Secrets (Lords of the City)

by Alice Ward

  “Yeah, that pretty much sums him up. He has to be good at his job, or Dr. Harris would never have hired him. And he’s incredibly good looking, but not to the point that it justifies his arrogance. He brought up my breakup and pointed out that I was alone. I think he thought I’d be vulnerable and easy to get into bed.”

  “I hope he paid full price for his flights,” Stacey said spitefully. “I’m sure you gave him a piece of your mind and he left knowing that you’re anything but vulnerable.”

  I nodded. “I just wish… I wish I’d ignored him at the conference,” I sighed. “Now, all I’ve been able to think about is Drake, and all of the ways he was so unlike the other men I’ve met.”

  Stacey nodded. “I could kill him with my bare hands for fucking things up between the two of you, and I told him as much about an hour ago.”

  “Was today the first time he’s visited?” I asked, my voice barely audible.

  Stacey shook her head. “He came by last night too. He brought those.” She nodded toward a bouquet of lilies sunning in the window.

  “I saw him on Emma’s birthday,” I told her, careful to use the right words. One of the NICU nurses had overheard Oliver and I refer to ‘the day of the accident’, and she advised us to ban those words from our vocabulary and focus on the positive.

  “He told me,” she said, her voice low. “Ollie was here when Drake stopped by last night, but I was alone with him today. He’s still pretty broken up about things, Chelsea.”

  “I know he’s hurting. I could see it all over his face. But what am I supposed to do about it? He did this to himself. He did it to both of us,” I insisted, my voice rising with renewed anger.

  “I know he did,” she assured me. “And so does he.”

  I took a deep, calming breath and leaned back in the chair. “It killed me to see the pain on his face,” I confessed. “I spearheaded the campaign to stop his Battery Park project because I wanted to hurt him. But when I actually saw him hurting, a part of me just wanted to reach out and hold him.”

  “And the other part of you?” she pressed, her brows pinched together.

  “The other part knows that we’ve been broken beyond repair,” I replied flatly.

  “Well, that seems to be one thing you agree on,” Stacey said with a frown.

  “Drake said that?” I asked, surprised by the sinking of my heart.

  She nodded. “He didn’t say it exactly like that. He said that he’s caused too much damage to ever deserve your forgiveness. He also said that he’s given up on the idea of trying to win you back. He wants you to move on and to be happy without him.”

  “Good,” I said, pushing my hair behind my ears. I stared at the wall and tried not to cry.

  “That’s what you wanted, isn’t it Chelsea?” Stacey asked.

  “Nothing that’s happened in the last month was what I wanted,” I replied. “But given everything, I think him staying away is for the best. I’m just waiting to get to a place where it doesn’t hurt so badly.”

  “You still love him,” Stacey said with absolute certainty.

  “I’ll probably always love him,” I confessed. “But how in the hell could I ever be with him after all of his lies?”

  “Is that an invitation to play devil’s advocate again?”

  “Do your worst,” I said, crossing my legs.

  “I know Drake kept secrets and told lies. But if you think about it, he did it all to protect you. He didn’t want you mixed up in the mess with Rebecca and Alex. He didn’t want you to have to make peace with his wild past. He wanted to focus on the future and he hoped his secrets would stay buried.”

  “That plan definitely backfired,” I replied bluntly. “And I ended up blindsided. You didn’t see how thick that stack of nondisclosure forms was, Stacey. Drake’s been with so many women. How could I possibly trust that he’d be happy going from that to settling down with me?”

  Stacey shrugged. “I’m not saying your doubts aren’t valid. I’m just trying to give you a different perspective.”

  “I get it,” I assured her. “And honestly, there’s a part of me that wishes I could forgive and forget. I miss being with a man who actually listens to what I say. I miss exploring new places with him and waking up in his arms. But after everything that’s happened, there’s no way Drake could ever redeem himself… not to the point that I’d trust him again.”

  “Then it’s good that he’s letting go too,” Stacey pointed out. “I know it hurts, Chelsea. If you want, I won’t bring him up again.”

