"Excuse me," I said, pulling out the phone to see Ember's name flashing on the screen.
She would know better than to call during work hours unless something was genuinely urgent.
I looked at the board members, all watching me with varying degrees of annoyance, but their opinions weren't half as important as the woman I loved.
"I need to take this call. There's an emergency."
"We are in the middle of a meeting," the retired surgeon protested.
"I am aware of that. This can’t wait." I stepped away from the table and through the doorway before I answered. "Ember? What's wrong?"
Her voice came through in broken gasps and panicked sobs. "Nate, they know. Everyone knows. It's on the news and people were surrounding me and they found out about my past and I couldn't get away from them?—"
"Slow down. Take a breath. I can't understand you." I took a few steps down the hallway away from the cracked open door. "Where are you right now?"
"I'm home—your home." She was crying so hard, I could barely make out the words. "They found out about San Diego. About who I used to be. My real name is everywhere on the news."
My stomach dropped. "What do you mean, everywhere?"
"The television. The internet. My old photos from college." Her breathing was ragged and uneven. "There were so many people on the street, Nate. They were recording me on their phones and asking questions and laughing at me and I couldn't get past them."
My heart sank.
"Listen to me carefully. Lock all the doors right now. Don't answer if anyone knocks or rings the bell. I'm leaving the hospital immediately." I was already moving toward my office to get my coat and keys. "I'll be there in twenty minutes at most."
"I am so sorry. This is all my fault."
"You have nothing to apologize for. Stay inside where you're safe and wait for me."
I ended the call and kept walking, not realizing Robert Kline was following me.
"Nathan, we've been kind enough to wait on this, but we really need to finish this discussion…"
He seemed winded trying to keep up with me, but I didn't slow my stride.
"I have a personal emergency that requires my immediate attention," I said as I stormed into my office, gathering my keys from the desk. "We will need to reschedule the rest of this meeting."
"Nathan—the Christmas program… The concerns we've raised."
I turned on him and stopped, finally meeting his eyes. "Look, I don’t have time for this. My assistant will send out a scheduling poll to find a time that works for everyone next week."
"Your assistant's on medical leave," Robert grumbled.
"Then my temporary assistant will handle it." I was already at the door. "I have to go."
I left before he could raise further objections, taking the stairs down to the parking garage rather than waiting for the elevator.
My mind raced as I descended the four flights, trying to piece together what Ember had told me through her tears.
Someone had connected her current identity to her past in San Diego.
And they'd dug up the scandal that had driven her across the country to start over with a new name.
Everything she had worked so hard to leave behind was now public knowledge.
I couldn't imagine how crushing that weight was.
I reached my car and threw my briefcase into the passenger seat, starting the engine and backing out of my parking space faster than was safe.
