Page 61 of The Billionaire's Off Chance

I stay back, holding Lance’s hands, feeling a mixture of fear and relief. She’s alive. I keep my attention on them, not caring about the snow beginning to fall. They place an oxygen mask on Mom and watch her pulse. “Ma’am, sir, she has inhaled an awful amount of smoke; that's why she’s unconscious. We need to get her to the hospital immediately,” the first paramedic says.

“Go, and be fast about it,” Lance orders them. They wheel Mom into the ambulance, close the door, and speed away.

“I need to go after them. Mom needs me. She needs to see me when she wakes up. Do you need to stay back to sort this out?” I gesture at the smoking building.

Lance shakes his head. “There’s nothing I can do here for now. Luckily, no one has been hurt beyond repair, but I’ll have a report on what caused this.” Anger flashes in his eyes, and he sighs with disappointment. I rub his arm in consolation, and he smiles tiredly. “Come on. I also want to make sure your mom is okay and receives the best care.”

We head to his car, and he drives to the hospital. Minutes later, we arrive. Asking at the emergency department, we discover that she’s been admitted. We wait in the visitor’s room for minutes, which drag on like eternity as I pace about. Lance gets me coffee, which I turn down. I can barely keep anything down.

“Miss Motley?” A nurse calls my name. I turn sharply to catch a slim nurse in scrubs, looking at a notepad in her hand.

“Yes, I’m the one. How’s my mom?” I go to her with Lance behind me.

“She’s fine. The doctor has judged her to be stable, and you can see her now. Follow me.” With that, she turns and heads to the elevator. We follow her and I smile, breathing easier knowing Mom is safe.

The nurse leaves us in her room. My mom is in the hospital gown, looking frail; her gray hair is sticking to her face. My heart hurts to see her this way. She has an oxygen mask on, but she seems to be breathing easily. Taking a seat on the bed, I take her soft, cool hand and caress it. “I’m sorry, Mom. I didn’t mean for this to happen.” My voice hangs in the air. Deep down, I want her to wake up and smile, saying she’s fine.

Lance rests a hand on my shoulder. “She won’t be waking up anytime soon, and you’re exhausted. You need to rest.”

“I’m not going back home, Lance.” I retort, keeping my gaze on Mom’s pale face.

“You don’t have to yet,. but you can’t stay up like this. You’re shaken. We can rest here.” He gestures to the large couch in the room, which looks comfortable enough for sleeping.

“That will do. You should go back home. Eric needs you. I can handle things here.”

“Are you driving me away?”

“What? No!” I’m taken aback. How did he arrive at such an outrageous assumption?

“Then I’m not leaving. We’ll spend the night here with your mom. Sherry will stay over with Eric. I can’t leave you in this state.” He caresses my face; each warm caress melts the ice wall I have erected around me.

I let him lead me away from Mom’s bed to the couch, where we lie down together. I am on top of him, my head going up and down with each breath he takes.

He must have several things weighing down on him, yet he doesn’t show it, while supporting me. “How are you doing, Lance?” I ask softly, looking at his face. His eyes are closed, and then he opens them.

“I’m as good as I can be. I have you here with me. I’ll get to the root of what happened today. My siblings are in shock. Nothing like this has ever happened.” His gruff voice is tinged with tension.

Did Claudette do this to get back at him? I don’t have any evidence, and I don’t want to darken his mood any further by mentioning her. “I hope it isn’t what we’re thinking,” I say ambiguously; Lance shows that he understands. Her name hangs ominously between us.

“Hmm. So, Paul won’t come?” He changes the topic and I sigh. Lance had contacted Paul when we arrived at the hospital, so he could come and see Mom. It’s been a few hours now, and he hasn’t arrived. This saddens me, particularly for Mom. She deserves better than this.

“I don’t know, and I don’t want to talk about him.” I close my eyes, trying to shut out the chaos of my dark thoughts. It takes a while before I can sleep; it is a fitful sleep.

The next morning, I wake to Lance speaking softly with Mom as she sips a cup of tea. I bounce to my feet, smiling although I’m mildly annoyed that Lance didn’t wake me up. “Mom, are you feeling better?” I sit by her side, taking her hand.

“I am. Thank you all. Lance was just telling me how you were trying to run back into the flames for me. I don’t deserve your love, Chasmin.” She tears up and so do I.

“Don’t cry; if Paul sees this, he might think I made you sad.”

Mom’s face falls at my pathetic excuse of a joke. “He didn’t come, did he?” she asks, already knowing the answer.

I look to Lance, hoping he has good news. He shakes his head. “Anna, he might be busy. He should be here to see you today.”

She smiles sadly. “You don’t have to comfort me with lies, Lance. I know the man I married. Let’s forget about him. You have been with me throughout the night. You should go home and get refreshed.”

“Mom...”

She cuts me off with a gentle wave of her hand. “No, love. You should go home. I’m fine. I have nurses and doctors all around me. I’m in capable hands. Eric will be expecting you. You can always come check on me. Lance, please get her home safely.”

---