Chart Toppers (Star Maker Book 3)

by J. M. Nevins

  He nodded again. “Certainly. Have a good night. Get some rest. She’ll need your support tomorrow.”

  Sully grinned. “Will do, Doc. Thanks again.”

  Despite the doctor’s urgings that they should head home and get some rest, Sully and Giselle remained, lightly snoozing in the waiting room. Sully knew Alexa was due to arrive soon, and he didn’t want to cause confusion by leaving. He notified a nurse to send Alexa in when she arrived.

  An hour had passed since Kyle had notified Sully, and he was restless. He finished his rounds and decided to go downstairs to get some fresh air. He listlessly headed toward the elevators.

  His eyes widened when the doors opened, and he saw Alexa rushing out toward the nurses’ station. He froze for a moment, stunned by how quickly his past flooded his mind and clouded his judgment.

  Before he could move, she glanced over and caught a glimpse of him. He immediately felt that anxiety jolt through his body as he hastily turned on his heel and quickened his pace in the opposite direction of her. He was alarmed when she turned her full attention to him and approached in hot pursuit. He glanced over his shoulder, hoping she had given up when their eyes met. He promptly turned back around, cursing under his breath and opening up into a full jog down the hallway.

  Alexa loudly called after him, startled and confused. “Kirby? Kirby Nelson is that you? Kirby!”

  He immediately turned the corner and ducked into one of the rooms that contained cots and bunk beds for the physicians to catch a wink between rounds. He leaned against the door, closed his eyes and let out a long breath.

  Moments later, Alexa stared at the sign on the door that read, “Authorized personnel only.” She frowned and shook her head, bursting into tears, wondering what was going on.

  She headed toward the windows to take a moment and compose herself, feeling like she was in the midst of a meltdown. She chalked it up to the stress of learning of Kit’s shooting and the exhaustion from a long six-hour flight to Los Angeles. Something in her spirit wouldn’t let go, though.

  The doctor she chased down the hall was a dead ringer for Kirby Nelson and she couldn’t shake it. His sage green eyes were unmistakable and triggered years of treasured memories. Tears started rolling down her cheeks again recalling Kit’s frantic rants shortly after Kirby’s death, trying to convince Alexa that he wasn’t dead, that it was all some kind of setup. Alexa’s thoughts spun like a top, and she felt like she was losing her mind.

  Desperate to regain normalcy, she headed back to find Sully, who was rousing from sleep. He forced a grin and then frowned, noticing the anguished look on her face. “Lex, are you ok?”

  She shook her head, not wanting to explain. “I’m just tired, Sull. How’s Kit doing?”

  He donned a content grin. “Just fine. In fact, the doctor suggested we go home and grab a wink. We can visit with her in the morning.” He stood up and threw his arm around her, helping Giselle up as well. “Let’s go get some rest. Like the good doctor said, we’ll need it tomorrow. I hope you didn’t waste your money on a room.”

  She shook her head. “No. I planned to stay with you. I went on the assumption that Kit would be fine and figured you may need the extra help. I cleared my schedule. Wes and the kids will be on the first flight out tomorrow.”

  Sully took her hand in his and squeezed it. “Thank you.” He grabbed Giselle’s hand with his other and exchanged looks between both of them. “Let’s go catch a few hours of sleep, ladies.”

  As Alexa walked out with them, she glanced over her shoulder once again in hopes of catching a glimpse of that doctor but he was nowhere in sight.

  CHAPTER 26

  It was half past five when Kyle roused from his catnap on the cot. He yawned and stretched as he got up, headed to the washroom to freshen up. By six he started his rounds. Since he had no intention of leaving the hospital for his vacation until he was assured Kit was fully conscious, lucid and in optimum health, he picked up a rotation for a friend to pass the time.

  By seven, he grabbed her chart and made his way to her room, slowly poking his head in first. Hooked up to every monitor imaginable, she slept peacefully, and he grinned, relieved his timing was perfect.

  As he quietly approached and examined each monitor closely, he prayed she wouldn’t wake up in his presence. He sighed for a moment before opening her chart and couldn’t resist taking her hand in his.

