Sunny's Love

by Anna Kristell

  “Laura, I don’t know if you picked up on it, but Chase’s first marriage was no bed of roses. Brit was a good mother and she tried to be a good wife. Chase wasn’t in love with her. Truth be known, she probably wasn’t really in love with him, either. The situation between your daughter and my son is quite different. They love each other deeply. If anything were to happen…I don’t think my son would survive it.”

  “We’ll just have to make sure nothing happens to my Sunny Jo.” Laura patted her daughter’s hand and spoke softly to her, “Sunny Jo, you need to wake up, Honey, so your handsome husband can get some sleep.”

  Marty laughed. “Laura, it’s no wonder Sunny has been such a breath of fresh air to this family, she’s just like her mother.”

  “Thank you, Marty. You know, when Sunny told me she and Chase were getting married, I have to admit, I was concerned. After all, he’s older and has two children. Sunny had suffered a heartbreak when her fiancé broke up with her. She’d only had the one boyfriend, Scott, and I feared she was acting on impulse. But when I arrived in Florida for the wedding, I only had to look at the two of them together, to realize my daughter had made a wise choice. Chase is wonderful. It’s obvious he adores her. And I can see, her feelings for him run much deeper than any she felt for Scott.”

  “Yes, it’s quite obvious, isn’t it? You don’t know how happy I am they found each other. The staff loves her, and so do the children. She has to wake up, Laura.” Marty wiped her eyes with a tissue.

  Chase stepped back into the room. “Would you two mind letting Dr. Rose come in? You need a break anyway. Mrs. Rose is in the lounge.”

  “Sure, honey, come on Laura, let’s take a walk to the chapel. We’ll take Mrs. Rose with us.”

  Laura got up and touched Chase’s hand. “Keep your faith, Chase. She loves you too much to give up.”

  ****

  They both spoke to Dr. Rose on their way out. When they’d gone, the doctor walked to Sunny’s bedside. He checked her pupils and her pulse. “Chase, her pulse is good, strong.”

  Connie came in to take Sunny’s vitals. “I hear you’re a retired doc from Clinton. Welcome.”

  “I am, but I’m also a family friend. Sunny is like a daughter to my wife and myself.”

  When Connie had finished, she handed the chart to Dr. Rose. He scanned the results of her blood pressure and heart rate and said, “Chase, everything looks good here. I’ll speak to Dr. Jessup when he makes his rounds and see what else he can tell me.”

  “Thank you so much, Doc.”

  “Chase, let’s take a walk. You need to get some fresh air. The nurses will call us if they need us.”

  “Okay.” Chase leaned over and kissed Sunny’s cheek. “Baby, I’ll be right back. I’m just going for a walk with Dr. Rose. I love you.”

  “Chase, why don’t you go home for a few hours, shower, nap, see the kids?” Mrs. Rose suggested gently the next morning. “I know you don’t want to leave her, but your mother and Laura will be back soon.”

  “She’s right, son. After Dr. Jessup comes in, you go home. We’ll go to our hotel for few hours. Marty and Laura can hold down the fort.”

  “I do need to check on the kids, they’re probably sick with worry by now.”

  Laura and Marty returned, refreshed, and both of them heartily agreed, Chase needed a break.

  “How are the kids?” he asked.

  “They’re all right, considering. You can tell they’re frightened, but Alma and George have been keeping them occupied. Alma kept them out of school the past few days, but thinks they should go back tomorrow. She called their teachers and explained the situation.”

  After Dr. Jessup’s visit, Chase went home. Driving his mother’s car, he pulled into the driveway. Seeing Sunny’s car still parked where she had left it, he laid his head on the steering wheel and sobbed. Calming himself down before going inside to face Ali and Brice, he walked around the house a few times before going in through the kitchen door.

  “Chase, oh, honey, sit down and have a cup of coffee. I just made a fresh pot.” Alma began mothering him immediately. She poured a cup of coffee for him and one for herself. She sat down with him.

  “What’s happening?” she asked, eager for news.

