“I had to consent to it,” she continued. “They can’t do it without the person asking and wanting it. But if you’re not…” They’d had a similar religious upbringing and she knew he was as uncomfortable talking about sex as she was. “Talk to him, Jeff. Aidan really likes you—”
Her phone went off, a custom ring tone, interrupting her. She frowned when she looked at the screen.
“What’s wrong?” Jeff asked.
“It’s my mom.”
Chapter 7
Laura mentally checked another item off her massive wedding to-do list. She felt a little guilty that she planned such a large celebration when Kal was happy to do something small.
But only a little.
Kal was her baby, special even from the day she was conceived. Her husband had gently laughed off her assertions, telling her she’d been napping and dreamed it. Laura knew the truth.
Her baby girl was special.
Dream or not, it was all coming true.
Laura was convinced an angel spoke to her that day. Kenneth certainly hadn’t protested when she immediately went to him in his study and persuaded him to go to their bedroom in the middle of the day.
Just like the angel told her, she’d had a little baby girl to love and cherish and raise the right way. Named her Kalyani, like he’d suggested. A little girl who would one day marry someone special, someone important.
And Kal was. Okay, so Will was a TV show host, who cared? He had an ageless air about him that Laura knew on first meeting bespoke the man who should marry her daughter.
Kenneth and his misguided plans. Poor Jeff, she wished she’d stood her ground years earlier and made him stop pestering the kids about getting together, but it seemed harmless enough at the time.
Laura thought about that angel every day of her daughter’s life. His beautiful, sad green eyes, almost like he’d been crying. And how strange that he’d spoken with a British accent.
Funny the things the mind does. No wings either. Everything had come true so far, just as he’d said it would. Kalyani would marry an important, special man who loved her very much, who would hold her heart and cherish her, and her life from there on would be blessed.
When Laura returned home, she found Kenneth dozing on the living room sofa in front of the TV. Part of her wished he still worked. Part of her felt relieved about the sudden change in his demeanor. He certainly was more relaxed and pleasant to be around lately. While she sometimes wished she had the house to herself more often, having him in a far better mood than he’d been in years was a relief. It was almost as if he’d struggled to get Kal married off to Jeff, and then when Kenneth realized that she was going to live her life her way regardless of what he felt, he’d popped a gasket.
In the best possible way.
Kal had told her outside his earshot that Jeff was happy and possibly dating Aidan. While she didn’t approve in theory, in her heart she was happy he’d found happiness. Wasn’t that the important thing?
Her little girl was happy, Jeff was happy, and with Kenneth chilling out, as the kids said, now both of them were happy, too.
An hour later he was still asleep and she went to wake him. He was slow to rouse and looked disoriented at first. “What time is it?” he mumbled.
“It’s after three. If you sleep all day you’ll never sleep tonight.”
He sat up and nodded, rubbing his head.
“Are you all right?”
“Just a headache. My stomach’s a little upset, too. I think I’ll go upstairs and lie down. Can you bring me a glass of cold water?”
“Of course.” She watched him slowly mount the stairs, fighting the worry pressing her heart. She went to the kitchen to get his water when she heard a loud crash upstairs. “Kenneth?”
No response.
She hurried upstairs and found him lying unconscious on the bedroom floor. She screamed his name and shook him. When he didn’t open his eyes she grabbed the phone. With trembling fingers and unable to stop crying, she dialed 911.
By the time the paramedics arrived he’d awoke and opened his eyes. She sobbed with relief but he wasn’t making any sense and was too weak to get up from the floor. She followed the ambulance to the hospital and within an hour he was sitting up and talking, practically back to himself. They were still awaiting test results.
She wanted to call Kal immediately. He put his foot down. “Don’t call her over something like this. She’s probably on a plane anyway. Wasn’t she flying back this afternoon?”
Laura nodded even while something inside her worried, pecking at her intuition. This wasn’t simple headaches. She dreaded what the doctors would tell them.
