Chapter 6

 

Adrian answered all the questions put to him as he waited his turn to go to the podium. Yesterday had been a nightmare. Not for him, but for the people that had come into the meeting with him and the four board members. In addition to Henry, the Feds had come in to help with clean up and fall out, as well as a couple of other people from the White House.

It was said to anyone who asked that they were there on behalf of the president. Adrian didn’t inquire but let the events of the last twenty-four hours roll around in his head. And now, here he was again, in front of a lot of people, and he was going to inform them of what they’d found from his investigation. Dylan and Grandda were standing with him.

“There sure are a lot of people out there. Why, they’re lined up about butt hole to belly button.” Adrian asked his grandda, not for the first time, if there was a book of his quotes where someone could read them. “I don’t know, son. I just call it like I sees it. You have to admit, it’s about as true as it can be.”

“Yes, it is. However, if you could refrain from projecting the hillbilly for a while, I’ll be forever grateful to you.” He just laughed, and Adrian shook his head. “I don’t know why this is being made to be such a big deal. I mean, they’ve arrested Lily and charged her with a lot of things I didn’t even know about. And the hospital is getting a major overhaul when it comes to not just the board but finding more doctors and nurses.”

“They have to have this out in the open. Let the people know that they’re not going not put up with this shit anymore.” Adrian just looked at Carter. “What? You don’t believe me?”

“No, I believe you. But still, this didn’t need this much fanfare, I don’t think.” His name was called, and he went up to the podium, and waited while it seemed like fifty lights from cameras went off in front of him. “Good afternoon. My name is Adrian Whitfield, acting governor for the state of Ohio. I’m here to ask—”

“What do you have to say about the parents of one of your sisters-in-law?” “Have you found out anymore about the missing men?” “I’d like for you to tell me when the rest of the state is going to see you.”

Adrian didn’t bother answering the questions that were thrown to him. They had nothing to do with what he was there for, so Dylan told him to ignore them. What he said up here now, it was going to set the tone for the rest of his elections. And he didn’t want that haunting him.

“Mercy Hospital has been closed down for an upgrade for the next month or so. My sister-in-law was working there when she met my brother. Because of her explanations of things that she’d encountered, I and some of my family did a detailed investigation into some other allegations that have been put before the board there. What we found was far more than we had expected.” He looked down at the list of things that had been found and the marks next to the ones that he could share. The police department, as well as some people from the White House, had gone over everything. “Yesterday, late yesterday afternoon, I came here on behalf of Doctor Ivy Walton Whitfield, surgeon. She was being harassed by Lily Donaldson, the head of the hospital and boss of Doctor Whitfield. In the investigation of her ill treatment of her, it was discovered that not only had she been skimming money from the hospital, she was also taking advantage of her position here.”

A woman stood up; she had neither paper nor microphone as most of the others did. She told them her name, Victoria James, ER doctor. After clearing her throat several times, she began to talk.

“I worked at Mercy, like a great many other people that are here today. Most of the others were fired or were forced to quit when Donaldson decided that we could no longer have vacation time. Also, we were forbidden to treat a certain clientele. Additionally, we had to make sure that they had insurance as well as money before treating them.” She looked around the room, then back up at him. “I lost my husband because of her. He wouldn’t be there for me when I could no longer be there even for myself. I was working, as many of us were required to do, eighty to a hundred hours per week. Most of the time triple shifts, because so many of the others left. Ivy, she was one of the best surgeons that I’ve had the pleasure of working with and stood up for the nurses several times—until such time that they had to ask her to stop, as it was harder for them, you see. Donaldson would make it horrendous for them. I would like to thank you. Thank you from the bottom of my heart for your making a difference around here. You will have my vote at whatever you do, Mr. Whitfield.”

Adrian hadn’t expected that. He admired the woman for realizing why he’d done this. Adrian asked her to please find one of his staff when this was over to see if the accounting that they had on Donaldson was accurate about unpaid time.

He turned questions that he didn’t know the answer to over to the men from the different agencies that were helping look into this. Adrian did answer a lot of them, mostly about how the things had been found, and after that, how he had reported it to the proper people so that justice could be found.

Another hour went by, and he was beginning to feel like, for some reason, he’d failed these people. Adrian knew that he’d not been in charge of such things, and had it not been for Ivy, he wouldn’t have known either, but someone should have. And he wanted to find out why they hadn’t.

People started whispering when he was coming off the stage. He would have thought he’d not be able to hear people whispering, but with so many in the room, butt hole to belly button as Grandda had said, the whole of it would be loud. He was called back to the podium when he recognized Henry standing there waiting for him.

