Chapter 11
Tazim watched as Ann’s long, dark lashes fluttered against her pale cheeks. The bandage on her chest was huge. The doctors told him that Ann had lost a lot of blood, but she was going to be okay. The bullet had missed her internal organs and had lodged into the fleshy part of her upper chest. There was muscle damage, but with physical therapy, she would fully recover.
Still, he couldn’t seem to stop worrying about her. He’d paced the hospital room so much that he had memorized every centimeter of the space. The hospital staff had tried to put her into a regular room, but Tazim had demanded that she recuperate in a larger, private suite.
When her lashes fluttered again, Tazim called for one of the nurses. “She’s awake!”
The nurse dropped her clipboard on the counter and hurried into the room, her stethoscope already in hand.
Tazim waited while the nurse listened to Ann’s heart, sighing with relief when the nurse nodded. “Her heart sounds good. She’s going to be fine, Your Highness.”
He barely nodded, his focus on ensuring that Ann wake up. She’d been in surgery for several hours to remove the bullet and repair the muscle damage. He hadn’t seen her in five, long years and her response to his proposal had been…painful. But Tazim couldn’t imagine a world in which Ann wasn’t alive and thriving.
When her eyes finally fluttered open, he felt most of the tension leave his body. “How do you feel?” he asked softly as he moved to her side. He didn’t dare sit on the bed for fear of rocking the mattress and hurting her.
Ann licked her lips, her long, dark lashes fluttering. It took her a while to answer, but she emitted a weak, “Fine.”
“What happened?” he asked, taking her hand in his, needing to touch her, needing to give her some of his strength.
Before his eyes, Ann shifted from weak to terrified. “Archer!” she whispered, her lips chapped and her eyes mere slits. “Need to get Archer!”
What the hell was Archer?
Another woman rushed into the room, a beautiful, vibrant woman that seemed familiar, but Tazim couldn’t place her immediately.
The woman rushed over to Ann’s other side and smiled gently. “I’ve got him, Ann. I’ve got Archer. I picked him up from preschool as soon as the hospital called me. He’s at the club. Hendrix took him down to the stables and he’s laughing up a storm about Horace’s antics.”
Ann managed a weak smile. “Thank you!” she croaked. Then her eyes slid closed as she drifted off to sleep again.
Tazim stared at Ann for a long moment, then sighed, pulling back. He turned to the woman who was dialing a number on her phone.
“Hey Hendrix. Just checking in. Is the little guy okay?” She laughed at something, nodding her head. “Good. No, he’s only four years old. He’s too little to…!” She paused, listening.
However, Tazim wasn’t listening any longer. His mind was thinking about the age. Four years old? Archer? Ann had asked about Archer. The woman…the manager from the club, he remembered now…mentioned that she had gotten “Archer”. Now “Archer” was four years old.
The jealousy that he’d felt when Ann had said another man’s name upon awakening transformed to bafflement at the thought of a four year old boy. Ann’s son? Was that possible? Ann had a son? A four year old son!
Four years. Tazim did the math. Depending on the boy’s birthday, the kid could be…his? His son?
No! Impossible! Ann would have contacted him, told him they had conceived a child together.
Unless…she hadn’t!
Would Ann really keep this from him? No! He glanced over at her to see that she was still sleeping. But what if…?
The club manager laughed, interrupting his mental flailing. “Fine. I’ll be out to help as soon as I get more information about Ann’s condition.” Another pause and she nodded. “Yep. I’ve already called someone to cover her shift tonight.” Her eyes turned angry and she emitted an impatient huff. “This isn’t my first rodeo, Hendrix.”
A moment later, she ended the call with an irritated huff, then shoved the phone into her back pocket. “Men!” she muttered.
Tazim’s eyebrows shot up and he watched her blush when she remembered he was in the room. “Sorry.” The woman looked over at Ann. “What did the doctor say?”
“That she was going to be fine,” he replied. “You’re Emily, correct?”
Emily looked up and smiled sadly. “Yep. Ann and I work together.” Her eyes narrowed slightly. “You’re the man who tried to give her a one hundred and fifty thousand dollar tip last night.”
He shrugged and looked at Ann. “I thought it was closer to a hundred thousand,” he asserted, shoving his hands into his pockets. “She deserved the money. The men at the table treated her badly.”
Emily snorted in disgust. “Men at that club treat everyone badly if the other person isn’t in their income bracket.” She shrugged. “It’s the way they are.”
Tazim looked at Ann. “Just because others do it, that doesn’t make it right.”