After a while, Laura couldn’t stand it. She excused herself to the bathroom and called Kal, surprised when her daughter answered her phone.
* * * *
“Mom, calm down. What’s wrong?”
“Your father’s in the hospital.”
“What! What happened?”
“I don’t know. He wasn’t feeling good and said he was going upstairs and he passed out. He’s awake now. They’re still running tests to figure out what happened.”
“I’ll—” Kal’s jaw snapped shut. She couldn’t say she was back in Tampa, there was no way she could explain that time difference. “I’ll change my plans and come over. I haven’t left yet. Where is he? What hospital?”
Jeff handed Kal a notepad and pen. Still feeling stunned, Kal jotted down the information. “Okay. I’ll be there soon.” She hung up, shaking. She started to summon Will when she realized she couldn’t. Not if he was on a normal job, he couldn’t just disappear from wherever he was.
“Honey, what’s wrong?” Jeff asked.
“My dad’s in the hospital.” She closed her eyes and tried to decide what to do.
“You go and I’ll contact Will for you.”
She shook her head. “He can’t just show up. He’s supposed to be here in Tampa, not up in Columbus.”
“Oh. Right.” It was easy for Jeff to forget things like that now that he was enmeshed in their inner circle.
“I’ll call Ryan. He’ll know how to handle it.” Kal ran for her office, grabbed her purse and then closed her eyes. “Ryan, vado tu appareo.” When she opened them, she was standing in his Atlanta condo. Ryan looked worried.
“Sweetheart, what’s wrong?”
Kal didn’t plan on it, but she collapsed against him and cried, telling him about the phone call. He comforted her, holding her close. “Shh. It’s okay,” he whispered, his arms around her, gently rubbing her back.
He softly hummed to her, a tune she’d swear she’d never heard before, but it sounded strangely familiar and instantly calmed and relaxed her.
“Close your eyes, pet.” She did and felt the shift. When she looked, they were in his Columbus office.
He took her hand. “Come on, I’ll drive you. You’ll need the car. Where is he?”
She handed him the paper she’d ripped from Jeff’s notepad. He nodded. “Let’s get you there, then I’ll summon Will for you, right?”
Kal nodded, glad to let him take over. He dropped her off at the ER entrance. Before she stepped from the car, Ryan caught her hand. “Kal, I’ll take care of contacting Will, all right? You were very smart to call me. I know this is stressful, but I’m sure he’ll understand.”
She nodded and hugged him. “I owe you big time, Ry.”
He closed his eyes and tried not to focus on the scent of her shampoo. “You owe me nothing, sweetheart. Now go on. I’ll check on you in a few minutes, I’ll stay out here. Summon me if you need me, promise?”
“Okay.” He watched her walk into the ER before he drove around to the far side of the parking lot. He closed his eyes and searched, homing in on Will. He was with Aidan, which made it easier.
Unfortunately, they were also with several other people in a meeting. Ryan couldn’t simply summon Will to him. He whipped out his cell and called Will, sending him the thought to answer.
&nb
sp; Will powerfully resisted Ryan, blocking his thought and ignoring the call, sending it straight to voice mail.
“Bloody hell, Will.” Ryan hung up and immediately called Aidan, sending him a thought.
For once, Aidan responded. He answered his phone after it rang three times.
“What is it? We’re in a meeting.”
“Get Will. Now.”
“What—”
“Aidan, do not argue with me. This is urgent.”
Aidan hesitated, then sighed. “He’s gonna be pissed. Hold on.” Ryan heard him step inside the room again, murmur something to Will, then noises like the phone was exchanged. A moment later Will spoke, his voice flat and angry.
“What?”
“I need you here. Now.”
“Why?”
He sensed the chill of fear in Will’s voice. “She’s fine, it’s not her, but she needs you. End your meeting and get someplace private. Call me as soon as you are alone and I’ll tell you.” Ryan hung up, hoping his tone of voice would spur Will to prudent action. Thirty seconds later, Will called back from his own cell.
