I sat in Christopher’s private jet, completely numb, staring straight ahead trying to process things. I had asked Christopher a million questions and he was getting tired of it but I didn’t care. Another one popped in my head. I came out of my stupor and looked at Gloria and him sitting across from me.
“But why do you think something bad happened? What if they just had an argument?” I needed to make sense of what was happening. I was starting to get worried. I remembered this feeling from when Mac and I got the news that our parents had been in an accident and we didn’t know all the details yet.
“I don’t think you understand how dangerous my father can be, Alison. It’s why I made sure you were with in my security circle. He is more than clever and sadistic and loves to torture people in many ways. Trapping people for him is like going on a hunt for a hunter. He has so many strategies and can read people so well. Trust me, this is not overkill. My father is not to be underestimated. It’s why he tried to turn you against me, he knew I would be the only person to protect you”
I sat back in my seat again and stared straight ahead. I was still trying to find a way for this to not be a bad thing. I was trying to find a way for it to not be a possibility that something had happened to Mac, the only real family I had ever known since my mom died.
I looked over at Gloria and she gave nothing away as she worked away on her laptop. I felt like maybe I would get some sort of sympathy from her now but if she had anything like that for me, she sure wasn’t showing it. I wasn’t even sure why it mattered. I didn’t usually let things like that bother me. Christopher was bringing a side of me out that was so much softer and more vulnerable. I didn’t know what to think of that. I shook my head of those thoughts. I had to concentrate. This was Mac, I needed to focus on my stepbrother.
We landed a few hours later and got into Christopher’s limo. He and Gloria were both on the phone trying to garner more information. I just stared out the window and tried to pretend like none of this was happening. I closed my eyes and took myself back to the days of being a little girl and having my mom smile lovingly at me while I played. A tear started to roll down my cheek. Who was I?
We pulled up to Christopher’s building and went up to his penthouse. I wanted to drop my stuff off at the guest suite but he told me not now. There may have been a leak or somebody on Matthew’s payroll who positioned themselves in Christopher’s security team.
This was exposing a few weaknesses and I got the chills at the idea that I was alone and vulnerable so often with Matthew knowing who and where I was.
As we were sitting there, Gloria and Christopher still on their phones, there was a loud knock at the door. So loud we all heard it all the way in the kitchen.
One of Christopher’s body guards got up to answer and we all waited to find out who it was. The doorman was behind them, a big burly man who was basically a security guard who acted as a doorman, carrying an unconscious Mac.
I yelled out Mac’s name and went running over to them. He told me to give him room while he made his way to the chaise in the living room to lay Mac down.
“What happened? Is he okay?” I ran over to him and sat on the floor next to the chaise and grabbed his hand. “Mac! Mac, wake up, Mac!” Tears were streaming down my face.
Christopher came over and gently tried to pull me away. I wasn’t having any of it.
“No, Christopher. I’m staying right here. This is my brother.” I looked back at Mac. “Mac. Come on, wake up. It’s Alice. I need my Cheshire Cat Mac. Please wake up.” I was sobbing now. He looked horrible. His head was bleeding and his arms were bruised all over. I could only imagine what the rest of him looked like under his clothes.
“The doctor is on his way up.” Gloria came over and quietly let Christopher know. I still overheard it and turned around, standing up to face them.
“The doctor? Where is the ambulance? Why aren’t we taking him to a hospital? He needs to be in a hospital!” I was hysterical, I knew I was. I didn’t care. This was Mac. Christopher tried to put his arms around me to take me over to the couch and I pushed him away. “No! Don’t try to calm me down, we need to get him to an emergency room now!”
“Listen, Alison, I know you're scared for him but trust me, a hospital is the last place he should be. My father knows how to manipulate medical staff.”
None of this was making any sense. If Christopher had all the power with the company, how did his father still have the ability to cause so much damage?
“Aren’t you the one in charge now? How can your father get away with anything anymore? You’re the powerful billionaire! Be powerful!” I was angry. I was frustrated. I was scared to lose the only person left in my life who had ties to my life before my mother died.
“Let’s talk outside, Alison.” Christopher tried to pull me out of the living room by my arm. I immediately pulled my arm away and sat back down next to the chaise, grabbing Mac’s hand.
Christopher came over to me and put his hand gently on my shoulder.
“The doctor will be here any second. He’ll need to get in there. Please, Alison, let him do his thing and let’s go talk outside.”
