“Tasha’s talking to the production company. Filming is on hold until…well, until we know what we’re dealing with.” John said. “Georgia’s well-being first, obviously, Tasha’s other concern was about the money. She’s negotiating with the network to see if they’ll pay Georgia in spite of this setback, but she’s not sure how it will go.” He shook his head.
I was livid. “What the actual fuck? Why in the world is she even talking about money at a time like this?”
“No, I don’t think you understand, Nash. Remember how Georgia said she needed this job? She’s on some sort of timeline…her family farm…she has to pay the taxes or something. Tasha doesn’t want that to be in jeopardy for her,” John explained.
“Oh, right. Right. The farm,” I remembered her talking about the taxes due on the property. “We’ll get all that sorted, regardless. That’s nothing compared to making sure she’s okay. I’ll spend every penny we’ve got if that’s what it takes. I’ll fly her anywhere in the world, hire any specialist…I don’t care if it bankrupts us. I’d give everything I have – even my own life – if she’ll just be okay.” I rubbed my face with both hands, then ran them through my hair, John threw out the wrappers from our makeshift meal. “I’m going back in. Go back to the hotel, John. Get some rest. I’ll need you tomorrow.”
He stood up and hugged me. “We’ll get through this,” he said.
CHAPTER 19
Lucas
I woke up in the chair beside Georgia’s bed with a start. The light was streaming in through the hospital room window, and a nurse was changing Georgia’s IV bag.
“Well hello, dere handsome. I didn’t want to wake ya, now. I’m just givin’ the lovely woman some fluids. Her vitals are stable. No change this mornin’.” Her thick Carribean accent was friendly and businesslike at the same time.
“So, no better, but no worse, then?” I asked.
“Just the same. Doctors will be in soon, but between you and me, I don’t see too much wrong with the girl. She’s had a bad shock…few bruises, but they don’t see no signs of damage to her brain. Now if you tell dem I said dat to ya, I’ll call you a liar, now!” She winked at me.
“Truly? Her…her brain…looks okay?” I asked incredulously.
“I ain’t no doctor now, but dat’s what I heard dem talkin’ about this mornin’. Now you keep that pretty mouth shut when they tell you, right?” She said.
“Really?” I laughed a little, delirious with worry and from lack of sleep. I jumped up and hugged her. “Thank you! Thank you!”
“Calm yourself, boy! You a pretty man, but I’m married don’t ya know.” She laughed.
I tried to calm myself while I waited for the doctors to come in. I texted John.
ME: docs should be in soon. please bring toothbrush, phone charger, clothes when u come later?
JOHN: done. let me know what they say.
I stepped down the hall for coffee, and the first sips started to lift the fog in my mind. It had been four days since Georgia was brought in. I was hopeful, for the first time since I’d arrived that all wasn’t lost after all. The last thing I wanted, though, was for Georgia to be stressful or worried about anything when she woke up.
I took my phone from my pocket and dialed as I walked back into her room. “Dad,” I said when he answered. “I need your help.”
I explained what had happened and asked him to get one of his people to figure out how to accomplish what I needed him to do. He had teams of accountants and financial managers, not to mention lawyers. I had no doubt one of them could figure out how to pay a tax lien on a farm in Tennessee.
“I’m not sure how much it is…I don’t care,” I told him when he started asking questions. He needed to know what he was looking for, after all. “Just pay it. Run it as a donation through one of the charitable trusts or something, so it doesn’t look dodgy, I don’t bloody care. Pay it yourself, and I’ll move the funds from one of my accounts. Whatever…it’s not important how.”
He would help me, I knew that, but he was also flipping into protective, father-mode. He had never liked Simone and worried about the money I spent on her. This was different, though. Simone was always asking – always taking. Georgia would never take the money if she had the choice.
“Dad, I know. I hear you…but Dad, this is not…Dad, I’m in love with her, alright? I bloody love her, and if it takes everything I’ve got to make her safe and happy, I’ll spend every fucking bit of it! Just help me! Help me save the woman I love.” My voice broke on the last phrase. It was a desperate plea for help when I felt so helpless otherwise.
As he was conceding, agreeing to help me, I heard a sound behind me. “Luc-as?” The voice was weak, the words barely creaking out. I turned to see Georgia’s eyes fluttering open.
“I’ll call you back, dad,” I hung up the phone without waiting for his reply and ran to the side of the bed. “Georgia? Darling? Are you awake?” She tried to open her mouth but couldn’t make another sound. “No, darling, don’t try to talk. Just…let me get help.”
I ran to the door of her room and screamed up the corridor. “Help! Somebody come – she’s awake!” I ran back to her side, and her eyes were more open. She was looking around the room, surprised at all the equipment hooked up to her.
“You’re awake. You’re really awake!” I gripped her hand tightly.
“You…,” she started, and the swallowed hard, barely getting the words out. “You love me.”