“What’s going on?”
“Appareo.”
Will appeared in the passenger seat. When he saw where they were, his eyes widened. “What’s going on?”
“Her father. He collapsed earlier.” Will started for the door but Ryan grabbed his arm. “You’re supposed to be in Tampa. You can’t go waltzing in there yet.”
“She needs me, dammit!”
“Will.” His old friend finally turned to look at him. “You will cause her more stress and grief if she has to try to come up with explanations for her parents. She hates to lie, you know that. This has been hard enough on her. She called me and I promised her I would get you, but you must show restraint.”
Ryan knew it was Will’s sheer…will keeping him from bolting inside to be with her. He finally nodded.
“Let me go in and check and see what’s happening,” Ryan suggested. “I’ll tell her you’re here and she can come out. Then we will decide what to do. All right?”
Will’s jaw tightly clenched, but he finally nodded. “Okay.”
“Right.” Ryan walked inside and closed his eyes, easily tracking her. He didn’t want to intrude and a few doors down he stopped in the hallway.
“Love, how is he? Answer silently.”
He caught her surprise and she replied, “We’re waiting for tests. He’s awake.”
“Will is outside. He can’t come in here just yet, you know. Can you come out for a moment?”
“I’ll be right there. Where are you?”
“In the hall, a few doors down.”
Kal’s voice drifted from an open doorway as she murmured something to her parents. Then her footsteps on the linoleum and she was by his side. Her eyes looked red, face puffy. He wanted to put his arms around her and knew that would only make matters worse if Will saw him with her like that or smelled his scent stronger on her than it already was.
He fell in step with her and led her outside to where he’d parked the car. Will leaned against the trunk, his arms crossed. When she saw him she ran to him and he hugged her.
As it should be.
Ryan watched them for a moment, letting them have their greeting. When he approached, Will lifted his head.
“Thanks, Ryan.” Will’s emotion-choked voice opened a little hope that maybe one day Ryan could have his soul brothers back.
He wasn’t hoping too much. It was still raw and painful to see his old love, even two lives and eons distant, in the arms of another man.
“Of course.” He handed Will the car keys. “Keep this, you’ll need it. I would suggest you wait another hour or so before going inside, say that I made changes to the schedule or something and flew you up unexpectedly.
Kal was so embedded in the comfort of her soul mate’s arms that she didn’t move. “Thank you, Ry,” she mumbled against Will’s chest.
“You’re welcome.” He walked around the car, then bent over as if to tie his shoes. He disappeared, returning to Atlanta.
After a long moment she mumbled, “I should get back in there. I don’t want to miss talking to his doctors.” She sighed. “I won’t want to leave you if I stay here too long.”
After a few minutes, Will gently untangled her from him and walked her to the ER entrance. “I’ll be inside in an hour. If you need me, come outside and I’ll be here.”
She kissed him one last time and he watched her walk away. The jealous soul mate in him smelled Ryan on her, but he closed his eyes and let rational thought take over. Ryan had done the right thing, the smart thing. Kal had been understandably upset. Ryan took care of her for him—as he’d promised—until Will arrived. Ryan had hugged her, nothing more. Will wouldn’t begrudge that despite the strange internal alarm wanting to stir his anger and jealousy.
He returned to the car and called Ryan on his cell.
“How is she?”
“She’s okay.” This took a lot out of Will, although slowly readjusting his attitude toward Ryan after all these countless years was gradually becoming easier. “Thank you.”
Ryan paused, taken aback. “Will, I keep my word. When I told you I would help, I meant it. You should know that.”
“I just…” Will pinched the bridge of his nose. “I will get along with you for Kal’s sake. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t know if I can ever get over what you did. So don’t read more into what I’m saying than I mean. I do appreciate you looking after her for me. That’s all I wanted to say.”
