“I just left the office. What’s up?”
“Sybil’s friend Bessie George called. She said Sybil started having chest pains while they were out shopping. She called an ambulance and they took Sybil to Grantland Hospital.”
“How long ago was that?”
“I just got the call. Bessie was on her way to the hospital to be with Sybil, but she’s stuck behind a fender bender and traffic’s at a standstill.”
“That’s Dallas for you. Traffic’s moving here. I’ll stop by the hospital now and check on Sybil.”
“Thanks, son. Call me on my cell phone as soon as you see her. I’m driving in as well, but it will take me over an hour to get there from the ranch this time of day.”
“Just hang tight until I call you back, Mom. No use for you to make the trip unless they’re going to admit her. The last two times that Aunt Sybil rushed to the emergency room, it turned out to be acute indigestion.”
“Yes, but you never know, Durk.”
“I’ll know after I talk to the doctor. Pour yourself a cup of coffee and try to relax. I’ll get back to you as soon as I find out something.”
“I guess that does make more sense than rushing into the city before I know if it’s serious.”
“Perfect sense,” he agreed.
Durk’s hands tightened on the wheel, the tension returning to his muscles. In spite of his reassurances, he was concerned about his aunt. She was his father’s older sister—not that she was old. Her sixty-fourth birthday was coming up in a matter of weeks. She had lived with them for years, ever since her husband had died from a massive heart attack at the young age of fifty-eight.
The rambling old ranch house that had been in the Lambert family for generations served them all well. Aunt Sybil and his grandmother each had a private suite on the first floor. His mother was still in the master suite that she’d shared with his father before his untimely death, though she’d offered it to Damien and Emma when they’d married. They’d decided the west wing was the better choice for them, probably because it offered more play space for their foster daughter, Belle. Tague and his new wife, Alexis, and stepson, Tommy, had the suite on the second floor above Damien’s, though they were already planning to build their own cottage on the ranch.
Durk’s quarters were just off the huge billiards and game room on the second floor in the east wing of the house. He didn’t need much space since when he wasn’t traveling he spent most of his time in his penthouse condo in downtown Dallas.
In less than twenty minutes, he was standing at the admittance desk in the E.R. The young blonde nurse on duty looked a bit harried, but she managed a smile when she looked up at him. “How can I help you?”
“My aunt, Sybil Ratcliff, should have arrived by ambulance in the last few minutes. I’d like to check on her.”
“Yes. I think the doctor is with her now.” The nurse rifled through a half-dozen admittance slips. “She’s in Room Four. I’ll have someone escort you back there. You say she’s your aunt?”
“Yes, I’m Durk Lambert.”
“Durk Lambert.” She repeated the name as she placed her hands on the counter, showing off her perfectly manicured nails and her ringless wedding band finger. This time her smile lit up her face. “Actually, I’ll walk you to your aunt’s room. If there’s anything I can do to help, don’t hesitate to let me know. My name’s Pam.”
She looked around and motioned to a middle-aged nurse who was adding information to a chart. “Can you man the desk for a minute, Ethel? I need to see that Durk Lambert finds his aunt.”
Ethel eyeballed Durk, nodded and smiled conspiratorially. “Sure. Take your time.”
He felt like a participant in The Bachelorette. No doubt the nurse had read the stupid article in a local publication that had named him the wealthiest and most eligible bachelor in Texas.
It amazed him what people posted in the name of entertainment.
They passed several partitions and had almost reached the fourth one when Durk had to step aside to permit a gurney guided by two paramedics to pass. The patient was muttering and fighting the restraints that kept her from propelling herself to the floor. Blood stained the white sheet.
Another nurse rushed over to meet them.
“We called ahead as soon as we got her on board,” one of the paramedics explained. “Patient was attacked in her condo. She was unconscious when we got there and blood pressure is roller-coastering. A Taser was found on the premises. Not sure if it was used on her or not, but somebody’s fists definitely were.”
“Trauma unit is expecting her. Did she call for the ambulance before she blacked out?”
“No. A neighbor dialed 911. Apparently he heard her yell for help and went to her rescue. Huge guy with bulging muscles. Just the kind you want around when you need help. He took a couple of blows himself, but he refused to come in.”
The gurney’s occupant groaned and tried to sit up.
“You can relax. You’re safe now,” the nurse said. She walked beside the patient as they hurried off.
“Who’s driving my car?” the woman asked.
“You’re not in a car. You’re in a hospital.”
“Someone has to drive.”
The voice was slurred, the tone bordering on delirious, yet the familiarity of it cut through Durk like a knife. He caught up with the gurney and caught a glimpse of the battered, confused patient. The right side of her face was red and swollen and her hair was matted with blood.
His insides rolled violently. “Meghan.”
She showed no response. He reached for her hand. “It’s Durk, Meghan.”
“The car is going to wreck.”
She was so out of it that she wasn’t aware he was standing there, nor even where she was.
Pam caught up with him. “Do you know this woman?”
“I do.”
“Are you related?” the other nurse asked.
“No, just friends.”
“Then please stick around in case we need some information about her that she’s not coherent enough to give.”
He followed the gurney around the corner.
“You’ll have to wait out here,” the nurse said as they rolled Meghan through a set of double doors.
“I’d like to make sure she’s okay.”
“Someone will talk to you after she’s been examined. There’s nothing you can do now. She doesn’t even know you’re here.”
He took a few steps back and then leaned against the wall while
