CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE
When William, Sloane and Maximus arrived at the hospital, Bobby and Cory were seated in the private waiting room. They both stood up when William rushed in.
“Where is she? Where’s Joy?” His eyes were inflamed with anxiousness. His voice had an undertone of near-panic.
“They’re still running tests, sir,” Bobby said quickly, to alleviate his fears.
“But she’s okay? Have you spoken with her? Have you spoken with the doctor?”
“No sir, I haven’t seen her, and no doctor has been back here yet. And all the nurse could tell us is that they’re still running tests.”
“They would have told us something if she was bad off,” Cory felt a need to say, to help ease what seemed like William’s pain.
But Bobby and Sloane were shocked that he would say anything at all to the boss. He was nothing more than a receptionist in their eyes. Sloane had that how dare you address Mr. Skeffington look on her face. But Bobby was concerned the kid might get dressed down for addressing Mr. Skeffington.
William had opened his suit coat and placed his hands on his hips when Cory said those words to him.
Any other underling would have indeed gotten a harsh look for talking out of pocket that way to be sure, but he liked Cory because he knew Cory cared about Joy.
He could see the concern in the young man’s eyes.
“Thank you,” he said to Cory, to everybody else’s shock, and then he began to pace the room.
He ran his hand through his hair, wondering about Joy’s wellbeing.
And then he plopped down in one of the chairs.
They all sat down after he did.
“You were there, Cory?”
He nodded. “Yes sir.”
William leaned forward in his chair. “Tell me exactly what happened.”
Cory had to fight the shakes he was so nervous. “Well, sir, after Joy picked out which one of your cars she wanted to drive--”
“Which one did she select?” Sloane asked him.
William frowned. “Who the fuck cares?!” he yelled at her. “Go on,” he said to Cory.
Cory was still uneasy, especially after William’s outburst, but he soldiered on.
“She asked me to show her how to get to the highway from your house, so I drove in front and she followed me. But just as we were going our separate ways, I heard this super-loud crash. When I looked back, I saw your Porsche skidding across the highway with a huge dent in it, and then I saw an SUV coming to a stop. And then, when I was able to make a U-turn to go make sure she was okay, a man got out of that SUV with a gun in his hand.”
“Wait what?” William was confused. “A man got out with a gun?”
Cory nodded. “Yes sir.”
William looked at Max. But Max had no idea a gun was involved either. Joynetta Johnson wasn’t somebody on his radar, nor was she anybody he would have ordered a security detail to follow. He didn’t know any more about that accident than William knew.
“Go on,” William said to Cory.
“The guy with the gun started running toward the Porsche, that’s the car Joy was driving.”
Sloane wanted to blurt out how dare that bitch drive his Porsche when she could have easily driven the Jetta, but by the way William seemed so protective of that girl she was afraid he’d fire her on the spot if she spoke up. She didn’t say a word.
“By the time I was able to make a U-turn and head back to where she was, I saw him stop and aim his gun at Joy. He was going to start shooting at her. But she was inside that car. She’d be like a sitting duck. That’s when I knew I had to act.”
“What did you do?” Maximus asked him.
“The only thing I could think to do. I hit the gas and ran into him. He flew in the air and landed in the middle of the street. Then another car ran over him and killed him.”
“Good!” said Max.
“That’s what I said,” said Cory.
“Great job, young man,” William said as he reached over and shook Cory’s hand. “Thank you.”
Cory’s heart soared. “You’re welcome sir. When you asked me to take her to your house, I felt responsible for her.”
“As do I,” William admitted. And although Sloane and Bobby looked at him, he wasn’t ashamed to admit it either.
He looked at Maximus. Max had already pulled out his phone to find out who the gunman was. “I’m on it,” he said to his boss as he left the room.
“How long has she been in testing?” William asked.
“Since we got here a little over an hour now,” said Cory.
“Bob, go to the front desk and tell them I want to see whoever’s the head of this hospital. And I want to see him now.”
