He shook his head again. “I can’t do it, Ry. I can’t take the chance of letting myself get addicted to something again. Right now, I’m weak, man. It wouldn’t take much to push me over the edge. I’ll deal.”
They walked slowly together through the emergency area and around to the main entrance of the hospital. At the front desk, they inquired about Paige and were directed to the sixth floor. Wordlessly, they walked to the elevators and rode up.
“I’ll handle Paige’s dad,” Riley said firmly. “You’re in no condition to go toe-to-toe with him, so promise me you’ll let me do the talking if it’s needed.”
“Sure.”
On the sixth floor, they followed the signs to the nurse’s station, and once there, they spotted Paige’s parents, Ariel, and Daisy in the waiting area. Robert immediately jumped to his feet, but his wife reached out and grabbed his hand before he could take a step.
Daisy got up and walked over to them. Dylan could tell that part of her was excited to meet Riley, but she kept her focus on him.
“How is she?” Dylan asked.
“She’s getting moved to recovery,” she replied. “A nurse came out a few minutes ago to update us.”
“Do you know the extent of her injuries?”
Daisy shook her head. “Not really. All we know is Paige suffered blunt trauma from the force of the crash—the airbag deployed so that saved her from it being worse, I think.” Then she registered how he looked. “And what about you? You’re a mess!”
“Stitches, broken wrist, and all around banged up,” he said quietly. “But I’m still able to leave and Paige isn’t.” He muttered a curse. “I hate this. She’s going to hate me.”
Reaching out, Daisy touched his good arm. “Dylan, it wasn’t your fault at all. How could she hate you? We all know the other guy was speeding and ran the light.”
Unable to help himself, he glanced in Robert’s direction. “Really? Does he know that?”
Daisy looked over her shoulder briefly. “Dylan, it’s his daughter who was hurt. Of course he was going to be upset. I was sitting downstairs with them when the police officers arrived and talked to him. Everyone knows the accident wasn’t your fault.”
It should have made him feel better, but it didn’t.
He was about to comment on it when another couple around the age of Paige’s parents walked over.
“Daisy,” the woman asked frantically, “how is she? Is she out of surgery yet?”
“Hi, Mrs. Brown. Mr. Brown,” she said softly. “They’re moving her to recovery. The doctor will be out shortly to talk to us.”
Mrs. Brown’s hand rested over her heart. “That poor girl.”
Mr. Brown nodded solemnly.
“Mr. and Mrs. Brown, this is Dylan Anders. He’s Paige’s boyfriend,” Daisy introduced.
Dylan shook both of their hands. “Nice to meet you.”
“Oh, you were in the car too?” Mrs. Brown asked, and Dylan nodded. She took in his appearance and her expression turned sympathetic. “How are you feeling? Do you need to sit down?”
“He probably should,” Riley added, and motioned for all of them to sit down.
A minute later, they were all seated on the opposite side of the waiting room from Paige’s parents. The Browns asked about the accident, and Dylan told them what he remembered. Unfortunately, Daisy decided to relate Robert’s outburst but not why he specifically attacked Dylan.
“As a parent who’s been through a situation like this,” Mr. Brown said, “I can understand that. You need to find the person who hurt your child. I would imagine that, until he knew all the details, you were an easy target.”
All Dylan could do was nod.
Mrs. Brown put a hand on Dylan’s knee. “People say things in the heat of the moment they don’t mean. I’m sure once emotions aren’t running so high, it will be better. The important thing right now is Paige and her recovery.”
He nodded again, unable to speak because the thought of her lying unconscious and injured was too much.
“We’re going to go over and see how they’re doing,” Mrs. Brown said as she and her husband rose. “We hope you feel better, Dylan.”
“Thank you.”
Once they were out of earshot, Daisy leaned in so only he and Riley could hear her. “The Browns’ daughter, Marni, was killed in a car accident several years ago. She and Paige were best friends. So really, they completely understand this situation. I’m sure they’ll talk to the Walterses and calm them down. But they were right—we need to focus on Paige right now.”
Dylan knew that, but all he wanted was to get an update on Paige and see her.
It took another fifteen minutes before the surgeon came out to talk to them. Everyone rose and walked over to hear the news. He looked at the group as a whole before focusing his attention on Paige’s parents.
“She did great,” he said. “She suffered blunt trauma, which caused the internal bleeding, and once we were able to go in and assess the extent of it, we did a partial splenectomy.”
“What does that mean?” Robert asked.
“It’s a partial removal of the spleen,” the surgeon said before he explained the whole procedure to them.
“Is she awake yet?” Ariel asked.
“No, not yet. I expect it could be a couple of hours before she’s awake, and then we’ll move her to a room.” He looked at the group again. “The procedure was done laparoscopically, so she has several small incisions she’ll need to take care of while they heal, but this is less invasive than traditional surgery, and her healing time will be a little shorter.”
“How soon until she can go home?” Robert asked.
“We’re going to keep her here and monitor her for about three days. The recovery time from the procedure is generally four to six weeks. However, the internal bleeding wasn’t her only injury from the accident, so I’d say Paige is looking at a six- to eight-week recovery.”