  He closed his eyes and felt the sting of tears that he willed himself to halt. He gently stroked her hand with his thumb and opened his eyes, watching her. He grinned, wanting so badly to wake her up and tell her everything, but he didn’t. He gently removed his hand and shifted his focus to her chart.

  As he wrote down notes, he glanced up at some earlier annotations and made a stark realization—she was pregnant. He let out a long, defeated sigh, quietly shut the chart and leaned down. It was over now. There was no chance that they could be together. She was married and building a family with her husband. He was too late.

  He kissed her on the forehead once again, smoothed her hair gently and struggled to hold back tears as he squeaked out a whisper. “Goodbye, Kitty. I love you. I’ll always love you.”

  He stood up and walked out. He was about to continue down the hall when Moira approached. She smiled wide, her eyes dancing with contentment, as she held her arms open to him. “I was hoping I’d run into you today. I wanted to thank you personally for attending to my daughter-in-law so brilliantly. You saved her life.”

  He chuckled, gave her a kiss on the cheek and hugged her tightly. He pulled back and met her eyes. “Moira, I’m glad to see you. Sorry, the gala didn’t work out last night. I promise I’ll make the next one.” He gently led her down the hallway. “Let’s go grab a cup of coffee and I’ll give you the latest on Kit before I’m off of my shift.”

  She nodded. “I’d like that. Thanks for the personal treatment, Kyle.”

  Alexa sat in the chair at Kit’s bedside, occasionally glancing over at her while she tried to do some work. Her mind wasn’t in it, though. She couldn’t stop thinking about the run-in with the mystery doctor the night before. She couldn’t believe how much he looked like Kirby. She sighed and shook her head.

  “Hey, you’re here,” Kit uttered groggily.

  Alexa sprung to attention and smiled wide. “Kitty!” She jumped up and grabbed her hand, sitting on the side of the bed and leaning forward to give her a kiss on the cheek. “How are you feeling?”

  She chuckled. “I think I’ve had better days. I saw Sull and Moira earlier, but they didn’t mention you were in town.”

  Alexa grinned. “I was getting Wes and the kids settled in at your house. I think they wanted to leave it as a surprise.”

  She nodded. “Probably so.” Before she could launch into a conversation with Alexa, one of the nurses arrived to take her vitals. She glanced over. “To be continued, Lex. I think we have lots to catch up on. I had something weird happen to me before and after surgery.”

  Alexa swallowed hard, thinking of her strange occurrence the night before. “Oh really? Ok. We’ll talk. I’ll be back.”

  The kind nurse took Kit’s vitals and engaged in chitchat with her, noting rapid progress. She glanced at her chart and grinned.

  Kit giggled. “That’s an awfully big grin. I didn’t know my chart was that entertaining.”

  The nurse laughed. “You were treated by one of the best, Ms. McKenna.” She giggled. “And just between you and me, one of the hottest!”

  Kit smiled wide. “Oh my! Do tell. Now you’ve got my attention. Is he one of my doctors?”

  She shook her head. “He’s not your primary here, no, but he was one of your attending surgeons, and he did work on you in the operating room. Knowing him, you’ll probably heal beautifully. He’s got a magic touch. Very talented up and coming surgeon.”

  Kit grinned. “Any chance I’ll meet this up and coming surgeon so I can thank him personally?” She giggled and winked. “I always love flirting with a hottie,
especially one that helped save my life. Just don’t tell my husband.”

  The nurse laughed. “Don’t worry, I won’t. Let me find out when he’ll be around.”

  Kit nodded, and her face became more serious. “Any idea when I’ll get out of here?”

  She shook her head. “No. But I’m sure Dr. Perry will be able to answer that question for you later today.”

  Kit met her gaze. “And is everything ok with my baby? Can you tell from my chart?”

  The nurse surveyed her carefully and opened the chart. She looked up and met Kit’s eyes again. “I can’t tell from your chart. Let me find out for you. There are some notes in here, but I need a little more clarification. I’ll be back.”

  Kit sighed and shook her head. If she had lost the baby because of the altercation with Darren, she would never forgive herself. She wondered what was going to happen next with him and was desperate to talk to Giselle, but Sully had banned that discussion until she was released from the hospital. She didn’t blame him, she knew her focus should be on recovery, but her mind was reeling with so many questions, not only from what transpired with Darren, but her experience with surgery.

