His knees buckled. Fortunately, he was standing next to a wall. It kept him upright. Remington squeezed his eyes shut and pinched the bridge of his nose. “Who’s performing the surgery?”
“Dr. Noah Bridges. And, if the spinal cord surgery is necessary, they said one of the best on staff.”
“That means nothing if the facility is a chicken shack! I want the best in the country!”
“We don’t have time to fly anyone in!”
“What the fuck, Bella? Head trauma? Possible spinal cord injury? How did this happen?!”
“We can discuss that when you get here. In the meantime, they need you to sign some papers and send them back. I had them e-mailed over to your assistant.”
Remington was numb. “What’s the name of the surgeon?”
“Dr. Noah Bridges. He’s also the Assistant-Chief-of-Staff and is with her now. I’ll have him call you. And, if necessary, Dr. Sky Kirby. She is on her way to the hospital just in case. I’ll know more once she arrives.”
Ashleigh stepped out of the conference room just as her name was mentioned. Remington motioned for her while talking to Bella. “Have Dr. Bridges call me on this number. I’m on my way.” After he hung up, Remington turned to his PA. “Give my excuses. Use my electronic signature to sign whatever papers Bella had sent over and have them bring the car around. Find out who Dr. Sky Kirby is and get her on the phone. As a matter of fact, get her a police escort to St. Lucia’s hospital. I need the plane ready to go within the hour.”
Furiously, Ashleigh took notes. “Of course, Mr. Kneeland.” Her eyebrows furrowed with worry. “Is everything okay?”
“No. Not at all.”
Chapter 3
Sky was asleep and buried so deep underneath the covers it would take a group like the US Special Forces to find her—or, the hospital. They seem to always be able to locate her.
Her cell phone vibrated on the nightstand next to her bed.
Given the nature of her job, Sky never slept too soundly. After the second buzz, she reached up into the darkness to answer it. Her voice was muffled since she barely raised her head off the pillow to speak. “Dr. Kirby.”
“Sky. It’s me.”
Inwardly, she groaned. “Noah, I have to be at the hospital in a few hours. I’m not in the mood for company.”
“Way to let me know you miss me after your man bashing weekend with Nia. Anyway, this isn’t a social call. I have a twelve-year-old girl with a spinal cord injury. The lumbar vertebrae was badly damaged. It’s a mess in there.”
Immediately, Sky sat up and flipped on the lamp. “Are you keeping it cold? It’s important to make sure those nerves remain viable.”
“They’re following protocol.”
“Good.” Sky hopped out of bed. “I’m getting dressed now. I should be there within half-an-hour.”
He ran his hand across the back of his neck. “Look, I’m just going to be honest, I’m not sure there’s anything that can be done to fix her but figured you’d want to take a look. I should warn you the patient is actress Bella Lord-Langston’s daughter.”
The lightbulb went off in her head. “Ahh . . . you called me because the press is going to be all over this as soon as the sun comes up.” He was taking extra precaution of covering himself if things didn’t go well.
“They will. And, I’ll need you to make sure you’re on. Considering.” Sky had handled several high-profile patients in the past, and while Noah was a good surgeon, as well as the Assistant-Chief-of-Staff, he had never achieved the level of surgical success that she had. But, he was a great politician, and thus his position. So, given that, she thought it was interesting he was giving her medical advice. “Considering what?”
“Let’s just say I hope all the wine you consumed on Friday is out of your system.”
“Are you serious? I would never touch a patient if I were incapacitated in any way.”
“Just want to make sure.”
“Is your name, Dr. Franklin Johnston?” After her binge session with Nia, she’d spent the next two days in bed recovering. Sky was fine. But, it also helped to have had a father who drank entirely too much, and because he did, had a recipe for every type of hang-over. She’d spoken to him the morning after.
“No. I know exactly who I am. My name is Dr. Noah the shit Bridges. It should be a name that makes you tingle all over. The ladies love my dark hair that falls just a little bit into my sexy deep blue eyes. Some women have even mistaken me for Ian Somerhalder.” He said it with a haughty arrogance.
“Well, Dr. Bridges, right now, I’m not tingling. And, you are not my father or Ian. My dad is the only man who can question me. Even he knows where to draw the line. You need to remember that. I’ve got to go. See you in twenty.” Pissed, Sky disconnected the call.
She made a quick trip to the bathroom before getting dressed. Just as she was zipping up her grey hoodie and about to stick her feet into a pair of sliders, her phone buzzed again. Sky grabbed it off the table as she was leaving the room. She didn’t even try to hide her frustration. “I’m walking out of my condo now.”
“Good. I have a squad car waiting outside your building to escort you.”
It was a deep voice with a sexy timbre she didn’t recognize. That voice made her tingle. “Excuse me.
