Unexpected Visitor

LAUREN

I woke up in the morning to the sound of my phone buzzing. I’d barely managed to get any sleep after my talk with Mason. I kept replaying it over and over in my head, trying to figure out where I went wrong.

When I reached for my phone on the bedside table, part of me hoped desperately that the call was from Mason. My heart clenched when I saw who was calling.

It was from the hospital.

“Is dad okay?” I asked, trying to mask the concern I already felt growing in my chest.

“Hi Lauren, it’s me Becky,” she said. Normally, she had a bright tone in her voice, but now she spoke differently. I could tell something was wrong.

“What is it? What happened?”

I could hear the panic in my voice. Everything seemed to be coming down on me at once. First with Mason and now with my dad.

“He’s not doing well Lauren,” Becky answered. “He’s taken a turn for the worse. I had to bring him to the hospital, so they could monitor him better. I really think you should come in to see him as soon as possible.”

“I’ll be right there.”

I hung up and started to throw on clothes. I didn’t have time to think, only to react. I had to get to my dad as fast as I could.

Rushing out of the apartment, I called the first black cab I could track down. The driver seemed to sense the worry coming off of me and once I told him the address of the hospital, he understood immediately that I needed to get there quickly.

Weaving through the streets of London so early in the morning, I saw people from all walks of life just starting their days. From the done up men in suits heading to Canary Wharf to the chip shop owners preparing for the onslaught of lunchtime customers, everyone had a role to play.

I felt as though I had my own role to play too. I had to play the role of wife to Mason and clearly I was not excelling in that department at the moment. I needed time away from him to figure out whether or not I could face someone who willingly brought my mother back into my life.

That wasn’t the only role I had to play though.

I also had to be the caring daughter. I had to be the one that was always there for my father. No matter what.

Especially now, after everything that Ginny told me, I needed to be the one to show my father love. He was the only person in my life who ever truly cared for me and I had to repay him for all that he had done for me.

As the cab pulled up to the hospital, all I could think about was getting to him as quickly as possible.

“Thank you,” I said to the driver as handed him the money for the ride.

I turned to the front doors of the hospital, headed straight for the floor Becky said my father was on. I took the stairs two at a time, not bothering to wait for the elevator. When I reached the reception desk, I was out of breath.

“I’m looking for Vincent Hart, please,” I said, catching my breath as I leaned against the desk.

The woman behind the counter had a kind face and the moment I said my father’s name, I could see the look of sympathy in her eyes. That look was never a good sign.

“What is your relation?”

Before I could answer, a familiar voice echoed from behind me.

“She’s his daughter,” Becky said as she approached me. She looked tired as she wiped her eyes with the crumpled tissue she held in her hand.

When she reached me, she enveloped me in a warm embrace. I let my head rest on her shoulder as the tears finally started to come out. I couldn’t hold them back any longer.

“What happened?” I asked.

“He’s not responding well to the new treatments,” she said softly. “His body is so weak and the doctor’s aren’t sure what to do.”

I pulled back from the hug to collect myself. I needed to process what Becky was saying to me. My father had been sick for so long now, it was hard to imagine it getting any worse, but it had.

~Why can’t I fix this? Why isn’t he getting better?~

“Can I see him?” I asked.

“Of course, dear,” Becky said. “I just want you to prepare yourself a bit. He does not look the same as the last time you saw him.”

I nodded my head. My mind swirled with images of my father even weaker and more sick. I couldn’t bear the thought of him in more pain than he already had been in. I wished more than anything that I could take his pain away and protect him the way he protected me.

Becky took my hand and guided me towards the room my father was staying in. I could hear her sniffles as we approached the doorway.

Before we crossed the threshold, I took a deep breath and did my best to prepare for what I was about to see.

I wanted to remember my father for his kindness and his strength. I thought back to when I was a young girl and he was the image of health. He would carry me on his shoulders to give me a better view as we walked along the high street after he picked me up from school.

He would make me laugh as he galloped along the pavement. He never seemed to mind the stares that we would get, he only cared about making me happy.

