Naomi’s eyes grew wide. “Really?”
He nodded. “I haven’t been able to find her for days. I didn’t know where she went, and I couldn’t get hold of her because her cell phone must’ve died.”
“That’s terrible. But why didn’t you know she came here to Ithaca?” Skepticism reared its ugly head, and Hunter needed to diffuse it quick.
“She left in such a hurry in the middle of the night she wasn’t able to give me all the details. Then she got in the car accident, and you know the rest.” He paused. He needed to make an unspoken point. How he’d been in Gracie’s life longer than her crazy grandmother had. “You do know she’s only just reunited with her grandmother.”
“I know. Mrs. Hayes told me the entire story.”
He bet she did. “I need to be with her, Naomi. I need to see Gracie and make sure she’s all right.”
“She’s doing well sir, I promise.”
“I need to see it before I fully believe it.” He smiled gently, going for the heartsick love fool—which he pretty much was, if he was being honest. “I want to hold her in my arms and make sure she’s all right.”
“Aww, that’s so sweet.” She glanced around again. The hall was pretty much abandoned. Visiting hours was almost over and the entire hospital seemed to be quieting down. “Sneaking you in will put my job totally at risk.”
“If we get caught, I’ll put all the blame on myself and make such a large donation to the hospital, they’ll forgive any of your sins.”
She giggled and rolled her eyes. “Fine, fine, I’m a sucker for romance. Follow me.”
Anticipation rode him hard as he fell in line behind the nurse, trying his best to look inconspicuous. No one paid him any mind and luckily enough, Gracie’s room was one of the first in the unit.
“This is her room.” Naomi stopped in front of the second door on the left side of the corridor. “She’s probably resting, so try and be quiet. Don’t get her too excited—she only just woke up.”
He nodded gravely. “I understand.”
“I’m on rounds here tonight, but I’ll be going off shift in a few hours. You’ll need to leave before then.”
“That should be enough time.” Not really, but what choice did he have? He couldn’t sneak her out tonight. He just needed to make sure he could see her again tomorrow. Before her crazy grandma did something rash.
“Good.” She slowly pushed open the partially closed door. “You can go on inside.” She started to leave, but he called her name and she stopped to look at him.
“Thanks for doing this. It means a lot,” he said sincerely.
She smiled. “I can’t resist true love.”
He watched her go, then slipped inside Gracie’s room. His heart raced as he slowly made his way inside. The first bed was empty, and he was thankful for that. He wanted her all to himself. Gracie lay in the bed closest to the window, a monitor hooked up to her as well as an IV. She looked so small, so fragile lying in the large hospital bed.
As he drew closer, he sucked in a harsh breath. Gauze wrapped around her head, her hair sticking out of it in a haphazard mess. Her face bore scratches and bruises, and her left wrist was in a cast. She was asleep, her dry lips parted, her skin so pale it was almost translucent.
She looked terrible. Beautiful. He’d never been so relieved to see her in his life.
Quietly, he pulled a nearby chair closer to the bed and sat down, staring at Gracie in wonder. Her chest rose and fell in an even rhythm, and he swore she snored a little. The faint sound made him smile, and tears pricked the corner of his eyes.
He was so damn happy to see her, he could hardly contain himself.
Taking her right hand, he cradled it in his, the warmth of her skin warming his heart. He stroked his thumb back and forth over the top of her hand, the gesture soothing, calming his tormented soul.
The thought that he’d almost lost her devastated him. The myriad of emotions he’d been holding in all bubbled forth, and he sniffed and closed his eyes, bringing her hand to his lips so that he could kiss her gently.
“I was so worried,” he whispered against her skin. “I thought I lost you.”
He threaded his fingers through hers, clasping her hand. “I can’t imagine my life without you anymore, Gracie. I need you. I need you more than my last breath.”
She lay unmoving, her eyes still closed, lips still parted. His own little battered Sleeping Beauty. He’d never seen such a prettier sight.
Hunter released his hold on her and dragged the chair as close as he could get it to the bed. He reached out and touched her once more, his hand on top of the blanket, and rested his forehead against the edge of the bed, close to her legs. Closing his eyes, he breathed deep, wishing he could catch a whiff of her fragrant scent, but all he could smell was the antiseptic hospital.
“I can’t lose you now,” he murmured. “Not after what we created, Gracie. You’re mine. And I’m not about to let you go.”
Tentative fingers touched his hair, startling him, and he lifted his head. Found a pair of pretty green eyes filled with such longing and surprise watching him. “Hunter,” she breathed. “How did you get in here?”
“Sshh. I’ll explain everything later. Just rest.” He didn’t want to overexert her, didn’t want the surprise of seeing him shock her system since he had no idea what sort of condition she was still in. She looked in a delicate enough state already, and he didn’t want to make it worse.
She smiled at him, her lips trembling, her eyes filling with tears. “I tried to call you earlier, but you didn’t answer.”
“How long ago?”
“I don’t know. An hour, maybe two hours ago? It’s hard for me to keep track of time in here.” She sounded sluggish, most likely an effect from the medication she was on and general exhaustion.
“I’ve been here for the last few hours. I kept my phone turned off. Following the rules of the hospital and all, you know.”
She smiled. “You’re not a rule follower, you’re a rule breaker.”
He chuckled and grabbed hold of her good hand. Brought it to his lips once again so he could kiss her there. “I missed you so much, Gracie.”
“I—I missed you, too.”
How he hated her hesitancy. He’d have to work on that. Make her feel secure. “How do you feel?”
“Doped up,” she joked.
He cracked a smile. “Better than being in constant pain, I’m going to wager.”
“My head feels like it’s packed with cotton and floating in the clouds. I don’t like it.”
