Page 64 of Two Steps Ahead

With a final hug from Clinton for both of them, they were out the door and in the car. Kayleigh stared through the window at the Pattersons’ house while Weston drove them away. She hoped she’d see the adorable little house again.

Hoped her luck wouldn’t run out.

They dropped by Weston’s place long enough to grab their things. Kayleigh stayed in the car and dialed the hospital for an update on her dad.

When she’d called every other time, she’d talked to Dr. Appleton almost immediately, but this time she was put on hold. She waited so long she was just about to hang up and try again when someone picked up.

“Are you holding for someone?” a female voice asked.

“Yes, this is Kayleigh Delacruz. I’m calling to check on the status of my father, Leo Delacruz.”

“Who?”

“Leo Delacruz. He’s in a coma.”

What the hell? Dad had his own dedicated staff members—a perk of the private and affluent section of the hospital he was in. Why would someone not know who he was?

“Coma? There’s no one in a coma here. I’m not sure—” The woman broke off and Kayleigh could hear another voice but couldn’t make out what the other person was saying. “I’m sorry. Please hold.”

Kayleigh gripped the phone tighter as the elevator music played softly, trying not to panic. What did this mean? No one in a coma?

Oh God, what if Dad had died and his body had been taken to the morgue? Maybe that’s why there was a new nurse who didn’t know him. But surely they would’ve called her, right?

She threw open the car door in the garage, about to run inside to get Weston, when someone picked back up on the line.

“Hello, this is Dr. Appleton.”

Thank goodness. “Dr. Appleton, this is Kayleigh. Is my father all right? The woman I talked to before didn’t know who he was and I—”

“Yes, he’s fine, Kayleigh. Sorry for the confusion. Um, your call got routed to the wrong department, so who you spoke to didn’t have all the information.”

She leaned against the car in relief. “Okay.” She pressed her hand against her chest, trying to calm her thundering heart. “That scared me. My imagination went wild.”

The doctor cleared his throat. “I can see how this entire situation would be stressful for you. I’m so sorry.”

“No need to apologize. You’re the one taking care of my father.” He’d been the one there to give her updates every time she’d called.

“Right. Right.”

“Has there been any change?”

She wanted Leo to wake up. Wanted him to be able to deal with this merger. She wasn’t sure how important it was to him for it to go through. If he was awake, would he tell her to forget it and cancel the entire proceeding? Would he tell her it was critical the merger go through no matter what?

She wished she could talk to him for just a few minutes.

“I’m sorry. There’s been no change. He’s still not responsive.”

“That’s not normal, right?” She rubbed her eyes. “It’s been two days. Shouldn’t there be some sign of why he’s not awake? Should we be doing something else? More?”

Dr. Appleton cleared his throat again. “Let’s give it another twenty-four hours. At that point we can reevaluate.”

She wasn’t sure what another day would do, but didn’t argue. That would get them through the merger, and once that happened, at least neither she nor Leo would be a target anymore.

“Okay. Thank you for your time.”

“Sorry I don’t have better news for you. We’ll notify you if anything changes.”

“Either way—good or bad?” she asked.

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