  “You don’t have to do that,” I told her. “I don’t want you to feel like you have to walk on eggshells when I’m around. Who knows? Maybe one day, Drake and I will reach a place where we can be friends.”

  “I hope so,” Stacey replied. “Because Oliver’s going to be working for him indefinitely. I shudder to think what out hospital bills are going to be.”

  “Let’s not worry about that right now,” I said, pulling out a sheet of construction paper. “Let’s focus on making sure our little angel has the best decorated incubator in the nursery.”

  ***

  “Chelsea, how are Stacey and the baby doing?” Pete asked. I held my phone to my ear with one hand and dug through Stacey’s dresser drawer with the other. Oliver hadn’t taken time to empty the dressers, so Drake’s construction crew had packed them into the guest bedroom before tearing out the ruined master floor.

  “Emma’s still on the ventilator, but her lungs are getting stronger. Stacey is still running a low-grade fever and her liver isn’t healing as quickly as they’d like. She’s going through hell not being able to see the baby. Oliver and I are trying to convince her to let the doctors give her something for her nerves. I’m at their house now, packing all of Stacey’s pajamas. I’m hoping she’ll feel a little better if she can get out of that gross hospital gown.” I stuffed a final pair of lounge pants into the duffle bag and zipped it closed.

  “I’m so sorry you’re all going through this. And I hate to ask, but I need to see you today.”

  “What’s wrong?” I demanded.

  What else could possibly go wrong?

  “Nothing’s wrong, but there’s been a development in the situation with the hotel. Could you possibly meet me there in, say, half an hour?”

  I glanced at the alarm clock near the guest bed. “Can we make it forty-five minutes?”

  “Sure,” he agreed. “Thanks, Chelsea. I promise I won’t take much of your time.”

  “I’ll see you soon, Pete.”

  I ended the call and slid the phone into my pocket. I did a quick sweep of the apartment, gathering the random things Stacey had asked for. Once I’d checked everything off the list, I gathered the bags and grabbed a taxi to Battery Park.

  I wonder if one of Pete’s university friends finally found something we could use in our defense. Or maybe the judge has finally decided whether or not to lift the injunction. Whatever it is, I hope I don’t have to see Drake.

  The sorrow in Drake’s eyes has haunted me since the night Emma was born. He’d lied to me, broken my heart, and ruined my trust. And while I was still convinced I was right to leave him, I couldn’t deny that I missed him. The long, emotional days would be much easier if I could fall into his arms at the end of them.

  Spending time with Colton was a mistake. He was such an ass, it made me think of Drake’s good qualities. From now on, no men at all… not that I’ll have time.

  We’d been warned that even if the new medication was effective, Emma would probably spend the first few months of her life in the hospital. Oliver couldn’t afford to take much more time off work and I knew Stacey would need as much support as she could get. Between taking care of my family and keeping my job, I didn’t expect to have much free time.

  The taxi pulled up to The Albergo and I saw Pete leaning against the front door. I threw a ten-dollar bill to the driver and hauled my bags onto the curb. Pete took them from my arms and handed me a single key.

&nb
sp; “Thanks for meeting me, Chelsea. I know you have a lot going on, but I thought you might like to be the first one to unlock the society’s newest acquisition.”

  “What?” I gasped.

  I must have misheard him. There’s no way Pete was able to buy the property.

  “You heard me correctly,” Pete assured me with a smile. “It seems Mr. Waters had a change of heart. He’s donated the property to us.”

  Stunned, I turned the key in the lock and pushed open the door. Pete followed me inside and dropped my bags near the staircase.

  “I can’t believe he gave us the building. What the hell are we going to do with it?” I asked, my brain clouded with disbelief.

  “That’s the million dollar question,” Pete said with a sigh. “The good news is that we’ll have no problem raising the funds to restore it after we made such a big deal of saving it. Many people will see this as an amazing victory. But I have no idea what to do with it once the restorations are over. We don’t have the infrastructure to run a hotel.”

