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He grimaced again as he reached for the call button.

“I’ve got it. Just relax,” she said as she pressed the red button.

“Thanks, Julia.”

“Of course,” she said as she smiled at him. “How did you sleep?”

His fingers tightened around hers again. “Okay. I…woke up a few times. Thank you all for staying.”

“We weren’t leaving you alone,” she said as the nurse bustled in, checking his vitals and administering pain medication through his IV.

“Better?” Julia asked after a few minutes as his breakfast arrived.

“Yeah,” he answered. “Much, much better.”

“Good, because there’s someone who would like to say hello to you,” she said with a grin as she lifted her phone.

He stared at the display for a second, his eyebrows furrowed. “Is it Dad? He’s gone, right?”

“No, he’s still here. He’s just fielding some calls in the waiting room.”

“Oh, who?” Kyle asked as he sipped his orange juice.

Julia grinned as she dialed the number on her phone and toggled on the video chat as she perched on the edge of his bed and leaned closer.

“There he is! Grant Junior,” Alex Stone said as he grinned at him from the phone. “How’s he doing, kid?”

Julia smiled at the phone. “Much better.”

“Well, he certainly looks better than the last time I saw him,” Alex admitted.

Kyle crinkled his brow. “Last time you saw me? You mean…at the dinner party?”

“Ahh, no,” Alex said, a more serious expression replacing his smile. “I…was on a video call with your lovely stepmother when she found you. You weren’t looking too hot, so I dispatched police and paramedics.”

“And just in the nick of time, Alex. Thank you so much for what you did,” Julia answered.

“Anytime, kid. I’m really glad it all worked out.”

“So are we,” she answered.

“Well, little Grantling, you seemed to be recovering nicely. And I take it you didn’t sustain any injuries during what sounded like an epic brawl, right, Sunshine?”

“I’m perfectly fine, and we are doing much better now,” Julia said.

“I am very glad. It just wouldn’t have been the same without you around Mini-Grant.”

Grant and Sierra appeared in the room, crossing to the bed. Grant slipped a hand into hers, whispering his desire to say thank you to Alex.

She nodded and twisted the phone toward him.

“Grantster. What’s up, bro?”

Julia held in a laugh as Grant’s jaw flexed. “Alex. I just…wanted to say thank you for what you did to help Kyle.”

“No worries, broheim. Happy to do it.”

Grant nodded at him as Julia shifted the phone back to her. “Hey, Alex, do you have a second? I wanted to ask you something.”