Worth the Risk

by Karen Erickson

  “This is her room.” Naomi stopped in front of the second door on the left side of the corridor. “She’s probably resting, so try and be quiet. Don’t get her too excited—she only just woke up.”

  He nodded gravely. “I understand.”

  “I’m on rounds here tonight, but I’ll be going off shift in a few hours. You’ll need to leave before then.”

  “That should be enough time.” Not really, but what choice did he have? He couldn’t sneak her out tonight. He just needed to make sure he could see her again tomorrow. Before her crazy grandma did something rash.

  “Good.” She slowly pushed open the partially closed door. “You can go on inside.” She started to leave, but he called her name and she stopped to look at him.

  “Thanks for doing this. It means a lot,” he said sincerely.

  She smiled. “I can’t resist true love.”

  He watched her go, then slipped inside Gracie’s room. His heart raced as he slowly made his way inside. The first bed was empty, and he was thankful for that. He wanted her all to himself. Gracie lay in the bed closest to the window, a monitor hooked up to her as well as an IV. She looked so small, so fragile lying in the large hospital bed.

  As he drew closer, he sucked in a harsh breath. Gauze wrapped around her head, her hair sticking out of it in a haphazard mess. Her face bore scratches and bruises, and her left wrist was in a cast. She was asleep, her dry lips parted, her skin so pale it was almost translucent.

  She looked terrible. Beautiful. He’d never been so relieved to see her in his life.

  Quietly, he pulled a nearby chair closer to the bed and sat down, staring at Gracie in wonder. Her chest rose and fell in an even rhythm, and he swore she snored a little. The faint sound made him smile, and tears pricked the corner of his eyes.

  He was so damn happy to see her, he could hardly contain himself.

  Taking her right hand, he cradled it in his, the warmth of her skin warming his heart. He stroked his thumb back and forth over the top of her hand, the gesture soothing, calming his tormented soul.

  The thought that he’d almost lost her devastated him. The myriad of emotions he’d been holding in all bubbled forth, and he sniffed and closed his eyes, bringing her hand to his lips so that he could kiss her gently.

  “I was so worried,” he whispered against her skin. “I thought I lost you.”

  He threaded his fingers through hers, clasping her hand. “I can’t imagine my life without you anymore, Gracie. I need you. I need you more than my last breath.”

  She lay unmoving, her eyes still closed, lips still parted. His own little battered Sleeping Beauty. He’d never seen such a prettier sight.

  Hunter released his hold on her and dragged the chair as close as he could get it to the bed. He reached out and touched her once more, his hand on top of the blanket, and rested his forehead against the edge of the bed, close to her legs. Closing his eyes, he breathed deep, wishing he could catch a whiff of her fragrant scent, but all he could smell was the antiseptic hospital.

  “I can’t lose you now,” he murmured. “Not after what we created, Gracie. You’re mine. And I’m not about to let you go.”

  Tentative fingers touched his hair, startling him, and he lifted his head. Found a pair of pretty green eyes filled with such longing and surprise watching him. “Hunter,” she breathed. “How did you get in here?”

  “Sshh. I’ll explain everything later. Just rest.” He didn’t want to overexert her, didn’t want the surprise of seeing him shock her system since he had no idea what sort of condition she was still in. She looked in a delicate enough state already, and he didn’t want to make it worse.

  She smiled at him, her lips trembling, her eyes filling with tears. “I tried to call you earlier, but you didn’t answer.”

  “How long ago?”

  “I don’t know. An hour, maybe two hours ago? It’s hard for me to keep track of time in here.” She sounded sluggish, most likely an effect from the medication she was on and general exhaustion.

  “I’ve been here for the last few hours. I kept my phone turned off. Following the rules of the hospital and all, you know.”

  She smiled. “You’re not a rule follower, you’re a rule breaker.”

  He chuckled and grabbed hold of her good hand. Brought it to his lips once again so he could kiss her there. “I missed you so much, Gracie.”

