Page 120 of Battle with a Billionaire

Kyle rose from his seat as they scanned the room, his features pinched with worry.

Grant’s jaw flexed as he stormed toward him. “What the hell happened, Kyle?”

His son shook his head, fear clouding his eyes. “She was fine. We were talking.”

“And?” Grant demanded.

“Yeah, what did you do to her?” Sierra asked.

“Nothing. I…she remembered what happened the night of the kidnapping. She panicked. She ran. I tried to stop her, and she fell. She hit her head. She never regained consciousness.”

Grant flung a hand in the air as he huffed out a sigh. “Oh, Kyle. Why can you never learn to stop crossing lines?”

“I didn’t do this on purpose. I didn’t mean for it to happen. She just looked so scared.”

Sierra poked a long nail into Kyle’s face. “You better hope she’s okay, or I’ll kill you myself.”

Kyle’s features remained penitent. Grant’s annoyance with his son was tempered by his worry over Julia. She’d remembered the horrific events of Kyle’s involvement in her kidnapping. He hated that she’d experienced that kind of fear.

He sank into a seat, drumming his fingers against the arm as he fidgeted. After what felt like an eternity, they were called back to her room.

“She’s still unconscious, but no signs of swelling in her brain. And she has a little cut on her forehead, no stitches needed,” the doctor reported.

“When will she wake up?” Grant asked.

“I can’t say for sure. It could be any time now. We’ll continue to monitor her until she does.”

Grant heaved a sigh as the doctor left them behind. He shuffled into her room, listening to the familiar beeping of the monitor. It was like a bad case of deja vu.

She lay in the bed, a few butterfly bandages closing the wound on the corner of her forehead. He crossed to her bed and grabbed her hand as he stroked her forehead. “Oh, Julia, please wake up.”

“Do you really think you should be in here?” Sierra said to Kyle. “The last thing we need is for her to wake up and die of fright when she sees you.”

Kyle stared at her form with glassy eyes before he murmured, “I’ll be in the waiting room. I’d appreciate knowing when she’s awake.”

He strode from the room. Grant felt a momentary pang of guilt but shoved it aside as his concern for Julia took center stage.

Each beep of her monitor counted another second she hadn’t woken. It stretched far too long for his taste, but after what felt like an eternity, her eyes fluttered open.

“Julia?” he asked as his heart lifted.

He leaned closer to her, squeezing her hand.

“Hi,” she said softly with a weak, but genuine smile that reached her eyes.

“Oh, Julia, thank God. How do you feel?”

Her forehead creased as she tried to sit up. “Tired of being in the hospital.”

“Easy,” Grant said. “You hit your head…again.”

She nodded, ignoring his warning as she pulled herself up to sit. “I know. I’ve had more concussions in the past year than–”

She froze, her lips parting as her features pinched more.

Grant’s heart thudded against his ribs. “Julia? What’s wrong? Are you sick? What is it?”

She shook her head, flicking her gaze to him. “No…I remember.”

---