Page 27 of Bloodstained Wings
We stop at the hospital on the way to the docks. My father doesn’t get to see me as often as before, but that’s not his fault, obviously. It’s been hard to come around him now that he’s in this state. The treatment was supposed to help his body function better, but it’s taken a further toll on his mind.
As much as I’d like to think he can bounce back from this unconscious state, it’s not likely. I sit down by his bed, working through the emotions that race through my hectic mind. I want him to get better, come home, and live life normally, but it’s slowly becoming clear that it won’t happen. Still, I try to keep my hopes up, watching Carter pace the hallway on a phone call.
I finally muster the courage to leave my father’s side for the night, not wanting to be at those chilly docks for too long. Coming out of the room, Carter is already outside, his conversation growing more hectic as time passes. I stop in the lobby break room, making myself a small cup of coffee, when a light tap on my shoulder nearly startles the cup out of my hands.
“Wow, I’m sorry. Didn’t mean to frighten you,” the light voice says.
I turn, seeing a bright smile offered by a woman with long, curly brown hair. She’s dressed in a suit, the style befitting for a newscaster or a lawyer. Either way, I smile and make room so she can fix herself a cup.
“I love your shoes,” she hums.
I look down at my clean sneakers, their pink shade a bit childish in hindsight, but they’re comfortable. Carter gave them to me as a gift, but I’m sure he was more interested in just getting me into another fitting room than he worried about what I checked out with.
“Thank you,” I reply. “Your suit is so nice. It’s so edgy and cute.”
“Thanks,” she says with a growing grin. “You look so familiar. I hope that’s not weird of me to say.”
I shake my head slightly, realizing that she looks just as familiar. “Oh, you know what… I think I’ve seen you before too. Were you at the Blackthorne election gala?”
She lights up with realization. “Oh, yeah. That’s right. I’m a journalist, so I was there to get a comment on Carter’s infamous loss against Killian Hughes. You’re the girlfriend of Carter Blackthorne, right?”
“Yeah, he’s just outside,” I breathe.
“I would go say myhellos, but I have to get back to work.”
My brows furrow while she mixes her coffee with a thin straw. “What do you mean, work? You work here at the hospital?”
“Oh, no. My journalistic duties include digging up some feel-good stories and whatnot. I caught wind that Carter Blackthorne has made a sizable donation to the hospital in the past. I’m looking for some records of that transaction just to back up his generous image.”
“Huh,” I sigh, slightly confused. “That’s nice of you, I guess. I didn’t know stuff like that was in high demand right now.”
“Oh, for sure. Anything that upholds the values of Manhattan within certain public figures is always news to the public. They’ll be happy to see this side of Carter, considering the smear campaign that is still making the rounds in the background.”
I set down my cup, my stomach aching with her every word. “Smear campaign? What are you talking about?”
Her face falls suddenly. “You didn’t know?” She shakes her head slowly, taking a long sip of her coffee. “I think I have a copy of the file at my house. I can show you if you’d like. Maybe we can meet over coffee.”
“Okay,” I reply, feeling a pit deepen in my stomach. “Sounds good.”
She takes a small notepad out of her purse and scribbles on the face of it with her pen before handing me the sheet of paper. It has her phone number and her name written in beautiful cursive.
“Lilian McCoy,” I hum. “Nice to meet you.”
“Same to you,” she says with a smile. “I’ve got to get going. Tell Carter I saidhello, okay?”
I nod while she walks away, stuffing the paper into my pocket before making my way outside. I take a gulp of coffee and offer Carter a sip, watching him dismiss his phone call before taking the cup and giving me an exasperated sigh.
“I’m sorry, dove. Dealing with a workplace crisis. Nicolas is still being an asshole after everything that happened. I’m getting exhausted dealing with it. How is your father, Bella?”
“He’s the same still,” I whisper. “I ran into a friend of yours, though.”
He lights up with bewilderment. “Really, who?”
“Lilian McCoy. She said she’s investigating some kind of donation you made to the hospital or something.”
His body goes rigid, and the light in his eyes darkens enough to notice. He drops my coffee into the trash can and takes my elbow in his grip, yanking me toward the parking lot. I hiss slightly, trying to squirm out of his harsh hold, but when he opens the back door to the SUV, he tries to throw me inside like I’m a rag doll. I fight him ever so slightly, needing to understand why he’s become so cold so suddenly.
“What are you doing?” I cry, fighting his hand off my arm. “What’s wrong, Carter?”