Ryan paused again. “I had my reasons. I’m sorry I cannot elaborate. You have to trust that I have a job to do as head of The Firm. Please tell Kal that if she needs me, she can summon me.”
He hung up, leaving Will to stare at the phone. Will never understood why Abby got along with Ryan. He didn’t understand why Kal liked him either, especially after she knew Ryan was behind engineering everything that happened to her.
Maybe it was best he didn’t understand.
He reclined the car seat to wait until he could go in to be with her.
* * * *
Twenty minutes later, Kal called Will’s cell on the pretext of finding out where he was and ducked out to meet him. They stood outside the ER entrance while Kal relaxed in his arms. She hated being away from him for extended lengths of time, and with her stress levels through the roof this was practically killing her. After forty-five minutes, Will locked the car and made his way inside. Hopefully her parents were too out of it to notice the time discrepancy in his arrival.
Laura hugged him immediately. The Reverend’s eyes were closed, but opened when Will leaned over his bed and patted his shoulder. “How are you, sir?”
He nodded. “Been better. Want to get out of here and go home.”
Kal chimed in. “Daddy, you aren’t going anywhere until they figure out what’s wrong.”
Still waiting for reports, the attending ER doctor admitted him and the three followed his gurney as he was transported to a private room upstairs. When the doctor walked in another long hour later, Will immediately knew from the look on his face that it wasn’t good news.
Kal’s hand tightened in Will’s. He pulled her onto his lap, his arms around her waist. She’d been flighty, pacing. He was worried she’d work herself into a nervous faint at this rate. She relaxed in his arms as she felt his power flow through her body.
“I don’t have a definitive answer for you yet, Reverend Martin,” the doctor said. “We’ve got you scheduled for an MRI as soon as the machine is free.”
Will tried to search the doctor’s mind. Either the doctor was too strong or too much of his own energy was diverted to keeping Kal calm. He was never as good at reading people as Aidan, Ryan, and Purs were. Unfortunately, Will knew what Ryan had seen that night at the “Ohio Shoot Incident.” At least she’d been able to enjoy the time she’d had with her father.
Laura’s face paled. Will reached over and took her hand, diverting some of his calming
energy from Kal to her mom.
“What does that mean?” Laura asked the doctor. “Why an MRI?”
“We’ve ruled out a stroke, and we’ve ruled out a problem with his blood sugar. There were some unusual indications in the results that I want to follow up before I pose any theories. It could be a wide variety of causes, including many very insignificant ones.”
Laura’s hand tightened on Will’s. “What will the MRI tell us?”
“We want to find out what’s causing these headaches. It could be related to why he fainted, or it might not. It’s the best way to proceed at this time.”
He was lying, Will finally saw it. The doctor already had a good idea what was wrong, but was holding back on a final opinion until he saw the MRI scan and brought in an oncologist for the consult.
The Reverend spoke up. “When do I get that?”
“They’ll come get you soon. There’s another patient in there right now, and we only have the one machine. I’d rather do that than do a CT scan and have to send you back for an MRI later.”
The doctor left. Will watched Laura stare at Kenneth. She suspected. Kal was still in too much shock to put it together.
Reverend Martin looked at Will, met his eyes. “Girls, I’d like to talk to Will for a moment. Alone.”
This was new.
The women nervously exchanged glances. Will patted Kal’s thigh. “Why don’t you and your mom go find us some coffee?”
Kal nodded and left with her mom. Will moved to Laura’s chair next to the bed.
The Reverend’s eyes bored into his. “I don’t know what that guy did to me that night,” he said, his voice more forceful than Will expected. “I don’t know why I left there feeling the way I do. I know that guy didn’t cause whatever’s physically wrong with me, because I think I know why I’m having headaches. I’d been having them long before that night. That doctor already knows, I can sense it. He’s just not telling us yet.” He paused. “There’s something supernatural about you. I’m not sure I like the idea of you marrying my daughter.”
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