“Yes sir,” Bobby said and left the room.
“I could have handled that for you, sir,” said Sloane.
“They aren’t going to listen to my private secretary,” William replied. “They will listen to my chief-of-staff.”
Sloane was inwardly seething. He always put Bobby on a pedestal if you asked her. But she’d get hers soon enough.
But William was restless. He hopped up from his seat and began to pace around that room again. Cory tried not to give him eye contact. He’d seen him come and go out of Skeffington’s for five long years. He never once saw him this upset.
He remembered when he first met Joy nearly a month-and-a-half ago, and Joy told him she was there to see William, he was certain it couldn’t be that William as in William Skeffington.
But that was exactly who she meant. And now he realized just how close they really were.
The way he came back from his trip to check on her.
The way he let her drive any one of his expensive cars she wanted to drive.
The way he gave Cory himself a position in the junior executive program because he’d been nice to her.
You never judge a book by its cover. He’d heard it all his life. Now he believed it.
When William leaned against the wall with the sole of one of his shoes pressed against it, he looked over at Cory. “Thanks again for your bravery, Cory. You more than likely saved her life.”
Cory grinned. “I don’t even know how I did it. I just knew if I didn’t do something he was going to fire that weapon into that car and Joy had nowhere to go. I had to do something.”
“Thank you,” William said again.
“You’re welcome, sir.”
“If anybody make you feel in any way unwelcomed in that junior executive program, or as if anybody treats you as if you’re an other, you come straight to me, you understand?”
Cory could see how serious he was. “Yes sir.”
“I want to hear about it immediately. All of this racist bullshit that has infused itself into my organization is over.”
Sloane’s jaw tightened.
“Let me know if you even think it’s happening around you.”
“I will, sir. I absolutely will. Thank you very much.”
Cory looked at Sloane when William looked away. Sloane rolled her eyes at him.
Then William’s impatience came through again. “What the fuck is taking these people so long? It can’t be that many tests in this world.” He pushed away from the wall, and began pacing again.
Then Bobby came back in. “The CEO isn’t at the hospital right now, sir, but the Chief of Surgery is. She’s on her way down now.”
“Good,” said William, “because I want answers and I want them now.”
“Oh they understand. I made sure that they fully understood.” Then Bobby exhaled as he sat down and crossed his legs. “I just pray the kid’s okay.”
William looked at his chief-of-staff. He was tall and had an elegance about him that he always found impressive.
And he was smart as a whip. But because of his easy charm, it was William’s belief that if there was any man that could win Joy over, Bobby would be that man.
“How did you find out before I did?” he asked him.
“I called him, sir,” Cory interjected. He didn’t feel nervous anymore.
William made him feel as if he belonged there.
“I had no way of reaching you, but I remembered Joy said she was going to let Mr. Latham know where she was going. So I called Mr. Latham. I would have phoned you too, sir, if I would have had your number.”
“No, no, it’s fine, Cory. You did nothing wrong. I was just curious that is all.”
Bobby and Sloane glanced at each other. Even Cory knew it was more than curiosity.
The way he saw it, Bobby Latham was this gorgeous hunk of black man that all the ladies wanted.
Mr. Skeffington was gorgeous too, but different gorgeous.
Mr. Skeffington was like the gorgeous boss.
Bobby was like the gorgeous boyfriend. The boss might have felt some kind of way, or even felt threatened, by a brother like Bobby Latham.
“Sloane?”
Sloane looked at Bobby. “Sir?”
“Why don’t you and Cory wait out in the hall for a sec. I want to run something by the boss.”
Cory was quickly moving toward the exit. Sloane reluctantly grabbed her bag and iPad and left the room.
William looked at Bobby. “What do you want to run by me?”
“Just a question.”
“Which is?”
Bobby uncrossed his legs and leaned forward, his hands clasped. “What exactly is your intentions regarding Joy?”
