Chapter 94: It’s Too Much
Cathryn could only sit speechlessly, and no words came to her lips. She blinked, completely blindsided by his words. "I...I don't..."
"I have a lot of money, and it would make me happy to see you spend some of it," Keith interrupted. "Cathryn, are you there?"
Cathryn stared and fumbled to find the right words, "Keith, I can't accept it. It's too much!"
"I won't take no for an answer, and that's the end of the discussion," Keith insisted.
As the days went by, grandma seemed to be getting stronger. She was doing things for herself instead of relying on Cathryn. One evening while Cathryn was on the phone with Keith, grandma went into the bathroom to wash up. It had been over thirty minutes, and Cathryn was starting to get worried.
"Keith, can you hold on for a minute? I have to check on grandma," Cathryn asked.
Cathryn knocked, "Grandma are you okay?" Cathryn put her ear against the door. All she could hear was the sound of her grandma breathing and some muttering. The door opened, and grandma stepped out with a layer of sweat on her forehead.
"Are you okay? You don't look very good!" Cathryn's heart sank. She glanced inside the bathroom and noticed the water was overflowing. Cathryn went in quickly and turned the water off.
"I'm okay, stop worrying about me," Grandma said.
"I know there's something wrong. Tell me the truth! What is it?" Cathryn waited for her grandmother to answer and turned to call the nurse, "Nurse," Cathryn called. "Keith, I'll call you back later. I have to find out what's wrong with grandma."
"Okay," he said and hung up the phone.
Grandma grabbed Cathryn's arm. She smiled and took Cathryn over to the bed. "I'm okay. I felt a little dizzy when I was washing my face, but I am feeling much better now."
Grandma was trying to put Cathryn's mind at ease, but Cathryn wasn't convinced. She asked the nurse to call the doctor on duty to come and examine her grandmother. The doctor arrived and checked her over. "Everything looks good. You need to rest as much as you can and make sure you don't do any lifting," he said.
Cathryn felt a little better after talking to the doctor. Victoria came to visit and Cathryn never mentioned the incident to her, but when she talked to Keith that evening, she decided to tell him, "I'm worried about grandma. When I was talking to you earlier, something just didn't seem right," Cathryn sounded worried.
"I'll call the doctor and tell him to come right over," he answered. "Don't worry! She's going to be fine," he said, trying to comfort Cathryn.
Cathryn couldn't help but feel worried and nervous. She was tense and didn't know what to say. "Okay...." A murmuring voice of entreaty uttered indistinct sounds, and tears coursed down her cheeks.
Grandma raised her voice so Keith could hear, "Don't you dare call the doctor. It can wait until tomorrow. There was already a doctor here, and he said it was fine. It's too late anyway. You two go to sleep and let me go to sleep."
Cathryn hesitated and said, "But grandma...."
"Tell Keith I said thank you. Now I don't want to hear another word about calling the doctor," She motioned to Cathryn to hang up the phone. "Don't worry about me. I'm fine. I just got a little tired while I was washing my face. Don't you think I would know if there was something wrong?"
"Okay, okay," Cathryn repeatedly said. "Grandma's right, I was probably overreacting," Cathryn felt somewhat relieved and changed the topic. Not long after, they said their goodbyes, and Cathryn hung up the phone.
"Mr. Clarkson is a very considerate man, isn't he? I think he's a much better man than that jerk Stella is with? His name is Renz, and I think it's rather suitable for him," Grandma laughed and waited for Cathryn's response.
Cathryn chuckled and said, "Grandma, is he really that bad? I'm guessing you don't like him?" Grandma had always been very open with her opinions. She didn't like Stella's boyfriend from the beginning, "He's so arrogant. He's rich and acts like a spoiled brat. He's also very rude and looks down on people like us."
Grandma had only met Renz several times, but that was the impression she got from him every time. He never disrespected the family, but she wondered what he said to Stella behind closed doors. Grandma had meant many different people throughout her life, and almost every time, she was right. She had a way of reading people by their behavior, "I hope they don't stay together much longer," grandma groaned.
"I thought he seemed nice. Although, I never got a chance to talk to him for very long," Cathryn said.
"Fate! It's what you're dealt. I truly believe everything happens for a reason," Grandma looked towards the window, and Cathryn could see her eyes filling with tears. It was obvious that she was thinking about Cathryn's grandpa.
"I know who you're thinking about! Me too. I think about him every day. Grandpa was a wonderful man. Wasn't he?" Cathryn replied.
"He sure was! He reminds me of Keith. I like Keith, and Stella needs to meet someone like him," Grandma laid down and closed her eyes.
Cathryn thought she was falling asleep, "Keith is so polite. I can't believe what he's done for this family. What's his family like?"
"I don't know. I've never asked him about his family." Cathryn thought about what her grandma said, and she wondered, 'I should ask Keith about his family. After all, they're going to be grandparents.'
Grandma continued and went on about the reasons why Cathryn should stay with Keith, "You need to make things work between the two of you. You're having his child. Now all you need is a ring. You would be rich, and I already see how happy he makes you. I would never have to worry about you if you married him."
"Our relationship isn't like that. I'm pregnant with his child, and when the child is born..." Cathryn hesitated. "That will be the end of our relationship. The only reason he calls me is because of the baby," Cathryn looked down and rubbed her belly. She couldn't help but feel sad. Her heart was filled with confusion and doubt.