“What other injuries?” Daisy asked, and Robert glared at her.
The surgeon smiled at her before mainly addressing the Walters. “She has a concussion, and her right ankle is broken. Considering the circumstances, it could have been a lot worse. She’s going to be sore and bruised for a while, but because of the surgery, she’ll be forced to take it easy and rest.” He paused. “Any other questions?”
“When can we see her?” Robert asked.
“A nurse will come out when Paige is awake. Until then, why don’t you grab something to eat? I’d say it will be at least an hour before she starts to wake up, and at that point, we’ll need to check on her and talk with her before we let any family members visit.” He gave them all a reassuring smile. “Paige is young and in good health, and we’re confident she’ll be on her feet in no time.” Then he waved and walked away.
Now what? Dylan wondered.
Ariel was the first to step away from the group, announcing she was going to make some calls before getting something to eat. The two sets of parents stood off to the side talking while Dylan, Riley, and Daisy stood together.
“I think I’m going to head to the office,” Daisy said quietly. Then she looked at Dylan. “Will you call me when she wakes up and let me know how she is?”
He nodded and noticed she was still cautiously keeping her gaze averted from Riley, so he took pity on her. “Riley, I don’t think you’ve ever met Daisy before. She’s Paige’s assistant.”
Riley gave her his famous grin as he took one of her hands in his and shook it. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Daisy. I’m sure Paige appreciates you taking the time to be here.”
She blushed to the roots of her hair and let out a small giggle. “Thank you. It’s so nice to meet you. I just wish it weren’t…you know…like this.”
Riley nodded. “I agree.”
With one last giddy look at Riley, Daisy looked at Dyl
an again. “Are you going to be okay? You look like you should have been admitted.”
“I’m more banged up than anything. Nothing life threatening. And as soon as I know Paige is awake and all right, I’ll feel much better.”
“Still,” she replied. “You need to rest. Do you need anything? Can I do anything for you before I go?”
He smiled at her. She was a sweet woman. “I appreciate the offer, but I’m good. I’m sure if I need anything, there are plenty of doctors and nurses around to help, and when I leave, the hotel should be able to get me what I need.”
“Dude,” Riley said, “you can’t stay by yourself tonight. You’ll come home with me and stay for a couple of days.”
Normally, Dylan would have appreciated the offer, but right now, he wanted to be alone. No. He wanted to be with Paige. He wanted to turn back the clock and go back to this morning, before their argument.
Right now, he’d settle for sitting next to her bed and holding her hand until she woke up.
Robert Walters walked over and looked at Daisy. “Will you talk to the staff and let them know what’s going on when you get back to the office?”
“Of course, sir,” she replied. “No problem.”
“Thank you.”
Squeezing Dylan’s good hand, she said goodbye. When she was out of sight, Robert turned to Dylan.
“May I speak to you for a moment?” Then he looked at Riley. “In private.”
“You can talk to me in front of Riley,” he said with as much bravado as he could muster at the moment.
Robert sighed and gave Riley a look of annoyance before focusing on Dylan again. “The police officers explained to me the cause of the accident.”
Dylan nodded and waited for the apology.
“However, after some careful consideration, I think it would be best for Paige if this…affair the two of you are having came to an end.”
Dylan’s heart simply stopped for a moment.
“Um…excuse me?”
“Paige has a long recovery ahead of her,” Robert explained. “And to be honest, she needs someone who is stable and reliable and able to be there for her.”
“And you don’t think I’m capable of that?” Dylan asked incredulously.
“No, I do not. I think you are someone who requires help and assistance. I think Paige has spent a lot of time taking care of you, and I haven’t seen that reciprocated.”
Riley went to speak, but Dylan cut him off.
“If you’ll remember correctly, you assigned her to take care of me and babysit me even though no one asked you to,” Dylan countered.
“The Literacy Now people asked,” Robert said smugly. “You have a reputation, Dylan, and we needed to make sure you didn’t embarrass anyone.”
“And have I?”
“No, but that was Paige’s doing. We’re at a point in the campaign where your commitment will be done, and then how you behave will no longer be a concern,” he went on. “So there’s no reason for you and Paige to keep seeing each other.”
“I hate to be the one to break this to you, but Paige and I weren’t seeing each other only because of the campaign. I’m spending time with your daughter because she’s an amazing woman. I like her, I respect her—I love her!”
Robert gave a snort of disgust and looked around to make sure no one was paying attention to them. “I’m sure you think you’re in love with Paige, but in time, you’ll realize it would be a mistake.”
“And why is that?” Dylan sneered.
“Because you could never fit in with her life. Paige is a girl who works a nine-to-five job. She goes to a book club and has a small circle of friends, and she’s happy that way. You, on the other hand, are a recovering addict who plays in a rock-and-roll band and travels the world and is promiscuous,” he added with disgust. “I’m sure my daughter was infatuated with you, but it will pass.”
“Now wait a minute,” Riley interrupted. “Who are you to pass judgment on us?”
“I didn’t say—”
“Yeah, you did,” Riley snapped. “What you just said went beyond insulting. Do you think we’re sitting here looking at you and assuming you’re a closed-minded tight ass because you wear a suit and tie and work in an office?”