I closed my eyes and let more tears fall out. I did need to make room for the doctor, it was true. But I wanted to be here, though he probably wouldn’t appreciate me looming over him. I knew he was right. I nodded my head slowly as I put Mac’s hand to my cheek. Then I got up and followed Christopher and Gloria to the hallway outside the living room.
“Why are you so scared of your father? Your fear is what is letting him get away with all of this. You have so much power.”
Gloria stood there and stared at me, emotionless. That was better than the hateful looks she had been giving me but I was tired of not being able to read her and getting such negative vibes off of her.
“And you! What’s your problem, anyway? You can’t even have compassion for me when my brother is injured?” I had had enough. Gloria looked shocked and instantly got an angered look on her face. I put her on the defensive and she was not one to shy away from that.
“You are not thinking clearly, Miss Bishop. I’ll overlook that outburst.” She looked at Christopher. “It’s better that I leave you two alone. I’ll go check on the doctor.”
Christopher nodded his head at her as he closed his eyes in fatigue. He turned his attention to me and regained his focus.
“Gloria is not your enemy, I promise.”
“Oh really? Did she tell you about her little conversation with me yesterday morning?”
“Listen, Alison. That’s not important now. We have to make sure everything is okay with your brother and more importantly, find out what happened if he wakes up.”
“If? Did you just say, ‘If?’?” I was shaking. My mind was racing. Christopher looked at me with tired eyes.
“I’m sorry, Alison. I meant to say, ‘When he wakes up.’” He took me a little further into the hall and looked at me with a serious look in his eyes.
“My father just declared a war on us. It’s exactly as I feared. Yes, I am scared of what he is capable of. Not for me but for you and your brother and other people who are involved in other ways. His manipulation skills and power of persuasion are like I’ve never seen before. He is a true sociopath and when you add the fact that he still has access to a high amount of millions that he siphoned offshore through the years, he has more power than you think.”
He furrowed his brow and looked over at the doors the living room.
“Alison, my father was in power long enough to have manipulated enough people to follow him in loyalty. Only, they didn’t follow him physically, they followed him by keeping him informed and doing surveillance, on me, on other people in the company. It is hard to know who could be working for him. I know that my very close circle of a security team is good, I have done so much due diligence, there is no way they could have gotten through the cracks but when you start going outward, it is all up in the air and anybody could be on his payroll or under his manipulation.”
I stared at him, almost amused.
“Do you realize how crazy that sounds?” I laughed bitterly. “Christopher, you are a billionaire.”
“I realize that I know better than you do and when you get to this level of power, nothing is crazy. I might be a billionaire but that only makes me vulnerable in a lot of ways. My father knows exactly how to find those ways.”
I looked down and at the wall, staring off as my mind processed. That actually made a lot of sense. I was being defensive because I didn’t want any of this to be true but it was all staring me right in the face if I really looked at it. I had to accept that Christopher knew the situation much better than I did. I had to accept that I had very little control in this situation. Aha, that was it. I hated that loss of control and I was resisting, fighting against that.
“I’m sorry, Christopher. You’re right. I guess I just didn’t want any of this to be true.” I sighed and put my head against his chest. He put his arms around me and squeezed. It felt so good. He felt so good.
“Mr. Ward, the doctor is in there now if you want to come in and get a feel for the situation.” Gloria stood at the door of the living room and looked at Christopher, completely ignoring me. I would have to deal with this situation later.
“Thank you, Gloria, we’ll be right in.” He looked down at me, those blue eyes full of concern. For me. “Are you okay to go in?”
I was overcome with an appreciation of how things turned out with him. It was nice to feel real with him, especially in a situation like this. I smiled weakly to let him know I was feeling better and nodded. He kissed my forehead and grabbed my hand, leading me into the living room behind him.
“Hello, Mr. Ward. Good to see you again.” A short, bald man with glasses and handsome eyes greeted Christopher as he observed Mac’s vitals. He looked to be in his mid-forties, possibly early-fifties.
“Dr. Rickard. Thank you so much for coming on short notice, again. This is Alison Bishop, the patient’s sister.”
“Hello, Miss Bishop. Pleased to meet you.” He continued to work on Mac.
“How does he look?” Christopher squeezed my hand before letting it go and getting closer to the doctor and Mac.
