A little later, Taylor called Joules to share her good news about the baby and being engaged. Joules was thrilled for her, but Taylor could hear some hesitation in her friend's voice. Whatever concerns Joules might have, she was a good enough friend, not to mention them. The two talked for only a few minutes as Joules had a huge project she was working on for Bennett and had to beg off. Promising to talk more the next day, Taylor hung up feeling more alive and hopeful than she had in years.
Taylor and Greer spent the rest of the evening making plans and discussing possible baby names. They were cocooned in their ownworld of happiness and possibilities. After years of heartache and tragedies, Taylor fell asleep believing that fate had smiled on her at last and nothing but sunny days lay ahead. Neither Greer nor Taylor realized that all their hopes and dreams were about to be threatened.
Chapter 23
St. Mary’s Hospital
Miami, Florida
July 2012
The next morning, an early call woke both Taylor and Greer. Greer, who had slept in the fold-out chair beside Taylor's bed, answered it. "Hello," he said in a sleepy voice.
"Is this Taylor Carrington's room?"
"Who is this?" replied Greer.
"This is Lisa Blaine from the Arkansas Gazette. We are trying to verify a story that the wife of Senator Bennett Carrington is a patient at St. Mary's. Our source says that she was brought to the hospital after a car crash. Is this true?"
"How did you get this number?" Greer demanded.
"So, are you confirming the story? Also, our sources say Mrs. Carrington is pregnant and that Senator Carrington is not the father. Do you have any information about this? Are you the father of her child? If so, what is your name?"
Greer yelled, "You people are unbelievable. Leave us alone!" and then slammed down the phone.
With fear in her eyes, Taylor asked, "Oh my word, Greer, who was that?"
"It was a reporter from the Arkansas Gazette asking questions about your accident and the baby. I think we had better get Bennett over here immediately."
Once Bennett got to the hospital, Greer explained what happened. Bennett immediately called Joules, who began researching how the story got out and ways to curtail it, but their efforts were in vain. By lunch, the story had hit the Internet.
Evidently, someone in the lobby the day before had overheard Bennett and Greer's argument and ensuing fight. They had contacted the paper in Little Rock and sold the story. Greer and Bennett tried to shield Taylor from as much of what was happening as possible. Joules and her team released a statement that Taylor had been in an accident and that she was recovering, hoping that would keep the hounds at bay.
Plus, Joules called in every favor she had at television stations in Little Rock and Memphis, trying to keep the story contained. The plan seemed to be working until all hell broke loose around 2:00.
That was when a reporter found Ben's birth certificate. Since Bennett was not listed as Ben's father, he was not able to link Bennett to Poppy Hunter Thompson and her child. But that did not stop him from showing pictures of Bennett and Ben and making comparisons. By the time the news came on at 6:00, every news station in Little Rock had run pictures of Bennett, Taylor, Poppy, and Ben. Since they didn't have a complete story to print, they used innuendo and half-truths to paint a vivid picture.
Since they knew nothing of Greer, they made it appear that Bennett and Poppy had been having a long-term affair for many years. They also included personal details about the problems Taylor and Bennett had experienced with infertility. They made it appear that Taylor, who was pregnant again, had been alone and miserable in Florida while Bennett had been living with his mistress and love child. Of course, that was not really true, but no one caredas it made great copy. Bennett was on the phone constantly with Joules. They were doing all they could to stop the story's momentum, but it had gone viral.
The worst part was that Taylor could see Bennett panicking because he could not get Poppy on the phone. She knew his first desire was to jump on a plane and rush home to be with Poppy and Ben. She also knew that Bennett would not do that because he had committed to stay with her until she was released.
No matter how many times she and Greer encouraged him to leave, he refused. It all stemmed from the promise he had made Tatum years before. After several tries to convince him that it was okay to leave her, Taylor gave up and accepted that Bennett was not leaving the hospital until she did. So, the three of them sat all day, waiting and worrying as they tried to stop a runaway train.
By the next morning, both local and national reporters were camped out across the street from St. Mary's. They were already running footage of Bennett coming and going from the hospital. Since they were thankfully not allowed in the hospital, they were not able to get footage of Greer or Taylor. However, once Taylor was released, a decision about where Taylor should go brought the tensions of the last twenty-four hours to a head.
Bennett felt that Taylor should go home with him until the story blew over. He thought that if she went with Greer to Gulf Shores, that would just add a new twist to the story and give it longer legs. Greer argued that she didn't need to be in the middle of all the stress. Bennett agreed but said the reporters would follow her regardless of where she went. At least by being in Arkansas, she could be protected at the family home. Security could be brought in to keep the reporters at bay. The same could not be said for the houseboat. After several hours of wrangling, the ultimate decision was Taylor's.
She had been a politician's wife long enough to know that running away from reporters didn't make them disappear. At some point, she and Bennett would have to face them. Also, she knew that the press was unfairly beating up Bennett. She could no longer leave him and run off to Gulf Shores. In all fairness, he was not able to run off to New York and leave her after her family died.
Having made her decision, Taylor said, "I think it would be best if I flew back to Arkansas with Bennett for a few days."
Greer was not happy and tried to interrupt her, "No way. I am not letting you do that. You are coming home with me. We settled this Friday night. We are getting married. You are my future wife and the mother of my child. Over my dead body are you going back with him."
"You're getting married?" Bennett was stunned. He had been too distracted even to notice the huge diamond ring Taylor was now holding up for him to see.
In the excitement of the last two days, Taylor had not gotten around to telling him the good news. "Yes, we are. Of course, you and I must get divorced first, but we love each other and want to be together."
Placing a protective arm around her shoulder, Greer interrupted Taylor again and said, "We would like that to be sooner than later."