Robert sighed. “Mr. Shaughnessy, I don’t know any such thing about you. Nothing in all my recollections tells me that’s the type of person you are. In Dylan’s case, however, it’s all public knowledge. Any Google search of his name will bring up his every indiscretion for all the world to see.” He paused. “That’s not the kind of man I want for my daughter. She deserves someone better.”
“That’s Paige’s decision to make,” Dylan said, anger and adrenaline coursing through him.
For a moment, Robert studied him. “How is it going to look when your name is dragged through the headlines for causing yet another accident? What if your sobriety is brought back into question? The public is only willing to be forgiving so many times.”
“Everyone knows I didn’t cause that accident,” Dylan argued. “The cops, the doctors, everyone!”
“The press hasn’t caught wind of it yet. But one phone call could start the speculation,” Robert said with deadly calm. “Tell me, Dylan, are you willing to deal with all of that again? Are you willing to put your band back in the spotlight for your bad behavior? Will your record label be willing to have you associated with them? Or your insurance companies? Tell me.”
Dylan had never known rage like this before. His hand was clenched at his side, and it took every ounce of strength not to lash out, but that would add fuel to an already out-of-control inferno. Robert Walters was good at what he did—he had proven that to Dylan already. And there wasn’t a doubt in his mind that he would do his best to destroy Dylan in the public eye and succeed.
“Leave, Dylan,” Robert said. “Finish your commitment to Literacy Now as you’re contracted to do, so we don’t have to go after you legally for that. I’d hate for your hours of community service to come into question too. That could lead to jail time, right?”
Son of a bitch.
“I’ll talk to Paige,” her father went on. “I’ll tell her this all became too much. That you’re injured and need to go heal someplace and can’t come and see her. She’ll understand. She doesn’t argue with me.”
“Dylan, don’t go along with this,” Riley said urgently. “We can fight this! He’s threatening you with slander!”
“Mr. Shaughnessy, I have a great many connections, and I’d hate to have to drag you into this too. I think we both know that with Dylan’s past, it wouldn’t take much for people to believe he’d fallen into his old ways.” Then his eyes narrowed as he continued to look at Riley. “You have a daughter, don’t you?”
Riley went stock-still.
“Wouldn’t you do everything in your power to protect her? To make sure no one hurts her?” When Riley didn’t respond, a smug smile crossed Robert’s face. “You know you would. Don’t fault me for doing the same.”
For several minutes, they all stood in silence and Dylan was at war with himself. He didn’t want to leave Paige—not like this. Not ever. Unfortunately, he knew Robert would make good on his threats.
“If I leave,” he began gruffly, “if I stay away from Paige…”
“The topic of you being at fault will never come up from me. And I’ll handle the press to make sure it doesn’t go any further. Are we clear?”
Even though it killed him, Dylan nodded.
“Good,” Robert said. “Good day to you both.”
Without a word, Dylan turned and made his way to the elevators. Riley was at his side. As they rode down to the main floor, neither spoke.
Walking out to Riley’s car, the only conversation was about getting some of Dylan’s things from the hotel and then Riley taking him to stay with him and Savannah.
&
nbsp; At this point, it didn’t matter to Dylan where he stayed or what happened to him.
Nothing mattered.
Because he’d just lost everything.
* * *
For four days, she waited.
Every time someone walked into her hospital room, she hoped it would be Dylan. Every time the phone rang, she thought it would be him.
But it wasn’t.
Now, as a nurse was wheeling her down to her mother’s car, she felt nothing but an overwhelming sense of sadness. Everyone had told her about Dylan’s injuries, and she ached for him. She knew that right before the accident, she’d been mad at him, but she also knew she would have gotten over it.
Now? Not so much.
On top of all her other injuries, her heart was broken too.
The entire way down to the car, the nurse chatted with her about the weather and current events. Paige knew she answered when she needed to, but she just wanted to get out of the hospital and go home. After many conversations on the subject over the last several days, she had finally convinced her family that she wanted to spend her recovery in her own home. They had argued how it would be better for everyone—meaning them—for her to stay with them, but Paige had held firm. So her father hired a home health aide to stay with her for the next week.
Between the cast on her foot and the discomfort from the incisions, she knew she was going to need the help. But the doctors had confirmed that as long as she took it easy, there was no reason she couldn’t be on her own after that.
The weather was a cool sixty degrees and the slight breeze felt glorious after being in the hospital for four days. Paige breathed in deeply, and even though LA didn’t have the freshest air, it still felt wonderful.
Getting into her mother’s Mercedes wasn’t easy or graceful, but with a little help, she finally managed to sit in the passenger seat. Letting out a breath, she closed her eyes and waited for her mother to join her.
“Are you sure you don’t want to come and stay with us for a couple of days?” her mother asked as soon as she sat behind the wheel.
“Mom, we’ve been over this. I want to be in my own home and sleep in my own bed. I know you’re worried, but with the aide Dad hired coming to stay with me, it’s going to be fine. I’m sore more than anything, so I think it’s going to be better for me to be someplace where I’m comfortable.”
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