Page 104 of Sinclair Duet

Damien’s deep voice came strong and assuredly. “I’ll take care of Sinclair, Mom. You and Dad don’t need to worry.”

Marsha nodded.

“And Dani,” Marsha said, “I’ve spoken with Stephen. Tomorrow he’ll have papers for me to sign, temporarily giving you your father’s and my voting power. I’m not leaving his side, but I want you to go back to Indianapolis with Damien and Ella. We are a family and” —she took a ragged breath— “we will not be seen as weak or wounded. Your father would never forgive himself.”

“Mom,” Dani said, “if I go, you’ll be alone.”

Marsha shook her head. “I’ll be with your father.”

Dani wrapped her mother in an embrace as tears blurred my vision.

Before I knew it, I was holding Damien’s torso and his arms were around me. Beneath my ear, his heart beat a steady and strong cadence. I’d venture to guess that Marsha had heard the same thing in Derek’s chest not too long ago. I peered upward and took in Damien’s features—his furrowed forehead, prominent cheekbones, firm lips, and chiseled jaw.

With a sigh, I laid my head on my husband’s chest.

Derek was alive.

He’d survived the second surgery.

Darius and Amber had started a full-out coup, an attempt to steal Sinclair Pharmaceuticals from Damien and ultimately from Derek’s second family. The weight of all of the above washed over me as I closed my eyes. The coffee I’d drunk did very little to slow the exhaustion circulating through my veins.

Damien’s words vibrated in his chest. “I want to see him before we leave.”

I didn’t need to open my eyes to know the conflict Marsha was enduring. Her husband was near death for the second time. The company he’d run for most of his life was being used as a pawn in a sick game of power, and she wanted her children happy.

After Marsha promised to do her best to get both Dani and Damien back to Derek’s room, Damien led me to chairs where we’d been seated hours ago.

Hours.

My tired mind couldn’t compute.

Days had passed or weeks.

“We’ll get a hotel,” Damien’s voice was a rumbling whisper. “That way we can get some sleep and come back to the hospital before flying back to Indy.”

“Not too far away.”

“I’ll text the driver.”

“All our luggage is back in the plane,” I said, aware that Damien’s proclamation for his come on my thighs was my current situation.

He nodded as he typed into his phone. After a few minutes, his phone buzzed. Tipping his head toward mine, he said, “The driver has our suitcases and will be here in less than half an hour. Johnathon secured us a suite nearby.”

“What about Dani?” I asked, seeing she was still across the room with Marsha.

“She’s been here since his first surgery. She has a room.”

Nodding, I whispered, “I don’t recall ever being this tired.”

A quick look at my watch told me that we’d awakened twenty hours ago in Ashland, Wisconsin. The reaffirmation of our long day added weight to my arms and legs as we stood.

“Mom,” Damien said, garnering her attention. “Ella and I are going to get some sleep. We’re not returning to Indianapolis until after we come back, and I see Dad.”

“If you see your brother, please tell him to do the same.” She looked at her daughter. “I want Dani to do the same. I’m going to your dad’s room once I’m given the go-ahead. There’s no sense in any of you staying here.”

“If you want Darius gone,” Damien offered, “I’ll make sure he’s gone.”

Marsha’s lips pressed together and her nostrils flared. “There’s nothing good he can do at this time. I want your dad excluded from the talk of CEO.”

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