  The kind nurse returned, smiling from ear to ear, leaving Kit feeling a rush of reassurance. She nodded. “Yes, you are still pregnant. I spoke with Dr. Nicholls.”

  Kit frowned. “Who is Dr. Nicholls?”

  She giggled. “Oh, sorry. Forgot to tell you his name earlier. He’s the hottie I was telling you about. All us nurses love him.”

  Kit smiled and nodded. “Yeah, yeah. Tell me about him! C’mon, I’m laying here, give me something good to think about.”

  The nurse laughed. “I’ll get to that in a minute. I wanted to address your question about your pregnancy. Dr. Nicholls got in touch with your doctor who should be here any minute. I understand that an ultrasound is planned. Would you like me to call your husband so he can be here? You’ll probably be able to hear the baby’s heartbeat for the first time.”

  Kit’s eyes welled up with tears as a wide smile spread across her face. “Yes. I think he’s already here, just somewhere in the hospital. If you could find him, I’d appreciate it. Thank you for that news. And please tell Dr. Nicholls thank you for consulting with my doctor.”

  She grinned. “I will. Unfortunately, I found out that he has left to start his vacation, and I’m unclear on how long he’ll be gone. So, you won’t be able to meet our favorite surgical resident.”

  Kit stuck her bottom lip out pretending to pout. “Bummer. Well, can you at least indulge me a little? What does this hottie look like?”

  She giggled. “His eyes are gorgeous. So expressive. He’s got these dreamy green eyes. The guy looks like a male model, tall, built, amazing bone structure. My goodness, what jaw line. Clean cut look, short light brown hair, nice lips, great smile. He’s absolutely stunning.”

  Kit grinned knowingly. “And arrogant as hell, I’m sure?”

  The nurse shook her head. “Actually, no. You’d think he would be, but not at all. Definitely humble. He’s very kind to us—a rarity, especially with the surgeons. And he cares very passionately about his patients. He is dedicated to making a positive difference in people’s lives. He’s pretty brilliant too—the top resident here. That guy is going places, for sure.”

  Kit giggled. “It’s too bad I won’t get to meet him. He sounds like a real catch for someone. Obviously, I’m married, so no go on my end, but he probably would have been fun to flirt with.”

  The nurse smiled. “Oh yes! He is good at flirting for sure. And he’s got these amazing dimples when he smiles!”

  Kit’s grin started to fade, and suddenly her thoughts went to Kirby. She noticed the nurse’s expression had changed to one of concern, and she forced her grin. “Sorry, just a little tired.”

  She nodded. “Understandably. Get some rest. I’ll go find your husband.”

  Kit easily dozed off into sleep and was thoroughly enjoying the rest until her doctor gently woke her. Her eyes fluttered open, and she grinned. They engaged in light conversation while a machine was rolled in, and she was prepped for the ultrasound. Moments later, Sully was by her side holding her hand.

  He gazed into her eyes and grinned as he leaned forward and gave her a gentle kiss. “Here’s the moment of truth. The first photo of our baby.”

  She smiled and couldn’t suppress a giggle of excitement as the doctor started the process. Kit and Sully struggled to see the image and noticed the doctor’s expression change. The doctor grinned. “Oh! I wasn’t expecting this.”

  Kit frowned and exchanged a concerned look with Sully. “What’s wrong?”

  She looked at Kit and smiled. “Nothing is wrong. You’re having twins. There are two babies. See?” She pointed them out on the screen.

  Kit and Sully exchanged a look of awe and chuckled. Sully nodded. “Double the blessing. Is everything ok, doc?”

  She nodded. “Yes. They seem to be perfectly healthy, but considering Kit’s history and her recent emergency surgery, we’re going to have to monitor them closely.” She shifted her focus to Kit. “Please, take it easy. Your body has been through a traumatic event. I’d like to see you in my office next week.”

  Kit grinned. “Of course. I’ll make an appointment as soon as I’m released here.”

  As the doctor left, Sully leaned forward and hugged Kit tightly. “Dream come true, baby. Dream come true.”

  She giggled and kissed him. “Absolutely.” She gazed into his eyes. “So worth the wait.”

  He nodded. “I didn’t even know you were pregnant. I got it out of Alexa. Please don’t be mad at her. She was so distraught last night.”