  “I—I missed you, too.”

  How he hated her hesitancy. He’d have to work on that. Make her feel secure. “How do you feel?”

  “Doped up,” she joked.

  He cracked a smile. “Better than being in constant pain, I’m going to wager.”

  “My head feels like it’s packed with cotton and floating in the clouds. I don’t like it.”

  “Baby, I’m going to get you out of here. First thing tomorrow, Alex and I will make a few calls and we’ll get you transferred to a better hospital in the city.”

  She frowned. “But what about my grandma?”

  “I’ll make sure she gets the proper care here.”

  “I can’t leave her. She needs me.”

  What he needed was to handle this right or he might make her angry. “You need to be taken care of properly. I don’t think this hospital is cutting it.”

  “Just because you can afford the finest of things doesn’t mean that a smaller hospital can’t provide adequate care.” She sounded offended. He needed to backtrack and quick.

  “I’m not trying to be a conceited ass. I’m trying to take care of you.” He let loose an exasperated sigh, trying to rein in his emotions. Why did they always end up arguing? It was enough to drive him crazy.

  She smiled weakly and squeezed his hand. “I know. It’s just—I found her recently and now I feel responsible for her, you know? She’s had a heart attack and she’s still here in the hospital.”

  “I talked to her. She appeared pretty healthy to me.”

  Gracie’s eyes widened. “When did you talk to her?”

  “Earlier today. She—” He paused. Should he tell Gracie how strange her grandmother became? How she essentially told him to get out of their lives and demanded payment? He didn’t want to upset her. “She’s very protective of you,” he finished. And that was an understatement.

  “And I’m protective of her as well. I can’t lose this connection with her. I finally feel whole again now that I have my family back.” Gracie closed her eyes. “I’m so tired.”

  “You need to rest and not worry about things that are out of your control.” Like her grandmother’s health or mental state.

  “Thank you, Hunter,” she murmured. “For coming for me, even after how I stormed out of your place so stupidly.”

  “I will always come for you, no matter what,” he vowed, pressing another kiss to her hand. He wished he could really kiss her but he didn’t want to push.

  She didn’t answer, seemed to drift off into sleep, and he sat by her side for a few minutes longer. Studying her. Thinking.

  There had been no answer when he promised he’d always come for her. Was that telling? Did she not believe him? And she never mentioned the baby either—so neither did he. They didn’t need to worry about it now. Gracie healing was on the forefront of his mind. Getting her away from her grandmother was second, which would be difficult.

  He was going to be a busy man tomorrow. And he was more than prepared for the task.

  Chapter Seventeen

  “You snuck into her room and spoke to her!” A sharp fingernail poked repeatedly at Hunter’s shoulder, and he turned around with a barely suppressed yelp, glaring at the little old woman who stood before him. “You had no right to do that.”

  “I have every right.” He glanced about the bustling hallway, thankful no one paid them any mind. “You need to stop interfering in our business.”

  “What is Gracie’s business becomes my business, especially because she’s incapable of taking care of herself.” Grace crossed her arms in front of her chest with
an indignant expression. “Butt out.”

  Her behavior was so absurd he almost wanted to laugh. He was too damn angry to find any of it truly funny, though. “Shouldn’t you be in bed? In your room?” He needed her out of his hair.

  Alex had been on the phone most of the morning, speaking to various hospital administrators. Demanding his future sister-in-law be released from the hospital effective immediately so she could be flown to one of the best hospitals in Manhattan.

  Hunter hadn’t even flinched at the words “future sister-in-law”. He hadn’t batted an eyelash when Alex said he’d make a substantial donation to the Cayuga Medical Center and would pay for all extra expenses incurred by Gracie’s transfer. Despite how much money that would surely amount to, despite how presumptuous it was of Alex to label Gracie as Hunter’s future wife.

  He was that sure of what would happen between him and Gracie. It came to him late last night while he lay in bed in his hotel room in Ithaca. They were meant to be together, the baby was a sign. He was in love with her, the thought of losing Gracie nearly wrecked him.