Through the tears spilling down my cheeks, a smile erupted across my face. “You heard that?” She grinned a little and nodded. Then she pointed to herself, then held up two fingers.
“Georgia, darling, thank God you’re still with me.” I held her hand to my face, kissing her palm over and over. “I thought I’d lost you…I’ve been a wreck without you.”
Two doctors came in, having been brought from their rounds by my earlier yelling in the hallway. “Please, Mr. Nash, step back. Let us examine her,” the older of the two men said, and I complied.
They took a few minutes to look her over, then instructed the Caribbean nurse who had followed them back in to let her have a little water. The younger of the two doctors gestured for me to follow them into the hall.
“Mr. Nash, we’ve looked over the tests. We were worried about swelling on the brain, but that seems to have subsided. She has a concussion, a few lacerations, and her chest wall is bruised – it will be quite painful for several days. Her left wrist is badly sprained, and she has some significant contusions on her left hip and leg. It was a serious accident, but from what we can tell right now, she will need some rest, but she will recover.” The older doctor’s face relaxed a little.
“Thank you,” I told them, “thank you both. So, when can I take her home?”
“We want to observe her for a few more hours, then we should be able to release her by tomorrow morning.,” the younger doctor replied. “The most important thing for her now will be to rest. She should have no stress.”
“I understand. I…I have to call her father. Thank you again, both, so much.” I shook their hands and returned to Georgia’s side. The nurse was helping her sit up when I returned.
“I hate to tell ya now, but your man over der was flirtin’ wid me while you was asleep baby girl,” the nurse laughed, and Georgia smiled.
“So those stories were true, huh, playboy?” Georgia smiled at me. They had removed her breathing tube, and her throat was scratchy, her voice weak.
“Not since I met a certain southern belle they aren’t,” I leaned over and kissed the top of her head. “I’ve never been so happy to see anyone,” I said.
“When did you get here? You look…like crap,” she said smiling at me.
“Well…,” I hesitated.
“Don’t let him fool ya, girl! He been in dat chair right der since you came in nearly five days ago!” The nurse patted Georgia’s foot through the blankets. “You call me if you need anything sweetheart.” She winked at me and left.
/>
“You stayed here all night?” Georgia asked.
“I’m not leaving this hospital without you,” I replied, kissing her hand. “How are you feeling?”
“Groggy. A little hungry. The nurse is going to bring me something.” She said. “What happened?”
“You were hit by a scooter while you were out shopping. Your American friend was there, too.” I tried to let go of my anger, for her sake. “He said he couldn’t get to you in time.”
“Mike? That’s right…I remember now. He yelled for me to stop…I was crossin’ the street.” She put her hand to the bandage on her head. “Ow! That smarts!”
“Take it easy, darling. You need a lot of rest. I’m going to call your father. We’ve talked every night, and I promised him a call with any updates,” I told her.
I dialed the phone. It was two in the morning in Tennessee, but I thought he wouldn’t mind waking up for good news. I told him everything the doctors had said, and he talked to Georgia for a couple of minutes. He sounded as though the weight of the world had been lifted off of his shoulders.
I texted John with the good news, and he showed up a little while later with the things I had asked him to bring. After he said hello to Georgia, I asked him to step out for some coffee. “I need your help, mate. I need you to…,” I started, and he cut me off.
“I already called Tasha. I told her we would know more in a few days, but that shooting could resume in as little as three weeks. The crew headed home, and know we’ll call them back to work as soon as we can.” He had taken care of everything without me even asking. I didn’t say anything, just patted him on the shoulder. “You’re welcome,” he replied.
“One more thing…she’s supposed to go back to Nashville for her birthday – to celebrate with her brother. Between now and then, I’m taking her home to rest.” I said.
“You need flights to London, then?” John asked.
“Yeah, then I’m taking her to Watling Park. It’ll be quieter there. Can you have them open it up for me?” I asked.
He looked at me incredulously. “What? To Sevenoaks then?”
“Yes, I know. I haven’t been there in ages. It’ll be good for her, though. Quiet. She needs rest, the doctors say.” I replied.
“But your parents…,” John started.
“They already know. I called Dad this morning to help with something else. If Edgar can get the house ready, I’d like to be there by tomorrow night. Time in the country might be just the thing to help her recuperate. If she still wants to go to the States to see her family for her birthday, we’ll see, but I’m not letting her out of my sight until she’s one hundred percent healthy. No one comes near her until she’s okay.” The look on his face told me he understood.
“Whatever you say, mate. I’ll make it happen.” John came back to Georgia’s room, told her how happy he was to see her doing better, then returned to the hotel to put things in motion.