  “Well, maybe we could branch out,” I suggested. “Think about it, Pete. Loads of history buffs come to New York. And Battery Park is becoming one of the most popular areas in the city. We could staff the hotel and cater to the academic crowd. If we do this right, it could be a major source of income for the society.”

  “A not-for-profit, historic hotel… that might work,” Pete agreed. “I’ll make some calls and have some figures drawn up. I know that you need some time with your family. Take as much time off as you’d like. We’ll start planning the ancient documents department once Stacey and Emma have improved. And please, Chelsea. Give your family my best.”

  “Thank you, Pete. I will,” I promised as he made his way to the door. Once I was alone, the first thing I did was call Drake. He didn’t answer, so I left a short message.

  “I wanted to let you know Emma’s doing a little better. She started some trial medication and it seems to be helping. I just met with Pete. Thank you.”

  I was grateful that Drake had donated the hotel, but I had serious questions about his motives.

  It doesn’t make any sense that he’d donate it. If anything, he’d have sold it to a different developer so he didn’t have to deal with the headache. He promised Stacey he wasn’t going to try to get me back. But why else would he have done this?

  My phone rang and I immediately assumed it was Drake. I looked down and saw an unfamiliar number on the screen.

  “Hello?”

  “May I please speak to Ms. Tyler?” asked a soft, concerned voice.

  “This is her,” I replied, my heart racing. I knew something had happened with either Stacey or Emma.

  “Ms. Tyler, this is Anna. I’m one of Stacey’s nurses. I’m sorry to tell you this over the phone, but the baby’s vitals are dropping. Mr. Tyler had to go see to a work issue, and Stacey was alone when Dr. Lekberg came in to update her. They’re running tests on Emma, but…”

  “Tell Stacey I’m on my way.”

  ***

  “What’s going on?” I asked as I stormed into the hospital room. Stacey sat up in bed, tears rolling down her face. Dr. Vines and Dr. Lekberg stood on either side of her. I dropped the duffle bags near the door, pushed passed Dr. Vines, and put a gentle arm around Stacey.

  “Emma’s heart rate dipped below normal,” Dr. Vines explained, shifting to the foot of the bed. “She’s stable now, but Stacey had an understandable anxiety attack. She’s refusing to let us give her a sedative.”

  Stacey shook her head, her body rocked with sobs. “My little girl is fighting for her life. I refuse to let you sedate me. I have to be awake, to make decisions for her. I have to know what’s happening.”

  I climbed into the bed, wrapping my arms around her. “It’s okay, Stacey. I’m here and Oliver is on his way. You need to rest, remember? The faster you get better, the faster you can be with Emma.”

  “We’ll step outside and let the two of you talk,” Dr. Lekberg insisted. They left the room and Stacey sobbed into my shoulder.

  “I didn’t know what to do,” she cried. “I was here by myself and one of the NICU nurses came in looking for Oliver. I made her tell me what was happening. She went back to Emma and I was alone again. I had no idea what was going on with my own baby. I’m the worst mother in the world.”

  “Shh… you’re an amazing mother,” I said as I rocked her back and forth. “You had the strength to stay here because you knew that was best for Emma. And the doctors…”

  “Stacey, what happened?” Oliver asked, bursting through the door. Stacey burst into tears again and I filled Ollie in on Emma’s heart episode.

  “What made her heart rate fall?” he demanded.

  Stacey let out a few deep sobs and then caught her breath. “Dr. Lekberg said that it’s something that just happens sometimes. They’re running a blood test to make sure the medication isn’t causing any issues. And they’re…”

  A knock echoed through the room and the doctors stepped back in. “Good afternoon, Mr. Tyler. We’ve just received the results of Emma’s heart scan. Everything is in good working order, so I have every reason to believe this was an isolated event,” Dr. Lekberg announced.

  We breathed a collective sigh of relief.

  “Are there any precautions we need to take? An extra monitor, or…”

  “Every precaution is being taken, Mr. Tyler,” the doctor assured him. “We’ll have the blood test results back soon, though I’m confident that the medication isn’t the issue. I’ve never had a patient have a cardiac reaction to Levanex.”

