“Do you want me to come with you?” Ethan asked. “Or should I stay here?”
She didn’t even hesitate. “Come with me. I need you here with me. Maybe he needs to see it too.”
He stood with her and they followed the nurse to a room, Norris sitting on the bed awake, pale, but alert.
“Dad, are you okay?”
She was looking at the devices all hooked up, an IV, heart and pulse monitors, things beeping and numbers flashing.
His heart rate was 176. Pretty damn high.
Norris looked at Ethan, but he wasn’t budging and even pulled Nora under his arm to give her support.
“I’ll be fine,” Norris said.
“Did you have a heart attack?” she asked.
Norris looked at him, then back to Nora. “I’ve got Afib. I’m having an episode.”
“What?” she asked, tensing next to him. “How long have you had this? And why haven’t you said anything?”
“It’s been about a year. I haven’t said anything because I had it under control. Or thought I did. Stress doesn’t help and there are other things going on that you aren’t aware of.”
“Like what?” she asked. “It seems there is a lot I don’t know if you didn’t tell me this.”
“I can leave if you want,” Ethan said.
“No,” she said, shaking her head. “You can stay. Dad, this isn’t a passing thing. And I’m sorry if you think that. I love Ethan. We love each other. If you need help, it’s going to be me to give it to you and Ethan should also.”
“This isn’t a matter that needs to be addressed with work.”
“I’m not here as an employer,” Ethan said. “I’m here as your daughter’s boyfriend. But if you want me to leave, then I will.”
He wasn’t going to stress the guy out anymore even if Nora wanted him there.
She looked at him, then back to her father and nodded her head for him to leave.
“I’ll come get you in a few minutes.”
As much as he didn’t want to walk away, he knew it was for the best. For both of them.
He returned to the waiting room just as his phone rang. He pulled it out to see his father calling and answered.
“Any updates?”
“Nora is talking to him now,” he said. He didn’t want to go into details just yet. “Seems like he might be fine. No answers yet, but he’s talking and alert, so that is good.”
“I’m glad,” his father said. “Do you know what happened?”
He sighed, glad he was alone in the room.
“Norris walked into her office while she was hugging me. Mildly put, he flipped out, said some harsh things to her, causing me to say much harsher things to him. He stormed out, she followed him after she handed my ass to me.”
“Ethan,” his father said. “What did I tell you about this happening in the office?”
“I know. I should have just walked away, but I couldn’t. I can’t. You’d never let anyone talk to Mom the way Norris did Nora.”
It still boiled his blood.
