Chapter 13
Grant stared at the projection numbers on the large screen of the conference room. They’d seen a slight recovery since the press conference, but they were still lower than he would have liked.
Kathryn bustled inside with her phone pressed to her ear. “Yeah, I understand that, but I don’t want to hear it. Find me something, and find it now.”
With a disgusted scoff, she jabbed at the screen to end the call before flicking her gaze to the projections. She set a hand on her hip and let her gaze slide to Grant. “I told you this wasn’t going to be easy.”
“I know you did. I hoped it would have been easier than this, though,” he admitted.
The sting of a potential defeat already left a bad taste in his mouth. Yet, he hadn’t been able to take the easy route and admit to an affair he’d never had. Once upon a time, he may have done just that. Whatever worked, he would have told himself, even if it cost him whatever superficial relationship he’d been in at the time.
Now, he couldn’t bear the thought of losing Julia to a lie. And he didn’t want her to think all he cared about was winning or his image, either.
So, he’d taken the road less traveled and more treacherous. It may cost him the election, but at least it wouldn’t cost him anything else. He hoped.
“I hope you’re still happy with that choice because there’s no going back now. We can’t admit to it or you’ll drop even lower in the polls.”
“I’m not admitting to it. I didn’t do it.”
“Good. We need to stay the course, no matter how bad this looks.”
“And it looks pretty bad.”
Kathryn pointed the remote at the television screen as a newscaster poked a microphone in someone’s face. A white headline scrolled at the bottom: HARRINGTON HOAX?
“I still think he did it. He just doesn’t want to tell his wife that,” the man said.
Another woman smiled and shrugged. “I feel sorry for his wife. I guess she wants to believe he wouldn’t do it. I would have left him.”
Grant’s jaw tightened at the words.
Another woman flicked a lock of hair over her shoulder as she crinkled her nose. “I mean, I guess it could happen. Like cover models are always airbrushed and whatever.”
“Finally, one voice of reason,” Grant said.
“She won’t be alone,” Kathryn said as she muted the newscast again.
The voices gave way to the clopping of Sierra’s heels. A second later, she pushed into the conference room and crossed to him, planting a kiss on his cheek. “I saw you on the news, and you did great.”
“I wish I didn’t have to do it at all. This is ridiculous.”
“But you faced it. And it couldn’t have looked better with Julia believing you.”
“Tell that to the lady who would have left me,” Grant said, waving a finger at the news.
“Who cares? She’s an idiot. Julia didn’t leave you. She stood by you, and now people will believe in you more.”
Grant heaved a sigh as he wondered if Julia stood by him because she was contractually obligated or if she would have if their marriage wasn’t dictated by duty.
“Quit with the long face, it’s over. We move forward from here. Which, by the way, I think it would be great if you addressed the troops. Give them a little pep talk to rally them for the final push here.” Kathryn pumped a fist in the air.
He felt like doing nothing less than giving them a pep talk, but he’d done it plenty of times at Harrington Global, and he knew the importance of a morale boost. “Fine.”
“Go, Daddy!” Sierra said with a grin.
After Kathryn gathered everyone, he gave them a short, but impactful speech about pushing through difficult times and prevailing. A round of applause met his final statements before he returned to the conference room to watch the latest round of numbers before he called it a night and headed home.
He snatched his phone from the table where he’d left it as he sat down. His notifications told him he’d missed a call from Julia. He cursed under his breath.
“What?” Sierra asked as she perused her social media feed.
“I missed a call from Julia. Can you believe the timing?” He pressed his phone to his ear as he waited to connect to his voicemail.
“Grant, call me. I think I know who may be behind everything that’s been happening.”
His heart skipped a beat as he pulled the phone away and stared at the display as though it held the answers to all his questions.
“Something wrong?”
“Julia says she may know who’s behind all this. She wants me to call her back.”
“Well, call!” Sierra shouted with a stamp on the floor.
“I’m calling, Sierra, calm down.” He found Julia’s name in his contacts and pressed the call button. The line trilled a few times before it went to voicemail. “Voicemail. Hey, Juls, looks like we keep missing each other, but I’ll see you when I get home. We can talk then.”
