Emergency

Silas eyed Natalie sternly. “That’s enough, Nat! I won’t have you misbehave with our savior! The unthinkable would have happened if Mr. Grant hadn’t rescued Tony from that shady club! Besides, he took the trouble of bringing your brother here discreetly with great regard for our family’s reputation. How can you be so ungrateful?”

Natalie silenced herself but settled on the couch, glaring at Tyler with murderous intent.

Silas stepped forward and joined his hands. “I can’t thank you enough, Mr. Grant. You have already done me two great favors in one day. How can I repay you?”

Tyler shook his head. “Don’t mention it. But I’d like to share my opinion about Tony’s mental health.”

“I am all ears. To be honest, I have trouble understanding the boy. He’s been avoiding us lately and hanging out with outsiders. I tried offering him expensive gifts but to no avail.”

The young man looked into Silas’ weary eyes. “If I may be blunt, you are smothering him with too much attention. Tony has just come of age and needs his space. Furthermore, you must treat him like a grown-up, a man; no more mollycoddling. Give him some responsibility to shoulder, perhaps in your business. Or else he’ll go after distractions.”

Silas stroked his chin and nodded. “Thank you for your wise words. Even though I have a week left to live, I will connect with Tony man to man. Please accept my hospitality and spend a night in one of our finest suites?”

Tyler turned to leave. “I’m sorry, but I have important things to do.”

Silas stepped forward to stop him, but his legs gave way, and he collapsed to the floor.

“Dad!” Natalie screamed, coming to his aid. The servants transferred Silas to a bed. He was still breathing but wasn’t responding to his name.

“Summon the doctor!” Natalie ordered the Head Butler. Within ten minutes, Dr. Edwin Becker, the Director of Sapphire General Hospital, arrived. He was the best cardiologist and cardiac surgeon in the city.

“Mr. Anderson’s heart is weak,” Dr. Becker said after a checkup. “He’s having mild strokes every fifteen minutes.”

“Mild strokes? You told me he will live for another week at least…” Natalie inquired. When she brought Silas to Dr. Becker earlier in the morning, he echoed what Tyler had diagnosed. However, she chose to ignore it.

“Mr. Anderson still has a week to live. However, because of the mild strokes, paralysis will set in within half an hour. Even though your father will be technically alive, his body will be a vegetable.”

Natalie widened her eyes. “Doctor! You’re the best cardiologist in the city! Can you not do anything?”

“Don’t worry. I have everything under control. I will administer blood thinners and antiarrhythmic injections now to prevent the strokes.”

While the young woman breathed a sigh of relief, Tyler stepped forward. “Blood thinners and antiarrhythmics will make matters worse for Silas. His heart disease is asymptomatic.”

Dr. Becker looked up with a raised eyebrow. “And you are?”

“I’m Tyler Grant, a well-wisher of Silas. Better listen to me, or he won’t last an hour.”

The doctor was offended by his words. “You want me to listen to you? Are you a cardiologist, or did you have any medical training?”

“I have a good understanding of the human body.”

Natalie frowned and spoke up. “Doctor, you can ignore that man. He had slithered into my father’s good graces fraudulently. Please go ahead with your treatment.”

Dr. Becker turned to Tyler. “So you have no degrees in cardiology or medicine but claim to understand a complex heart condition? Did you browse the technical words on the internet? Let me do my job and stay out of the way, young man.”

Tyler sighed. He thought about Tony, the boy who won’t even get a chance to see his father again. And Natalie, the girl who loved her father too much. If Silas passed away, their lives would be shattered.”

“Natalie. I can try to treat your father. But it must be done immediately.”

The beauty needed no encouragement for what she was about to do. She motioned to the guards. “Throw him out!”

The men approached Tyler, but he was already on his way out.

Dr. Becker put Silas on oxygen and administered a few injections. He recorded the old man’s heartbeat and blood pressure every minute.

After five minutes, he slowly rose to his feet and looked blankly at Natalie. “I’m sorry.”

“What are you sorry about, doctor?”

“I thought my treatment would help. But it only made the strokes more frequent. In a few minutes, paralysis will set in. And within fifteen minutes, he will suffer a fatal stroke.”

“What nonsense is this?” the young woman exploded. “Aren’t you a nationally renowned cardiologist? Aren’t you the Director of Sapphire General Hospital? How could you make such a mistake?”

Dr. Becker lowered his eyes. “Your father was already in critical condition, and fatality was only a matter of time. True, I am a gifted cardiologist, but I am not God. I can’t perform miracles.”

Natalie broke into tears and held her father’s hand as his pulse went haywire on the monitor.

“I’ll call the coroner and prepare the lab for an autopsy,” Dr. Becker mumbled.

Marvin, the Head Butler, stepped closer and whispered. “Miss Anderson... I’m sorry for speaking out of turn. Your father’s wish was that Mr. Grant treat his condition. Even though you don’t trust the man, don’t you have faith in Mr. Anderson’s judgment?”

Natalie, who was weeping beside Silas’ bed, holding his limp hand, felt her father’s fingers tighten for a moment. He was still there! He responded to Marvin’s words!

Natalie rose to her feet. Even if Tyler was a scamster, she had to take the chance.

The beauty rushed out of the room and ran down the corridor. She stopped at the intersection, searching wildly for Tyler. He was nowhere to be seen.

Was he gone? That was clear since it had been minutes since she humiliated him and kicked him out.

Natalie burst into tears and collapsed to her knees. “What have I done? Dad! I’m so sorry!”

Just then, the washroom door opened, and a figure walked out.