  Kit nodded. “I had planned to tell you the next time I saw you in person and then all this happened. I wasn’t purposely keeping it from you.”

  He kissed her hand. “I know, baby. So, when are our little bundles of love due?”

  She giggled. “Late November, but the doctor said that multiples sometimes come early, so we need to be prepared.”

  He nodded and kissed her. “We will be.”

  * * *

  Emily knocked hastily and walked into Kyle’s apartment without waiting for his cue. She looked down and frowned seeing two tattered, packed suitcases waiting. “Ky?” She yelled out.

  He appeared moments later carrying his beloved silver tabby cat, Trixie Belle. He nodded. “Hi Em, thanks for coming.” He kissed Trixie atop her head, pet her and put her down. She immediately ran over to Emily and rubbed her leg. He glanced at his wristwatch. “Can you take care of Trixie Belle for a bit? Andy isn’t the most reliable roommate, and I know she loves you.”

  Emily bent down to pet the cat that was now purring. She scratched her neck and smiled, speaking in a sing-song, baby talk voice. “I love her too!” She patted her on the head and stood up, meeting Kyle’s eyes and returning her voice to normal. “Of course I’ll take care of her. Is the spare key in the usual place?”

  He shook his head and handed her the key. “Here you go. She’s stocked up with everything she needs—food, treats, you name it.”

  Emily stared at him. “Kyle, talk to me, would you? What’s wrong? Where are you going? A weekend away?”

  He shook his head. “I am going away, but not for a weekend. I’m not sure how long I’ll be gone. At least a week. I have to get some things figured out, and I need to leave in order to do it.”

  Before he could continue, a formidable looking man in sunglasses and a black suit approached, a wire. When Emily did a double-take, she noticed a wire discreetly hanging from his ear. He nodded to Kyle. “We’re ready for you. The car is outside. Are these your bags?”

  He nodded and Emily’s eyes widened as the man retrieved his bags and headed out. Kyle forced a grin. “Thanks for taking care of my girl. She’s gotten me through some very dark times. You know she means the world to me. Bye, Em.”

  He headed out, and she couldn’t stand passively. Emily chased after him out of the apartment building to notic
e a black car that resembled a limousine with its blacked out windows for privacy. She noticed another man in a black suit sitting in the passenger seat. The driver stowed Kyle’s suitcases and returned to his charge behind the wheel.

  Oblivious to Emily trailing behind him, Kyle opened the back door of the car and was about to get in when he noticed her. He frowned and shook his head disapprovingly.

  She stared at him with wide eyes. “Ky, what is going on? Who are these people?” She lowered her voice. “They look like creepy, government, CIA kinda people.”

  His sage green eyes bore into her. “I have to go, Em. Take good care and thank you.” He got into the car and shut the door, watching her through the tinted windows as the car pulled away from the curb. She stared as it slowly left her view and immediately noticed the governmental license plates. She swallowed hard wondering what was going on.

  The man in the passenger seat turned to look at Kyle. “We’re on schedule. The jet is waiting. We’ll be in D.C. by this evening. Meetings will commence first thing tomorrow morning.”

  Kyle stared straight ahead, expressionless, as he spoke flatly, “Good.”

  * * *

  Alexa got behind the wheel of Kit’s new Mercedes-Benz and smiled wide. “Ooh, they did you good, baby! I may have to buy one of these.”

  Kit giggled. “Isn’t it great?”

  “Yes! Thanks for letting me drive it. I’m glad you need to rest. Gives me a legitimate excuse. Where are we going?”

  “Not far. If Sully gets wind that I snuck out only hours after I was released from the hospital, he’ll be livid. We’re going down the hill to Chin Chin. I called ahead and reserved a booth in the back for us. Hopefully, there won’t be any fanfare. Since we don’t have a limo, I’m hoping we’ll be ok.”

  Kit suddenly regretted her words, noticing the paparazzi ready to pounce as she and Alexa got out of the car. She had underestimated the media storm that ensued after her shooting. They swarmed around her, and Alexa instinctively threw her arm around Kit’s shoulders to shield her as much as possible. Once they were in the restaurant, Kit was relieved. The manager knew her and gave the paparazzi stern warnings that kept them at bay.