  “Her vitals are good, but she’s still not awake,” he said as he took a sip of the strong, black coffee.

  “Oh, honey, I’m so sorry. What does the doctor say?”

  “Watch and wait…that’s all we can do at this point.”

  George walked in. Seeing Chase, he went to him and patted him on the shoulder. “Hang in there, Chase, she’s a fighter.”

  “I hope you’re right. Where are Ali and Brice?”

  “Playing a game in the den, go on in, they’ll be happy to see you.”

  Chase went to find his children. Entering the room quietly, he said, “Hey you guys, got a hug for your dad?”

  “Daddy, we missed you. Is Mama with you?” Ali ran to her dad for a bear hug.

  “Daddy, I want Mama.” Brice’s eyes filled with tears as Chase scooped him up in his arms and held him close.

  He sat down with Brice on his lap. He pulled Ali down beside him and hugged her close to him. He said, “Your mama is at the hospital. She’s resting right now. She fell and hurt her arm, and her head. The doctors and nurses are taking really good care of her.”

  “Can we see her?” Ali asked.

  “Not just yet, Princess Ali. Maybe later, when she feels better, I’ll take you to see her.”

  “Does she miss us?” Brice asked sadly.

  “She misses you guys like crazy.”

  He sat with them for a while longer, playing games and reading to them. When Alma came in to get them for lunch, Chase told them that he was going to take a nap. “I’ll go back to check on your mama when I wake up. I’ll tell her you love her.”

  After he was finally able to catch a few good hours of uninterrupted sleep, he showered, shaved, and dressed. He kissed the children, telling them to behave for Alma and George. He mentioned to Alma if Alice wanted to come up from Florida to help out with the kids, he’d arrange for her flight. He gave her carte blanche to call and invite her.

  “She’s been calling several times a day, to find out what is going on, so I’m sure she’ll be on the first flight you can book her on.”

  “I’ll have Lisa, my secretary, get right on that, I need to check in with her anyway.” He dialed Lisa’s extension and filled her in.

  “Things are all right here, Mr. Dupont. I’ll call you if anything comes up. I’ll take care of Alice’s flight plans right away. Should I call her with the details, or you?”

  “Go ahead and call her directly. I’ll let her know to expect your call.”

  “Alma, please let Alice know, Lisa will call her with the flight information,” he said when he hung up the phone.

  “I’ve already spoken to her. She’s packing as we speak.”

  “What would I do without all of you?”

  “You won’t ever have to find out… now get back to our Sunny girl before she wakes up and you’re not there.”

  “If only she would.” He hugged Alms, waved goodbye, and rushed to the car.

  When he arrived back at the hospital, he learned there had been no change.

  On the third day, in the early afternoon, Chase was dozing with his head on Sunny’s stomach, holding her hand.

  “Chase…” a whispered sound came from Sunny’s throat.

  He immediately raised his head and looked into the blue eyes of the woman he adored. “Baby…you’re awake.” He leaned over to kiss her.

  “What happened to my arm?”

  Chase glanced over at Laura who’d been reading a book. She was already on her feet and on her way out the door to summon a nurse.

  “Baby, you fell in the woods. Do you remember anything?”

  “Vaguely, I remember lunch with Brenda then walking to my bench. I must have been on my way back. Did I trip?”

  “We don’t k
now, precious, when we realized you were missing, George and I went to the woods to look for you. When we found you, you were unconscious.”

  “How long have I been out?”

  “Three days.”

  “What?”

  “Three days, baby. I was so worried. Your mom’s here. Mom, Brenda, and Jay have been in and out. And Dr. Rose and his wife are here.”

  “Oh, my…where are my babies?”

  “Alma and George have been taking excellent care of them. Alice flew up from Florida last night to help out. They’re fine but they miss their mama. They send their love.”

  The nurse came in, followed by Dr. Rose. “We’ve paged Dr. Jessup, he’s on his way. Sunny, may I check you out?”

  “Sure, whatever you need to do.”

  She checked Sunny’s vitals. Turning to Dr. Rose, she said, “She seems to be doing fine.”

