“Tessa found her.”
Hunter gripped the phone tight, exhaling loudly. Had he really held his breath for the last seventy-two hours, or did it just feel that way? “Where is she?”
“Checked into a hospital in Ithaca.” Alex paused, his voice grim. “It’s not good, bro. She didn’t find out exact details, but Gracie’s in ICU. They wouldn’t release any other information.”
“I need to go.” Hunter started to hang up the phone, his mind racing with what he needed to do before he left Manhattan, but he heard his brother still shouting at him.
“Tessa also thinks she might have figured out what drew her to Ithaca so quick. There’s another woman checked into the hospital. Another Grace Hayes.”
“What?”
“She worked her magic and found out the age of this Grace. I think she might be her mother.”
“No way. Gracie told me her mother is dead,” Hunter said firmly.
“Maybe not. Maybe she wasn’t being truthful with you.”
“She told me so herself, that her mother died when she was young. Gracie grew up all on her own, Alex. Didn’t know who her dad was, her mom was barely a teen when she had her. She was given over to social services and farmed out to various foster homes her entire childhood. Trust me. She wouldn’t lie about her mother being dead.”
“How awful.” Alex went quiet. “Maybe this woman is her grandmother then. I don’t know. But Tessa thinks that’s what drew Gracie there. The woman had a heart attack.”
“I’ll find out when I get there, won’t I? I need to go.” He paused, his mind awhirl with what he needed to do before he‘d go. “I have no idea how long I’ll be gone.”
“Take as long as you need. I’ll cover everything. Want me to call in for them to prep the jet?”
“What? Are you serious?” He hadn’t even thought of taking the private Worth Luxury jet. Talk about an extravagant move. They used it for business purposes only. Alex had made that clear from the beginning.
“She’s in trouble, it could be serious. And it would take you a solid four hours to get to Ithaca, if not longer. Take the jet, Hunter.” Alex sounded as if he would brook no argument.
“All right, I will. Thank you, Alex. And thank Tessa too. What you two did, it means a lot to me.”
“You’re welcome. Call me when you find out anything.”
“I will.” Hunter hung up the phone and shut off his laptop, shoved a stack of files in his desk drawer. He needed to get the hell out of here and quick. Get to Ithaca so he could see Gracie and make sure she was all right.
He hoped she was safe. A shudder moved through him. ICU. That alone scared the hell out of him.
A knock on his open door caused him to glance up. Marcus stood in the doorway with an expectant expression. “Can we talk?”
Irritation filled Hunter. Marcus was the last person he wanted to talk to, considering he was on top of his shit list. “I only have a minute, so make it quick,” he said tersely.
Marcus stepped inside the office, shutting the door behind him. His expression grim, he approached Hunter’s desk, watched him silently while Hunter gathered his things in preparation for his exit. “What, you’re already leaving for the day? It’s not even three yet.”
Hunter glared and shoved his laptop into its case. Why he was bringing it, he didn’t know. Not like he was going to get any work done. Not while he sat in a hospital at Gracie’s side, worrying about her. “It’s none of your damn business where I’m going. What do you want?”
“No need for the hostility.” Marcus sounded downright indignant. “I thought we were friends.”
“First and foremost, I’m your boss. As for being your friend, I think you can kiss that goodbye, considering you insulted one of my employees and implied she fucked me for a promotion.” The irritation in his voice rang loud and clear.
“Give me a break. Like we haven’t talked shit on female employees before. You’re taking this way too far.” Marcus shrugged, ignoring Hunter’s pointed stare. “Fine, you want the truth? I’ll admit it, I was a little drunk. A little jealous too, considering I’ve been with Worth much longer and you didn’t even glance in my direction when considering who to promote. But I get it. I see why you promoted Gracie. You’ve got something going on with her.”
“I do not,” Hunter said through clenched teeth. He lied, of course, but Marcus didn’t know that. Hell, he didn’t want any more rumors spreading than there already were.
