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“We’re working on it,” Max said.

Then the doctor came in. He informed Joy that all of her tests came back negative and she was free to go.

“About time!” said Tess as she and everybody else other than William and Joy stood up.

“Follow up with your primary care physician within the next couple days, and I’ll sign the release paper work.”

“Thank you, Doctor,” Joy said.

“Absolutely,” the doctor said, although he was looking more at William than at Joy, and then he left.

And William stood up. “Okay, it’s time to get out of here,” he said to Joy.

But Joy was hesitant. She came to Bridell for a reason. That reason, despite that shooting, was still there. “I think I’ll stay with Gramps for a few days,” she said.

William looked at her. Everybody could tell he was pissed. “What?”

Joy felt bad because she knew he risked his life to save hers, but she couldn’t act as if the other thing he did to her never happened. It happened. And it still hurt. “I’m going to stay with Gramps for a few days.”

“I think that’s best,” Tess said in support of Joy’s decision.

But William wasn’t about to go along so easily. “You’re coming home with me,” he said firmly. “That’s not debatable.”

Joy knew he wouldn’t like it. “I need some time to think, William.”

“No,” William said with an undertone of anger in his voice. “That’s not happening.”

But now Gramps was getting riled up. “What you mean it ain’t happening?” he asked William. “You cheated on her. Let’s just put it out there. You did great when you saved her life, but you still cheated on her.”

“I did not cheat on her!”

“Whatever you wanna call it, you did it,” said Gramps. “She’s coming home with me.”

William had to contain his rage. “Gramps, I mean you know disrespect, but where Joynetta goes after she leaves this hospital is not up to you.”

“It ain’t up to me,” said Gramps. “You’re right about that. But it ain’t up to you either. It’s up to Netta. And Netta already said she’s coming home with me.”

“Everybody out,” William said as Bobby, Tess, Cory and Max, all of whom worked for William, began leaving. None of them were in any position to defy him.

Then William looked at Joy. “We’re going home.”

“We have issues, William,” Joy said with a plea in her voice.

“And we’ll solve them. We,” he said, pointing to himself and Joy, “will solve them. Nobody else. Now where are your clothes?”

Joy knew William could be forceful and hard-driving. She knew he could be even domineering at times too. But he wasn’t wrong. Running away from their problems wasn’t going to solve them. She pointed to the closet. William went to get her clothes.

Joy then looked at Gramps. “You don’t have to go, Baby Girl,” he said. “It’s up to you.”

“I know, Gramps. But I’ll be okay.”

“Sure about that?”

She nodded. Although he could tell she was fighting back tears.

“You come to me if it’s not working out. Don’t you dare stay just because somebody else wants you to stay. You stay because you wanna stay. You hear me?”

Joy nodded as William returned to the bed with her clothes. “I hear you, Gramps.” Then she thought of something. “Gramps?”