  “Thank you, Doctor,” Oliver replied with a sigh.

  “You’re welcome.”

  Dr. Vines cleared his throat. “Mrs. Tyler, have you given any more thought to my suggestion that we start you on an anxiety medication, and perhaps a sedative for sleeping? Your body has been through so much trauma, it’s natural for your emotions to run wild. But the lower your stress level and the more rest you get, the faster you’ll heal.”

  Stacey shook her head. “What if I’d taken a sedative before Emma’s episode? What if she needed someone to make a decision for her, and I was too drugged to wake up?”

  “That won’t happen,” I insisted, taking her hand. “From now on, neither you nor Emma will be alone. Oliver and I will just move in to the hospital. If something happens and you’re asleep, we’ll wake you.”

  “You can’t do that, Chelsea,” she argued. “What about your job?”

  “Pete let me take indefinite leave. And we can absolutely do this.”

  “Chelsea’s right, Stace,” Oliver agreed. “You have to take care of yourself. We have a little girl who needs her mother.”

  Stacey glanced back and forth between us and then looked to Dr. Vines. “Okay, I’ll take something to sleep. But I don’t want to take any anxiety meds yet. I think I’ll feel better if I just get some rest.”

  “I think you will too,” he agreed. “A nurse will be in in a few minutes to give you your first dose. I know it’s the middle of the afternoon, but I think it’s imperative that you rest as soon as possible.”

  “We’ll wake you if anything happens,” I promised again.

  “Okay,” Stacey sighed. “I’m trusting you. Now, get out of here and go see my daughter. Tell her that Mommy loves her and is doing everything she can to get better.”

  “I’ll let her know,” I promised.

  I followed the doctors into the hallway and checked my phone, expecting to see a missed message from Drake. I thought he’d reach out after I left my message, but I had no new voicemails or texts.

  Maybe he hasn’t listened to my message yet. Or maybe he just doesn’t want to talk to me. Maybe he really has given up on his plan to win me back and he donated the hotel for tax reasons or something. If that’s the case, I guess it’s a good thing.

  I shook off my unexpected disappointment and set off for the NICU.

  CHAPTER 6

  e

  It didn’t take long fo
r Oliver, Piper, and I to come up with a schedule that ensured Stacey and Emma were never alone at the hospital. Oliver and I were both off work, so we rotated constantly between Stacey’s room and the NICU. Piper stopped by after work every day, giving Oliver and me rotating breaks to take a walk, shower, and pick up food somewhere other than the hospital cafeteria.

  He and I both slept at the hospital every night, with him in the NICU and me with Stacey. Time passed in a haze of stress and sleep deprivation. Little Emma’s lungs continued to get stronger, and she was slowly weaned off her ventilator. But she set her apnea monitors off at least twice a night, and Oliver usually looked like a zombie when we switched places after breakfast.

  Stacey’s recovery was slow and heart wrenching to watch. After three days on antibiotics, her fever began to fall. A day later, it spiked again and her incisions became inflamed. Dr. Vines put her on the strongest antibiotic available, which made her even weaker than she’d been before.

  Since Stacey couldn’t visit Emma, Oliver and I set up a two-way video feed between them. She was able to watch Emma, speak to her nurses, and sing lullabies to the entire nursery. When we set up the equipment, I worried that watching Emma but not being able to really see her would be too stressful for Stacey. But the first time we watched Emma turn to the sound of her mother’s voice, my fears were silenced.

  Finally, after nine days, Dr. Vines removed Stacey’s stitches and announced that, barring any setbacks in either of them, she would be allowed to visit the NICU the next morning. Piper visited Emma while Oliver, Stacey, and I celebrated with a bottle of sparkling grape juice.

  “I can’t believe I finally get to hold her,” Stacey said, staring at the video monitor.

  “Just a few more hours,” Oliver said with a smile. He finished his juice in one gulp and sat his plastic cup on the bedside table. “I’m going to step outside and call Mom and Dad.”