“Ladies and gentlemen, if you were to give me a moment or two of your time now, I’d very much appreciate it.” Everyone seemed to be blown away by the president coming to their town. “I cannot stay long—I have a few things going on right now.” The twitter of laughter had Adrian relaxing a little. “When I heard what was going on here in this fine town, I knew that I had to have a closer look at things. Adrian’s name, as you can well imagine, has been coming to me for the last month or so. But with this, I felt that it was something that I’d have to thank him for myself. He’s done you all very proud with this. No town should ever be without a medical unit nearby.”

Adrian shook his hand, then was pulled in for one of those manly hugs. He hadn’t expected Henry to be there, nor did he think that anyone else had. After Henry shook the hand of his grandda and Carter, he waved to the crowd of people and left the building. Adrian just stood there feeling like he’d been hit between the eyes. Then the questions began anew.

They asked how long he’d known the president. Did he endorse him going to the senate? A few people even asked if he was going to run for president when the time came. He smiled at the crowd and knew that this was what Henry had planned when he’d come here today. Henry wanted him to throw his hat into the race for presidency soon.

“Yes, I do plan to run for senate. And President Cobb has been a good friend of the family for some time. He has encouraged me to run not just for the governor seat that came up, but also for other things that would get me to the White House.” The questions then were too many, and with all of them being shouted toward him, Adrian didn’t know how to answer them. Grandda joined him at the podium then, and simply put his hand up and the room quieted.

“Most of you know me. And my family.” A lot of people shouted that they were good people. “Thank you. Me and my family, we sure do thank you for making Adrian here feel so welcome. And we’re thankful that he’s working so hard to make this state a place where others might like to live.”

After a little more of Grandda talking him up, he led him off the stage and into the awaiting car. They were expected home, the three of them. Adrian leaned back in his seat as soon as Carter joined them.

“You did good up there, Adrian.” He asked Carter if she’d known that Henry had been going to join them. “Sure, I did. And the reason I didn’t tell you is, I wanted you to look just as surprised as the rest of them were. It plays better on the television that way.”

Adrian would have gladly strangled her if he wasn’t so afraid she’d hurt him. When she laughed, he knew that she was invading his mind and let her see how he was going to hurt her. Not that he would. He loved this woman as much as he did his brothers. She was just a pain in his ass.

“All right. Lily Donaldson is in jail. She has a trial date set for some time after the new year. I’m thinking that they want to gather up as much as they can, simply to make a better case. That’s what I’d do.” He asked her what she thought was going to happen to her. “Don’t know for sure, but a lot of people want her hung out to dry. Most of the board too. By the way, not only are your parents staying on the board, they’ve been asked to find trustworthy men and women to be there too.”

“So, this is done?” Carter told him that she thought it was only the start. “What do you mean? You think they’ll find more shit out about this place?”

“Could be, but I doubt it. But what I meant was, there will be a good many other hospitals that will be taking better care with their staff. No one wants the president and future president coming in and taking over.” Adrian could imagine that. He laid his head back and closed his eyes. “Adrian, you need to be aware that you’re going to have to start beefing up your security. I know that you can take care of yourself, but you’d be better off having men around you that you can trust. And soon.”

“You can be in charge of it. You and the rest of the Whitfield women. Not my mom though. She’ll have me wearing protective gear all the time. And my mate, if she comes around, won’t be able to find me.” They were all laughing when he got out of the car at his home.

Adrian wanted to just go in, get into his bed, and forget the day. But he’d promised Adam that he’d help him get the soil ready for the peas that they planted each year in late winter. His mom could make the best creamed peas that were ever made, as far as he was concerned.

He waited for his brother to come by for an hour. Adrian didn’t want to call him out, tell him about schedules, so he didn’t. Adam wouldn’t miss working with him unless it was an emergency. With a new mate, he’d bet his last dollar that she was the reason that he wasn’t showing up. And Adrian didn’t even care. He was too exhausted to do much of anything right now.

Going into the house, stripping down as he made his way up the stairs, Adrian thought for sure that he could very easily sleep for a month. Not even bothering with putting on his lounge pants, he fell into the bed. Whatever happened for the rest of the day, he was officially done.

Closing his eyes, he didn’t even feel sleep come over him. It was like he’d been hit by a freight train and it had knocked him out. His last thought was, if only being governor affected him like this, he could only imagine what being president would bring to him.

~*~

Adam was losing ground every day, it seemed lately. Just yesterday he’d meant to put in an order and had completely forgotten it. The seeds that he was going to plant for fun weren’t a big deal to not have for one more day, but he hated to not have his ducks in a row. Bending over his paperwork again, he looked up when he heard someone. Ivy was standing there, leaning against the door.

