Escape from Mr. Whitman (Emma and Theodore) novel Chapter 295

Latham said, “Something interesting must have happened.”

Larson seemed to catch his drift, letting out a low chuckle. “Now that’s intriguing.”

Latham hesitated before asking, “Are you sure you don’t want to tell Miss Bennett about this?”

“No need,” Larson replied, his tone cool. “I want to see what else they can stir up.”

Latham mulled it over. Mr. Rossi was probably trying to shield Miss Bennett from all the ugliness, sending a clear message: it was time to let go of Theodore Whitman, once and for all.

Still, with Mr. Rossi around, Miss Bennett and her grandmother were under careful protection. Nothing was likely to go wrong.

Larson had barely put his phone away when the grandmother stirred on her hospital bed.

Her eyelids fluttered, and she let out a faint, raspy whisper. “Emmie…”

Both Emma and Larson jumped to their feet, each taking a side of the bed.

“Grandma, I’m here, Emmie’s right here…” Emma clasped her grandmother’s hand, her voice trembling as she fought back tears.

Grandma’s mind was still foggy, but hearing Emma’s voice, tears welled up at the corners of her eyes. She murmured, “Emmie went so far away… Grandma’s dirty… Emmie, don’t come close…”

Emma’s heart twisted painfully. She leaned down, pressing her cheek to her grandmother’s face. “Don’t say that, Grandma. You’re not dirty. We’re at the hospital now—everything’s going to be okay. No one will ever hurt you again…”

“Look, Grandma, you’ve got an IV in, see? Everything’s clean and safe. There’s nothing to be afraid of…” As she spoke, Emma kissed her grandmother’s cheek, just as she used to when she was little—trying to comfort the woman who’d once been her only source of love.

Grandma must have sensed she was safe at last, and with emotion too strong to contain, the two clung to each other and wept.

Larson let them cry for a while, then gently wrapped his arms around both of them. “Alright, alright, it’s okay now. No more tears.”

The doctor examined Grandma carefully, paying special attention to her eyes. When he finished, he turned to Emma and Larson. “Don’t worry. The vision loss is temporary—her body was severely dehydrated, but she’ll recover. In fact, she’s doing better than when she was admitted. With some rest, she should be fine. She’s not very old and her health is generally good.”

Emma finally breathed a sigh of relief.

“I’ll go adjust her medication. If you need anything, call me,” the doctor said before leaving with the nurse.

As soon as they were gone, Emma started to sit down to talk to her grandmother, but Theodore swooped in first, taking the old woman’s hand. “Grandma, I’m here. Is there anything you want to eat? I’ll get it for you.”

Once again, Grandma pulled her hand away.

“Grandma…” Theodore looked stunned, his voice shaking. “It’s me, Theodore…”

But Grandma just closed her eyes, exhausted, and waved him away.