A Brother's Honor (Grangers) - By Brenda Jackson Page 0,7

to nervously rub away the little bit of hair he still had left.

“No, not unless we detect an improvement of some sort. There’s a possibility he might regain consciousness, but it won’t be for long, and unfortunately, doing so might cause more damage to his heart.”

Jace frowned. “Why?”

“Because if he’s awake, he’ll run the risk of getting excited, which could overtax the heart muscles.”

At that moment, a nurse approached and offered an apology for the interruption before informing Dr. Timmons of an emergency in another patient’s room.

“If you have any more questions, Jace, just have someone page me,” Sedrick said, rushing off.

Jace nodded and moved to return to his grandfather’s room. He hated hospitals. Always had and always would. Pulling up a chair close to the bed, he sat there and stared at his grandfather, remembering better times. He had always understood the old man when Caden and Dalton had not. That was one of the reasons everyone claimed he’d been Richard’s favorite. People thought that, but Jace was fully convinced his grandfather loved all three of his grandsons the same.

Jace heard his phone tweet, letting him know he’d gotten a text. Pulling his phone from his back pocket, he saw the message had come from Caden.

Plane just landed. Should arrive at hospital in ½ hour.

After putting his phone away, Jace drew in a deep breath, leaned back in his chair and drew his gaze back to his grandfather. At that moment, he felt an enormous pain grip his gut. His grandfather had always been there for Jace, and now Jace wanted to be here for him. But he wasn’t sure how much he could take of seeing Richard lie there with tubes connected to his body and machines beeping out the only sounds in the room...except for that of his grandfather’s labored breathing.

Richard Granger had celebrated his seventy-fifth birthday last year, and both Jace and Caden had come home for the occasion. Dalton hadn’t, which had been no surprise to anyone.

Jace drew in a deep breath, not wanting to think about the animosity Dalton still had toward the old man. Instead, he shifted his thoughts to days past when he and his brothers were younger, happier. And their parents were together and both his father and grandfather ran the company...

His thoughts trailed off as he remembered the billion-dollar company his family owned and which his grandfather had practically run alone after his son had been incarcerated. It had been fifteen years now.

The shock of hearing about his grandfather’s heart attack was so great that Jace hadn’t given any thought to Granger Aeronautics. Had Hannah known to contact Titus Freeman, the executive vice president? If not Freeman, then surely Vidal Duncan. Vidal was not only the company attorney but also a longtime family friend. He would know what to do.

Any thought of Granger Aeronautics flew from Jace’s mind when he noticed his grandfather’s breathing had changed. It had become labored, forced. Fear gripped him as he stood to press the nurse call button. The change in breathing might not necessarily mean anything, but he wanted to be certain.

“Granddad,” he said, leaning close to the bed as Dr. Timmons and a nurse rushed in. “It’s Jace, and I’m here,” he said in a soft voice. “You’re going to get better. There’s still a lot left for you to do. And you’re not a person to half finish anything.”

He reached out and gently gripped his grandfather’s hand in his, ignoring how weak it felt as well as how frail it seemed. And he pushed to the back of his mind how unresponsive his grandfather’s hand was to his touch.

* * *

Jace was glad Caden was on his way, because he didn’t want to handle this alone.

* * *

“What happened?”

The sound of Caden’s voice was a welcome relief, and Jace turned and looked into his brother’s concerned face. Dr. Timmons and the nurse assisting him glanced up, as well.

“Jace brought it to our attention that your grandfather’s breathing had changed, so we’re making sure everything is okay,” Sedrick spoke up and said.

“And is it?” Caden asked, walking into the hospital room and placing his sax case against a wall.

“Yes. He’s resting comfortably,” was the doctor’s response.

Jace moved toward his brother and engulfed him in a fierce bear hug. “I’m glad to see you, Caden.”

“Same here.” Caden then glanced over at Dr. Timmons. “Good seeing you again, Sedrick.” Moving across the room, the two shook hands.

Jace raised a brow, surprised Caden had easily recognized