Chapter 1
Ian
The last thing I expected was that meeting a woman in Starbucks was going to knock me for such a loop. But that was exactly what happened the morning a fiery redhead paid for my coffee to save my ass from an angry, caffeine-starved mob. I was attracted to her the moment our eyes met.
Now, here I sat a week later in a hospital waiting room because I couldn’t imagine being anywhere else when I knew she needed a shoulder to lean on. Even though we didn’t really know much about each other, in the few days we’d hung out we’d grown close enough that I knew I wanted to be here for her. And based on her family situation, I knew she needed me to be.
Sitting in the middle of the white-everything room with the faint smell of chemicals and sanitizers stinging my nostrils, I’d been wrapped up in a game on my phone for a good hour before I realized that Kate still hadn’t come back. I felt like it’d only been a few minutes when I paused the game to check the time, and I realized my neck was stiff as I stretched.
I could hardly believe I’d been absorbed in my phone that entire time. I should’ve been working, but I’d been so hell bent on getting to Kate that I hadn’t brought my computer or anything to do work on. All I had was my phone…and the silly game I’d downloaded.
Kate had been gone for a while now, which was fine. I was here for her, not here for me.
I couldn’t believe the severe lack of shit to do in the waiting room. Every other time I’d been in a waiting room there had been a crappy old TV programmed forever on some boring channel, but this time I didn’t even have that luxury.
Truth was, I was a little concerned. The doctor was just supposed to borrow her for a quick second and that had turned into an hour. Hopefully everything was okay.
I loosened my tie and unfastened the top button on my collar. I felt like I couldn’t breathe all of a sudden. The musty smell of chemicals and piss must have been getting to me.
Sighing, I pressed the palms of my hands into my eyes and rubbed and then leaned back, sinking further down in the seat. My ass was getting numb. I couldn't stop my mind from drifting. My thoughts didn’t fall on Claire or Kate, though, like one might expect. Instead, I started thinking about the man I’d seen sauntering down the hospital corridor just after Kate disappeared with the doctor. Michael Murphy. The current thorn in my CEO side. I couldn’t help but wonder if he was somehow wracked with the sort of terrible thoughts that I’d been thinking. The ones that an idle mind always shifted to in times of distress.
What the hell was he doing here, anyway? I had to wonder if he was here to see a loved one, and if that loved one was okay. Or, maybe, like me, he was here to support someone else.
Hilarious idea—Michael Murphy, the biggest asshole in New York City, being at the hospital, or anywhere, to support someone.
Then again, his walk had certainly seemed hurried—too hurried for a casual visit. He’d seemed awfully determined to get somewhere, and his eyes had looked haunted, troubled. To say it was strange to see him that way was an understatement. The man was a stone-cold statue — strong, sturdy. People like Michael Murphy didn’t feel. He’d never shown any sort of emotion for as long as I’d known him.
My phone buzzed in the palm of my hand, and a name flashed with a text notification at the top of the screen. It was Jerome. Senior Vice President Asshole. One of the sharpest pains in my ass. He couldn't stand that I'd been made CEO after my father’s untimely death a year ago.
I scowled as I hesitantly unlocked my phone and opened the text message. I wondered if I should even bother to read it. I’d taken the rest of the day off. He was VP. He could deal with it.
But I knew it had to be important. Jerome and I weren’t best friends. We barely spoke unless it was something pressing, and we sure as hell never texted one another. So it had to be something big for him to text me in the first place.
Before I could read it, another text came in. This time, though, it was from Janice. I sighed as I stared at the two names and the small little envelope beside each of them. I took a deep breath and growled as I flipped my thumb over the screen to read one at a time. Naturally, I read Janice’s first. She was slow at texting, so it was entirely possible that hers was supposed to be sent — and therefore read — first, anyhow. Besides, I was far more interested in reading what she had to say, as well as her take on whatever colossal bullshit awaited me, than I was in hearing Jerome’s bullshit.
The text read, Sorry to bother you. Mr. Pfeiffer needs you back ASAP.
“What the fuck?” It looked like I was definitely going to have to read Jerome’s text now.
I moved my thumb over my screen again to pull up his message. We had a total of three exchanges on the entire thread. I shook my head at how much of a horse’s ass he was in all three of them — especially the newest.
Unlike you, I actually worked today and landed a big investment opportunity. Papers are ready for you to sign.
Asshat.
I sighed and tucked my phone into my pocket. I gathered my scarf and overcoat and folded each over my forearm and looked toward the direction Kate had disappeared. I wanted to find her before I left. I really didn’t want to leave without seeing her, but Jerome was right — I had work that needed my attention. The company wouldn’t hold its breath, waiting for me to return. My dad probably would have promoted Jerome and demoted me right on the spot if he’d known I’d let my feelings get in the way of landing a “big investment opportunity.”
I could only wonder what Jerome meant by a “big investment opportunity.” How big were we talking? Although it was Jerome who made the deal, a part of me couldn’t help but feel a little excited about it. I always loved big opportunities that meant more money for the company. Money talked to me. It pumped adrenaline through my veins and made me feel alive.
But still, despite that feeling — and the fact that I usually craved it — I was willing to give that up to at least find Kate and say goodbye. If Dad were here, he’d tell me to forget Kate, forget about saying goodbye, forget about having a life. A part of me nearly listened to his voice in my head, urging me to drop everything and get back to the office…but another part of me couldn't stomach the thought of abandoning Kate without at least a goodbye.
I stood and started walking. I rounded the corner, away from the nurse’s station and toward drawn curtains. It didn’t take me long to figure out that the emergency cubicles were like a fucking maze. All I heard was sickness and sorrow all around me. Behind every curtain I passed, someone lay suffering on the other side. It was like walking alongside the Grim Reaper as I searched through the maze. The sounds of coughs, moans of pain and anguish, vomit splattering against the floor echoed at every turn.
All of a sudden, dizziness swirled in my head. The world was spinning on its axis and my stomach began to whirl and jolt. I felt like I was going to hurl and pass out. Hard. Right in the middle of the hallway.
I wondered if I was even allowed this far back. Why hadn’t anyone stopped me yet? But no one even looked at me. Doctors ran past. Nurses, too. No one looked my way. I mean, I understood on one hand. They had a job to do. Their job was to keep people alive, not be security guards. But I still had to wonder why no one seemed to question a man who was clearly lost and roaming the hallways.
Clearly she was in an office, or behind a curtain with her sister. I knew the chances of me finding her without making a scene were slim, but I had to try. I couldn’t leave without telling her, and somehow a text just didn’t seem right.
Just as I was about to turn around and go back toward the waiting room, I heard a curtain screech open. A familiar head of fiery red hair emerged from behind it.
She looked as beautiful as always, and she sure as hell was a sight for sore eyes. I smiled in relief. She smiled back, but I could tell something was wrong. Her bright eyes were shadowed in worry, and her eyebrows were scrunched together in a concerned scowl. Her complexion was still drawn and pale.
“Kate?” I said, concerned.
Immediately, her eyes filled with tears. Something more had happened.