“Are you busy?” He started to tell her how frustrated he was with himself when she continued. “Yesterday I had a little talk with your family. They are blunt and right to the point, aren’t they? Anyway, I was going to talk to you about it last night, but I was on call and had to leave you.”

“What sort of bluntness was it?” Instead of answering him, she took a step toward him, pulling her blouse up and over her head. Then she dropped it to the floor. “I see. I’m assuming it was one of my brothers’ mates that you spoke with.”

“Yes. I guess that everyone knows what you did with me in the kitchen. I didn’t know.” By now she was kicking her shoes off, along with her pants. “I’m thinking that we should get some things straight, don’t you?”

“Yes. No. I have no idea. The moment that you took your blouse off, I couldn’t hear any more.” Ivy asked him if he needed a doctor. “Yes. I mean, if you’re meaning like I think you are, then yes, I very much need medical help.”

Adam stood up when she stood in the middle of the room. He wanted to rush her, to knock her to the floor and take her. But this was a game, a tease for them both, and Adam was thrilled to death to be playing with her. He took his belt off. Then he ripped off the T-shirt that he’d been wearing.

“You’ve put me through the ringer. I’ve wanted to take you, in any way that you’d allow me to, since I met you.” Her body warmed at his words—he could smell every part of her body lusting for his. Instead of going to her, doing anything to her, he needed to know why she was doing this. “I’ve been thinking of making love to you for several days. The thought of having you naked beneath me, having you scream out my name—”

“No, that’s not what I want.” His heart seemed to come to a screeching halt. Even his breath had soured in his lungs, his disappointment was so keen. “There isn’t any reason that you can’t be beneath me, is there? Unless you want to do this your—”

“No! I mean, no. I don’t want to do it my way. I’ll do whatever you wish.” She nodded and came closer to him. “You have no idea how much I’ve needed you. I wanted to give you time to trust me but taking cold showers several times a day was getting hard to explain. Especially since I’m not—”

“Adam, shut up.” His teeth came together so hard that he felt like his teeth had nearly shattered. “Strip for me. Then I want you to sit at your desk. In your chair. I’ve never done this before, so if it’s wrong, you’ll let me know, right?”

“Nothing you could do to me from this moment on could ever be wrong.”

He stepped back around his desk. When he seated himself, Adam had to stand again to adjust his cock twice. He’d never been so hard nor so aroused in his life. Adam remembered that she’d told him to strip, and he peeled his pants off, as well as his shoes and socks, in one motion. Looking up when she said his name, Adam swallowed twice, then two more times before he trusted himself to speak and not beg. Ivy was naked. And his.

“You are the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen. If I were to go blind at this moment, the memory of you standing before me like this would be all that I needed to sustain me for the rest of my days.” She flushed, her cheeks pinking up so much that her freckles disappeared. “I love you, Ivy Walton Whitfield. Take me.”

She sat on his desk and he wanted to take her then, shove everything off, uncaring of whatever broke, just to taste her. Instead he smoothed his hands over her skin. The warmth of her calves, her toes, even her knees made him harder still. At this rate he’d be dead, with only a smile on his face for others to wonder about.

It took her several moments to get where she seemed to be most comfortable. Adam had been told no less than a dozen times to keep his hands to himself. It was dizzying to watch her and not be able to touch her. When she leaned back on his desk, mindful of his paperwork, he looked her in the eyes as he slid his hand down her inner thigh.

Sliding his finger into her heat had her screaming out his name, coming so hard that Adam could feel her tightening around his finger. Leaning over her, inhaling her scent that would be his for a lifetime, Adam licked her from gate to nubbin. She gave him the richness of her body and he was able to taste her nectar while it flooded his mouth. Adam needed her, but first, he wanted her peaking several times more times yet. Then she screamed for him.

He couldn’t wait. Couldn’t be satisfied with just tasting her. Adam stood up and lifted her by her lovely ass, and Ivy wrapped her legs around him as he took her to the wall. Falling to the floor, he rolled to take most of it. Adam looked up at her as she sat up, her legs around his hips.

“I want to ride you.” Adam nodded. “Help me, Adam. I’m in agony just thinking about how you’re going to fill me. Bring me again and again. Then I want to bite you, draw your blood into mine.”

Helping her to rise up over him, Adam was nearly cross-eyed when she started to slide down his cock. Every time she had a tiny, heart stopping climax, he would too. There was more to come and he could not wait to have her—

“Holy Christ, that’s it.” He held her hips while she rode him. Adam couldn’t breathe well, couldn’t think beyond what she was doing to him. And when she leaned down, her breast touching his chest, he held her there and took her mouth.

