“Dad! Are you serious? What can I do to her? That damn family curse of yours would probably kill me if I did something to my dearly beloved.” He didn’t sound too pleased with this beloved person, whoever she was.
What the hell was I doing in his bed if he had someone else? “Hurry up and do something, Dad.” Either he or someone else sat on the bed next to me and grabbed my hand. “Wake up, Jess, open your eyes.” Why does he sound so scared?
“Come on, baby, do it for me?” Huh? Who’s his baby? Wasn’t he just talking about his dearly beloved? I wonder who she is. She’s probably really pretty and smart. I felt that familiar pain in my chest and felt the tears gather in my closed eyes.
“What the fuck, she’s crying in her sleep. Dad, do something.” Someone started poking around at my arm, and I swatted them away, or at least I think I did. My limbs felt so heavy, I wasn’t sure I had the strength to lift them.
He sat on the bed beside me, taking my hand in his, and I felt that heaviness pass, but had no interest in waking up. Since he was here and I was safe, I let myself drift off again to the sound of him screaming my name.
JULIUS
Ithink she did that shit on purpose to scare the hell outta me. It took Dad forever to convince me that she was just sleeping, but now he and my idiot brother have decided that they will not help me in the future, all because I told them both to get bent once I was sure she was okay.
I don’t know what happened there. It was fine when she was passed out, and I was focused on my fear of losing her. But once the danger had passed, I realized they were too close to her. Granted, they’re doctors, and that’s what they do, but that shit felt like an unbearable itch under my skin.
I felt claustrophobic, which I’m not, and for a few seconds there, I almost tore my brother’s throat out for getting too close to the bed where she laid. In the end, they both ended up giving me shit like this; irrational family bullshit was my doing.
My phone rang as I sat next to the bed watching over her, and it was only then that I remembered the meeting I was supposed to attend earlier today. A meeting I myself had pushed for for the past six months. Whatever!
“It’s me!”
“Mr Blair, this is Mr. William’s secretary, please hold the line.” There was a slight pause before the other man came on the line.
“Blair, what’s going on? You ran me to ground for months, and now that I’ve agreed to meet, you don’t show up?”
I looked at the girl in my bed and felt no regret about the billion-dollar deal I just lost out on. “Sorry about that, my fiancée became ill, and I couldn’t leave her.” He didn’t say anything for the first few seconds, and I was surprisingly unfazed. If I had to do it all over again, I wouldn’t change a thing.
Even though it turns out that she’s not sick, that panic I felt earlier still lingered. There’s no way I could’ve left her to go to the meeting, no matter how important it once was. “So, you walked away from a billion-dollar deal.”
“Yes.”
“Fine! I’ll have the contract signed and delivered first thing tomorrow.”
“Excuse me?” He laughed at my surprise.
“I have a wife and two daughters, trust me, I know how it is when one of them is under the weather. In thirty years, I’ve never left my wife’s side if she’s sick.”
I waited for the catch. As far as I know, the stalwart businessman has always been known for his cutthroat business acumen. I’ve never heard of him being sentimental where family is concerned. “You’re serious!” This old man better not be playing me. It’s true I preferred working with his company over others, but there was nothing stopping me from making the deal with someone else.
“I’m very serious. I like to know the people I’m working with have something more than money going for them. The fact that you were willing to give up this lucrative deal to take care of your loved one says a lot about your character. I look forward to working with you, and I hope your fiancée gets better soon.”
JESSICA
Huh,missed a business meeting to sit next to my bed, did you! The phone ringing had finally woken me up, but I didn’t open my eyes right away. I listened to his end of the conversation and pieced it together. I ignored my heart’s glee for the time being and the way it made me feel knowing that he’d done that for me.
“I know you’re awake; you can stop pretending now.” I let my eyes slowly open as I turned on my side, facing him.
“What’re you yelling about?” Damn, I hate to admit it, but I feel better than I have in years. I looked at my watch and saw that it was almost five in the evening. I slept for a solid twenty hours or thereabouts.
I sat up and stretched to get the kinks out, and this one was already in my face. “Here, drink this. I’ll go bring you something to eat.”
“I’m not hungry.”
“I didn’t ask. Go get cleaned up, I’ll be back in a bit.” I bet you’ll find me exactly where you left me, and I’m not eating shit.
“I know that look, and you can forget it. I’ll force-feed you if I have to. Or I can call your Dad and ask the good doctor why his daughter is almost malnourished.”
“Ooh, you’re going to ask Chase Thornton that? Use my phone.” I picked it up from the night table and held it out to him. This ought to be good.
