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“Jean?” My voice was scratchy like I’d slept for days. Then the pain hit like a baseball bat to my right shoulder and across the right side of my chest. The drugs I got in the ambulance must have worn off. It hurt like a motherfucker.

Jean stood and walked to the bed, sitting near my feet but away from the machines on my left. “Why are you here?”

“Edmond is trying to reach your mother in Vermont, and I’m here to keep you still until they come to take you to get some tests. What do you remember, Weston?”

Jean was a very nice lady who had worked for Uncle Edmond for a long time. Other than that, I knew nothing about the woman.

“It was raining, and I decided to cut through Central Park to stay off the street. When I came out of the park and wanted to cross the street to get to the Chaney Building, someone clipped my bike and I went over the handlebars and slammed into the building on the corner.” Hopefully, remembering what happened meant I didn’t have a concussion.

“Your boss should be beaten with a wet noodle for sending you out in this weather. I called her when you didn’t arrive to pick up the package, and she didn’t answer.” Jean sounded a little pissed, and I couldn’t hold back the smile.

“Aw, are you worried about me, Jean?” A little teasing never hurt anyone.

She touched my ankle and grinned. “You might not remember this, but when you were little, your father used to bring you into the office when he wanted to talk to Edmond. You would sit at my desk and type messages on my computer to email to your uncle. I could hear him laughing in his office when he opened the emails, and then the printer would start churning out paper. Edmond would come get them and the next day he’d have them hanging on the wall in his office in the frames that he could easily change when you drew pictures for him.”

I had no memory of any of it. “He actually liked me back then? I didn’t remember.”

Jean stared at me for a moment before she spoke. “Weston, Edmond loves you like you’re his own son. He’s trying like hell to be sure you succeed in anything and everything you attempt. He’s upset with your father for the will and he wanted your mother to contest it, but she refused. She said she had faith in your ability to succeed in whatever you decide to do.”

Her take on the situation didn’t match what I’d heard from Uncle Edmond. “Why didn’t she tell me the apartment was for sale? Why didn’t Mom tell me that the rent I was paying wasn’t going into a trust?”

“But it is. It’s going into the trust you’ll get after your ride. Look, Weston, the way I understand things, your mother might have been trying to motivate you to continue your training and while I can’t speak on her behalf, I don’t believe she’s only looking out for herself. She loves you, honey.”

That was good to hear. “Could someone else have given Mom bad information?”

“You mean Elise, CJ, or Claudia, don’t you? I’m sure they’d like to try, but I can’t imagine any of them being able to pull it off.” I agreed with Jean on that one.

“Do you know if she came to see Uncle Edmond, or did they speak on the phone?”

“I don’t remember seeing your mother in the office recently. We have a call log, but Edmond doesn’t always record the who and when if he answers and I’m not around. When he gets here, we’ll ask him.” Jean gave me a motherly smile, which I appreciated.

“I don’t guess anyone has my phone?” I reached down to the phone pocket of my leggings to find it missing. I vaguely remembered that it was dead before my accident, so the damn thing could be anywhere.

“Let me check with the nurse. Maybe the paramedics found it and gave it to one of them.” Jean stood and hurried out of the room, leaving me alone.

Why the fuck had everything gone to hell? I wanted to at least talk to Bridges. I always felt as if things were under control when he was around.

Thirty minutes later, Jean hadn’t returned with or without my phone. I was going stir crazy.

“Weston?” The feminine voice was familiar, and when Stephanie parted the curtains and came into the area, I released a relieved breath.

“Hi, Stephanie. How’d you end up here?” I noticed she was wearing a set of pink scrubs with a jacket that had little blue teddy bears on it. It was cute.

“I work at the hospital in the NICU. Lexis called me and asked me to check on you. Bridges got a call from your uncle at midnight and immediately tried to get a flight back to the States. They have another meeting in the morning with the suppliers that Bridges needs to attend, but he wants to leave Taiwan as soon as possible to get home to you.” She gave me a sweet smile.

“God, can you get Alexis on the phone so I can talk to Bridges. It’s probably a broken arm or something. He doesn’t need to rush back.” If I fucked things up for their deal I’d never forgive myself.

Stephanie glanced at her watch. “It’s two in the morning. How about you send him a text that you’re fine?”

“I lost my phone somewhere in the chaos.”

She pulled hers from the pocket of her scrub jacket and unlocked it. “I have his number. Go ahead.”

When she handed the phone to me, I saw she’d already sent a short message.

Bridges, Weston is fine. He’s using my phone to text you.

I gave her a smile and pecked in a message with one hand since the other one was too painful to move.