Pushing him away gently, I mumble,
“I need some time away from all this where I can think and breathe for just one
minute.”
He gazes at me for a moment. “Jonathan
and Jada are downstairs.”
Quickly walking away, I throw a few
extra things in my duffle bag and slip it over my shoulder. He stands by,
watching as I pull my stuff together.
“The kennel company will come by to
pick up Peaches and Pixie tomorrow at nine,” I say as I head down the stairs and
stop to say goodbye to my crew. I look up at him, but it feels like a final
goodbye to him, too.
“Please call to let me know you got
to Cabo safely.”
I nod, stare at him for a moment, and
disappear behind the black tinted windows of Jonathan’s SUV. Jordan lies asleep
in a car seat next to me.
Jada and Jonathan know better than
to ask me questions right now, but as the house disappears behind me, tears
fall.
“It will be okay, Sweetie,” Jada
says, stretching her hand out and placing it on my knee.
I force a smile, set my head back
and close my eyes. All I can think of is the look on Morgan’s face when I said
goodbye.
The hours go
by, and not for a minute do I even
attempt to sleep. As the warm glow of the sun starts to make its appearance, I
notice a text message from the kennel. They’ll be going by to pick up my crew
an hour later than planned.
To say thank you for last night, I
make Jada and Jonathan breakfast. I stick to what I remember they enjoyed from the
times they came to breakfast at my house.
My house.
That part of my life
feels like it was centuries ago. So much has happened.
I find a chopping board and pull
some tomatoes, onions and chives together. After washing them, I chop them into
small cubes. I’ll add some eggs and other ingredients and make them each an
omelet.
“Did you sleep at all?” Jada comes down
the stairs.
“No. I haven’t even been to the
guest room,” I reply, pouring her a cup of coffee.
“I thought things were improving
between you two.” She smiles sadly at me.
“They were. Then I met his sister
last night for the first time,” I reply, flipping the omelet.
“So?”
“His sister was one of the doctors
with Doctor Roberts when he lied to me about Zach’s death.”
“Oh…
fu-rance
.” She changes
her tone when Jonathan appears with Jordan.
“What’s wrong?” Jonathan asks.
“The female doctor with Doctor
Roberts when he lied to me about Zach is Morgan’s sister.”
“What?”
They sit at the island. I hand them
their plates then pour Jonathan and myself a cup of coffee.
“So Morgan never told you his
sister worked there?” Jada asks.
“He seemed as clueless—”
“Stop,” Jonathan says. “Start from
the very top. Tell me everything that happened.”
I relay all the details of last
night’s dinner and my subsequent conversation with Morgan.
“You think he’d tip her off?” Jada
asks, devouring the eggs.
“Right this minute? Probably not. I
think he’d prefer to be more calculated in his approach. But tell me how this
goes on without someone getting hurt?”
Jada looks at Jonathan, “Babe, I
thought you and I had a complicated start. Looks like they have it worse.”
“I don’t envy you two,” Jonathan
says. “But for what it’s worth, the Morgan I know would do anything for you.”
“I realize that, to a certain extent,
but I don’t want to hurt him or his family. I intend to uncover how my brother
died. I know as the investigation goes on, people are going to be affected by
this, by the decisions that I make.”
“That’s rough,” he says, shaking
his head sympathetically. “Christina is out of the country this week. It should
give you some time to think about it until after the holidays.”
“I suppose.”
After a long
shower, I get ready for our exit. I pick
up my phone and think long and hard about calling Morgan to say goodbye.
Palpitations go off in my chest as I contemplate making the call. Eventually, I
dial his number.
“Hey Zoë,” he answers hurriedly.
Not that things could get much worse, but I sense something is off.
“What’s wrong?”
“I can’t talk, I have to go. Dad’s
been rushed to emergency.”
“Why? What happened?”
“I don’t know. He says he’s
suffering from chest pains.”
“You think it’s a heart attack?”
“Possibly, I’m not sure. Sorry, I
have to go now. We’ll talk later.”
And just like that, the call ends.
I feel sick. My skin goes cold at
the thought of something being wrong with Barney.