  Dr. Jessup came rushing into the room. “Sunny, are we ever glad to see you.”

  “Sunny, this is Dr. Jessup. He’s been taking care of you since the night we brought you in.”

  “I’m very pleased to meet you, Mrs. Dupont, and very glad to see your eyes opened.” He looked at her chart and seemed pleased.

  “I’m going to order another CT scan of your head. Do you have a headache, Sunny?”

  “A little and my arm hurts.”

  “We’ll get you something for the pain. It may make you sleepy, but you need to rest.”

  “Whatever you say, Dr. Jessup,” Sunny replied, smiling weakly. She looked over at Dr. Rose who winked at her.

  “If you’re feeling hungry at all, the nurses can get you some broth or tea…nothing more than that at first.”

  “I’ll try some broth.”

  “All right, let’s get you to radiology for that scan first. After that, we’ll get you some food.”

  When the broth arrived, Chase insisted on spoon feeding her. She gratefully let him, taking small sips from the spoon.

  “This is like the time I had the flu and you took care of me.”

  “But this time, I’ve felt so helpless, baby.”

  Chapter Twenty-Eight

  The next day Sunny was able to sit up for short periods of time. The doctor allowed her to try more solid food. Her CT scan had shown improvement much to everyone’s relief.

  “Chase, I’ve been going over it and over it, in my head. I know this may sound crazy to you, but I’m almost certain I didn’t trip. I think I remember hearing a noise. After that, I felt a pain in my head. It’s almost, as if, someone or something hit me over the head before I fell.”

  “Sunny, are you fairly sure about this?”

  “I’m positive.”

  An icy feeling gripped Chase’s heart. Who would want to hurt Sunny, the sweetest person in the world? Surely Thomlin wouldn’t have ordered a hit on her? He was known to be a ruthless businessman, and it was rumored he had connections with the underworld. Thinking back to Brittney’s accident, he wondered to what lengths the man would go to get what he wanted.

  “Sunny, I don’t want you to panic, but I’m going to make a call to the police. I think they need to come down here and take a statement from you. Are you up to it?”

  “Yes, do what you think best.”

  When he hung up the phone he told her, “A detective Carson will be here within the hour to speak with us.” He took Sunny’s hand. “I’ll make sure you’re protected from now on, Sunny. No one is going to take you away from me.”

  “Please, arrange for some security at the house…my babies…”

  “I’ll take care of it right now.” He dialed the phone, filling George in. “Until the police can get someone out there, keep the alarm on and don’t take your eyes off the children for a minute.”

  When he finished his conversation, he smiled at Sunny. “They’re all happy you’re awake. They won’t take their eyes off Ali and Brice for a second.”

  “Thank you.”

  When Detective Carson made his appearance, he seemed genuinely concerned. “The Thomlin bunch is not someone you want to get on your bad side. I’m afraid you may have done that by refusing to sell to them.”

  “But to resort to such drastic measures? Do you really think they’d stoop to this?” Chase asked.

  “I don’t know, it’s possible.” Turning to Sunny he gently asked, “Now, Mrs. Dupont, do you think you can tell me everything you remember?”

  “I’ll try, detective.” She related to him the same story she’d told Chase earlier.

  The detective took notes throughout the conversation. When they were finished, he looked at the two of them and said, “I intend to put some security at the house and also at your offices. I’ll have an undercover police officer outside Mrs. Dupont’s door at all times. I don’t want to take any chances.”

  “We have a home in West Palm Beach. Should I call the police there to watch it?” Chase inquired.

  “I’ll take care of that for you. I’ll also do some digging, see what I can find out.”

  “Thank you.” Chase stood up to shake his hand.

  “Mrs. Dupont, I hope you’re feeling better soon.” He nodded to Sunny as he quietly left the room.

  “Wow, this is frightening, Chase.”

  “It’s all right. I won’t let anything happen to you. That bastard won’t be able to get to you now.” He put his arms around her, hoping he was right.

  The nursing staff had been alerted, as well as the family, close friends, and certain people within the company.