“His vitals are fine. He has a terrible concussion that we are going to have to keep an eye on. I have nurses on their way to set up a bed and monitors for him. Several ribs are cracked and most of them bruised. He is going to be in a lot of pain for a while, that is for sure. But everything else is fine. We just need him to pull through this concussion. It’s touch and go whether or not there is any brain damage.”
I gasped. Brain damage? I hadn’t considered that. That was horrible. The doctor looked up and me and realized that I was the one who was most invested in this and he was being too matter of fact.
“Don’t worry, Miss Bishop. If there’s any damage, it likely won’t be severe. We just need to make sure he doesn’t fall into a coma.”
My legs gave out and I barely made it into a chair beside me. The numbness was back. I was just numb. It was a familiar feeling. All of a sudden, my mother flashed before me and I got hit with a wave of grief over everything. My mother, Robert, losing my father so young, losing so much of my life to wanting revenge. It was too much. Tears streamed down my face. I was done. This day was done for me.
Christopher saw all of this and came over to help me up.
“Let’s get you to bed. Everything will be better and more refreshed after you get some sleep.” He held me by my waist and I leaned against him, letting him prop me up. He looked over at his assistant. “Gloria?”
“Yes, Sir. I’ll let you know if anything happens.” She nodded at him and went back to talking to the doctor. I had lost my ability to follow the conversation. I was completely tuned out to what they were saying.
Christopher got me up to the guest room I had been staying in and I fell into the bed. I took off the pants I had hurriedly pulled up my legs in New Orleans and threw off the peasant shirt I had grabbed from my suitcase. I was left in my lingerie but I didn’t even notice this time. There was no energy for any of that. I just wanted to be comfortable.
I crawled under the luxurious blankets and million count sheets and laid my head on my pillow. Christopher crawled into bed next to me and my back was to him, so he came up behind me and put his arms around me in a spooning position.
“Are you okay?” He whispered in my ear as he pulled my hair back, away from my face.
“I don’t know,” I answered truthfully as I snuggled back into him. “I don’t’ know but this feels good.” He squeezed me closer to him and whispered one more thing into my ear before we both fell asleep in each other’s arms.
“Don’t worry. We’re going to get him.”
And I believed him. My life was about revenge again but this time we had the power of a billionaire backing us. I couldn’t wait to tell Mac. Then I remembered that Mac might end up in a coma. Tears streamed down my face and didn’t stop until I fell asleep.
** ** ** ** ** ** ** **
“Good morning.” Christopher pulled the curtains back and light came shining in the room. “I brought you coffee and multi grain toast. Time to get up. Get dressed, we have a full day ahead of us.”
I sat up sleepily, annoyed at Christopher’s upbeat tone and the sun shining in my face. My god, what time was it, anyway? Christopher put the bed tray in front of me and the coffee drew me in. He had the best coffee in the world. Of course he did. I immediately went for the cup and drank the nectar of the gods, savoring the flavor.
“Why are you so cheerful? Did you forget our night last night? Did you forget what is happening?” I drank more coffee and picked up a piece of the artisan toast. It was delicious. I was almost annoyed but I definitely wasn’t going to stop eating it. Didn’t I deserve these luxuries? I had to examine why I reacted this way.
“Your brother is awake! He made it through the night without falling into a coma. He still has to be monitored for a few days while his ribs get to a better place and to make sure the concussion doesn’t get worse but he’s awake and he’s talking.” Christopher smiled at me, excitedly. “Now we can find out what happened and combine our revenge plans.” He rubbed his hands together and stared out the window with a look of anticipation.
“Mac is okay?” I perked right up and felt a surge of joy.
“He is. He’s in a lot of pain but he’s just fine. He’s asking about you. He doesn’t remember coming here but he remembered the intention to come here, so he knows where he is but he hasn’t seen me yet. I figured we should ease him into that. He should see you first and then we can bring me in after you talk for a bit.”
I took a bite of the gorgeous bread and followed it with a big gulp of the delicious coffee and closed my eyes, relishing everything. This was such good news.
“Brilliant planning, Mr. Ward. That is definitely the way to handle Mac.” I took another bite of toast and smiled at him, admiringly.
“Well, when Gloria told me that he was asking for you and then questioning where that ‘bastard Christopher Ward’ was, I figured it was the only way to go.”