“Right. So what I saw between you two in your office was just a friendly discussion?”
Hunter’s blood went ice-cold as the memory swept through him. The night he’d interrupted Marcus’s attempt in asking Gracie out, he’d taken her back to his office to talk to her about going to California with him.
And then he’d proceeded to have sex with her in a chair.
“Remember? Yeah, I knew you would. Now I see why you interrupted us. I was this close to having her eating out of my hands. Guess you wanted to keep her all to yourself.” Marcus sneered.
“Shut the fuck up. Don’t talk about something you know nothing about,” Hunter warned.
Marcus held his hands up in front of him. “Chill out, man. Truth hurts, doesn’t it? And what would Alex think if I told him about your extra-curricular activities?”
“Fuck you,” Hunter spat. “I should fire your ass on the spot.”
“For what? Speaking the truth?”
“For making threats against me.” Hunter wished like hell he could smash Marcus’s face in. “Get out of my office. I’ll file a report on you when I return.”
“File a report? With who?”
“Human resources.” He was trying to keep it together, but it was damned difficult.
“You’ve got to be kidding me.” Marcus shook his head. “You have a lot of nerve.”
“So do you. And it’s called documentation, Marcus. Make one more shitty threat and I
will
fire your ass.” Hunter smoothed his shaking hands down the front of his jacket. His insides rioted, his body screamed to beat Marcus into a bloody pulp, but he was determined to keep his cool.
He’d already lost it in front of Marcus, didn’t need to give him more fuel to add to his fire.
Without another word, Hunter turned his back on him, gathering the last of his things. He heard the door open, Marcus slipping out of his office, and when he knew he was gone for good, Hunter breathed a sigh of relief.
He’d made an ass out of himself. Lost it completely with a man he’d considered a friend just a few days ago.
That was before he’d degraded Gracie. Was Marcus going to rush off and tell Alex what he saw? Or worse, would he report him to human resources? Just what he needed—Gracie’s friend knowing they had sex in his office.
Hunter scrubbed a hand over his face, irritation rubbing his insides raw. Damn, if this wasn’t a fucked up mess. He couldn’t fix it either, at least not yet. He had to go. There was no way he could stick around here any longer.
He’d head home, pack a bag and then get to the airport. He could probably be at the hospital in less than two hours.
And once he got a hold of Gracie, he was never going to let her go.
Ever.
“Wake up for me, Gracie. You need to remain strong. You need to focus on healing, both for yourself and for that wee little one you’re carrying.” The voice was vaguely familiar, a little creaky. A woman’s voice that was full of love and encouragement and the slightest hint of fear.
The woman continued. “You’ve slept long enough now, don’t you think? Why, I’m much, much older than you and I’m already pacing the halls demanding they let me out of here, while you lie abed like a fancy girl taking a spa vacation.” The words were shaky, and the woman paused, drawing an audible deep breath. “Please, Gracie. Wake up. They don’t understand why you’ve been unconscious for so long. Your head injury wasn’t that bad. It makes no sense and when it makes no sense, it worries everyone. You’re making
me
sick with worry, and I don’t know if I can take it much longer.”
Cool, dry fingers clasped around Gracie’s hand and held on loosely. Gracie stirred at the touch, a twitch jolting through her body. A little groan spilled forth from her lips.
The pain was excruciating. It radiated throughout her entire body and settled in a low throb at the back of her head. Nausea threatened, her stomach roiled and she tried to swallow, but her throat was so dry.
“Keep coming back to me, Gracie-girl. Come back to your grandma now, sweetie. Please.”
So it was her grandmother who urged her awake. She’d waited this long to see her and now she had her grandma by her bedside and she couldn’t even wake up? Determination filling her, Gracie struggled against the languid sleepiness. She forcibly opened her eyes, her lids seeming to scrape against her eyeballs. Everything hurt.
Everything.
She stared up at the ceiling for a second or two before she shut her eyes once more, too tired to keep them open.
