Chapter Two
Harlow
Despite everyone wearing a headset, the helicopter ride is uncomfortable, and the occasional attempt at conversation is tense and fraught with worry. We’re passing over the city when Nana thinks of something and gasps.
“Has anyone thought to call Hope?” Everyone exchanges glances before shaking their heads. Oliver doesn't respond at all, his gaze blindly looking at something outside his window, Jacinta’s hand clasped firmly in his. Every few minutes, someone peeks at Oliver with concern; his catatonic state is worrisome and so out of character for the man that I have gotten to know. Considering I have no idea about this secret that no one else seems surprised by, there’s not much I can do about that. For now, I help in another way.
“I’ll do it,” I offer as the helicopter starts to descend. That’ll give me an excuse to hang back a bit and allow them to take the lead. I mean, it’s not like they're going to allow all of us to see him at once, is it? Not to mention that I meant what I said about being in the way. I’m still the outsider in this family, and the looping thought that this all has happened because of me won’t let go. Plus, as head of the PR department, Hope really does need to know, not to mention she’s Holden’s best friend. For the latter reason alone, I’m sure she’s going to freak out, and the rest of them don’t need the added burden of sorting through her emotions on top of their own and Oliver’s.
“Thank you.” It’s Jaxon who responds this time, grabbing my hand and squeezing it. It’s all I’ve been able to do to not fidget for the whole flight. His thick thigh has been pushed up against mine, and that intoxicating scent I remember so well from the club has filled my senses, but I didn’t want to show that it still affects me, so I gritted my teeth and kept still. But now the touch of his rough hands has the memories flooding back. The tingling trail that followed his fingers as he caressed my skin. The way he whispered dirty words into my ear, causing my panties to grow damp with my desire. A shiver shoots down my spine, and my nipples prickle at the memories. His hand in mine squeezes once more, and my eyes shoot to his. It takes all of my self-control to keep them from widening. If the barely there smirk on his lips has anything to say, I haven’t hidden my reactions as well as I thought.
The helicopter lands with a thud, and the doors open to a man in a suit who helps Nana down, waiting for Poppy before he turns and escorts them to the elevator. The rest of us quickly follow behind, Thomas slamming the door shut behind him so that the helicopter can take off. Everyone's heads are down, and no words are exchanged until the elevator doors close behind us all. Though his eyes make the rounds to each of us, he addresses Nana and Poppy.
“Mr. and Mrs. Summers, I’m Levi Petesburg, the director of the board of the hospital. I’ll show you down to the private waiting room I have your son in. Your grandson is still in surgery, and as soon as we know anything, his surgeon will be out to update you.” His words are gentle, but I can tell he’s the money man. There’s not quite ahungrygleam in his eye, but he’s slightly on edge, like he knows that this could be a big deal for the hospital. It’s his job to smooth any ruffled feathers and make the hospital look good in front of Dad, Nana, and Poppy as a well-known and wealthy family who could certainly become thankful donors if all goes well.
I’d seen the type before when I attended one or two charity functions with the Bostons. I mean, there’s nothing wrong with it, all businesses need to be able to function, but it comes across a little like a vulture circling a carcass. Although the others keep their poker faces firmly in place, Jacinta is as bad at it as I am, and she scowls at him in open disgust. I move over, turning to face her, and her eyebrows rise in surprise. “Settle, girl, he’s just doing his job,” I whisper out of the corner of my mouth. She huffs and starts to say something, but I continue. “Vultures have to scavenge to survive; it's in their nature.” She blinks once, then twice before a snort of laughter escapes loudly enough to be heard despite the background music of the elevator and conversation that we’ve both tuned out.
Finally, the elevator comes to a stop and opens onto a bustling floor. That trademark scent of a hospital hits my nose, antiseptic with a layer of decay. As much as they try to hide it, nobody can avoid that lingering smell of impending death that all hospitals carry.
The suit hurries us past private rooms, dodging people clad in scrubs gathered around work stations. The bustle is loud after the quiet music of the elevator, and the incessant beep of monitors echoes through my ears, almost feeling like they're beeping in time with my heart. Surely, they can’t be beeping that fast though.
After it seems like we’ve trekked through half the hospital, we stop at a room. The board member opens the door, ushering in Nana and Poppy and the siblings, but I hesitate in the hallway. He turns back with a slightly panicked expression, as though he’s seeing dollar signs flying away right in front of his eyes, likely thinking he’s lost a wealthy, distraught Summers somewhere in the halls rather than plain ol’ me. Not caring that I almost gave the man a heart attack, I pull out my phone and wave it at him. “I need to make a quick call. Can I do that here?”
He frowns, showing his distaste at the question, but waves down the hall. I’m not really sure what his problem is, though it’s possible I might not have spoken to Jacinta as quietly as I’d thought. “If you go down to the next waiting area, there’s a balcony. You can go out there and use it. Even in our private rooms, we discourage the use of cell phones. These rooms are to provide privacy and comfort to our valued patients, not for socializing.”