“Voicemail? She drops a bombshell like that then doesn’t pick up?”
“I’m sure she’s busy. Or she’s driving. Either way, we’ll talk to her when we get home.”
Sierra heaved a sigh as she slumped into a chair. “I guess. Did you see that Harrington Globals’s stock is up again? Honestly, I’m starting to think you should leave Julia as the CEO even if you lose the race.”
“Thank you for that vote of confidence, Sierra.”
“What?” she said with a shrug. “I’m just saying. Plus, it ties her to us for way longer.”
“Ties her to us? I don’t want her tied, Sierra.”
“Then maybe you ought to tell her that, Daddy.”
“It’s not that simple,” Grant said, flicking his gaze to the table in front of him.
“Whatever.”
The shrill ring of Grant’s cell phone split the silence between them.
“Maybe that’s Julia,” Sierra said as he pulled it from his pocket.
“No. I don’t recognize the number. I hope it’s not a reporter.” He swiped to take the call. “Grant Harrington.”
“Mr. Harrington, this is Sergeant Brooks with the New Orleans PD.” His stomach clenched. Had Kyle gotten himself in trouble again? “Your wife has been involved in a multi-vehicle accident. She is en route to St. Mary’s Memorial.”
Grant’s heart pounded against his ribcage. His hands trembled as he gripped the phone, the world spinning in a disorienting blur around him. “What?”
“I don’t have any more information beyond that, sir.”
He gripped the table’s edge, his throat dry and his heart pounding.
“Daddy?” Sierra’s voice sounded far away. “What’s wrong?”
He gulped in a breath, shaking his head to loosen the panic gripping him. “Julia…”
“What about her?” Sierra asked, her brows knitting.
“She was in an accident.”
“Again?” Sierra said. “Is she okay?”
“I don’t know. They’re taking her to the hospital.” He rose on shaky legs as Sierra leapt from her seat.
“I’ll go with you. Hopefully, it’s no worse than the last time. She just had a few scrapes and bruises.”
Grant nodded as he pulled on his jacket, the world still muted around him as worry bubbled up.
“Heading out?” Kathryn asked.
“Julia’s been in an accident,” he murmured.
“Oh no.” Kathryn’s features registered concern. “Go, go. Let me know how she is once you know.”
He nodded as Sierra wrapped her hand around his arm. “Plus, Kyle’s there. I’m sure he will love taking care of her.”
“Don’t remind me,” Grant growled as they stepped onto the sidewalk into the rain. With umbrellas over them, they made their way through the wet city toward the hospital.
“I’m sure we’ll find him hanging all over her every bruise in his best impression of doctor of the year.”
The statement tightened his jaw as jealousy bloomed. Maybe Julia would ask for another doctor given his latest declaration, though he doubted it.
They reached the hospital and hurried into the frenzied emergency room. Grant spotted Kyle with a patient on a gurney. Maybe he wouldn’t be tending to Julia’s scrapes, after all.
He was about to ask for her location when Kyle spoke. “My God, Julia!”
Grant’s stomach turned over and heat shot through him as he realized the patient on the gurney was his wife.
“Oh my goodness, Daddy,” Sierra said as she gripped his arm, her voice laced with panic.
“Get her into trauma room one,” his son directed.
Grant followed behind them as they rushed Julia into a room and a flurry of activity descended on her. Erratic beeping filled the air.
“Hang in there, Julia, I’m going to take good care of you, okay?” Kyle said as they worked feverishly to assess and stabilize her. “I need a central line.”
“Julia?” Grant choked out.
Kyle shot him an icy glance over his shoulder. “Somebody get him out of here.”
Grant tried to close the gap to the bed, but someone prevented him. “No, Julia!”
“Julia? Stay with me,” Kyle said as he continued with his work.
Her heart rate felt off—too fast or irregular. Grant couldn”t be certain, but the panic in his son”s voice sparked an unease within him, clouding his thoughts.
“Somebody page Derek Grey. She’s going to need emergency surgery.”
“He’s on his way,” a nurse answered as a man in scrubs forced Grant into the hall. He stared through the window at the chaos surrounding Julia.
“Doctor, she’s in Vfib.”