CHAPTER 20
Georgia
At the hospital, I hadn’t argued when Lucas said he was taking me home to rest for a few days. My first instinct had been to get right back to work, of course, but seeing his face when I woke up...I couldn’t bring myself to fight over it. I heard him on the phone as I regained consciousness. His voice was cracking as he was pleading with someone – telling them, he loved me. I was in some pain with my bruises, and my wrist hurt something fierce, but he had been in pain too. I knew what it was like to wait by someone’s bedside in the hospital, wondering if they would make it or not. I hated that he had gone through that on my account.
“The limo is a bit much, don’t ya think?” I said while we were driving from the airport. They had released me early that morning, and John had gotten us an early flight back to London. It was late morning when we landed at Heathrow airport. I was happy when I saw the city I had come to love in view from the plane window.
“I do not,” he replied. “It’s a long drive. I want you to be comfortable. What if you need to nap or stretch out?”
“Hm, seems a waste to have all this space to ourselves and not take advantage of it,” I replied, leaning up to kiss his jaw.
“That’s right out, I’m afraid. For a few days, anyway.” He replied, shaking his head. “Not that I wouldn’t love to fill you up right now,” he had his arm around me and was nuzzling my neck.
“And you can be. You just have to be careful with my hip and wrist, that’s all!” I smiled coyly at him. “I’m feelin’ so good right now,” I purred.
“You’re on a lot of pain medicine that we gave you for the flight too, remember?” His smiled turned dirty. “Though I agree, Belle, you feel pretty fucking incredible all the time.”
I shook my head and looked out the window. “Hey, this…doesn’t look right. We’ve been in the car for a long time, seems like.”
“I’m taking you home,” he replied.
“I know…your flat’s right by the Thames, though. This doesn’t seem like the right way.” I objected again.
“I’m not taking you to the flat. I’m taking you to my house in the country.” He said.
“House in the country?” I trailed off, remembering something Mike had said before the accident. “Lucas, are you…have you told me everything? Mike said he heard back home that you were rich or something.”
Crimson filled his cheeks. “Well…I…I told you l went to boarding school, didn’t I?” He replied, becoming a little defensive.
“Yeah, but…what are we talking about, exactly? I mean, your flat had to be expensive in London, and then you have a house in the country…are we talking like a huntin’ cabin?” I asked.
He chuckled nervously. “Well, a bit bigger than that, perhaps.”
“Lucas, we’re supposed to be honest with each other, remember?” I was becoming annoyed, and my head was starting to hurt. What else hasn’t he told me, I wondered, rubbing my temples with my fingertips.
“What’s wrong? Is it your head? Do you need some acetaminophen?” He asked.
“Stop changin’ the subject!” I said.
“Okay, okay!” He replied. “Do calm down, darling. You’re worrying me…but I’ll tell you.” He took my hand. “My family have an estate near Sevenoaks in Kent. It’s called Severn House. I have a home as well – Watling Park – that has been in my family for generations. Much smaller, of course.” He looked at me sheepishly.
“Your house has a name?” I couldn’t wrap my head around how much money that had to mean.
“Well, my parents…I’m named for my mother’s family. Her name is Margaret, but her title…,” he proceeded cautiously, “is Lady Lucas and my father is Viscount Hereford. They’re peerage titles…they don’t even mean anything anymore really…,” he tried to dismiss it.
“Your family is royalty? And you didn’t think that was worth mentionin’?”
“No, no, not royalty! Just…titled.” He said.
“And your title?” I asked, stunned at this news.
“I don’t…I mean…I don’t use it. I mean, I could use a courtesy title, but that’s just for total wankers. I will inherit Lord Hereford when my father passes on.” His cheeks were pink with embarrassment.
“Wow,” I replied, shaking my head as I looked out the window in disbelief.
“You’re not cross with me, are you? For not telling you?” He asked.
I thought for a moment. “I’m more disappointed that you wouldn’t tell me somethin’ so big. I mean…no wonder the press is all over you.” A few minutes later, we were pulling in to a long driveway. As we rounded a curve where stands of trees were on either side of the drive, we came to a clearing, and a manor house came into view.
“Lucas!” I exclaimed, “This is your family’s house?”
“No, this is my house,” he said. “It’s not so big, really, just very old. It was my grandmother’s home, and I inherited it from her. I brought you here because it’s quiet – peaceful. There is a lot of room for you to get out and wander around the grounds
undisturbed. The village is small, and a lot of people here know me, so they’ll give us some peace. I thought it would be a good place for you to get some rest and recover without the noise of the city or having to deal with the press.” He looked thoughtfully and took my hand. “Are you unhappy with it? Should I not have brought you here?” He asked.
“Lucas, are you kiddin’? It’s beautiful! I absolutely love it!” I said, kissing him lightly on the lips. “And I love that you were lookin’ out for me – tryin’ to help me recover faster. You know how important it is for me to get back to work soon.”
He looked pleased and squeezed my hand. “Let’s not worry about that just now. Come on – let’s get you settled.”
Sweet Promise (The Grahams Book 1) Page 15