William stared at Bobby as if he had some nerve. Nobody asked him a question like that! “Excuse me?”
“What’s Joy to you, Mr. Skeffington? Is she somebody I need to . . . leave alone?”
William calmed back down. He was not the kind of man that shared intimacies with his employees. But Bobby was doing it the right way. He couldn’t argue with a man willing to look him in the eye and be blunt about it.
He nodded. “She’s most definitely somebody you need to leave alone. In that respect anyway,” he added.
Bobby sat back and nodded. “Okay, sir. Thank you for letting me know.”
But now William was curious. “Why would you ask? Are you in love with her?”
“Me sir? In love?” Bobby smiled his best rakish smile. “Not at all, sir. Nothing like that. A little in lust maybe, but that’s over too.” Then he looked at William. “So you’re serious about that girl then?”
Now William felt exposed. “Serious? Me? She’s a kid.”
“She’s twenty-five, sir. She’s young, but she’s no kid.”
“She’s twenty-five and I’m forty-two. I need a woman my age.”
“With respect sir, you don’t need a woman your age.”
William found that comment strange. And out of line. “I don’t?”
“No sir.”
“And why not, Bobby? Enlighten me.”
“Because you are a woman your age.”
William frowned. He lost him totally. “What is that supposed to mean?”
“You’re only forty-two, but you act like you’re ancient, sir. A woman your age will reinforce that. Joy will fight against that. You need a Joy in your life.”
William actually smiled. Which gave Bobby permission to smile too. And William nodded. “I’ll take that under advisement, Mr. Latham.”
Bobby nodded. He really respected and even cared deeply about the boss. He was a good man beneath the gruff. He wanted him happy too. “Good decision,” he said, and they both laughed.
Then the door to the waiting room opened and a white-haired white woman who appeared to be in her mid-fifties walked in. Sloane and Cory came back in behind her.
At first the doctor looked annoyed to have been disturbed from her perch, as if she didn’t believe for a second that William Skeffington would be in their waiting room.
But as soon as she saw William, her look changed dramatically and she hurried to him.
“Mr. Skeffington, hello.” Her hand was extended.
“I’m Dr. Rodgers, the chief of surgery. I understand you have questions regarding one of our patients? ”
William shook her hand. “How’s Joynetta Johnson?”
“She’s fine, sir. I spoke with the charge nurse concerning her case and she said it was Mr. Latham who ordered additional tests. Not our staff. That’s what’s taking so long.”
William found the woman insulting. Instead of being helpful, she was attempting to appoint blame. “You mean he advocated for Miss Johnson and made sure she received optimum care?” William asked.
The doctor was taken aback. Bobby smiled. “Yes, sir,” she said. “He advocated for her. And we are preparing to run a few more tests. But she’s been back in her room recovering for some time now.”
William frowned. So did Bobby. “Back in her room?” William asked. “Why wasn’t I notified that she was back in her room?”
“The staff wasn’t aware it was you that was here, sir.”
William was angry. “I wasn’t here, but they knew she had people concerned about her here. But what does it matter right? They figured the two black men that were here didn’t dignify anybody bothering to come and let them know her status. Is that how it works around here?”
The doctor seemed flustered. “I do apologize, sir.”
“Save it!” William began heading for the exit. Then he stopped, turned, and looked at that doctor again. “She belongs to me, you understand?”
“Yes sir.”
“She gets the best care humanly possible.”
The doctor knew a man like him could come down like a ton of bricks on that hospital. Which could be her ass. “Yes sir,” she said with force.
“Where is she?” William asked.
The doctor hurried in front of him. “Right this way, sir,” she said.
But as Cory, Sloane and Bobby were hurrying out too, Sloane looked at Bobby. “She belongs to him?”
“That’s what the man said.”
“Since when?” she asked. But Bobby, who knew Sloane wanted hooks in the boss for herself, only smiled and left the room.
Sloane was angry, but she hurried out too.