“Baby, I’m going to get you out of here. First thing tomorrow, Alex and I will make a few calls and we’ll get you transferred to a better hospital in the city.”
She frowned. “But what about my grandma?”
“I’ll make sure she gets the proper care here.”
“I can’t leave her. She needs me.”
What he needed was to handle this right or he might make her angry. “You need to be taken care of properly. I don’t think this hospital is cutting it.”
“Just because you can afford the finest of things doesn’t mean that a smaller hospital can’t provide adequate care.” She sounded offended. He needed to backtrack and quick.
“I’m not trying to be a conceited ass. I’m trying to take care of you.” He let loose an exasperated sigh, trying to rein in his emotions. Why did they always end up arguing? It was enough to drive him crazy.
She smiled weakly and squeezed his hand. “I know. It’s just—I found her recently and now I feel responsible for her, you know? She’s had a heart attack and she’s still here in the hospital.”
“I talked to her. She appeared pretty healthy to me.”
Gracie’s eyes widened. “When did you talk to her?”
“Earlier today. She—” He paused. Should he tell Gracie how strange her grandmother became? How she essentially told him to get out of their lives and demanded payment? He didn’t want to upset her. “She’s very protective of you,” he finished. And that was an understatement.
“And I’m protective of her as well. I can’t lose this connection with her. I finally feel whole again now that I have my family back.” Gracie closed her eyes. “I’m so tired.”
“You need to rest and not worry about things that are out of your control.” Like her grandmother’s health or mental state.
“Thank you, Hunter,” she murmured. “For coming for me, even after how I stormed out of your place so stupidly.”
“I will always come for you, no matter what,” he vowed, pressing another kiss to her hand. He wished he could really kiss her but he didn’t want to push.
She didn’t answer, seemed to drift off into sleep, and he sat by her side for a few minutes longer. Studying her. Thinking.
There had been no answer when he promised he’d always come for her. Was that telling? Did she not believe him? And she never mentioned the baby either—so neither did he. They didn’t need to worry about it now. Gracie healing was on the forefront of his mind. Getting her away from her grandmother was second, which would be difficult.
He was going to be a busy man tomorrow. And he was more than prepared for the task.
Chapter Seventeen
“You snuck into her room and spoke to her!” A sharp fingernail poked repeatedly at Hunter’s shoulder, and he turned around with a barely suppressed yelp, glaring at the little old woman who stood before him. “You had no right to do that.”
“I have every right.” He glanced about the bustling hallway, thankful no one paid them any mind. “You need to stop interfering in our business.”
“What is Gracie’s business becomes my business, especially because she’s incapable of taking care of herself.” Grace crossed her arms in front of her chest with an indignant expression. “Butt out.”
Her behavior was so absurd he almost wanted to laugh. He was too damn angry to find any of it truly funny, though. “Shouldn’t you be in bed? In your room?” He needed her out of his hair.
Alex had been on the phone most of the morning, speaking to various hospital administrators. Demanding his future sister-in-law be released from the hospital effective immediately so she could be flown to one of the best hospitals in Manhattan.
Hunter hadn’t even flinched at the words “future sister-in-law”. He hadn’t batted an eyelash when Alex said he’d make a substantial donation to the Cayuga Medical Center and would pay for all extra expenses incurred by Gracie’s transfer. Despite how much money that would surely amount to, despite how presumptuous it was of Alex to label Gracie as Hunter’s future wife.
He was that sure of what would happen between him and Gracie. It came to him late last night while he lay in bed in his hotel room in Ithaca. They were meant to be together, the baby was a sign. He was in love with her, the thought of losing Gracie nearly wrecked him.
And the moment he could finally legitimately see her without having to sneak into her room like a thief, he was going to tell her how he felt.
“I can’t just lie about in my room when I know you’re lurking in the halls.” The disgust in Grace’s voice was evident. “Stay away from my granddaughter.”
“Not going to happen,” he said through clenched teeth. “Considering I’m the father of her unborn child, I think I have every right to see Gracie.”
She narrowed her eyes, her expression going tight. “How would you feel if I told you the truth, hmm? I think you might change your tune.”
“What are you talking about?” The woman couldn’t distract him no matter what. He wouldn’t allow it.
“The baby? It’s not yours.”
“Impossible.”
“It’s true. Has she talked to you about it yet?”
He refused to answer, refused to give her the satisfaction.
“Your silence is answer enough,” she said smugly. “She hasn’t said a word about the baby because she’s afraid to tell you.”
“There’s no reason for her to be afraid.” Now that wouldn’t be a surprise, if Gracie was scared to tell him. Their relationship had been unsteady, even volatile, and mostly on her end. He’d told her what he wanted from her since the beginning.
“There is if the baby’s not yours. Not that it’s any business of yours anyway. You’re just her disgusting boss who took advantage of a vulnerable young girl,” she spit out.
“Now wait just a minute…”
“Mr. Worth?”
He turned to find the nurse he’d spoken to earlier in the morning standing before him. “Yes?”
“I just wanted to inform you that everything is in place for Gracie Hayes’ departure. She’s scheduled to fly out at one o’clock. Unfortunately, you can’t accompany her since we’re doing it by helicopter.”
“That’s not an issue. I’m just thankful an agreement was made.” Relief gripped hold of him, and he smiled broadly at the nurse. “Thank you so much for your help. May I see Gracie now?”
“I’m afraid you won’t be able to see her yet. She’s still in ICU. The doctor is tending to her now, but I’m sure you’ll be able to see her in the next hour or so. I’ll notify you when you can.” She smiled.
“Thank you.” He nodded gravely, eagerness filling him at the thought of getting Gracie the hell out of here, the sooner the better. And he needed to talk to her before she spoke with her grandmother again. The woman was set on vilifying him, and he hoped Gracie wouldn’t take anything she said to heart.