I would give anything to go back to those days, to see him as he was.

Becky seemed to sense my apprehension.

“It’s okay,” she said. “We’re here for you.”

~We? What would she possibly mean by that?~

As I approached the room, the faint murmur of voices filtered through the half-closed door. I couldn’t make out every word, but a few snippets stood out, just enough to make my heart skip a beat.

“…she doesn’t need to know,” a deep voice whispered, unmistakably Mason’s.

My skin prickled, and I took a step closer, leaning in just enough to catch more.

“It’s better this way, for her own sake.”

My father’s voice. Strained, weak. ~What were they hiding?~ My chest tightened with the surge of anxiety. I wanted to burst through the door, demand answers, but my feet felt frozen in place.

“We don’t have much time,” Mason added, his voice low but urgent.

That was enough to jolt me out of my paralysis. I pushed the door open, letting it creak as it swung wide, and stepped inside, my heart pounding in my ears. Both of their heads snapped up, eyes wide with surprise.

My breath caught in my throat as I stopped dead in my tracks, desperately trying to take in the scene before me. None of it made any sense.

“What are you doing here?” I said, my voice breaking.

Mason stood from the chair, his expression unreadable as his silver eyes locked onto mine. For a brief moment, there was something flickering behind them, a flash of guilt, perhaps, quickly masked by his usual cool demeanor.

“Oh, sweetheart, it’s so good to see you,” my father said, but his voice sounded weak, like each word took more energy than he had left. “Mason was just… well, we were talking.”

I glanced between the two of them, my suspicion growing.

“Talking about what?”

Mason was the first to respond, stepping closer.

“It’s nothing for you to worry about, Lauren,” he said smoothly. “We were just catching up.”

~Catching up?~ My father was lying in a hospital bed, barely able to speak, and Mason was here having secret conversations with him? I felt my blood start to boil.

“Don’t lie to me,” I snapped, my voice trembling with frustration. “What were you really talking about?”

My father shifted uncomfortably, glancing at Mason like he was searching for permission to speak. Mason’s jaw tightened, but he remained silent, watching me with that same unreadable look. The silence between the three of us thickened, suffocating.

The longer they kept their secret, the more my anger flared.

“You were talking about me, weren’t you?” I asked, my voice rising. “What are you keeping from me?”

Neither of them answered. My father closed his eyes, his face pale and drawn, while Mason stared at me, his silence louder than any admission.

“I deserve to know,” I whispered, feeling my heart crack open under the weight of their secrecy. “I deserve the truth.”

Mason took a deep breath, his eyes softening, but his next words cut like a knife.

“Not yet.”

“Mason was just asking me for some advice,” my father interrupted. “He’s doing what he can to help you. You’re lucky to have him, you need him, Lauren, more than you understand.”

My heart pounded, anger bubbling to the surface.

~Need him?~

Why was it always about needing Mason? What was it they were planning together? It felt like they were making decisions behind my back, and I was left out of the loop.

“Stop!” I said. “What are you two talking about? You act like I’m not even here!”

Mason opened his mouth to speak, but the frustration boiling inside me silenced him.

“You think I can just trust you both when you’re making plans without me? What kind of games are you playing?”

My father’s expression shifted to one of concern, but it only fueled my anger further.

“This isn’t a game, Lauren. It’s about your safety.”

“Safety? Or is it just about keeping me in the dark?” I shot back, feeling betrayed by the two people I should have been able to trust. “Why can’t you just tell me what’s going on?”

Mason took a step closer, his eyes searching mine, but the intensity of the moment left me feeling more isolated than ever.

I had to pull myself together, I didn’t want to upset my dad while he was in such a fragile state. Plus, he wasn’t the person I was really mad at.

“Mason, do you mind if we talk outside for a moment?” I asked, trying to reign in my growing anger. I needed to calm down and figure out what was going on between the two of them. It was so unlike my father to be secretive, I knew Mason was the one getting him to play along with his scheme and I needed to figure out why.