She stared at him for a long moment, then he thought about the boy. “Who is Archer?” he demanded.
Emily beamed. “That’s Ann’s son. She dotes on him. The kid is really great. And incredibly smart! He’s only four years old and already reading at a third grade level.” She laughed and opened her mouth, about to say something more. But before she could, she paused, her eyes narrowing on Tazim’s features.
And then she gasped!
In that moment, Tazim knew the truth. A fury unlike anything he’d ever known washed over him. Rage was a powerful, motivating force.
“When is his birthday?” Tazim demanded with a low, emphatic voice.
Nervously, Emily’s mouth opened and closed. She shook her head and said, “I don’t know. Ann is very private. I’m her friend and emergency contact, but I don’t know a lot of details.”
Tazim stared at the pretty woman for a long moment, then decided that the club manager would protect Ann’s privacy no matter what Tazim threatened. Besides, he remembered how private Ann had been five years ago. It had taken a lot of teasing to get her to admit something as simple as her favorite food.
Turning, he headed towards the door, ready to leave. But at the door, he stopped, took a deep breath and looked over his shoulder. Ann was lying in the bed, recovering from a gunshot wound. Even though everything inside of him yearned to see this boy, to identify if the child was his, he couldn’t leave Ann. Not right now.
Turning, he came back to the bed, bracing his fists on the mattress. “What have you done?” he whispered. The sleeping woman didn’t answer, not that he’d expected an explanation.
Emily cleared her throat. “If it’s any consolation, Archer is with Hendrix, who is our head of security at the club. I’ll call him now and ask him to put more security on him.”
Tazim nodded slowly, not taking his eyes off of the woman laying in the bed. “Thank you.” He considered alerting his guards to the possibility that this Archer boy might be his son, but then decided to keep it a secret.
Looking at the woman, his gaze was intent, he added, “Please don’t tell anyone about the possibility that the boy is my child. It could put him in danger.”
Emily’s jaw dropped, but she nodded. “Absolutely!” she promised. “Not a soul.”
“Good.”
She turned to leave but hesitated at the door. “Just…tell Ann that I was here and that we’ve got her shifts covered for the next few weeks. I’ll call her when she…?” Her words came to a stop when he lifted an eyebrow at her. “Right. You’ll be here when she wakes up?”
“I will,” he replied, even adding a slight bow to reassure Ann’s friend that he would keep her safe.
Only then did Emily walk out of the hospital room.
Tazim turned back to watch Ann, wondering why she’d kept the knowledge of their son from him. Five years ago, he’d had dinner with Gary. The guy had been a state senator back then, and ambitious. Gary’s family had connections and his sister…well, his sister had been a pain in the neck even then. Had Gary hoped that Tazim would show interest in his sister? Tazim hadn’t felt even a hint of attraction towards his friend’s sister, even though the woman had been artfully made up. In his mind, she looked like a professional shark. Cindy was ambitious and intelligent, but there hadn’t even been a spark of attraction between either of them.
But that night when he’d come to Gary’s house for dinner…what had been going on? And why had Gary been so insistent that he and Cindy would hit it off?
Then he saw Ann, still sleeping in the bed. He wasn’t sure if he was furious or…something else. His emotions were flipping back and forth between anger and something he couldn’t quite define. Nothing made sense anymore. Surely Ann hadn’t had a baby and not told him. Would she do that? Of course, five years ago, Ann hadn’t known who he was...internationally.
He should be angry. Hell, he should call his lawyer and get her started on claiming custody of his son! A paternity test was the bare minimum that would be required and that takes a bit of time. Still, if Ann had given birth to their son, his heir, then he should sue her for the four years of the boy’s life that Tazim had missed.
And yet, he couldn’t seem to do that. The comments Ann had made about their past…something more was going on and he needed to clarify those issues before he did anything else.
“What the hell is going on, love?” he whispered to the room. His words were interrupted by the beeping sounds of the machines, letting him know that Ann’s heart was beating. It wasn’t enough. Despite the anger he felt towards this woman, Tazim reached out, holding Ann’s hand. He needed this connection. When she was awake and he could question her again, Tazim would retreat once again. But at this moment, he needed…her. He needed Ann.
Rubbing a hand over his face, Tazim sighed heavily. Since he wasn’t leaving, he looked around and found the vinyl chair, pulling it close to Ann’s hospital bed. She probably wouldn’t let him remain this close once she was awake, so he’d better absorb as much of her gentleness as he could now.