Kyle glanced at the monitors, then cupped Julia’s face in his hands. “Stay with me, Julia.”
“Daddy, what’s happening?” Sierra sobbed.
He wrapped his arm around his daughter, unable to answer.
A second later, it became all too clear. Julia’s head lolled to the side, her eyes closed, and then a constant tone sounded as a single flat blue line marched across the screen.
“No, no, no, Julia, no, you can’t do this. Starting compressions,” Kyle said as he began to push against her chest. “Push a round of Epi and get me a crash cart.”
A nurse pushed a rolling cart toward him. “Epis in.”
Kyle grabbed the paddles as a nurse covered them with a clear gel. “Charge to two hundred. Clear.”
Grant startled as Julia’s chest leapt in the air but the constant tone never changed.
Kyle murmured a curse before he tried a second time. “Charge to two fifty.”
“Charged.”
“Clear,” he said before he shocked her again. Her chest leapt a second time, but still no change on the monitor.
“Push another Epi,” he said. “Come on, Julia. Don’t do this.”
“Epi’s in,” a nurse reported.
He pressed the paddles against her body again, sending another jolt through her. But the persistent blue line refused to give up. With a frustrated growl, he tried again, upping the charge to three hundred.
Nothing.
“Push another Epi.”
“Doctor, she’s already had two.”
“I said do it!” he screamed at her. The nurse bounced back a step before she administered the third round of medication through Julia’s IV.
Kyle pressed the paddles against her chest again. “Come on, Julia.”
Her chest leapt again, and he gave a desperate glance at the screen. A spike shot up.
“We have sinus rhythm.”
Kyle’s shoulders slumped as he heaved a sigh of relief. A bevy of scrub-clad medical professionals hurried into the room.
One of them tugged his hand away from Julia’s. “We’ve got it from here, doctor.”
Grant pressed against the wall as his battered wife rolled past him on her way to surgery. Kyle stepped into the hall, shock etched into every line of his face as he watched her disappear.
Grant shifted his gaze to the man. “She’s going to be okay, right?”
Kyle didn’t answer, his features pinching.
“Kyle?” Grant prodded.
He finally flicked his gaze to Grant, his eyes glassy. “I don’t know. She may not survive the surgery.”
Grant’s chest tightened at the words, and a wave of nausea passed over him. “What?”
“What do you mean she may not survive it?” Sierra asked, her words sharp as she struggled with her panic and grief.
“I mean…we nearly just lost her. If that happens on the table…”
“Well, why aren’t you going with her? You’re a surgeon! Do something!” Sierra shouted at him.
Kyle glanced at his half-sister, his features incredulous. “Sierra, I couldn’t even hold a scalpel right now, let alone help her.”
“So, now what? We just wait?” Sierra asked.
“Yeah. There’s…a waiting room,” Kyle said. “We just have to wait.”
He led them down a hall to a softly lit room filled with chairs. At this time of night, the room was empty. Kyle collapsed into one, his leg bobbing up and down as he clasped his hands in front of him.
Grant, still numb from shock, eased himself and Sierra into a pair of chairs. Images of Julia, lifeless and bloody, filled his mind. He couldn’t lose her. But there were no guarantees she’d make it.
Sierra buried her face in his chest as she sobbed. “Daddy, she can’t die.”
He kissed the top of her head as he rubbed her shoulder. He wanted to offer some words of support, but he couldn’t find any. He had the same fears. What would his life look like without Julia?
He stared blankly at the sterile walls, his mind racing with memories of Julia–her laughter, her strength, her unwavering support. The thought of a future without her was unfathomable. She had become more than just a contractual partner; she was an unexpected beacon of light in his life.
He chose to cling to the hope that he wouldn’t have to. Minutes ticked by far too slowly.
After an hour, Sierra shot a tear-stained gaze at Kyle. “Should it be taking this long?”
“It could,” he answered.
“Could or should?” she snapped.
“Easy, Sierra,” Grant whispered. He may not like the man, but in this moment, they shared a common grief, both of them fearing for a loss they may not be able to bear.
“Could,” he answered. “The fact that they’re still in there at least tells us she’s still alive.”
