CEO Of My Heart 190 190

"Henry are you sure?" Nolan used his thumb to wipe away a bit of smudge on the clock face.  "This is such a personal thing to give to someone else. I can't believe that you've done so much for me in the span of a couple hours.  I don't know how I can even begin to pay back all that you've done for my family."

Wrinkles appeared in Henry's forehead as he waved Nolan off.  "It's nothing you should be too proud of. I am going you stuff that was given to me for free.  Thank the person who goes above and beyond for you. I am not doing something that puts me at any disadvantage.  This is not something I should be thanked for. It's really nothing."

"It's not nothing.  I have a lot of cla.s.smates who are very well off.  Some have parents who are doing well in China or Dubai.  They're completely ignorant when people around them are suffering and most of the time if they are made aware of it they get incredible annoyed.  I only came here because I really had lost all hope." Nolan looked at Henry with a curious frown. "Why don't you like it when people thank you, Henry?"

The strange question served to make Henry feel unbalanced at unbidden the answer echoed in his mind.

I shouldn't be thanked.

The deep seated unease came from that one decisive moment where he had thrown everything away.

Henry shook his head as he wanted to travel to more safer topics.  "Is there someone named Himanshu I should know about?"

"What?  I can't believe that she would . . .  How on earth did you find out about him?" Nolan put the watch to his ear to hear if it did made any sound when it moved.

"Remember when Ellie had her falling incident when she was recovering from being addicted to the hospital issued anesthetics?  It was around that time that she mentioned it as where she wanted to be at the time." Henry was careful to maintain a mask of civility to avoid answering what he hoped wouldn't be a follow up question.  "I have told her that if she has other men in her life that she would rather be with it can be arranged that they meet her here. I don't take any offense, but she got really quiet so I didn't push her. I'm not too sure that it was even a serious relationship at this point.  But I did wonder if it was the opposite and he hurt her or was abusive in some way?"

"Ellie is pretty tough, but I doubt that she would allow herself to be seduced by someone nefarious.  I don't think he was ever anything less than a gentlemen to her. You know, after her racing career fell apart and she was hospital bound.  I think I forgot that she was dating someone before then." Nolan looked wistfully out of the full windows at the skyline. "From her text messages from before she had the accident, I think Himanshu is a cardiologist from California.  She met him while at an afterparty and they really hit it off. I think Ellie wanted to be more serious with him, but you know her life is nomadic and pretty much a circus at that point it was. I don't think she has ever brought him up since being in the city."