“Afraid not. He’s in and out of consciousness since he came in. It’s mostly the meds, but he’s pretty banged up too.”
Damn, Ethan hadn’t anticipated that. Still, at least it was the right guy, which meant that his own Tiffany’s bag must still be among his packages, and given that the guy had been so out of it, chances were he still didn’t have the foggiest idea about the mix-up.
So really, all Ethan could do now was wait for him to wake up, which he sorely hoped would be soon. They would talk, sort it all out, and quick as you like, Ethan and his girls would be on their way back to London. But first, he’d ensure they’d once again gather around the Christmas tree in their hotel room, and Ethan would drop to one knee and propose to Vanessa just as he’d originally intended.
It would be wonderful.
Then, over one last dinner in New York, the three of them would chat about the new life they would build back home together.
As if nothing had ever happened.
Ethan had it all worked out in his head and almost had to restrain himself from nudging the injured man awake.
But ten minutes later, he still wasn’t conscious, and Vanessa was calling. She was finished with her shopping and wondering where Ethan and Daisy were.
Waiting in the hallway outside the man’s room—whom he’d since learned was called Gary Knowles—Ethan had seen her number come up but had let it go to voicemail while he tried to concoct a reasonable story. “Hi, darling,” he said now, trying to sound casual.
“Hi. Where are you two?”
“Oh, down by Battery Park,” he lied. “I took Daisy on the Staten Island ferry for a waterside look at the skyline.” He winced, disgusted with himself for blatantly deceiving her. But there was nothing to gain from trying to explain this convoluted mess, especially now. Not when he was so close to getting it back. “But we’re almost finished and should be back in an hour or so, depending on traffic.”
“Okay, great. See you back at the hotel, then?” She sounded tense and he supposed he couldn’t blame her. He’d been so distracted and secretive, it would have been impossible for her not to pick up on it. He supposed he’d better head back soon all the same. If Knowles remained unconscious, there was little point in hanging around here much longer, and Daisy would be growing restless.
But what to do in the meantime?
Pushing his luck a little further, he decided to inquire at the desk some more. He headed back toward the nurses’ station and immediately saw Daisy jump up to greet him. “Is it him, Dad?” she asked eagerly.
“Yes, it is him.”
“Yay! Does he have the—” Seeing his sharp look, she caught herself just in time. “Does he have our shopping bag?”
Ethan glanced toward the young nurse Molly who was watching the scene with renewed interest. He took a deep, frustrated breath. “I’m sure he does, but unfortunately, I can’t ask because he’s unconscious.”
“Oh no.” Daisy’s face fell.
“Excuse me?” Molly, who had heard the exchange, piped up. “Did you say something about a shopping bag?”
“Yes, why?”
“Well…” She looked around edgily as if terrified her overbearing supervisor would hear. “It’s just that I was here when he was brought in, and he did have a lot of shopping with him. Some really nice stuff too,” she added.
“Yes, Daisy here looked after it while we waited for the paramedics. You know how people can be,” he continued, pressing home the point that they’d been looking out for Knowles’s best interests at all times. “I wonder… It’s just that the bag we lost was very important—”
“Soyou’rethe guy who helped the schmuck in room 303.”
Ethan looked around to see yet another nurse approach from behind.
Damn. He cursed the interruption, certain he was the on the verge of getting Molly to let him know where Knowles’s stuff was currently.
“That’s right,” he said, forcing a smile.
“Very kind thing you did, helping out some guy in the middle of the street like that.”
Ethan was getting tired of everyone telling him how wonderful he was, yet he still didn’t seem to be getting anywhere! “I’m sure anyone else would have done the same.”
“In this town? Don’t count on it, honey.” She smiled at Daisy and winked.
“Yes, well. I’m certified in CPR and everything, so it’s really second nature. By the way, I’m Ethan Greene, and this is my daughter, Daisy.” He figured he might as well try to get as many people on his side as possible.