  And the moment he could finally legitimately see her without having to sneak into her room like a thief, he was going to tell her how he felt.

  “I can’t just lie about in my room when I know you’re lurking in the halls.” The disgust in Grace’s voice was evident. “Stay away from my granddaughter.”

  “Not going to happen,” he said through clenched teeth. “Considering I’m the father of her unborn child, I think I have every right to see Gracie.”

  She narrowed her eyes, her expression going tight. “How would you feel if I told you the truth, hmm? I think you might change your tune.”

  “What are you talking about?” The woman couldn’t distract him no matter what. He wouldn’t allow it.

  “The baby? It’s not yours.”

  “Impossible.”

  “It’s true. Has she talked to you about it yet?”

  He refused to answer, refused to give her the satisfaction.

  “Your silence is answer enough,” she said smugly. “She hasn’t said a word about the baby because she’s afraid to tell you.”

  “There’s no reason for her to be afraid.” Now that wouldn’t be a surprise, if Gracie was scared to tell him. Their relationship had been unsteady, even volatile, and mostly on her end. He’d told her what he wanted from her since the beginning.

  “There is if the baby’s not yours. Not that it’s any business of yours anyway. You’re just her disgusting boss who took advantage of a vulnerable young girl,” she spit out.

  “Now wait just a minute…”

  “Mr. Worth?”

  He turned to find the nurse he’d spoken to earlier in the morning standing before him. “Yes?”

  “I just wanted to inform you that everything is in place for Gracie Hayes’ departure. She’s scheduled to fly out at one o’clock. Unfortunately, you can’t accompany her since we’re doing it by helicopter.”

  “That’s not an issue. I’m just thankful an agreement was made.” Relief gripped hold of him, and he smiled broadly at the nurse. “Thank you so much for your help. May I see Gracie now?”

  “I’m afraid you won’t be able to see her yet. She’s still in ICU. The doctor is tending to her now, but I’m sure you’ll be able to see her in the next hour or so. I’ll notify you when you can.” She smiled.

  “Thank you.” He nodded gravely, eagerness filling him at the thought of getting Gracie the hell out of here, the sooner the better. And he needed to talk to her before she spoke with her grandmother again. The woman was set on vilifying him, and he hoped Gracie wouldn’t take anything she said to heart.

  “What do you think you’re doing?”

  Oh, Grandma sounded good and angry now. He couldn’t care less. “I’m ensuring Gracie receives the proper care while she recovers,” he said as he turned to face Grace once more.

  “By yanking her out of this hospital while she’s still in a delicate state?” She was fuming.

  “I would never put her at risk. The staff reassured me she’s up to the move.”

  “How dare you? Who do you think you are? Who gave you the authority to make such a decision?”

  His brother had pulled strings and made a substantial financial offer. No hospital could resist the allure of such a massive amount of money. “I believe our discussion is finished.”

  He started to walk away, but she grabbed him, surprisingly strong for a frail old woman with a supposed heart condition. “Don’t you dare walk away.”

  “You don’t want any part of me. Why would you want to continue speaking? So you can berate me some more? I don’t think so.” He tugged out of her firm grip and brushed off his sleeve where she touched him.

  “You won’t be acting like the lord of the manor any longer when you discover the truth,” Grace called after him. “Not when you discover she’s going to have another man’s baby.”

  Increasing his strides, he walked faster, more than eager to get away from her. That she would be so uncouth as to yell such things about her granddaughter in the middle of a busy hospital hallway was testament to the fact that she was beyond delusional. Who did this sort of thing?

  He felt like he’d landed in the middle of a Jerry Springer episode.

  His cell rang, and he answered it, relieved to hear his brother on the other end. “You did it,” Hunter said. “Thank you.”

  “I pulled a few strings. But you better hope Gracie signs off on all the paperwork. She needs to before they release her.”