The words stung, and he found himself both hoping and dreading the doctor’s arrival.
Footsteps finally filled the hall outside the waiting room. Grant braced himself for the arrival of the doctor and the news he may bring. A figure filled the doorway.
Grant crinkled his brow as Sierra leapt from her seat and raced toward it, throwing herself against her mother as she sobbed.
Lydia had come to the hospital?
The woman glanced at him, then at Sierra who clung to her. “I thought you said there was an emergency? Your father is fine.”
Sierra leaned back, wiping at the tears that streamed down her cheeks. “It’s Julia. She was in an accident.”
Lydia wrinkled her nose at the statement as Sierra flung herself against her mother again.
Lydia took hold of her daughter’s shaking shoulders. “Sierra…Sierra…”
Grant shifted in his seat, surprised to see his first wife soothing his daughter. Maybe he’d been right to let her stay at the house.
Lydia pried Sierra from her, holding the woman at arm’s length. “Sierra…honey…I realize you’re upset, but this is a suede jacket and you’re ruining it with all your crying.”
“What?” Sierra squeaked as Grant rose from his seat, annoyance crowding in with the other emotions. “Julia’s dying and you’re worried about your jacket?”
“It was very expensive,” Lydia answered.
“Get out, Lydia,” Grant said, his voice low as he slipped an arm around Sierra and led her back to a chair.
“Fine,” the woman said, a sour tone to her voice. She stormed from the room, leaving them alone again.
Grant slid his eyes sideways to Kyle, several seats away from them. His distance was reflective of the chasm that separated them, created by years of misunderstanding. But despite everything, Grant couldn’t deny the bond, though strained and complicated, that their shared concern for Julia gave them.
His cell phone rang, and he fished it from his pocket as Sierra’s shoulders finally stopped shaking. Kathryn.
He swiped to accept it. “Kathryn, I can’t talk about the campaign right now. Julia’s–“
“I was just calling to see how she was. Any news?”
“Not good.” He barely got the words out. His eyes filled with tears, and he bit them back. “She’s in surgery. But she wasn’t good when we got here.”
Kyle leapt up from his seat at the words, pacing the floor.
“Oh, no, Grant. I’m really sorry. If there’s anything I can do, just let me know.”
“Thanks, Kathryn. But it’s just a waiting game from here.”
“Good luck. I hope you get good news soon.”
They said their goodbyes, and he ended the call. Kyle’s incessant pacing drove him wild after only a few minutes. “Would you sit down?”
“No,” Kyle said. “It helps me think.”
“What’s to think about?” Sierra shot back.
Kyle snapped his gaze to her, then shook his head.
“Please sit down, you’re driving me crazy with that pacing,” Grant said.
“Oh, I’m sorry I’m upsetting you, but I’m going out of my mind here.”
“Like I’m not.”
“Well, everything you touch crumbles, so I figured you were used to it,” Kyle growled.
Grant leapt from his seat, incensed by the biting remark at a time like this.
“Stop it!” Sierra cried.
They glared at each other for another moment until footsteps pulled both of their attention to the door.
A beleaguered doctor strode in, still removing his mask.
“Derek,” Kyle said, his eyes wide, “tell me she’s okay.”
The man pressed his lips together as he glanced at the floor for a moment. “She’s a fighter. She made it through surgery.”
Grant sucked in a breath. One hurdle passed.
“Complications? Issues? What’s her status?”
“She did well. No complications. She’s stable, breathing on her own.”
Kyle’s shoulders relaxed at the news.
“Can we see her?” Grant asked.
“Yes, you can see her. She’s not awake yet…” He hesitated for a moment, a slight wince twitching his lips.
“Do you know when she will be?” Grant asked.
The man pressed his lips together again, setting his hands on his hips.
“She had some swelling around the brain. We have her in a medically induced coma. We’re doing everything we can. The next forty-eight hours are critical.”
“Derek? What aren’t you saying?” Kyle asked.
He let his chin drop to his chest. “I’m a little concerned that it’s not a matter of when she’ll wake up…but if.”
Grant’s stomach turned over at the news. Julia had survived the surgery, but she may never wake up. Even if she’d lived through the worst of it, he may still lose her.