He kissed her savagely, leaving her no doubt that he hungered for her, needed her so badly. And when she offered her neck to him, her hand pulling on his nipple, Adam bit down just as she sank her teeth into his shoulder. Christ, he thought, she had actually killed him.

Adam cried out, his climax surpassing any he’d had before. Even the feeling of her coming around him had him holding her slim body to his. Rolling her to her back, he took her much harder than he had thought he would, pounding her with his body brutally. And when his body came again, with him thinking that saying he was coming with his mate seemed so mundane for how he felt, Adam bit her again, this time so deeply that he heard bones breaking, felt her blood fill him to the point of being giddy with her offering.

“Again, Adam. Please, I beg of you, make me come again.”

He didn’t think he had it in him. As it stood now, he wasn’t sure that he could even walk. But not wanting to disappoint his Ivy, Adam took her breast into his mouth even as he made love to her slowly this time. He wanted to satisfy her, make her know that he wasn’t a brute, but someone that loved her dearly, worshipped her like none other. And when he kissed her once more, taking his time with reaching the darkest, richest part of her mouth, she moaned. Adam even enjoyed the taste of that small thing, knowing that he was the happiest man alive.

Ivy came three times as he made love to her. She was so responsive, so loving. And when he felt his own release racing over him, he kissed her again, felt her nails dig deeply into his flesh.

Realizing that he’d passed out, whether from exhaustion or just simply the best sex that he’d ever had, Adam woke to find that at some point, he’d rolled to his back, and Ivy was atop him with a lap blanket from the sofa pulled over the two of them. Holding her, hearing her heart beating, her breaths blowing gently over his naked flesh, Adam closed his eyes and held her. When his brother nudged at his mind, Adam told Blake to go away, to leave him to his peace.

I’d like to, big brother, but I have something I need your help on. It’s concerning something I found out about the woman that came to your house blaming you for the boy, Nathan. His name is Nathan Hitchcock. Parents are Welham and Evelyn Hitchcock. The kidnapper is Shelby Crock. He asked him if it could wait. I would like to tell you that it could, but I’m afraid that it can’t. She’s out now—on bail, apparently—and no one knows how that came to happen. Also, about the little boy; his parents have taken him to the hospital and left him there. I haven’t figured out why they did such a thing, or where they are now. The house is being packed up. The drivers of the rigs have very little information other than that they were told to pack up the house and to donate it all to the local charities. One of them even asked me if they could take what they wanted of it first. I had no idea what to tell him, so I thought I’d contact you.

Okay, good to know. But what does that have to do with me? I mean, I don’t have any idea where they’ve gone either. Blake said that he knew that. I have a feeling that you’re trying very hard to give me time to absorb something. Tell me, Blake.

Nathan tried to kill himself last night. He was staying with his parents, of course, but when they dropped him off at the hospital, I guess they told him that he wasn’t wanted. He asked him how he’d done it. Sheets tied together so that he could hang himself in the bathroom. If it hadn’t been for the nurses coming on duty, he might well have died. They were doing a bed check for the next shift and had started with his room, rather than end with it. I guess they have a routine they follow, and they broke it and ended up in his room just in time.

Adam didn’t want to do it, but he woke Ivy. After telling her what had happened, she got up and started pulling on her clothing. He put on what was left of his—his shirt was torn to shreds, and he could only find one of his socks.

“Has anyone talked to him about what he did?” Adam said that he didn’t know and asked Blake. No, he said. No one had been in to see him, as he was still in intensive care. “I’m going to call Meghan. One of her many job choices was being a social worker. She was really good at it but frustrated by the red tape that came with the job. And I have a minor in psychopathology that I think might be able to help him as well.”

“If you think that she can help him, I’ll have one of my brothers pick her up and she can meet us at the hospital.” Ivy told him that she thought that her sister was the best. “Good. I’ll have Blake call her and then pick her up.”

He remembered that he was to have met his brother at the farm to get the furrows ready for winter seeding things. Embarrassed by having to tell him that he was sorry, Adam was also happy as hell that Ivy had come to be his mate in all ways today.

By the time they got to the hospital, not only had Blake spoken to Meghan, he’d also beaten them there. They were waiting by the desk when he and Ivy made their way to the children’s care unit on the third floor. The plan was to move him to the fourth, where they were better equipped to handle this sort of thing. Ivy didn’t want that to happen. She worried a great deal about his safety.

Being a doctor of good standing and one of the family members that had brought order to the place, she was given permission to take her sister with her as she went to examine the young boy. Adam and Blake sat in one of the many chairs in the waiting room. Adam had a feeling this was going to take a while and leaned his head back against the wall. Blake did the same, not wanting to abandon him or Nathan.