And Lilly laughed for the first time in hours.
TY HAD CALLED Hunter about the incident at his mother’s. Hunter had called Molly, knowing she’d want to be there when Dumont was brought in. He’d promised to meet up with her as soon as his meeting was over. She’d told him not to rush, that she was fine.
And she was fine. At least fine as far as Molly’s life was concerned. As soon as she’d hung up with Hunter, Molly had called her mother.
“I really don’t do hospitals,” Francie had said.
Disgusted, Molly had slammed down the phone and driven straight to the hospital by herself.
Molly heard the distance in her mother’s voice. She’d sensed it for a while. Ever since the party, when Francie had discovered Lilly was alive and well and stood to inherit the trust fund that would have been Marc’s and by virtue of marriage, hers, as well.
Molly had hoped things would turn out differently this time, especially since her mother hadn’t yet ended things with Marc. But with her mother’s refusal to come to the hospital, Molly had to face the truth. Francie was merely biding her time, waiting until she had a lead on another eligible wealthy man or at least until she had an idea about where to find one. Knowing Francie, a cruise or a trip to Europe would be her next stop as she hunted for her next victim. She wouldn’t think twice about leaving Molly behind. In fact Molly would be lucky if she received a goodbye. After all, she’d been this route before.
So much for family. So much for a mother loving her daughter and realizing her past mistakes. So much for Francie having changed.
Molly stepped through the automatic hospital doors and strode up to the check-in desk. “I’m here to see Marc Dumont,” Molly said to the tired-looking woman sitting in front of her.
“Are you immediate family?”
Molly swallowed hard. “No.”
The woman glanced down at the papers on her desk. “Mr. Dumont is not allowed visitors just yet. Have a seat and we’ll let you know when you can see him.”
Molly nodded. “I see. Thank you.” She turned and headed for an empty chair in which to wait.
The longer she sat, the more uncomfortable she grew and she fidgeted, unable to remain still. She didn’t belong here. She wasn’t related to Marc and probably never would be. But he’d been good to her in ways nobody else had been and she wanted to make certain he would be okay.
She tapped her foot. She drummed her fingers against the armrest. And she waited.
“Molly?”
She glanced up and saw Lacey and Ty standing in front of her. She rose to her feet. “I didn’t see you come in.”
“You were deep in thought,” Lacey said.
“Yeah. Not in a pleasant place, either. Are you okay? Hunter told me what happened. I can’t believe Marc was shot right in front of you. Why did he come to see you in the first place?” Molly asked, still missing major parts of the story.
Lacey shrugged. “We never got that far. Is there any news?”
“Not yet.”
“I need to go inside and see my mother,” Ty said.
“I’m coming.” She touched Molly’s shoulder. “I’m sorry.”
“Don’t be sorry. Go. I’ll be fine.”
Lacey gave Molly a quick hug and walked off with Ty.
Molly sighed. Her gaze followed the retreating couple until they disappeared behind the emergency room doors, then she glanced around the busy room. Most people were here with someone else. A friend, a family member. Someone they loved. Not Molly.
As she waited for news on Marc, she realized something profound. She’d spent too much time defending the man and not enough time sorting through the truth, only to end up exactly where she feared she’d be when all was said and done.
Alone.
A place where she had always been and a place she knew she would be for a long time to come.
TY HELD ON TO Lilly’s hand as he walked into the room where his mother lay sleeping. Earlier today Lilly had needed him but now he needed her. As he pulled a chair up to his mother’s bedside, he was reminded of the last time he saw her this frail and sick.
He’d come home from college when she’d had her first heart attack and subsequent surgery and she’d lain sleeping in a sterile room much like this one, hooked up to machines similar to these. He’d taken one look at her and realized she was all he had in the world and he stood to lose her.
He felt the same way now. Because despite the fact that Lilly had returned, despite loving each other, there were no promises exchanged, no guarantees made to each other. He knew they’d take things one day at a time until this trust fund issue was solved, but after that? Who knew.
The only constant in his life had been the woman whose frail hand he clasped in his.
“Ty?” He glanced up.
Dr. Sanford walked over to him, another man he’d never seen before by his side. “Ty, this is Dr. Miller. He’s our newest cardiologist. He has some things he’d like to explain to you.”
Ty listened as the young doctor who was also a surgeon explained that an angiogram showed his mother needed immediate surgery to reopen arteries that had closed off. More technical terms followed but the next thing he knew, he was signing a consent form and his mother was being wheeled out of the room.
Lilly placed her hand on Ty’s shoulder. “She’s going to be okay. The doctor said so himself.”
He glanced up and into her comforting eyes. “Did he? I barely remember the conversation.”
She smiled. “That’s why I listened carefully to every word. The surgery shouldn’t take more than an hour and she’ll be brought in to recovery where you can see her.” Lilly wrapped her arms around his neck and pressed her cheek against his. “Then you’ll see for yourself, okay?”
He covered her hand with his. “I’m glad you’re here.”
“I felt the same way when you opened that closet door and found me. How did you know where I’d be?”
He leaned backwards, against her. “Because I showed you that hiding space myself and I couldn’t think of anyplace else you’d go that was safe.” And he’d refused to believe she was anything other than okay, despite her uncle’s bloody body lying at the front door.
Silence surrounded them until he couldn’t stand it another minute. He needed a distraction from waiting for the surgery to begin, let alone end.
He glanced at the clock. “We have time to kill. We should check on your uncle and see what, if anything, the police have found.”
Lilly straightened. “Now that sounds like a plan.”
Except the guard dog nurse at the desk had no new information on Dumont. Not even the fact that Lilly was a blood relative uncovered any more news. So, along with Molly, they settled in to wait.
Fifteen
Twenty-four hours later, Flo was recovering from successful surgery. Lilly’s uncle was still unconscious, the bullet having punctured his lung. The doctors expected him to recover, but they wouldn’t allow visitors for a while.
Lilly, Ty, Hunter and Molly sat in the waiting area of the hospital, having moved out of the emergency room wing. The police were on their way to talk with them. They had new information and the hospital was as good a place as any to bring together all interested parties and fill them in.
Molly looked pale and she hadn’t had much to say to Lacey or Ty since they’d met up here. Hunter had his intern doing research and he’d taken the day off to be with Molly, but she wasn’t talking to him, either. Lacey didn’t know if the other woman was upset over Marc’s condition or the fact that Marc was obviously involved in something bad enough to have ended up with him being shot on Ty’s mother’s doorstep.
