feel like you had to come home to take care of her when she knew how important your career was to you and how hard you had worked to get to where you are now. I know it's not much comfort but she really did do it for you."

"No, that stubborn woman just didn't want me here and try to get her into a trial or go for treatment, she knew what she was doing. Smart stubborn woman, amazing but stubborn. What do you mean issues going on around here?" Stephen kicked himself mentally for letting it slip and he sighed.

"We can talk about that later, once she goes to sleep. Go spend time with her right now ok? It can wait." Stephen wanted to tell her what was going on but now was definitely not the time. She poured the smoothie into a cup with a lid and straw and went up to her mom's room to find her talking with Asher and she sat on the bed and handed Joan the cup.

"Good morning Asher." Jessica hugged him and he hugged her back and kissed her cheek.

"Good morning Jessica." Asher looked at his best friend and could see pain in her eyes but she just smiled and talked with them for a bit before Joan was feeling tired so they left her to rest and when the door was shut, Jessica's eyes filled with tears and Asher took her into his arms and walked upstairs to her room and laid down on the bed and held her as she cried.

"She's way worse than what she told me, Ash, she has maybe a week left. I don't know what I'm going to do without her." His heart broke for her, he wanted to take her pain away but there wasn't anything he could do for her to help except be there for her.

"I'm so sorry Jessica." Is all he could say as she calmed down as time went by. He noticed she was asleep so he covered her up, gave her a kiss on her cheek and walked out, shutting her door behind him and went downstairs and saw the three brothers and Andrew in the kitchen helping the cooks make lunch.

"Hey guys." Asher greeted them and sat at the island and a glass of water was put in front of him by one of the maids.

"Thank you ma'am." He said and she smiled and went on with her business.

"Hey Asher. How are you?" Andrew asked and Asher looked at him and gave a small smile

"Me? I'm ok, kinda tired and feel a little dehydrated, how are you?"

"I'm alright. Make sure you drink plenty of water and don't be directly under the sun for too long, wear a hat and a tank top with shorts for a couple of days until your body gets used to the humidity alright? We don't want you to get a heat stroke or get severely dehydrated." Andrew listed off ways for Asher to stay cool and healthy and Asher loved having someone look after him like that.

"Thank you, I'll do as you said. Jessica won't be joining us for lunch. She's sleeping right now." The brothers looked at him and he sighed and rubbed his face.

"She knows Miss. Joan doesn't have much time left and I may have let it slip that there were issues going on here." Stephen admitted and Joshua glared at him and Nicholas slapped his arm.

"What the hell man?" Nicholas said in a slightly raised voice which surprised them since he's usually so calm.

"It was an accident jeez. I didn't intend to tell her anything and I didn't say much alright? I told her we'd talk later so chill out." Stephen said as he rubbed his arm.

"Ok so maybe after we eat we go to my office and we get everything in order for her to look at. She's a lawyer, she'll know more about what the papers state and how to move forward from this point on. I just know she will know what to do and how to handle it." Andrew suggested and the other men agreed so once their lunch was done, they sat and ate and told Asher more about the town and even offered to take him on a tour in the evening in a few days since he's going to be there for a while, he may as well know his way around.

The next few hours were spent working as usual until around three when Jessica woke up and checked on her mom before she went to find Stephen.

"Let's talk." She said when she found him working on one of the fences along the grape vines.

"Ok let me get my brother's, Andrew, and Asher."

"I'll be in my mother's office." She turned and walked back toward the house and Stephen sighed.

"It's now or never." He thought to himself as he went to look for the other men.