One Wild Night

Chapter 456: Typical Hank Behavior

Harry, Tom, and Lucy hurried over to his side, "What is going on? How is he?" Harry asked anxiously since it was over three hours already since they arrived at the hospital.     

"I'm sorry it took so long to get back to you. He needed urgent medical attention so we had to attend to him immediately. You can rest assured that he will be fine. Did he suffer a heart attack recently? Or had any heart-related trouble?" The doctor asked, and Harry gave him a nod.      

"Yes. That was a few days ago. But it was a minor one. At least that was what my doctor said," Harry explained since his personal doctor was different from the company's doctor.      

"I see. He suffered a myocardial infarction. It was a good thing you brought him in when you did. Don't worry, he will be fine," the doctor said confidently.     

"Can I see him now?" Harry asked, hopefully.     

"Although he is unconscious right now, you can see him. He has been moved to a private ward," the doctor said, and all three of them let out a sigh of relief.      

The doctor led them to Aaron's room, and Tom and Lucy stood back with Jamal at the door while Harry went in to see his father.      

Lucy sighed, "Can we say the worst phase is over now?" She asked, and Tom gave her a nod as he placed a hand on her shoulder and pulled her to himself before kissing her forehead.     

"Thank you, Jewel," Tom said softly.     

Lucy looked at him, wanting to ask what he was thanking her for, but then she remembered his conversation with Jade, "What did Jade say?"     

Tom glanced at Jamal before looking at Lucy, "She confirmed the relationship between Candace and Aaron," Tom said, and Lucy looked at him with interest.      

"How did she confirm it?" She asked, and Tom explained all that Jade had said to him, leaving out only the part about Rachel's family involvement. They could talk about it later when they were alone and settled.      

By the time he was done, she sighed, "I'm glad that we found her before Sara did. At least now Aaron doesn't have to search for her. We know where she is. All I want now is for Aaron to be fine, and for them to meet," Lucy said, and Tom gave her a nod.      

"Yeah. Me too. I already asked one of the pilots to get them. So hopefully they should arrive before midnight," Tom said, and Lucy looked down at Jamal who had been quiet the entire time.     

"Are you okay, Jam?" She asked as she crouched down in front of him, and Jamal gave her a nod.     

"He will be fine, right?" Jamal asked, referring to Aaron.     

"Sure. The doctor assured us he will be fine. Do you want to see him?" Lucy asked, marveling at how it had just so happened that Jamal was there with them at a time like this.      

"Can I do that?" He asked, looking up at Tom.     

Looking down at the kid, Tom remembered that his dad had died earlier that day. It was quite an eventful day, Tom thought with a sigh as he bent forward and lifted Jamal off the floor, "We will go in together when Harry is done. Why are you always so partial, though? You've never held me like that before. Why did you take his hand?" Tom asked in a light tone, and Jamal raised his tiny shoulders in a shrug.     

"He looked sad."     

"Aww! Aren't you the perfect gentleman, Jam?" Lucy asked as she ruffled his hair fondly, and Jamal grinned at her.      

"So when I'm sad will you hold my hand?" Tom asked, and Jamal pursed his lips like he was thinking about it.     

"Lucy will hold your hand while I hold her hand," Jamal joked, making both Lucy and Tom chuckle.     

"You really don't like me, do you?" Tom asked making an angry face at Jamal, and he laughed as he wrapped both arms around Tom's neck.     

A moment later, Harry opened the door and he sighed when his gaze fell on Jamal who was in Tom's arm.          

All of a sudden he had gone from being a simple man who lost his mother at birth and whose only family was a loving dad, to becoming a twin brother, an uncle, and the abandoned son of some shameless woman. Not to mention his relationship with Lucy too. Could life get more complicated than that?      

He wanted to be alone. He needed to be alone for some time. He was feeling overwhelmed by everything.      

"We will stay with him if you want to leave," Tom said as though he could read Harry's mind.     

"I don't think you should leave. At least not yet. Please stay with him until he wakes up. If he doesn't see you when he wakes up, he might think you left because you are mad at him," Lucy pleaded softly.     

"I'm upset, but I'm not mad at him. How can I be mad at him after seeing his pain like that? What kind of a son would I be to be mad at a father who endured all that pain all by himself just so I would have a perfect worldview?" Harry asked with a deep frown, and Lucy teared up.     

"Oh, Harry! You have no idea how worried Aaron was about your reaction. He was so scared that he might lose you," Lucy cried, and Tom offered her his handkerchief, while Jamal looked at Lucy with concern.     

Harry shifted his gaze to Tom, "Can I speak with Lucy alone?"     

"Do you even need to ask me that? I will take Jamal in with me to see Aaron while you both talk," Tom said, and walked into the room with Jamal, leaving Lucy and Harry alone.     

Without saying a word to Lucy, Harry began to walk, and Lucy followed him. Once they were at the canteen part of the hospital, Harry drew out a chair for Lucy and she sat down before he did the same.     