I laughed. That was Mac, alright. It was definitely him. This was going to be a challenge but I was so happy he was okay. I finished my breakfast and put the tray to the side as I bolted up to get dressed. I was feeling very giddy. I had forgotten that I was wearing sexy lingerie until I saw the look in Christopher’s eyes.
I smiled demurely and walked with confidence to the closet where I had put some of my clothes.
“Getting an eyeful, Mr. Ward?”
“I’m getting more than that.” He smiled as he came up to me and pulled me close to him by my waist. His face came down to mine and got close enough to kiss but just stopped short. “Good morning, Alison. Are you ready?”
“Good morning.” I looked up and smiled at him and nodded my head with glee. “I have never been more ready.”
“Good girl.” He almost growled as he pulled me in even closer and kissed me hard. I let go and let him take over, kissing him back with abandon. The thrill that went through me when he called me a ‘good girl.’ I couldn’t believe how much it affected me.
** ** ** ** ** ** ** **
“Mac!” I yelled his name as I entered the living room and saw him in the hospital bed the nurses must have set up in the night as I slept. “You’re awake! How are you feeling?”
I went to hug him, completely forgetting about his ribs and heard him yelp under me. I jerked away in surprise and then I remembered.
“Oh no! I’m so sorry!” I put my hands out, wanting to make him feel better and correct my mistake but making sure not to touch him.
“It’s okay, Alice. Just be a bit more careful. This hurts like a bitch.” He grimaced as he repositioned himself and I sat in a folding chair that had been set up next to him, most likely for the doctor.
“So, other than the pain, how do you feel?” I grabbed his hand, happily. I was overjoyed to see him awake and alive and calling me Alice.
“I feel like I got hit by a train and then somebody dropped a ton of bricks on me.” He grimaced again as he couldn’t seem to find a comfortable spot. “God, can I get some pain medication?” He looked over at a nurse who was sitting on one of the couches, writing in a chart.
She looked up and got an annoyed look on her face as if he interrupted her and it wasn’t her job to help him.
“It’s not time yet, Mr. Dunn. You know that. You have another hour.” She went back to writing in her chart and it was obvious there was no budging her. Her tone seemed a bit weird for a nurse but I was in no position to say anything.
“Great. Thanks, Nancy.” Mac hit his head back against his pillow and looked up at the ceiling. “Jesus, Alice. This sucks.”
“I’m so sorry.” I squeezed his hand and then looked at him with concern. “What happened last night, Mac?”
He looked over at me. I could see the pain in his eyes but then anger flashed through them that was even stronger. His eyes went dark and he narrowed them as he looked up at the ceiling.
“The Ward family happened. I didn’t get to my source. We have to figure out our next move from here.” He groaned as he switched positions again.
“Mac. Be careful, don’t move around too much.” I was letting him get his say. I wouldn’t interrupt him until I got the full story, then I would start trying to bring him around. I debated on whether I should fill him in about Christopher. Maybe it wasn’t the right time with him being so injured.
“Alice. Don’t tell Christopher a thing. We are going to sneak out of here in the next day or so. I’ve got some hacker friends standing by.”
I looked at him, a feeling of guilt swept through me. This was not going to be easy. His mind was so made up about everything. I patted his hand and smiled at him sadly.
“Please tell me what happened, Mac.” I had to get it out of him. If he knew I had changed my mind about Christopher, there was no way he would tell me a thing.
“I went to meet my source, which I’m fairly certain was connected to Matthew now.”
Oh no, he was making a connection between the two. This would make it harder to get him to trust Christopher, considering it was Christopher who sent the source.
“When I walked into the club, I started scanning the room, looking for the hat that my source said he would be wearing but the only thing my eyes could focus on was Matthew Ward.” He stared up at the ceiling as he remembered the night.
“Did he recognize you?”
Mac looked at me and for a second a look of fear passed through his eyes.
“Alice, he knew exactly who I was. He knows who you are too. He has known who we were for a very long time. He has been following our lives. He knew so much about us.”
My stomach did a flip-flop. How was that possible? The thought of him keeping track of us all this time made me feel sick. But then again, so did Christopher. My stomach did another flip-flop. This was making me feel very uneasy.
“He what? He has been keeping track of us?”
“Oh yeah. He must have dossiers on us because he knew everything about our lives. He even knew about our revenge plan.” Mac frowned as he moved positions and had to deal with the pain. He shot the nurse a dirty look before he continued.
