Page 91 of The First Chord

Beau smirked. “You told them to fuck off. They went back to the hotel.”

I’d forgotten about that. My eyes went to door again, still wishing for a doctor to appear. They didn’t but Elliot did come into focus, though. He looked as knackered as I felt, seeing as it was almost four in the morning.

“Apparently there’s a night café down the road, Joey and I are going to go down there and see if we can grab some sandwiches.” I opened my mouth, but Elliot shook his head. “You’re having something, Ron. You’ll keel over if you don’t and that won’t help Amber.”

“Hey,” Joey said, appearing at his side and pushing his phone into his jacket pocket. “That was Ali. She’ll be here in the morning. She was just about to get on the plane from Abu Dhabi.”

“Did you tell her thathe’sin there with her?” Thinking about that had me knotting my fingers together. If I didn’t there was a chance the wall opposite to me wouldn’t survive.

Joey nodded. “Yeah, she’s going to sort it when she gets here. She’s got Aliyah putting calls into the board to discuss getting him off the tour if it turns out he’s involved in her accident.”

“Can they give him a restraining order, or something?”

He shook his head. “Sorry, Ronnie, it’s not an option. There’s been no conviction. Amber can apply for an injunction, but she has to have all sorts of evidence and witness statements.”

I dropped my head. The feelings of helplessness were drowning me and there was only one way I could reach the surface. To see Amber.

“Come on.” Elliot sighed. “Let’s go and get some food. Call me if you need anything while we’re gone.”

“Will do,” Beau responded and slapped a hand on my back.

Without them I’d have totally cracked up. The waiting room would be a wreckage for a start.

Elliot and Joey started to leave when the door swung open, and a doctor walked in. Instantly my heart was in my mouth as I watched his face, trying desperately to read it. Wanting to know if my life was about to take the worst possible turn.

“Hello,” the doctor said, pushing his glasses up his nose. “I’m Dr Klinsmann and have been taking care of Mrs Fox.”

His English was perfect, and his tone was clipped and efficient as he looked at each of us in turn. He gave off an aura of authority and knowledge and I felt a small sense of comfort from him.

“What’s the situation?” Elliot asked because I’d lost my ability to speak.

“I wouldn’t normally tell non-family members.” He smiled. “However, I understand that this is a different situation. Mrs Fox is in and out of consciousness. She has bruised ribs, a concussion and a broken wrist. She is very lucky with the fall she has had.”

A huge wave of relief swept over me, over all of us if the combined sagging of shoulders was anything to go by. A concussion wasn’t great, a broken wrist wasn’t good, but at least she wasn’t in a coma or had shattered every bone in her body.

“Mr Fox also asked me to let you know that miraculously there has been no harm done to their baby.”

You know when people tell you the world tilted and you think, what the hell are you talking about? I knew then what they meant. In that exact moment I felt like I was falling, was going to crash into the wall as the floor disappeared beneath me. Sweat broke out over my body as my heart raced.

“Baby?” was all I managed to gasp out.

Was she was still going to be tied to Jimmy? Even if her future was with me, she would always have to see him. For years and years, he would still be in her life when she wouldn’t want him to be.

CHAPTER40

AMBER

The pain in my head was like nothing I’d ever felt before. It was the worst hangover I’d ever had times a hundred. My whole body ached in fact. When I tried to move the pain in my ribs took my breath away.

“Shit.”

“Oh, you are awake.”

I turned my head. A nurse was standing there and holding a chart. Which meant I was in hospital. I closed my eyes, trying to remember why I was there. What had happened that I was in hospital.

“What happened?” I asked as I opened my eyes.

“I believe you fell down some stairs.”

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