"Can you tell me exactly what happened? How my dad got to tell you about everything including how you got to know about Candace?" Harry asked, thinking that he needed to know everything from the beginning.     

Not from his dad's point of view this time, but from Lucy who could genuinely tell him how much his father had been affected by everything.     

Lucy gave him a nod, and then she started speaking. She told him how she had overheard him talking and crying in his sleep, how she had overheard his conversation with Tom about Sara, and how she had decided to speak with Aaron privately instead of telling him about it.      

"... So when Jade called asking me to send her the picture of your mom in the photo frame in your bedroom..."     

"How did Jade know I had such a frame in my bedroom?" Harry interrupted with a frown, and immediately, Lucy realized her slip.      

Perhaps she shouldn't have mentioned that? But how could she have told him how she made the connection between him and Candace without mentioning Jade's role in it?      

Lucy swallowed, "I don't know. She crashed here for some days so I sort of assumed you showed it to her or something," Lucy said, thinking now that she had not even given much thought to it back when Jade mentioned the photo frame.      

Seeing that Lucy didn't know, Harry doubted that it was Aaron who showed it to her either. Did Jade go into his bedroom in his absence? He mused and then shook his head. That wasn't the most important thing at the moment.     

"Go on," Harry urged her on, and Lucy continued.      

"You didn't go into my bedroom?" Harry asked, surprised and impressed when Lucy told him how she asked Jade to ask him or Aaron for the picture instead.     

"No. Was I supposed to? It's your bedroom. I couldn't possibly invade your privacy in that manner," Lucy said with a frown, and Harry looked at her for some time without saying a word.     

He had associated with the Hank family long enough to know there was little or no respect for privacy amongst them. One person's business equaled everyone's business. And if it mattered enough to one of them, it mattered to them all.      

He doubted that Lucy was going to be able to maintain her stance on respect for privacy much longer. Not when she was a part of the Hank family.     

He knew because that annoying trait of theirs had somehow managed to rob off on him too. Else, why did he go to babysit Jade even when she made it clear she didn't want him there? He could guess it was his turn to have everyone in his business. So he couldn't be mad at Jade or Tom.     

"Thank you. It's refreshing to know that you have not been influenced by the Hank family," Harry said with a small smile, and Lucy continued her narration.     

"... So I got the DNA sample from Aaron's bedroom and..." Lucy stopped speaking when Harry suddenly chuckled, and she looked at him in confusion as she wondered what was amusing him.         

"I take back what I said," Harry said in an amused tone despite his annoyance at the whole situation.     

How could the same person, who a moment ago had said she refused to go into his bedroom to take a picture because she didn't want to invade his privacy, go into his father's bedroom to take a DNA sample without permission?      

"What?" Lucy asked in confusion.     

"You have been successfully influenced by the Hank family," Harry said with a small smile, and Lucy paused for a moment to think about what he was talking about, and she found herself smiling at him.      

"It's hard not to do things their way," Lucy admitted, and they both sighed before Lucy resumed her narration.     

"Thank you for everything, Lucy. I know he would have continued to suffer in silence had you not made him open up to you," Harry said when Lucy was done speaking.     

"I'm just glad you are not mad at him. Although I always believed you would understand him, I was still worried," Lucy said with a small smile as she reached across the table for his hand.     

"I know you are not okay right now. But we are with you, and you will be fine," Lucy promised, Harry gave her a nod.     

"Thanks. What do you think about Sara?" Harry asked, and Lucy wrinkled her nose as she shook her head.     

"Honestly? I feel ashamed that I'm related to such a shameless person," Lucy said, and Harry raised a brow.     

"If you feel that way, how am I supposed to feel that such a person gave birth to me?" Harry asked, and Lucy shook her head.     

"I'm sorry. That wasn't what I meant," Lucy said apologetically.     

"I understand what you mean. Can you help me stay by his side? I know it's a lot to ask for..."     

"It's nothing. You both have a really special bond. He also asked me to stay by your side in case you pushed him away. He loves you so much, Harry," Lucy said with a small smile as she looked at Harry.     

"I know," Harry said with a nod.      

"He is such an exceptional father. I wish he didn't have to go through all of this. He doesn't deserve any of this," Lucy said with a sigh.      

Harry nodded, "He doesn't. And that is why I have to leave. I need to clear my head and figure out a way to take care of Sara once and for all before seeing him. So please stay by his side and call me when he wakes up," Harry said, and Lucy gave him a nod.      

"I will. Tom sent for Candace," Lucy informed him, and Harry shook his head.      

He wasn't surprised to hear that. He did not expect less.      

"I'm surprised he has not dealt with Sara already," Harry said, and Lucy giggled.     

"He would have done that, but he decided to bestow on you the honor of deciding what should be done," Lucy said dramatically, and Harry chuckled.      

Typical Hank behavior. He couldn't say he wasn't relieved that he was surrounded by such people. It was because they were with him that he could even afford to laugh at a time like this.