I wondered if Christopher knew that. How could I tell Mac that Christopher has known all along as well? It would seem too strange. How did Matthew know? He must have had somebody close to Christopher that reported to him. It all made sense immediately as the thought jumped into my head.
“Last night. The reason this happened. He was trying to torture me to get information out of me about what information I had. Well, he didn’t, the coward. He had some big burly guy go at me as he asked me questions.”
“He tortured you? Oh my god, Mac.”
“Yeah, and not just physically either. Alice, some of the things he said. He talked about what he did to our parents. He told me what a loser my father was and just taunted me with everything he knew about my father and tried to get a rise out of me. The angrier I got, the more excited and happy he got. I couldn’t help it, Alice. The man is a psychopath. I don’t know anybody who would have been able to keep it together. I gave him false information, though. I had a false plan, just in case something like this were to happen but I never actually thought it would.”
Mac was always over prepared for everything and it worked in his favor this time. I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. Christopher was right, this man was very dangerous.
“So, why did he leave you alive, why didn’t he kill you?”
“I don’t know, Alice. I think to send a message. Who knows? I just know we need to get out of here.” He tried to sit up straighter and I could see the pain in his face. I felt so helpless.
“Okay, Mac. You need to rest right now. Let me go pack a few things and I’ll be back so we can figure out how to get out of here. We have to be careful because you are still under concussion monitoring.” I stood up to get ready to go get all this straight with Christopher.
“Be careful, Alice. Not everybody can be trusted.” He looked at me intensely and I felt a dread in my stomach. I didn’t want to admit it but I knew exactly what he was saying. Matthew had infiltrated this place somehow. He seemed to have infiltrated everywhere.
“Get some rest, Mac.” I was glad I hadn’t told him anything. I was glad for the warning, though. I would be extra careful when I talked to Christopher
“Nurse! It’s time. It’s time. Give me my medicine!” He had that wacky Mac sound to his voice that he got when he played around with somebody. But when he looked back at me his face went serious again and I detected a slight nod as in he wanted confirmation that I understood him.
I nodded slightly in return to let him know I was listening to both what he was and wasn’t saying.
The nurse smiled at his playfulness and rolled her eyes, getting up to give him his medicine slightly early. His crazy charm broke through her icy shell. I made a note to myself to try that with Gloria.
** ** ** ** ** ** ** **
I sat on the bed in the guest room that had already been made by the housekeeper. Perfect hospital corners. I bet Christopher expected a high standard with his help. And why shouldn’t he of course? But I wondered if he would cause a ruckus if she missed a corner or if she was slightly less military with her bed making skills.
So many things danced in my head. I was tired of going back and forth between trusting Christopher and not trusting him. Now, I didn’t even feel like I could trust his security. I could see how Christopher’s mom went crazy. I almost felt like I was getting there myself. Nothing felt real, nobody felt stable.
“Are you okay?” Christopher’s voice came behind me. I didn’t hear him come in, I wondered how long he had been there. I was so lost in my thoughts.
“Today’s Sunday, right?” I continued to stare at the wall in front of me.
“That’s right. Why?”
“It feels like a year since we left for New Orleans but it’s only been a day.” I broke my focus on the wall and turned to look at Christopher. “How is that possible?”
“Time isn’t as linear as we think? I don’t know, ask an astrophysicist. What did Mac say? Can I talk to him yet or no?”
My eyes went wide and I shook my head.
“Not yet, I don’t think.”
“Why? What happened? Did you get anything out of him?”
“Kind of?” I went back to staring at the wall in front of me. I had no clue how to handle this. I was tired. So tired.
“And?” Christopher came to sit next to me on the bed.
“And, your father tortured him.” My voice was blank, emotionless. I couldn’t stick with an emotion, they were all swirling around me. It was safer to stay numb.
“Torture is his strong suit, yes. I figured that. But how? Why? Is he okay?”
I turned back around to face him again with disbelief on my face.
“I really don’t know. He’s in a lot of pain.”
“Well, tell me something, Alison. He obviously said something about what happened because you look like you’ve been tortured too.”
I turned around and sat cross-legged, full facing Christopher with a serious look on my face”
“Yes, he told me that your father tortured him physically using some big buff guy. He also told me that your father taunted him and threw his father’s death in his face.” I was starting to shake and tears formed in my eyes. I had to just say it, I couldn’t hold this in. I didn’t know what else to do. “Let’s see. He also said that not everybody could be trusted. I have no idea what that means but nothing feels real right now. I have no idea what do do about it and it’s all because of your sick family.”
