'I will.'
Five minutes later she was dressed. Alex walked her to her car, then cupped her face and kissed her.
'If you need me, I’ll be there.'
She believed him. 'My brothers will be at the hospital. I won't be alone. I’ll let you know as soon as we hear anything.'
He stepped back. She got in her car and started the engine.
As she drove down the long driveway, she felt both worried about Gloria and happy about her evening with Alex. The emotions fought for dominance-and in the end, concern for her grandmother won.
She was thinking more about what could have gone wrong than anything else, so she didn't pay attention to the odd, moving shadows at the end of Alex's driveway. It wasn't until it was too late to turn back that she saw cars and people. People holding cameras.
They parted for her, but she still had to drive slowly. Slowly enough for them to take her picture and yell out questions about her spending the night with the senator's son.
CHAPTER ELEVEN
When Dani arrived at the hospital, her brothers, Penny, Elissa and Lori were already there. Lori sat with a sobbing Kristie, who stood up when Dani entered the waiting room.
'I'm so sorry' she said, her voice thick with tears. 'Oh, Dani, she just collapsed. She was doing so well. Just a couple of days ago we were talking about when my contract would end. With you staying there, Gloria was feeling comfortable being on her own at night. She's planning her own meals, scheduling her physical therapy, handling her meds. She's fine. Or she was.'
Dani knew the other woman was just trying to help and maybe make herself feel better, but for Dani, the conversation was a one-way ticket to Guilt Land.
She had moved into Gloria's house. The expectation was that she would be home at night. But last night she hadn't gone home… she'd gone to Alex's. To be honest, after she arrived, she never once thought about her grandmother.
Okay, sure, she'd told Gloria about her plans and the older woman had teased her about having too good a time but neither of them had expected her to stay out all night.
Dani glanced at her watch. It was barely after two in the morning, but it was close enough to all night for guilt purposes.
'It's not you,' Dani told Kristie. 'It's me.'
Lori shook her head. 'Let's not argue about it. Neither of you could have prevented the collapse. Not unless you're secretly psychic and could have predicted what happened. In which case, it would be nice if you could tell us what's wrong with her, so we know how much we should worry.'
Kristie wiped her face. 'You're using logic.'
'It seems like the right time,' Lori said.
'You don't have to be so smug about it,' Kristie muttered.
The two women hugged.
Dani was glad they'd worked things out, but she was still feeling like crap. She walked over to Cal and let him pull her close.
'I should have been there,' she murmured.
'Want to tell me where you were?' he asked.
'Not really. I was off having fun, which is all that matters.'
Penny came over and punched her lightly in the arm. 'Stop it. You didn't make this happen and feeling bad won't help. Let's wait and see what the doctor says.'
Dani scowled. 'You sound like Lori.'
'Really?' Penny looked pleased. 'Because I like her a lot. She's so together.'
'Meaning I'm not?' Elissa grumbled as she joined them. 'I'm tough.'
'You're practically titanium,' Walker said as he put his arm around his fiancee.
'At least we can be neurotic together,' Dani said, doing her best to hang on emotionally. The need to start crying was strong, but she was determined to beat it. She wanted to stay in control so she could be ready in case there was something she could do.
'Look at the bright side,' Reid said. 'Last time Gloria collapsed, no one gave a damn. Now we all care about what happens to her. That has to be good.'
Dani nodded slowly. She understood his point, but in some ways it was easier when she hadn't cared. Last time, there hadn't been so much to lose.
Alex was at his parents' house by six that morning. Dani had phoned to say there wasn't any news on Gloria and right after her call, his phone had rung again. He sure as hell hadn't expected it to be his father.
'It made the morning papers,' Mark had said by way of greeting. 'How soon can you get here?'
Alex sat across the breakfast table from his parents. He hated feeling as if he was sixteen and had gotten caught doing something stupid. The need to squirm and explain kept rushing through him but he ignored both. More difficult to push aside was the sense he'd been a disappointment.
He reminded himself he was a successful lawyer in his thirties. He didn't have to answer to anyone. Too bad he couldn't believe it.
He wanted to defend himself, but against what? So he accepted the cup of coffee his mother gave him and waited for her or his father to make the first move.
Neither of them seemed in a hurry to speak. There was something in Katherine's eyes-a lurking accusation, as if asking why he had to pick Dani from all the women available to him.
This had to be hurting her. Dani represented so much failure to her. Now if Alex got involved with her, would that make the wound deeper?
If he got involved? Wasn't he already there and beyond?
'Is it true?' Mark asked. 'There's a picture of Dani leaving your place around one-thirty this morning. Is it really her?'
'Yes.'
Mark glanced at Katherine, then back at Alex. 'We'll take care of the situation. I'll call a meeting first thing. Please be available.' Mark stood and left.
Alex didn't like the sense of being handled, but what was he supposed to say? Sure, his personal life was his business, but as his father was running for president and Dani was Mark's long-lost biological daughter, there were questions and realities to be dealt with.
'Good to be a member of the staff' he said when Mark was gone.
His mother picked up her coffee, then put it down. 'He's in crisis mode. He's not angry.'
'I got that.' Mark hadn't been anything. But his father had never been emotionally involved with his family. Not the way Katherine was.
'So you're seeing her,' she said, her voice carefully polite, as if she didn't want to give anything away.
'Yes.'
'Is it serious?' Her mouth tightened slightly, her hands trembled.
'Mom, I'm sorry all this is happening and that it's upsetting you.'
'But you're not sorry about your relationship with Dani.'
It wasn't a question. 'No.'
He was reminded of his conversation with Dani earlier that evening. How they'd discussed that both their previous spouses had been sorry about being caught, but not about the act itself.
This was different, he told himself. Yet someone was still hurt.
