Page 64 of Battle with a Billionaire

“That’s Dr. Carter. He took care of you when you came in. And if I’m not mistaken, he’s also family?” Dr. Gray slid a questioning glance at Grant who nodded.

“Kyle,” she said.

“That’s right, yes.”

“I remember you. I remember Kyle.”

She gripped the railing on the side of her bed, hope and dread filling her. She remembered someone, but from what they’d told her, it wasn’t the person she should remember.

Her mind was like a blank page, each attempt to remember like trying to read something that hadn’t yet been written. The frustration of not remembering Grant gnawed at her, creating confusion. Yet, the flicker of recognition for Kyle seemed like a lighthouse in her stormy thoughts.

Why was she remembering the wrong man?

CHAPTER 15

GRANT

The monitor rhythmically continued to remind Grant of Julia’s life force. She’d been touch-and-go for a few days as they waited to see if the swelling in her brain would reduce.

No longer in a medically induced coma, it now became a waiting game to see if she would wake up. With every passing beep, the doctor’s words echoed in his mind. It’s not a matter of when she’ll wake up…but if.

He heaved a sigh as he stared at her unmoving form. He’d spent the past few days wrestling with the idea that he may lose her. He couldn’t stomach it.

She’d been such a force in his life, he couldn’t imagine her being gone. So, he’d chosen not to accept that. He’d will her to live if he had to. He wouldn’t lose her.

He’d stayed with her, sleeping at the hospital, too afraid to leave her. Even his son, Kyle’s constant hovering over her hadn’t bothered him as much as it normally would.

He sucked in a breath as he glanced across the bed at his daughter, Sierra. She’d sat vigil with him, only going home once to rest. He could read in her face the fear she had of losing the woman, too.

In the quiet moments by her bedside, his thoughts had wandered to their past, to how Julia had shifted from a contractual obligation to someone he deeply cared for, a change that both surprised and scared him.

His finger tapped out the rhythm of the heart monitor on his forearm, counting each beat. Each pulse echoed a tumultuous mix of hope and dread, love and fear. As he flicked his finger against his arm again, he missed the beat.

He snapped his gaze to the monitor. Her heart rate increased. It made his do the same. He leapt from his seat as Julia gasped. Sierra did the same. His heart leapt as her eyes fluttered open.

She seemed disoriented. He leaned closer to her, clutching her hand. “Julia?”

She didn’t respond, squeezing her eyes closed. She contorted her features as though she was in pain or sick. He rubbed her forearm. “Julia, it’s okay.”

A nurse hurried into the room, followed by Dr. Gray. “Can you give us some space?”

“But–”

“Just a few minutes while we get her settled.”

Reluctantly, Grant let go of her hand and backed from the room.

Sierra studied him as they stepped into the hall. “She’s awake.”

“Yeah. Hopefully for good,” Grant said. Something bothered him about her reactions. She’d woken up, but she had seemed to struggle. He recalled his own disorientation when he’d awoken from surgery. Maybe that was all.

He paced the floor as they waited. “What’s taking that doctor so long?”

“I guess he’s just being thorough,” Sierra said with a shrug. “Or he’s incompetent.”

“Who’s incompetent?” Kyle asked as he approached them. “I heard the page for Dr. Gray. Is it Julia?”

“Yes, she’s awake.”

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