Chapter 29 – Presley
PRESLEY
Hours had passed. Hours. And there was no word about Ink.
Meanwhile, my daughter remained unconscious, yet stable.
She had a large laceration on her scalp that had to be closed with staples, much like my mother’s.
Ariel’s skull wasn’t fractured, but she had a small brain bleed, and her brain was swelling.
So, as far as I was concerned, she was nowhere near stable, no matter what they said.
“Presley, please sit down,” my mother said. “You’re making me a nervous wreck with all your pacing.”
“I’m sorry, Mom. I can’t. Sitting makes me feel like I’m not doing anything. I know it’s not rational, but I can’t help it.”
“I know, honey,” she said. “I’m just upset that I can’t pace with you.”
I glanced at the door for the hundredth time. I don’t know why I kept doing it. We were in the ICU. It wasn’t like Ink was going to stroll through those doors and shout, “Surprise!”
Though one person did stroll through those doors, surprising me and everyone else on the floor without uttering a word. Jacquelyn Marks walked toward Ariel’s room with an air of grace and sophistication, with her grandson by her side.
“You must be Presley,” she said and engulfed me in a hug before I could utter a word. “I’m so sorry to hear about your daughter. Jake told me what happened. What can I do to help?”
“Thank you,” I said and wiped my eyes. “But I’m not sure there’s anything that will help.”
“If you think of anything, please don’t hesitate to ask. I mean that. I’m happy to help. In the meantime, I’ll order some food. Everyone forgets to eat during times like this, and it’s important that you keep your strength up.”
“She likes to feed people,” Jake stage whispered.
“Do we have visitors?” my mom asked. “Invite them in since I can’t get up to greet them.”
Jacquelyn and Jake followed me into the room. I opened my mouth to begin the introductions when Jacquelyn’s eyes widened, and she raised a hand to her mouth. “Are you The Glam Gram?”
My mother smiled proudly. “The one and only.”
Jacquelyn rushed forward with her hand extended. “It’s so nice to meet you. I just love your content.”
“Thank you,” Mom said.
As Mom and Jacquelyn fell into conversation, I turned back to Ariel to find Jake standing beside her bed. He had his hand wrapped around her fingers as he spoke softly to her. My dad wrapped his arm around my shoulders. “I believe that young man has some strong feelings for our little Ariel.”
I sighed. “Yeah, Dad. I think you’re right about that.”
“Do they know when she’ll wake up?” Jake asked.
Oh, I hated that question because the answer always sucked, but I tried to explain it gently.
“No, they don’t know. Because the brain is so complex, there’s no way to know specifically what was injured and how that will affect her until she wakes up.
Every case is different, so there’s no way to know.
She could wake up in a few hours, or it could be much longer than that.
Right now, it’s a waiting game, but that could change if the bleeding or swelling gets worse. ”
He nodded as if he understood. “That’s what Gabby said, too. Um, Gigi?”
“Oh, right. Excuse me, Alice. Presley, I don’t mean to overstep or intrude, but if Ariel does need surgery, I have one of the best in the country on standby, if you’d like to use her.”
“If it’s Dr. Kelly, the answer is yes.”
Jacquelyn grinned. “It is. I sincerely hope she’s not needed, but she’s agreed to make herself available if she is. May I have your permission to forward Ariel’s records to her?”
“Absolutely,” I said without hesitation. “Thank you. Really, thank you so much.”
“You’re welcome, dear. I try to help where I can.”
“What in the hell just happened?” my dad whispered.
“I’ll tell you later,” I promised.
“I’m going to see about getting a copy of Ariel’s chart sent to Dr. Kelly and make arrangements to have dinner delivered. Is there anything else I can do to make this any easier for you?”
“I wouldn’t say no to a bigger chair,” Carbon said from his post outside the room.
Jacquelyn stepped out to eyeball Carbon’s situation. “I’m surprised the one you’re in hasn’t collapsed under the strain. That can’t be comfortable,” she said and kissed the top of his head. “I’ll take care of it, sweetie.”
“Thank you, Mrs. Pierce.”
She grinned. “You’re one of the only ones who calls me by that name.”
Carbon returned her grin. “I know. It makes me special.”
Jacquelyn laughed. “You’ve been special to me since you provided a safe space for my son to land and introduced him to your club.”
Big, scary Carbon blushed. “Like you always say, I was happy to help.”
“Well, I’m glad you did. I’ll check in with you all in a bit. Jake, are you ready?”
“Yes, ma’am,” he said, though it was clear he didn’t want to leave Ariel.
“I’ll get your number from Carbon and text you if there are any changes,” I told him. “And you’re welcome to come visit her any time you want to.”
“Thank you, Ms. Calloway.”
“You can call me Presley.”
He nodded. “Thank you, Presley.”
As soon as they were gone, my dad turned to me. “It’s later. Tell me what all that was about.”
“Jacquelyn Marks,” I started and paused, walking to the door. “Why did you call her Mrs. Pierce?” I asked Carbon.
“She married her bodyguard, Ronan Pierce, almost twenty years ago. She didn’t legally change her name, but I’ve referred to her as Mrs. Pierce since then,” he explained.
“Okay, my turn,” my dad said impatiently.
“Jacquelyn Marks is extremely wealthy, powerful, and influential, especially in the healthcare industry. She owns several hospitals, including this one,” I explained.
“She owns the hospital?” he asked in disbelief.
“Technically, she owns a corporation that purchases hospitals in danger of going under,” Carbon said.
“I never knew the hospital was having financial issues.”
“It wasn’t,” Carbon said. “She bought this one for a different reason.”
“Are you going to tell us what that reason was?” Mom asked shamelessly.
“It’s a long story, but here’s the short version. Gabby got fired from the hospital in Cedar Valley through no fault of her own, which resulted in Gabby moving back to Croftridge. Jacquelyn acquired the hospital so Gabby would always have a place to work.”
“But Gabby doesn’t work at the hospital,” I said.
“She can if she wants to,” Carbon replied.
“And here we were thinking we were hot shit for buying Ariel a car,” my dad joked.
“You’re hot shit for being involved in her life,” Carbon said. “My parents and Harper’s parents were gone before our kids were born, but they’ve had plenty of people around who filled the grandparent role for them. My point is the grandparents are important, not the gifts.”
Mom sighed dramatically. “He’s huge, handsome, and insightful. A rare find.”
“Hey, now,” my dad said.
“Oh, hush up. You’re a rare find, too.”
I pinched the bridge of my nose. I knew what they were doing, even Carbon. They were distracting me, trying to keep me from falling into the deep pit of despair that was waiting for me with open arms. I appreciated their efforts as much as I loathed them.