Oh Jesus, please not
Barney. Please let him be okay.
A few minutes later, Jada walks in
with lots of fanfare in a bright, colorful dress. “Hey… ready to party? Cabo
here we come!”
“I can’t. I’m sorry.”
“Why?” Her tone and face turns
serious. “What’s wrong?”
“Morgan’s dad was just rushed into
emergency.”
“Oh my God.”
Jonathan walks in behind her. “What
happened?”
“He doesn’t know yet. Barney was
complaining of chest pains. It might be a heart attack. He didn’t have time to
say much else before he hung up. I can’t go. I’m sorry. I need to be here.”
“Zoë, you don’t have to apologize,”
Jada says.
“Maybe we should stay,” Jonathan
continues.
“No. You all go. Megan really needs
this. You all need this as a family.”
“You might be right,” Jonathan says
after a moment of thought. “Let’s get going. We’ll drop you off to the hospital
first.”
“I don’t even know which hospital.
Morgan didn’t have time to tell me. Just drop me off at his house. Once I find
out, I’ll get Lucas, the security guy, to take me.”
They drive me home, and when I
arrive at the house, Lucas helps me with my bags.
“We’ll be calling to check on you
all,” Jonathan says.
“Megan and you all need this. Send
her my love. Apologize to her for me, please.”
They sadly wave goodbye and drive
away. I call the kennel to cancel. I’m worried about Morgan and Barney. My
palms won’t stop sweating.
Last night I wanted justice for my
brother. Right now, it doesn’t seem nearly as important as Barney’s health or
being here for Morgan. Regardless of the fact that I know I’m flirting with
danger by becoming more invested in this family, it all seems insignificant at
a time like this.
I realize that maybe I just need to
do what I feel is right and stop questioning everything.
“Have you spoken to Morgan?” I ask
Lucas. “Do you know about his dad?”
“Yes, he’s with him at SFMC.”
Thank Jesus he’s not at Mount
Sierra.
“Can you please take me there?”
“I think Doctor Drake would want
you to remain here.”
“You’re good at your job, right?”
“Yes, of course.”
“Then if you’re with me, there
should be no problem. I’m not arguing with you about this. Please take me, or I’ll
call a cab and go by myself.”
Not bothering to debate, he
responds, “I’ll get my keys.”
A while later, we arrive at the
hospital. After a bit of questioning, we find out that Barney just finished
surgery and is in one of the recovery rooms. As I approach the door, a nurse
leaves the room, she confirms that I can enter.
Lucas waits outside the room.
My hands tremor as I hesitantly
knock on the door. I still know nothing about Barney’s condition or what caused
him to be here in the first place.
Morgan’s back is to me when I enter.
Seeing Barney reclined in bed, his eyes wide open when he makes eye contact,
allows me a sigh of relief that I didn’t even know I held.
“Zoë.” Barney smiles.
“Barney,” I say, wiping away a tear
that runs down my face.
Morgan immediately turns to me.
“Hey, I thought you were on a plane to Cabo.”
“I wanted to be here to support
you and Barney just in case you needed anything,” I respond, walking over to
the bed. “Are you okay? Is everything going to be alright?”
“I’m going to be just fine,
Sweetie,” Barney says holding onto my hand and squeezing it tightly.
I look over at Morgan, wanting
confirmation.
“He’s okay. It was his gallbladder.
He had surgery. Did you come here alone?”
“Lucas came with me. That’s all it
was? No heart attack? He’s going to be okay, right?”
Nodding, Morgan responds, “He will
be fine.”
“Good. I was so worried.”
Morgan continues, “The symptoms can
be very similar to a heart attack. He should be able to return home by
tomorrow.”
“Where’s Robin?”
“She was here. She wanted to cancel
their trip, but the kids were excited about seeing their grandparents and
cousins, so I suggested they go ahead anyway. I’ll look out for Dad over the
next few days.”
“Do either of you need anything?”
“I’m fine,” Barney responds. “I
told Morgan the same thing. I stayed up late last night watching shows about
Roosevelt, and I’m tired. You two go home. And, son, just to put you at ease, I
promise I’ll stay with you for a few days—no more.”