My tone was a little bit more vicious than I meant it to be but I couldn’t hold it in and Christopher looked taken aback. His eyes went wide at first and then they looked hurt. But was that real? How would I ever know?
“Alison, after everything I told you last night, you are still lumping me in there?”
“I don’t’ know what to think anymore, Christopher. My brother could have died. He’s in a lot of pain and I can’t do anything to help him. I’m sad, I’m fed up. I have no idea how to move forward from this. I have no idea who to trust. I just want to get off this ride and go live on a farm somewhere or something.”
Christopher looked disappointed and sad.
“I’m just going to leave you alone for a bit.” He got up and left the room but stopped and turned around just as he was leaving. “Consider this, Alison. I understand if you want to leave but I have to know you’re safe if you do. I’m willing to never talk to you again and work hard to keep my father away from you from afar. I only want you to be healthy and happy. You deserve it after what my family did to you. I will continue to make sure that you are kept safe, that’s all that matters to me.”
With that, he left and shut the door behind him. I wanted to believe him so badly. I was aching to believe him. I could let myself if I tried. I laid down on the bed as the tears poured out of my eyes. I wished I could hug my mother and have her pet my hair the way she did when I was a little girl and needed her to comfort me.
“I miss you so much, Mom. I wish you were here with me. You were the only one I ever felt truly safe with.” The tears turned into a sob as I pictured my mom smiling at me with that comforting smile she had. I fell asleep hugging myself and trying to pretend that my mother was alive and holding me.
** ** ** ** ** ** ** **
“Alison. Alison, wake up. Alison.”
“Mom?” I sat up foggy brained and needing a minute for my eyes to focus.
I was in the middle of awake and sleep and I could have sworn it was my mom’s voice trying to wake me up. I felt her touch my shoulder. I heard her soft and gentle voice. It had to be her. Nobody else sounded like that.
I realized as I started to come more to my awake senses that my dreaminess morphed the voice and then the flat tone started to become clearer to me. It was Gloria.
“No, definitely not your mother.” She looked almost amused; as amused as a blank face can look.
“Of course not, my mother’s dead. I was still half asleep, obviously.” I finger combed my hair and rubbed my eyes as I fully woke up.
“Whatever, Miss Bishop. Christopher sent me in here because you two apparently had a little falling out and he thought it would be better. We need you downstairs.”
“Oh yeah, you’re much better. That’s great.” I snorted at her and at the idea that I would prefer her over Christopher even if I was having a crisis of faith.
“Downstairs as soon as you gather yourself, please, Miss Bishop.” Her eyes became flatter and her face was very disapproving. She turned to leave and just as she got to the door, I realized something.
“Wait a second! Hold on!”
Gloria stopped and turned around with a questioning look.
“Did you just call me Alison when you were waking me up?” It had just hit me that she always calls me Miss Bishop but I could have sworn I was called Alison as I was being woken up.
“I did. It was a softer way to wake you up. I have a soft spot for people who are sleeping. So sue me.” Her eyes seemed to lighten a bit. She then turned and walked out, closing the door behind her.
Did she just open up to me a little bit? Did she just soften herself up to me? Everything about the world felt so upside down. I sighed and got up, putting on a pair of yoga pants and a long sweatshirt. I wasn’t going to dress up for these people.
I looked at the time and saw that I had slept for several hours. It was now late afternoon and I was famished. I hadn’t eaten since that toast that Christopher brought up to me. I thought more about it and marveled at how quickly things could turn around.
This morning was so happy and lovely with Christopher and now I didn’t know what was up or down. It did occur to me that this would be a good strategy on Matthew’s part to make sure that we had a wedge between us because united we would be much stronger. That was even likely. But how would I know? It was risky. I was usually good with risk but I also usually had so much more control.
I grabbed my phone and headed downstairs. Entering the living room, I saw Mac and Christopher and Gloria sitting there talking. Mac was smiling and calm. He was a complete 180 from the person I spoke with this morning.
“Hi…guys.” I walked in uncertain about what was happening. Uncertainty was the theme of my day.
Christopher turned from the chair he was sat in next to Mac’s bed. He smiled up at me and stood to greet me.
“Alison. Glad you came down. Mac and I have had an interesting little chat and I think you’re going to like this.”