9. Chapter Nine #3
Which meant one of two things.
Either Daniel told her recently what was up, or she’d been in on it from the start.
What the hell could it be? No matter what, I couldn’t imagine Daniel and Vanessa Ramsey doing something nefarious. They weren’t that kind of people, even if my mentor had instructed Mona Isringhausen to do an end run around the law a time or two.
If they were moving money out of Ramsey Engineering, it was for a very good reason.
If. I still didn’t know any of this was real. For all I knew, Victoria could be bluffing me. It would be a clever tactic—turn us against each other, sow suspicion in the ranks.
“You gave me a few minutes with Daniel,” I told Marcie. “Why don’t I return the favor? I’ll go update everyone on how your father’s doing.”
Marcie nodded. “We caught the doctor on the way back,” she said, her face filling with hope. “He said if Dad keeps improving, he might be able to leave intensive care in a couple of days.”
“They’ll figure out what happens after that,” Vanessa added, in a tone that told me it was going to be a long way back to normal.
“None of you worry about me,” Daniel said. “Sure, Jack. Go let Marcie’s… girlfriends know that I’m up and talking. That I’m gonna be okay.” He squeezed Marcie’s hand gently. “Let me spend a bit with my little girl.”
I nodded. “Be right back.”
Downstairs, the rest of the group had cordoned off an entire section of the lobby.
Mona had somehow cajoled the staff into moving a couple of the couches into one corner, and my girls were clustered around, with Kiki and Sam sitting next to each other so close they were practically in each other’s arms. Half-drunk lattes with the Morning Moon Coffee logo on them were everywhere.
I heard Samantha as I approached. “That clip is all over the place,” she said, scrolling through her phone. “You and Jack—that thing he said to you when he was practically carrying you off stage—it’s, like, the only thing the Internet is talking about today.”
“I don’t care,” Yukiko said, rubbing her feet.
I could feel Samantha’s sympathetic look. “I know, boo. Me neither. I just thought you should know—oh, Daddy…!”
Samantha was up before I could reach the back of the couch. Yukiko didn’t rise—too exhausted, too pregnant—but she looked like she wanted to. I embraced my babygirl, holding her tight, then let her rejoin her sister-wife with a kiss.
I told them all about Daniel. They were relieved to hear it.
“They’re going to be keeping him here for at least a couple of days,” I said. “I think it’s probably best that we go up in ones or twos to wish him well, and then head back home.”
Mona nodded. “I’ll go first. Yukiko, shall we?”
Everyone took a turn. Everyone said hi to Daniel, hugged Vanessa, consoled Marcie. I went back up a couple of times, though Vanessa kept me from exchanging anything other than pleasantries with my mentor. Probably that was a good idea right now, anyway.
I was only mildly surprised when Marcie pulled me aside towards the end of the visit. “Uncle Jack. Can I ask you for a favor?”
“Of course, angel.” I was already pretty sure what it was going to be.
Still, she paused for a very long while. “Is it okay if I stay here with Mom? Just for a few days, until we know where Dad’s going to be?”
Bingo. “Of course you can. If your Mom needs you, I completely understand.”
She looked relieved, then guilty. “I should be home, though,” she said, glancing away. “I ought to be with you and Kiki and Sam…”
I was already shaking my head. “We will be fine. If you need any help, you let me know and I’ll come running. Kiki or Samantha will, too. But of course you can stay with your parents, babygirl.”
My words broke through whatever self-resistance she’d put up. Marcie hugged me so tightly that it hurt a little bit.
“Thank you, Uncle Jack,” she whispered. “Thank you for not making me choose.”
“There’s no choice to make, babygirl.”
She pulled back with a smile. “You never make me choose,” she said. “That’s one of the things I love about you the most.”
Samantha and Lakshmi both elected to stay with Marcie a little longer. Laks promised to bring Samantha home in a bit, and insisted that the three of us take off and head back home.
“After the day you’ve had, I know you’re exhausted,” Lakshmi told me. “Try and rest if you can.”
“No promises,” I told her, leaning down and giving her a kiss. “You know something?”
Lakshmi batted her lashes. “What?”
“You’ve been a lot quieter about everything than the rest of the girls,” I said, thinking in particular about Heather and Eva. “But I know it’s got to be hard on you, having my attention split so much. It’s been a while since the two of us have had any one-on-one time.”
Lakshmi nodded. “Jack, I knew what I was getting into when I signed up for this,” she said with a smirk. “Trust me, I can be an extremely patient woman.” She leaned in close, nibbling at my bottom lip. “Especially when I have those memories of your wedding tent to warm me up.”
Now they’d be warming me up, too.
Mona pulled the BMW back up to the curb. I offered to get into the backseat with Yukiko, but she told me to go ahead and ride shotgun. “I’m going to put my feet up,” she said, tilting them across the seat pretty much as soon as she was able.
We’d made it about two blocks away from the hospital before I heard her snoring.
I watched her in the rear view mirror, my heart aching for her. What a day, I thought. We were supposed to have you back home in your pajamas hours ago, Kiki…
When I returned my attention to the front, I noticed Mona sneaking glances at me.
“The timeline doesn’t add up,” she said flatly. “You picked up on that, right?”
I nodded. “The stroke’s not her ace in the hole.”
“I don’t even know how it could be,” Mona snorted. “But one thing’s for certain. Whatever she’s got, a woman ruthless enough to pull what she did this morning on you and your wife won’t hesitate to use it.”
“I know,” I said.
“We need to talk about what we’re going to do.”
I nodded. “Once we get Kiki home,” I said.
Mona nodded once, then went silent.
I laid back against the seat and closed my eyes. It had been a long day for me, too.
I didn’t open them the whole ride home.