Windsor Greetings - Chapter 7: The Hospital
The Windsor family gathers at the hospital after receiving devastating news.
Hey, Friends! Thanks again for tuning in. I hope you’ve enjoyed reading this story as much as I’ve enjoyed writing it.
Please enjoy the next chapter in the saga of the Windsor family and their greeting card empire.
Previously On Windsor Greetings
Alex, Tyler, and Henry clash in a fiery confrontation over the future of Windsor Greetings—until a call from the hospital delivers stunning news: Uncle Tom has had a stroke.
Table of Contents
Chapter 7: The Hospital
Chapter 7: The Hospital
The family had gathered in the hospital waiting room. With them was the family’s attorney, Uncle Robert—not a real uncle, but a close family friend and longtime advisor to Windsor Greetings. He’d written the original operating agreement for the company all those years ago and oversaw Alex’s purchase of Uncle Tom’s shares.
The family’s collective level of anxiety rose with each passing minute as they waited to hear from the doctor. Alex’s mother, Jan, was in an especially poor state. She had been Uncle Tom’s rock when he lost his fiancée and remained close ever since. Their relationship was much closer than a typical brother and sister-in-law’s. She sat quietly in a chair with her head bowed and hands folded. The Windsors had never been particularly religious, but if ever there was a time to pray, this was it.
When the doctor entered, the room seemed to shrink. He removed his glasses, a gesture that carried the weight of what they all feared most. “I’m sorry,” he began, his voice soft but definitive. “The stroke was catastrophic. His brain has been without oxygen for too long. The machines are the only thing keeping him alive.” Their worst fears were now a reality.
Jan let out a quiet sob, and Alex instinctively placed an arm around her. They clung to each other, their shared grief heavy and unspoken. Henry responded more stoically as he processed the death of his last remaining sibling and perhaps began to confront the reality of his own mortality. Tyler stood close by, a single hand tightening on his father’s shoulder.
Following the passing of Uncle Tom’s fiancé, he’d given explicit instructions to his family and had Uncle Robert write into his will that if anything serious were to ever happen to him, he had no interest in prolonging his or the family’s suffering.
Uncle Robert made immediate arrangements for the family to be in the room when the doctor removed the machines. They gathered around his bed, each placing a loving hand on Uncle Tom. The doctor explained that once the ventilator was removed, his breathing would slow, leading to a gradual decline in oxygen until his heart eventually stopped.
As the doctor removed the mask, the rhythm on the heart monitor began to slow, each beat fainter than the last, until it emitted a final, steady tone. While their hearts ached with loss, the family found solace in knowing that their dear uncle was now free from the heartache he’d endured for most of his adult life. Amidst the tragedy, there was a beauty in honoring his wish to be reunited with his dearly departed.
Intellectually, Alex understood that people process grief differently, but he felt a wave of guilt wash over him when he realized where his mind went at the sound of that final tone. While his position on the family council gave him access to quarterly reports, financial statements offered no provisions for succession planning. He had no idea what would happen to Uncle Tom’s remaining shares now that he’d passed. Was he being heartless for thinking about the business and his own interests, given the circumstances?
While he was alive, Uncle Tom had given his authority to his brother Henry, but in death? Whoever inherited Uncle Tom’s remaining ownership would be granted that say, but who would that be? Heartless or not, this was top of mind for Alex, and if Tyler hadn’t already come to the same conclusion already, he would soon.
Fortunately for the family, there would be no argument over the matter. Ever pragmatic, Uncle Tom had planned for this scenario, too. With Uncle Robert’s guidance, he’d ensured there’d be no dispute over his shares. As the doctor declared a time of death, all of Uncle Tom’s remaining shares, and the authority it bestowed, immediately transferred to Alex’s mother, Jan.
Stay Tuned
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Until then,
-Mike