“Now don’t you go leaving me after I worked so hard to wake you up, Gracie. Open your eyes, sweetie. Open ‘em for me again, please.”
She did so, snapping her lids open so fast her head spun. Trying to focus on the details, she noticed the ceiling was a drab grayish-white. The room was warm and the overhead light harsh. Too harsh.
Suddenly a face appeared before her. Lined with age and topped with a shock of gray hair, familiar green eyes met hers. “You’re awake,” her grandmother said softly.
Gracie parted her lips to speak, but no sound came out.
“Take your time. It’s all right,” her grandma crooned. “You need to save your strength for your baby.”
Baby? Her mouth was so dry, so were her lips, and she licked them before she tried to speak. “Wh—what are you talking about?” She vaguely remembered a baby mentioned. She just found it hard to comprehend, what with everything going on.
“Why, you didn’t know you’re going to have a baby? The doctor told me before they wheeled you into surgery. You don’t know how much this thrills me, sweetie. We finally reconnect, and you’re gifting me with a great-grandchild.”
“I—I didn’t—”
“There, there, rest for now. Take it easy. You went through the surgery like a champ. Everything is fine, but the nurse said once you wake up, you’ll have to stay in ICU for a night or two more just so they can keep watch on you, then a few more days in the hospital before they release you. I told them they could release you to me. I’d be glad to take care of you.”
Gracie frowned. How in the world could her grandma take care of her when she was still in the hospital too? It made no sense.
“You sure are banged up.” Grace laughed softly. “You’d probably scream in horror if you could see your face right now.”
Not the reassuring words Gracie wanted to hear. She knew her grandma meant well, but she wasn’t necessarily being encouraging. More than anything, she wanted to be left alone.
And absorb the fact that she really was pregnant—with Hunter Worth’s baby.
Her heart raced just thinking about it.
Someone entered the room, their squeaky shoes making enough noise to startle Gracie out of her thoughts. “Ah, Mrs. Hayes, I see you woke her up.”
“I sure did. I knew I would.” Grandma sounded pleased.
“Excellent.” The nurse approached the bed, standing on the opposite side of Gracie’s grandma. She smiled down at Gracie. “How are you feeling?”
“Thirsty,” Gracie croaked.
“I’ll bring you a fresh pitcher of water in just a minute. The doctor is making his rounds now. I’ll let him know you’re awake, and he’ll stop by to see you soon. So glad you decided to rejoin us, Miss Hayes.”
Gracie nodded, exhaustion settling over her once again. It was too much, just speaking a few words and moving her head. She could hardly function.
“You need to return to your room and get back into bed, Mrs. Hayes.” The nurse lowered her voice to a conspiring whisper. “You’re not supposed to be in ICU, you know.”
“Aren’t you funny, considering you’re the one who let me in here?” Grandma sniffed and stood tall, trying her best to appear regal but failing considering the faded and tattered blue robe she wore.
“Well, I snuck you in and now I need to sneak you back out. Let’s go, Mrs. Hayes.” The nurse smiled at Gracie once more. “I’ll be right back, Miss Hayes.”
She watched the two women leave the room, her grandma turning to wave at her once before the nurse had to practically drag her out. Gracie closed her eyes the moment they exited the room, thankful for the peace and quiet.
Her mind wouldn’t remain quiet. It raced with overwhelming, terrifying thoughts. Surgery and recovery, a grandma still in the hospital who behaved as if nothing was wrong with her—the woman even insisted Gracie would be able to go home and recuperate at her house. It was all too much.
She needed to find her cell phone and make some calls. Becky would be first on her list. Her friend would know what to do and how to help her. Then maybe…
Maybe she could call Hunter. He deserved to know what happened. He’d called, and she knew he was most likely concerned. Plus, if it was really true, he was the father of their future baby.
Tears leaked out of the corners of her eyes and streamed down her cheeks. She’d really done it this time. Nearly killed herself in a reckless accident and now found herself pregnant. Wasn’t she the poster child of what not to do?