“Should he even leave the hospital
so soon?” I ask Morgan.
“Some people leave the same day. He’s
just here for observation.”
“Zoë, I’ll tell you what I need.” Barney
chuckles at me.
“What is it? Anything at all.”
“Why don’t you and Morgan go home
and watch a movie together? Or better yet, go out and do something fun
together.”
Morgan and I gaze at each other
intently. If only Barney knew… there is so much that is unsaid. So much is
going on right now.
“Really, you two,” he continues. “I’ll
be okay. Go along. You can pick me up in the morning and tell me all about it
then.”
We both look at him pensively.
After some coaxing, we say goodbye and exit the room.
In the hallway, looking annoyed,
Morgan says to Lucas, “How could you—”
“Morgan, stop. I didn’t give him
much of a choice. I told him if he didn’t bring me here, I’d take a cab and
come alone. So please, just leave it alone.”
Running his fingers through his
hair, he murmurs. “Fine. Thanks for getting her here safely. Head back to the
house. We’ll be okay from here.”
“I can survey you from my vehicle,”
Lucas responds.
“We’ll be fine,” Morgan continues.
“Just go ahead.”
He turns to look at me as Lucas
disappears from view. Apprehensively, I look into his eyes.
“It means so much to me that you
stayed. Thank you,” he murmurs.
“I was scared that it was something
life-threatening.”
“He’s going to be okay, but you and
I need to have a serious talk.”
“Can’t it wait until we get home?”
He grabs my hand and walks toward
the exit. “No.”
When we step outside, he hands the
valet the ticket. “I need a huge favor from you.”
“What’s that?” I ask.
“I need you to tell me what
happened the day you met with Doctor Roberts, Doctor Francis and Robin.”
“You want to talk about it now?”
“Yes. I haven’t been able to get
this thing with Robin off my mind.”
“Well, she walked in to Doctor
Roberts’s office. Doctor Francis was there, too. He introduced her as Doctor
Fuente. She handed him two folders. He opened one, looked at it and handed it
to me.”
“The same folder that had the
autopsy results?”
“Yes.”
“Is that all he said about her?”
“Yes. Then he went on to explain
that it wasn’t uncommon for people to die from anaphylactic shock.”
“Did Robin say she worked there?”
he asks as the valet returns with the car.
“No,” I reply, strapping myself
into the seat. “But I asked if any of them had ever attended to Zach. She told
me no. She said she never even met him.”
“Her answering that question
implies she was working there. If for some reason she was just there visiting,
that would be her opportunity to clear the air.”
“Exactly.”
“I don’t understand any of this.
None of it makes any sense.”
“Have you spoken to her about it?”
“No, and just so we’re clear, I won’t.
But she seemed curious about you when I saw her this morning.”
“Curious how?”
Sighing, he pulls the car into an
empty spot and parks.
“She wanted to know how serious we
were.”
“What did you tell her?”
“It’s complicated.”
“You’re right about that.”
With a serious look on his face, he
responds, “Maybe we should
un-complicate
things, Zoë.”
“How do you propose we do that?”
“Maybe it’s time you and I have an
honest conversation about us.”
“Morgan, we’ll only end up hurting
each other more if this thing between us continues.”
“Had you not met Robin yesterday
this would not be so complicated, would it?”
“No, of course not.”
With his eyes fixed onto mine, he
responds, “I don’t want this to come between us.”
“I don’t know how deep her
involvement runs, but if she’s even an accessory to this crime she can get sent
to prison. That affects everyone—you, Barney, her two innocent kids, her
husband. I hate being in this position. I want justice for my brother, but it
might be at a cost of hurting you, your dad, and those kids. I know what it’s
like to grow up without a mother.”
“What you fail to realize is that
when you’re hurting, I hurt too. Aren’t your feelings going to be the same
whether we’re together or apart?”
His question makes me think for a
minute. “Yes… either way I’m screwed. No matter what I do or what decision I
make, it has the potential to hurt you or your family whether we’re together or
apart. And it will break my heart either way.”
“Then why do it apart?”
“I… I don’t know. This is so hard.
Morgan this is tearing me apart.”