  When Connie came on duty and heard about the suspected attack on Sunny’s life, she came forward with more information about a suspicious male nurse who’d been trying to administer Sunny medications which weren’t on her chart.

  Detective Carson took the information and Chase vaguely remembered walking in on a male nurse to find him standing next to Sunny’s bed, holding a pillow. He told the detective about it.

  “It could be coincidence or it could be this guy is working for Thomlin, or whoever is behind this. I’ll see what I can find out about this nurse,” the detective told them.

  “There’s something else you should know,” Chase told him. “My first wife died in a freak accident, almost three years ago. The Thomlin’s were already trying to steal my company at that time. Do you think there could be a connection?”

  “There may very well be. I’ll pull the records on her accident, as well. I’ll get back to you when I know something, or if I have any other questions.”

  “Thank you for all you’re doing for us.”

  “If Thomlin is behind this, we need to stop him. And if isn’t him, we need to find out. Is there anyone else who would want to hurt your wife, either one of them?”

  “I can’t think of anyone. Sunny has no enemies. I wouldn’t think anyone would have had a reason to hurt Brittney, either, so it has to be directed at me. Thomlin is the most likely suspect.”

  “That’s where we’ll start then. Both of you have a good day and try not to worry. You need to concentrate on your recovery, Mrs. Dupont.”

  “Thank you.” Sunny forced a smile as she spoke.

  When Dr. Jessup made his evening rounds and was told the latest developments, he suggested Sunny remain in the hospital an extra day or two. “I want to keep you under observation a couple more days. The stress of all this might have an effect on you. But if everything still seems normal by tomorrow evening or the next day, I’ll discharge you.”

  “We’ll do whatever you suggest, Doctor,” Chase replied.

  “Yes, Doctor, as much as I want to go home, I’ll do as you say,” Sunny agreed.

  The next morning after Chase and Sunny had taken a stroll around the floor, he was helping her back into bed and Lindy walked into the room carrying a vase of flowers and a box of chocolates. Chase stiffened when he saw her. He gave Sunny a look that held a silent message to remain calm.

  “Hello, Lindy,” Chase said in the calmest voice he could, under the circumstances. “What brings you here?”

/>   “I read about Sunny’s accident and thought I’d drop these by for her. No hard feelings, Sunny. I sincerely hope you’re on the mend.”

  Knowing the suspected murder attempt had been kept out of the news media, Chase carefully chose his words. “Thank you, that was very thoughtful of you, Lindy.”

  “Yes, thank you, Lindy. I’m feeling much better.”

  “That’s good news. I’d better get going. I have a plane to catch. Take care.” The woman turned and walked out the door, leaving Chase and Sunny to wonder what the visit was really about.

  “I’ll get rid of these.” Chase picked up the vase and the candy and went to the guard in the hallway.

  “Have these checked out, please. That was the suspect’s daughter who just delivered them.”

  “I’ll call it in right away.” Within minutes, someone arrived to take them to the police lab.

  Not wishing to alarm Sunny, Chase didn’t tell her the flowers and candy were being tested. He wondered if Lindy deliberately delivered those items knowing they were tainted or if her father had pulled a fast one on her?

  When Detective Carson walked into the room a few hours later, Chase could tell by the look on his face his worst fear had been confirmed.

  “You were right, Mr. Dupont. The flowers were all right, but each and every piece of chocolate had been injected with a poison. I believe we now have enough evidence to pick up Mr. Thomlin and his daughter on suspicion of attempted murder.”

  Chase dropped his head, “If I’d known they were capable of this, I’d have sold my damn company to them.” Looking at Sunny, he said, “I’m so sorry, Sunny. I had no idea.”

  She took his hand and replied gently, “Honey, it’s not your fault. You didn’t know. None of us did. And they didn’t succeed. I’m getting better every day.”

  “Think about poor Brittney…they may have killed the mother of my children…and for what?”

  “We’ll be questioning them about that as well, sir.”

  “Any leads on the male nurse yet?”

  “I believe we may have located him. If we can offer him a reduced sentence, we may be able to get him to reveal who he was taking orders from.”