  “She will,” he said confidently, but inside he grew nervous. If that crazed grandma got to her, she’d try her hardest to put a kink in the works.

  “Have you spoken to her this morning?”

  “Not yet. I’ll be able to soon, though.”

  “Thank Christ,” Alex muttered. He sounded stressed. “This wasn’t easy. I really had to pull out all the stops.”

  “And I’ll owe you ‘til my dying day,” Hunter said. And he meant it.

  “You don’t need to get all dramatic on me. Just…make sure this is going to happen without any glitches. I have a funny feeling about it.”

  “It’s the grandma. I should’ve never told you about her.”

  “I’m thankful you did. I don’t want her interfering. And I know you and Gracie parted on rocky terms so the chance that this could go south is high.”

  “I refuse to let it,” Hunter reassured. “Don’t worry. I promise it’ll work out. Trust me.”

  “Oh, I trust you. I just don’t necessarily trust anyone else involved in this endeavor.” Alex paused. “I wasn’t sure if I wanted to mention this to you but you should know. There’s some trouble in your department.”

  Dread crept over Hunter, making him weary. Now what? “What’s going on?”

  “It’s Marcus. He claims you threatened him. He went to Becky and complained. She filed his complaint, and in her notes he suggested he might sue.”

  “Sue for what?” God, he really needed to get his emotions under control. He was screwing up all over the place and he was supposed to be the one brother who remained calm under pressure.

  When it came to Gracie, all bets were off.

  “Oh, there’s an entire list of things he could sue you and Worth for. You can’t threaten him, no matter how much he pisses you off. I know you guys were friends but you have to watch what you say.”

  “I know, I know.” Hunter sighed. “This is the last thing I need to deal with.”

  “And that’s why I should’ve never mentioned it. Don’t worry, we have it under control. I’m meeting with him later this afternoon. I’ll smooth his ruffled his feathers.”

  “What if you can’t?” Hunter asked.

  “Then we’ll cross that bridge when we get to it.”

  They spoke for a few more minutes, Hunter earning plenty of glares from various hospital staff. He finally hung up, shoved the phone in his front pocket and lingered outside the entrance to the ICU.

/>   He contemplated what Gracie’s grandmother said. No way could the baby belong to anyone else but him. Her words were meaningless. She was looking for a reaction, and he refused to give it to her. Her motives were a mystery. He could understand wanting to keep Gracie around after not seeing her for so many years, but why would she go to such lengths to get him out of her life?

  It made no sense, and made him wonder if she’d exhibited the same over-the-top possessive behavior with Gracie’s mom. Could that have been the reason Gracie’s mom ran away? A crazed mother who tried to control everything and everyone?

  Now that made sense.

  It also scared the hell out of him.

  “What are these forms?” Gracie rifled through them, her exhausted brain having a hard time comprehending. There was so much to read, so much to take in, and she really didn’t want to deal with it this morning.

  She wanted to see Hunter. Her grandma had stopped by earlier, agitated and not much of a conversationalist. She’d seemed angry when Gracie had told her she briefly saw Hunter last night, which Gracie found odd. Why would that bother her?

  “They’re release forms, Miss Hayes.” The man who’d accompanied the shift nurse was older and wore a suit and tie. He looked important. “We need you to sign them before we can release you to Lenox Hill.”

  “Release me? To Lenox Hill?” She thumbed through the forms once again, the lines and lines of tiny print making her vision blur. “But why am I being released from here?”

  “It’s all been arranged by your employer,” the man explained, his voice gentle. “You’ll be flown to Lenox Hill this afternoon. The Worth family wanted to ensure you receive the very best care, and they want you close to home.”

  Gracie took the pen the nurse offered and watched as she flipped the pages until reaching a spot for her to sign. Why would the Worths want to take her back to Manhattan and put her up at Lenox Hill? It was a private hospital—she couldn’t afford such an expense, and she certainly didn’t expect them to pay for it either. “I don’t understand.”