AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Dr. Tevis walked toward me and pressed something cool against my stomach. Then she touched my neck.
“As soon as she’s feeling better, she needs to tell me if there are any health issues in her family’s history she may have overlooked, as I think that may be the root cause of this. You also need to make sure she does all those things on that list I gave you.”
What list?I attempted to lift my head, but I was still too weak.
“Lots of liquids, no more caffeine whatsoever, and a mandatory four-week bedrest to start,” she said. “I’ll come by every two days to run additional tests and check on her since you’ve asked me to be on call twenty-four seven so nicely.”
“I didn’t ‘ask’ you anything.” Tyler’s voice was terse.
“It was sarcasm, Tyler. I’ll see you and Chloe in a few hours.”
She left the suite, and Tyler sighed, whispering, “Did you hear any of that?”
“Yes,” I managed, and he slid his hands under my legs and positioned me in his lap.
“Are you leaving anything out of your family’s medical history?” He looked into my eyes. “Anything at all?”
“I told you everything already,” I said. “My mom had high blood pressure, and my dad had seizures sometimes. That’s it.”
He rubbed my sides. “How did they die, Chloe?”
“The coroner claimed it was a car accident,” I said. “That’s what everyone thinks to this day. I know it was a joint suicide, though.”
He raised his eyebrow.
“My dad was losing his mind,” I said. “First it was little things, not remembering his keys, going to the store and forgetting groceries, things like that. But then he started forgetting major things—who I was, who my mom was—and as a joke, he would make these birthday scavenger hunts for me, telling me to worry about my own brain instead of his.”
I briefly shut my eyes, remembering the last morning I saw his face. “The doctors wanted to have him committed to a home, but he couldn’t fathom that, and my mother couldn’t fathom living without him—whether he was all there or not— so…They followed a fuel truck on the expressway, got a little too close and, well…”
He wiped my falling tears with his fingertips, staying quiet.
“It wasn’t an accident,” I said. “I refuse to accept that.”
Tyler hugged me a bit tighter.
“What about your mother?” I looked at him. “I never researched the details out of respect, so if you’d rather not discuss it, I understand.”
“It actually was a car accident,” he said. “Some overzealous press were following her on the motorway like they always did. Long after she’d announced that she was leaving the royal life, they still followed her every move, and one evening, they got a little too close and ran into her. She died on the scene, and they never even issued an apology.”
“Is that why you hate the media so much?”
“Part of it. The other part is my family and how they could easily trust them again. They should’ve shut every last one of them after that, not used them like some sort of game.”
“I’m sorry,” I said. “Do you think your mom is happy with your decision?”
“I’m sure she’s ecstatic.” He kissed my forehead, pulling a blanket over me. “She would’ve liked you.”
“Crappy apartment and all?”
“I would’ve never let her see your apartment.” He laughed and pushed the hair off my forehead. “I know you’re going to fight me on this, but I’m not letting you break bedrest. You’ll have to miss whatever is on the calendar, maybe even the gala. I’ll take pictures for you, okay?”
“Bedrest is only four weeks.” I’d already spun my options when the doctor spoke. “The gala is in four weeks and a day. I can make that one.”
“We’ll see. You could spend your time here working on the campaigns for our top releases this month.”
“I’m already finished with that,” I said. “Guaranteed bestsellers for your first official launch.”
“Just one?”
“At least four.”
He smiled. “I’ll believe that when I see it.”
