Eleanor's death
1003 Words
“Where are you going with that suitcase?”
Brandon stopped at the doorway. “Abroad,” he replied. “Just for a little while. I want to learn more about business.”
“A little while, according to you,” Eleanor said softly.
She sat in her wheelchair, an oxygen tube attached to her nose. Her hands trembled, but her gaze remained sharp.
"I've got everything sorted," Brandon continued. "I have to learn first-hand. If I come back, they can't—"
"No," Eleanor interrupted.
Brandon sighed. "Grandma—"
"Not now," Eleanor repeated. "Not today."
"Why?" Brandon's voice rose. "I'm not running away. I'm preparing myself."
"They're waiting for you to leave."
"Who?"
"The people who want you to lose without having to fight."
Brandon moved closer. "I'll be back soon."
Eleanor shook her head. "Nothing is quick in their time."
"Grandma, you're too suspicious."
"And that's why I'm still alive today."
Eleanor took Brandon's hand. "If you go," she said softly, "I'll be alone."
Brandon fell silent.
"I'm only asking for one day," Eleanor continued. "Postpone your trip. One day."
"For what?"
"To make sure I don't die."
Brandon swallowed. "Grandma, you're fine."
"No," Eleanor replied honestly. "But I'm still breathing. After yesterday, I feel like a lot of people want me dead."
She stared at Brandon for a long time.
"Grandma, don't say that."
"It's the truth. You have to stay here, at least for the next week."
“But I already…”
“Alright, just stay with your grandmother for one day.”
“Alright.”
“Promise.”
Brandon nodded slowly. “Alright. I won’t leave.”
Eleanor breathed a sigh of relief. “Good.”
That was the conversation between Brandon and Eleanor that night after the company meeting and Maxel's promotion rejection. Unexpectedly, it became the last conversation between Brandon and his grandmother.
**
"Her blood pressure is dropping!"
The voice broke the silence of the afternoon.
"What's happening?" Brandon stood up.
"ICU, now!" shouted the nurse.
Brandon ran. "Wait—my grandmother—!"
Without many words, Eleanor was put in an ambulance and taken to the family hospital. The doctors and nurses on duty at the house found the old woman in critical condition during their routine afternoon check-up.
Upon arriving at the hospital, Eleanor was immediately admitted to the ICU.
"Wait, what's wrong with my grandmother?" Brandon asked desperately.
The door closed.
"Doctor!" Brandon banged on the glass. "What happened?"
A doctor came out. "Her condition dropped suddenly."
"Why suddenly?"
"We're still looking for the cause."
Maxel arrived with Teresa. "How is she?" asked Maxel.
"Critical," replied the doctor briefly.
Teresa covered her mouth. "Oh God."
"When was he last stable?" Brandon asked quickly.
"This morning," replied the doctor. "Then he deteriorated."
"Who was with him this morning?"
The nurses looked at each other.
Teresa spoke softly. "I went in. Just for a moment."
"What did you do to my grandmother, huh?" Brandon asked, glaring at her.
"Just visited."
"Just visited?"
"Of course," Teresa replied softly. "I'm family."
The alarm sounded. Long. Flat.
The doctor bowed his head. "We lost her."
Brandon felt deaf.
"What?" his voice broke.
Brandon entered the room. "Grandma," he said softly. "I'm here."
There was no answer. He held Eleanor's hand. "She said just one day," he whispered. "I kept my promise."
Silence.
A nurse said softly, "We'll prepare the paperwork."
"I want a full autopsy."
The atmosphere in the funeral parlour changed instantly.
Maxel raised his head. "What do you mean?"
"An autopsy," Brandon repeated. "A full one. Independent."
Teresa sighed shakily. "Brandon, that's not appropriate."
"What's inappropriate," Brandon replied coldly, "is a sudden death without explanation."
"You're grieving," said Maxel. "Your mind is clouded."
"Precisely because I'm grieving," Brandon replied, "I don't want to be fooled."
Teresa approached. "Who are you accusing?"
"I suspect," Brandon replied. "Those are two different things."
"You suspect Teresa?" Maxel raised his voice. "Your mother would—"
"My mother isn't here," Brandon interrupted. "It was my grandmother who died."
Silence fell.
"We are Eleanor's family," Maxel said, holding back his emotions.
Brandon looked him straight in the eye. "No."
"What do you mean?"
"You're my mother's husband," Brandon said slowly. "My stepfather. But you're not a Hartwell."
Teresa gasped. "Brandon!"
"Hartwell blood doesn't run through her veins," Brandon continued. "And you have no right to decide how my grandmother is treated after death."
Maxel clenched his fists. "I'm the head of the family now."
"No," Brandon replied quickly. "You're just filling an empty seat."
"You have no proof," Maxel said coldly.
"I have the right," Brandon replied. "As her biological grandson."
Teresa shook her head. "This will be a disgrace. The media—"
"Better a disgrace," said Brandon, "than a funeral that hides the truth."
He turned to the doctor. "Doctor," he said. "Could a foreign substance cause a death like this?"
The doctor hesitated. "It's possible."
"Without an autopsy?"
"We can't be sure."
Maxel shook his head firmly. "I refuse."
"As what?" asked Brandon.
"As your stepfather. Legally, as the company," continued Maxel, "I—"
"I'm not talking about the company," interrupted Brandon. "I'm talking about blood."
Teresa whispered, "You're cruel."
Brandon turned. "And you're too calm."
Teresa froze.
"You were the last person with him," Brandon continued. "And you were the only one smiling after he died."
"That's not fair," Teresa said softly.
"What's fair," Brandon replied, "is the truth."
He turned to Maxel again. "I'm going to file a formal request," he said. "With or without your approval."
"Are you against me?" Maxel asked.
"I'm protecting my family," Brandon replied. "Something you never really had."
Brandon walked away. Before the door closed, he stopped.
"Oh, Maxel," he said without turning around. "Don't forget one thing."
"What?"
"You're my stepfather," Brandon said. "Not the heir to Hartwell."
The door closed.
Teresa took a deep breath. "He won't stop."
Maxel stared blankly at the door. "Then..." He sighed slowly. "We'll make sure he never finds anything."
- Writer
