The Vintner and The Vixen

Chapter 18

The next two hours were the longest of Jacques's life. The ambulance came and took his grandfather to the hospital. Grand-Papa regained consciousness briefly before slipping back into oblivion.

They sat in the hospital waiting room. Maya's creamy skin was ashen, and she'd chewed at least three nails down to the quick. He shouldn't have brought her. Would she try to avoid further heartache by distancing herself from Grand-Papa and him?

"I'm sorry, I should have thought. This must bring back bad memories. I can get a car to take you back to the chateau," he offered as she wiped another tear from the corner of her eye.

"No. I'm fine. Well, not fine, but I want to be here. When Gran-Gran passed, I was alone. My grandmother didn't have a phone so I couldn't call her and my mom couldn't afford to fly out. It was just me. I need to be here for you and Daniel." She took his hand in hers. Of all their recent intimacy, this was the most touching. This wasn't lust; this was partnership.

Daniel paced the corridor—restless, alone.

"Your being here means a lot to me, to us, and I'm sure Grand-Papa will be happy to see you as well." He had to keep optimistic.

"Monsieur de Launay?" A doctor approached, his face devoid of emotion. Maya squeezed Jacques's hand tighter, and he could tell she was holding her breath.

"Yes?" He stood, bracing himself for bad news.

"We've stabilized your grandfather. It was a combination of his heart rate being too low and his blood sugar being too high. If you hadn't brought him in when you did, it could have been much worse. We'll keep him here for a few days, change some of his medicines, and make sure everything else is in order. But he's a strong man, and I'm sure he'll be home again before midweek."

Relief weakened his knees and Jacques fell back into the chair where he'd been sitting. Maya released his hand and rubbed his back.

Her voice wobbled as she said, "Can we see him now?"

"As long as you keep it brief," the doctor replied.

They followed the white-coated physician down the hallway and into a private room. Grand-Papa lay with the head of the bed elevated, hooked up to various machines, a reassuring beep coming steadily from one of them. His eyes were open and he smiled as they entered. Maya let go of Jacques's hand and raced to his grandfather's bedside. She wasn't even related, had only met the man two months ago, and still she cared for him like her own grandfather. Clarisse had never shown any affection for the old man, barely even spoke with him despite the fact they shared a house for three years. If Jacques had needed any further proof that Maya was the woman for him, he now had it.

"Charles, you gave us such a scare. Or was this all an elaborate ploy to hang out with some beautiful nurses?" Maya planted a kiss on his grandfather's cheek before sitting on the edge of the bed.

"Ha, you caught on. Sorry to have worried you. I guess in all the excitement I forgot to take my medicines yesterday," Grand-Papa said. "And pretty nurses aside, how soon can I go home?"

"In a few days," Jacques replied. "They want to run some tests on you first."

They stayed a few more minutes, but it was obvious even that small conversation had tired his grandfather. They left with a promise to return later in the afternoon.

As Daniel drove them back to the chateau, Jacques sat in the backseat. He tried to hold Maya's hand but she pulled away and stared out the window. From the number of tissues she pulled out of her bag, the tears were flowing like the Seine. Was this all about his grandfather? Or was something else bothering her? She'd been on edge for the past couple of days, but he'd put it down to stress over the festival.