NovelEnglishChapter 561 Great-Grandfather was well over seventy now. As he often said with a wry smile, every year he lived was one year less, and his life was already in its final countdown. Gwyneth couldn't shake the fear that this visit might be their last goodbye.
She didn't want to face the pain of parting. She simply couldn't bear it.
Gwyneth stopped struggling and let herself rest against Hawthorne, breathing in the faint, comforting scent of his cologne. Somehow, it calmed her.
Three hours later, the helicopter touched down on the rooftop of Starfall Medical Center. Gwyneth felt a gentle pat on her cheek-Hawthorne's hand.
She jolted awake, realizing only then that they'd landed.
"We're here?" She'd slept the entire three-hour journey, not a single dream disturbing her rest. That alone felt miraculous.
Follow on NovᴇlEnglish.nᴇtBut she had no tto dwell on miracles. Her only thought was to see her great-grandfather, to make sure she wasn't too late.
She broke into a run, only to stop short when she realized she was on the hospital's rooftop. Confused, she turned to Hawthorne.
"Where are we?" She'd thought he would take her straight to her great-grandfather's old house.
"This is the rooftop of Starfall Medical Center. Wasn't your great-grandfather brought here?" Gwyneth looked at Hawthorne, a rush of gratitude welling up inside her. He'd brought her directly to the hospital so she could see her great-grandfather as soon as possible.
"Thank you." She started to dash off again, but Hawthorne caught her by the arm, steering her in the opposite direction. "The elevator's this way." Gwyneth blushed, realizing how flustered she was. Ducking her head, she hurried back toward him. "Oh-right." Hawthorne shook his head in mild exasperation. Where had her usual poise and composure gone? "I'll take you," he said, taking her hand-afraid she might get lost in her panic.
As they walked, Gwyneth pulled out her phone and called her great-aunt.
"I just got to the hospital," she said.
"You made it to Starfall?" Emily replied. She'd already visited the old man earlier in the day and was now hwith Celia and Chris. Only Victoria was still at the hospital.
"I did. How's Great-Grandfather?" "He's in a private room with a nurse. Your mother's with him. After you see him, make sure you chome." Gwyneth's heart was with her great-grandfather, so she didn't linger on the call. She hurried straight to the private suite.
Inside, the room was quiet and still. Great-Grandfather lay peacefully on the bed, eyes closed, frail and shrunken in a way that made her heartache. In her memories, he'd always been gentle yet full of vitality; now, for the first time, he looked so weak.
Gwyneth's nose stung and her eyes filled with tears.
"Great-Grandpa, I'm here. I cto see you," she whispered, her voice trembling with emotion.
As if sensing her presence, Thorpe slowly opened his eyes.
When he saw Gwyneth, the lines of his face softened into a rare smile.
Follow on Novᴇl-Onlinᴇ.cᴏm"Is that Gwyn? Ah, Great-Grandpa really doesn't have much tleft. I knew you weren't in Starfall, but lately I've been dreaming of you every night. Maybe it was you coming to seein my dreams-or maybe my old soul went to find you." His words cout in a low murmur, and Gwyneth's tears spilled over.
"Great-Grandpa, you're not dreaming. I'm really here. Touch my face and see it's really me."
She gently brought his hand to her cheek. Thorpe's eyes widened as he studied the face he'd missed so dearly. He managed a weak smile, but then a fit of coughing wracked his body.
"Are you alright?" Gwyneth asked, alarmed.
But seeing her, feeling her real and warm beside him, brought a spark of life back to Thorpe's gaze.
"It's really you, Gwyn. You cback." His smile grew, joy shining through the exhaustion. "Good girl. I thought I'd never see you again." No one could mistake his happiness. Gwyneth was his first
great-grandchild, and her arrival had brought him more joy than even the birth of his own son, McNeil, all those En years ago.
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