Page 520 of Manhattan Bossholes

“I understand. And you’re not the only one,” she said and tutted. “Such tough timing for a family emergency.”

I sat up straight. “Family emergency? What’s going on?”

A beat of silence. “Oh. I thought you would know better than me. The company-wide message just mentioned a family emergency. No details, and I swore to James that I wouldn’t talk about it.”

I realized that this was more than just a welfare check. Rhea was trying to pump me for details about something, assuming that James and I were still together.

“Talk about what?” I asked as I considered the many things that could’ve gone wrong since James and I last spoke. “Rhea, tell me what you know.”

She sighed. “I said I wouldn’t tell anyone…”

“Fine, I’ll call you back later when I know more. Talk soon.” I quickly hit the disconnect button.

My heart thumped wildly. Could it be Bernie? Another heart attack? I dialed her number before I could think twice.

“Natalie, honey.” She answered the phone on the first ring, and I slumped with relief that her voice sounded as strong as ever. “Are you coming to the hospital?”

My pulse ratcheted up again. “Hospital? What happened, Bernie? Are you okay?”

“Oh, sweetheart…no one told you?”

“Told me what? I know nothing, who is in the hospital, and why?”

“I’m so sorry you didn’t hear. Everyone has been so consumed by this that we must’ve forgotten to reach out to you. James has been beside himself, as you can probably imagine. But I’m surprised that he didn’t even text you.”

I gritted my teeth waiting for her to finally connect the dots for me. “Can you please tell me who is in the hospital, Bern?”

“It’s Christopher. He, um…he had an episode and misjudged the number of pills he took.”

A suicide attempt? What had triggered it? Christopher had seemed like he was beginning a new chapter, so why would he resort to hurting himself?

“Is he okay?” I asked tentatively. “Is he awake?”

“Yes, sweetheart, he’s stable now. They need him to stay a little longer, though, because they’re running some test to check his liver enzymes, or something like that. Maybe his kidney, I can’t remember.”

“Do you know why he, uh, misjudged the pills?”

“Amanda is engaged. And pregnant.”

I breathed out my shock. “Oh no. That must’ve been so hard for him to hear.”

The one-two punch of his ex’s life changes probably toppled Christopher’s shaky emotional foundation. He always found reasons to mention her when we worked together, whether it was recalling a party she’d thrown or mentioning how amazing she looked in one of the designs. It didn’t seem like he was still in love with her, since there was always a hint of anger in his memories. But he seemed stuck in the past, tied to the woman in a way that made it impossible for him to move forward—despite how promising the future looked. It wasn’t lost on me that he always brightened when Julia came up, and I’d hoped that she could be a way forward for him.

“I think he just wanted a good night’s sleep, you know?” Bernie said. “We’ve all been so busy. It’s normal to want a little help. Right?”

I didn’t have the heart to tell her that I’d never been so desperate for sleep that I’d overdosed on pills.

“He’s getting the care he needs now, that’s all that matters,” I said.

“I think he’d love to see you,” Bernie replied softly. “Connecting with the people he cares about is good therapy. And of course, I know it would make all the difference in the world to James to have you by his side.”

My heart clenched when I realized that Bernie didn’t know how much had changed. She probably saw the Heidi mess through a different lens, like Heidi’s appearance at the show was a choreographed stunt. It wasn’t like James would have had the time to explain it to her.

“Do you really think it’s a good idea?” I asked softly.

“I do,” she said quickly. “In fact, I demand that you come. You always make Christopher smile, Natalie. You remind him how important he was to our company. You gave him a reason to get out of bed and focus. I’ve seen a new spark in him since the two of you have been brainstorming.”

I’d seen it as well. Not that I knew Christopher before, but I’d definitely seen him shift from a casual observer of my work in the beginning to an eager participant. Maybe she was right? Maybe if I showed up at the hospital, I could take his mind off his troubles for a bit? I wasn’t sure how I felt about seeing James…but if he’d been up with Christopher all night, as I was sure he had, then maybe he’d be heading home to get some sleep around now.