Chapter 42
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The serene perfection of their anniversary weekend was briefly interrupted when they returned to the city on Monday morning. Emily was at her desk, reviewing the final blueprints for the new Clearview facility in Chicago, when her cell phone rang.
It was Robert, and his voice lacked its usual steady, comforting baritone. He sounded fragile.
"Emily, you need to come to the hospital," Robert said, his voice trembling slightly. "It’s Katherine. She collapsed this morning in her garden. The ambulance just brought her to the emergency room."
The world seemed to stop spinning. Emily dropped her pen, a cold wave of absolute terror washing over her. She didn't ask questions; she just grabbed her coat and ran.
Nathan drove them to the hospital, his hand gripping Emily's tightly the entire way, offering a silent, steady anchor in the storm of her panic.
When they burst through the doors of the emergency waiting room, they found Robert sitting in a plastic chair, his head bowed, his hands clasped tightly together in quiet prayer. Emily rushed over, dropping to her knees in front of him.
"Robert, what happened? Is she okay?" Emily pleaded, tears already burning in her eyes.
"The doctors are with her now," Robert said, looking up with eyes full of fear. "They think it was a severe stroke. I found her near the rose bushes... she was just lying there, Emily. She was so still."
Emily wrapped her arms around Robert, holding the older man as he broke down in quiet sobs. He had been a rock for her and her mother for years, a steadfast protector who had helped them navigate the darkest periods of their lives. Now, he needed them.
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"She is going to be okay, Robert," Emily whispered fiercely, channeling the unbreakable strength her mother had always shown her. "Katherine is the strongest woman I know. She survived my father, she survived the foundation wars, and she will survive this. We just have to wait."
For the next four agonizing hours, they sat together in the sterile, brightly lit waiting room, holding onto each other, praying for a miracle.
