Page 50 of Scandalously Yours

I growled as I rose to my feet. I set the chart and stuff down, then moved over to her. “I’m not leaving, and this is the third time something has happened to her in your care. I’m going to petition the courts for emergency custody of both kids, so you can go ahead and leave. Surely there’s a nail salon or clothing boutique you can go to instead of standing here pretending you give a damn.”

She went to slap me, but I anticipated her reaction and was able to grab her hand. She tried to pull it away, but my grip tightened on her wrist. “Let me go. You’re hurting me.”

I wanted to tell her I was glad that I was, but my daughter was lying in the bed beside us fighting for her life. I wanted to say a number of other things too, but I managed to keep a rein on my temper for now. “I know you’re responsible for whatever is happening to Kaylee, and I will get to the bottom of—”

“You’re fucking delusional,” she snapped. “You can’t prove anything, so who is the one making up stories now?”

She was referring to her failed attempt to have me arrested on rape and domestic violence charges. I had an alibi which canceled out the latter, and thankfully nothing had been found on the rape kit either. She tried to destroy my reputation in the eyes of the community, especially at my workplace, but she wasn’t successful at all. Sure, there had been a few whispers and rumbling about me, but nothing that warranted any comment from the board. I was innocent, and had been able to prove it.

“You sound awfully nervous right now, Hayley. I’ve been examining her records, so I will figure out what you’ve done to her, and if I can prove you were negligent in any way, I will destroy you in court. You might want to take my earlier offer and just sign the divorce papers. You can then hand the children over to me.”

She leaned in close to me and the venom in her voice matched that in her eyes. “Over my dead body.”

I let her go, and she made a ruse of rubbing her wrist even though I hadn’t squeezed it that tightly. She then took a seat by Kaylee’s bedside, and shot daggers at me. I returned to what I had been doing before she interrupted, until the doctor stepped into the room.

“Dr. Simon,” he greeted me, and I shook his hand as he introduced himself. “I’m Dr. Green. I see you’ve been looking over the lab results. We’ve done a comprehensive metabolic panel, and there are a few items to note.”

I started to flip through the pages for those results. I saw the basic panel, and toward the back, I finally found what I was looking for. My eyes scanned the numbers and a few things jumped out at me. “She has reduced kidney function.”

“She does, but we’re running a few more tests to determine whether it’s something we caught in time. I’m confident we have, but there are some other things which don’t make sense. I have a specialist in children’s endocrinology willing to take a look at her tests.”

“When will he be in to check her out?” I asked, and the doctor shook his head.

“He’s in California, and would have to fly on his own dime to—”

“I’ll cover the cost of everything, and even have a private jet pick him up,” I offered, and Hayley scoffed. I ignored her. “Will you see if he’s willing to do that?”

Dr. Green nodded, then left to presumably make the call. If this man was an expert in his field, I needed him here. There was no price too high to pay when it came to my princess. As I picked up my phone to place a call to Jonas, Hayley grabbed it from my hand.

“You’re acting crazy. Guilt is one hell of a drug.”

I took my phone back and glared at her. I pulled up Jonas’s number and walked to the corner of the room. “Hey, Kris. What’s up?”

I sighed in relief when he actually picked right up. Because he had properties all over the globe, there was no telling where he was one day to the next. “Are you in NYC by any chance?”

“Yeah, I am, but I’m headed out in a few hours to Los Angeles, though.”

“That’s perfect, and the reason I’m actually calling you.”

“Whatever you need, Kris—” he started to say before I cut him off.

“Kaylee was rushed to the hospital and is in serious—”

“She’s going to be fine,” Hayley piped up.

“Is that the old ball and chain?” he asked, chuckling.

Nothing regarding Hayley was funny anymore. “A doctor might be willing to fly in to check on her, but he’s in California. Would it be possible to have him fly back on your plane once it touches down?”

I hated to ask anyone for anything, but I was truly scared for my daughter. When other respected doctors also showed signs of fear, it would keep me on edge. Desperate times called for desperate measures.

“Sure thing. Anything you need. I’m here for you always, Kris.”

I smiled. “Likewise, bro. I hate to ask, but there might be something else I need.”

“What is it?”

“If he’s willing to fly out here, are there any vacancies at Seaport?”

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