Meeting Master Rothschild 2

The drive to the hospital gave Nolan sufficient time to fill Hailey with the details she needed to know about the patriarch they were going to visit. She had been tempted to write some down to prevent forgetting anything but at the risk of seeming daft, she withheld against the urge. Instead, she subtly recorded them on her phone and when Nolan was done scaring the hell out of her, she plugged in her earphones and listened to the instructions all over again. There were a bunch of them but she was a quick learner when she set her heart to something. She was determined to leave a good impression of herself on the old man so as to hold up her side of the bargain.

“Breath, Hailey,” Nolan admonished, feeling her pulse jump every now and then. “I don’t want you looking flushed when we have to go in neither do I want you to have a heart attack.”

Hailey gulped hard and peeled the earphones off to take a break. Her head ached from hearing his voice repeat information over and over again. Although his tenor was soothing and calm, it had an ominous background that stole her attention deliberately. He was sitting so close to her that she could feel his hot breath on her shoulders and suddenly, a wave of self-consciousness hit her squarely. They weren’t married just yet so perhaps she didn’t have to maintain contact with him?

She adjusted a bit to test his awareness and in reflex, he pressed down on her palm. She automatically pouted, unaware of how childish it made her look. He placed his phone on the seat after his and examined her surly countenance.

“What were you trying to do?”

“I just. . . wanted to sit close to the window,” she improvised swiftly, avoiding his eyes.

Nolan was impressed by how fast she had thought up the lie. It only improved that she had a swift thinking process, unlike most women who were all beauty and no substance.

“We are here,” the driver announced from beyond the privacy screen and while Nolan was briefly distracted, Hailey slipped her palm out of his and made her move, shifting to the window. But her excuse was washed out because they had gotten to their destination. His guard, Tino who had previously been sitting with the driver, opened the door and took his foldable wheelchair. Nolan sat patiently as the guard set it up and trapped by the angle of his body, Hailey had to wait too.

“Done, sir,” Tino informed him and proceeded to lift his boss from his seat to the wheelchair. Hailey had the decency to look away while the grown man was carried by another grown man. It was the height of degradation and she did not want him to feel even more uncomfortable than he was already. Securing the buckles on her heels, she tossed her earphones into her clutch and stepped down from the car. She could feel Nolan’s perusal once again and the hair on her flesh stood alert in case of his disapproval. He said nothing at the end and wheeled himself past her with a stoic, military expression. Tino shook his head to reassure her that she wasn’t at fault and she got the message with part disbelief, part hope.

Immediately the nurses saw the man in the chair, they straightened up, the idle ones running up to their duty posts. The receptionist reapplied her lip gloss and undid a button. Unfortunately for her, the counter of her cubicle hid her efforts, and at the level of Nolan’s chair, her bosom was invisible.

“Master Rothschild!” she exclaimed in a high-pitched, musical voice. Her nerves were all over the place and so was her stuffy perfume. “Good day, sir. Let me just find your grandfather’s room number....”

She drifted off as she leaned over the big book on her counter, thrusting her bosom in the air. It took a cough from Nolan to rectify the situation.

“Grandfather Gareth’s room is the same as it always has been,” Tino said, interrupting her unnecessary search. “It’s on the second floor, room 34B. Quit wasting our time on purpose and give us the key card.”

The receptionist shrank in embarrassment and reached for the card. Nolan had seen through her game plan and was not impressed with her lack of tact. Tino took the card and led the way to the room upstairs. It was hard for Nolan to wheel himself up the knobby stairs and when Hailey tried to lend him a hand, he barked at her rudely.

“Stay away from me! You are not strong enough. Tino,” he called and the bulky guard gripped the back of the chair, propelling it up the stairs skillfully like it was all he did all day. Hailey stiffened, not expecting him to react that way and followed behind them. She noticed an exchange of looks between the men and Nolan frowned, keeping his stand on the matter. In front of the ward, at last, Tino knocked once and pushed the door open, waiting for Nolan to go in first. Hailey came in last, going through all Nolan had told her.

However, the man she saw on life support looked nothing like the able man Nolan had described. She saw a pale dying man watching the news, his wrinkled palm on the remote. In response to his door opening, the nurse with him tapped his shoulder and he gave her the renowned Rothschild glare that wilted her spirit. Hailey straightened her back, determined not to be found wanting.

“Grandfather,” was all Nolan said and the patriarch sat up in his bed, rejecting the aid of the nurse.

“Leave us, May,” he addressed the nurse and she skipped out a little too eagerly, closing the door silently. His voice was groggy and rough, matching his aged look. His hair was white all over and his jaw drooped like an old dog. Still, his stare was direct and when his eyes finally landed on Hailey, she almost fainted from the intensity.

“Hello, Hailey,” he said, with no smile on his face.