“Thank you.” I smile pleasantly before tacking onassholein my mind. I’ve only made it a few steps down the hall before I stop in my tracks, a sudden chilling thought hitting me.Should I move away from the others?But surely I’m safe here at the hospital. Deciding I am, if for no reason other than their security cameras and the hope that someone is actually monitoring them, I head in the direction he indicated, finding the waiting area and the glass doors that lead out to the balcony, but a disturbance up ahead at a nurses’ station draws my attention.
“But I’m Mr. Summer’s PA! He needs me, and you need to let me through. I demand it!” Unfortunately, I’m pretty sure I recognize that voice, right down to the toddleresque petulance in every word of the entitled “request.” I wander closer, and sure enough, Cecelia is kicking up a stink, and the poor nurse she’s harassing looks absolutely frazzled. Before I can slip away unnoticed, Cecelia spots me, her eyes lighting up with no effort made to disguise the hunger.Speaking of vultures…“Hannah, yoo hoo!” she calls, waving a manicured hand at me. I roll my eyes in disbelief that she doesn't even know my name. “Tell them who I am and get them to let me through.”
Looking back toward the private room they're waiting in, I can see Jacinta and Declan watching from the doorway, the former’s eyes narrowed with a blatant hatred that I haven’t even seen aimed at me. On one hand, I could be a bitch and let her through… but on the other, I could avoid subjecting my dad to that torture on top of his worry for Holden. Not to mention the bitch just flagged me down as if I’m her servant. I will tolerate and forgive a lot for the Summers kids thanks to my love for Nana and Poppy and my desire to make a connection with Dad, but I owe Cecelia nothing.
Turning back toward the nurse, I shake my head and keep a straight face. “Sorry, I have no idea who she is. You may need to call security. The Summers family always has some crazy followers, but to prey on us during such a private family moment? This one might be unhinged.” A small smile crosses the nurse’s lips as she reaches for the phone, and the look Cecelia gives me is enough to strip paint. The shiver that runs down my spine tells me to be wary of the enemy I’ve just made, but it’s not enough to dampen my satisfaction at knowing the parasite is being denied for today.
When I turn back, Jacinta is smirking and Declan inclines his head in a nod. Well, look at that, us behaving civilly to each other, who’d have guessed? I guess the enemy of my enemy truly is my friend.
I walk out the glass door onto the balcony and pull up Hope’s number on my phone. It only rings twice which makes me think she had the phone in her hand.
“Hey, bitch, what's up with all the Summers bailing on their empire today? I haven't been able to get in touch with any of them, and usually they’re all glued to their phones if they’re not physically in the office.” Her voice comes through cheery but a little frazzled.
“Hope, you need to get down to Cedars-Sinai. Holden’s been in an accident.” There’s nothing to be gained from beating around the bush. I know she cares about him enough that it’ll just piss her off if I spend time on bullshit when she could’ve been on her way to be with the family. The silence on the other end is deafening, but then I hear her heels clicking as she starts running.
“Hold the elevator! I’m on my way,” she quickly replies before hanging up.
Looking out at the city beyond, it’s the first chance I've really had to process what’s happened. Just five minutes of quiet to deal with all the emotions flooding me and then I’ll bottle it all down and join my family. And it’s weird because that’s how I see them all now. Albeit a dysfunctional one that still hasa lotof amends to make, but a family nonetheless.
The worry hits me hard when I think about Holden and imagine all the things that could be wrong with him. I should stick to my plan and go home, but there’s a selfish part inside of me, one that I’ve never indulged before, that says I want to stay and go to Hawaii with Kai. Of course, only if Holden is out of the woods. I can’t imagine Kai being that keen to leave until we know he’s going to be okay. But what if he isn't? Brain injuries are tricky. If Holden had been an animal, I’d have euthanized him by now; unfortunately, there’s not a lot we can do for brain injuries in animals, and it’d be kinder to put them out of their misery. Thankfully, humans are more resilient, and there’s so much more that can be done for him.
Tears trickle down my face, and a sob escapes before I can stop it. Bringing my hand up to my mouth, I cover it before anything else can escape. My entire life, I’ve really only had five people to care about: Chuck, Melinda, Max, Nana, and Poppy. Max’s grandparents are more like stern acquaintances, and god knows my mom would never be a real example of what family is like. Now that I’ve had a taste of the Summers family, even though my most positive glimpses have been of how they treat each other,notme, I don’t want to lose this. I don’t know that I believe in Nana’s crazy schemes, but I feel like there could be a lot for me to gain here if we make amends and move forward. My body shudders with emotion, but I know I need to pull myself together. Grabbing the hem of my shirt, I use it to wipe away my tears and take a big breath to collect myself before heading back inside.
Once there, instead of returning to the room, I go to the nurses’ station I’d seen Cecelia at before. She’s no longer there, but the poor nurse is. She looks up and smiles at me when I approach.
“Can I help you?” Despite being tired and probably half traumatized by Hurricane Cecelia, she’s still got the perfect professional voice, albeit a little bit of wary.
“Long day?” I ask sympathetically.
“You have no idea.” Actually, I’m sure I do, but I don't correct her. The woman just had to deal with Cecelia, and she saved me the trouble, so I’m not going to give her any more grief.
“I have a friend coming up soon; it’s Holden Summers’ best friend Hope. Can you please let her through when she does, so she can wait with us?”
