Chapter 23

CHAPTER 23

Ethan

I'm a light sleeper by nature, trained to pop out of bed when the alarm goes off or when a midnight emergency happens at one of the barns. But with Marcie curled up beside me tonight—and last Saturday, for that matter—I sleep like the dead.

So I'm groggy as I rise out of slumber, not sure what woke me up. I'm unsettled and it feels like I might have had a bad dream, but I don't remember a single thing. Lifting my head slightly from the pillow, I see the digital clock on the bedside table says one twenty a.m.

I settle back down, pulling Marcie in closer. I'm spooning her from behind, her naked bottom pressed into me in a way that makes me wish she was awake too. But I know she's exhausted because after we had dinner (we ordered Chinese takeout), we tore off each other's clothes and ended up in my bed where we stayed all evening. I doubt I've been asleep more than an hour.

The room isn't quite pitch-black, but it's dark enough. No moonlight filters through and I seem to remember a storm was forecast to roll in, so I'm assuming it's heavy cloud cover. I embrace the darkness and close my eyes, letting my mind drift over all things Marcie. As good as it feels to have her in my bed and makes me want it every night, I want more than just sex. I want her at my dinner table and walking the pastures with me and taking Sylvie clothes shopping for school. It's not hard for me to envision a complete life with her and Sylvie. On the contrary, it might be something I desperately need now that I've seen how damn good it can all be.

Maybe it is indeed time to talk to Sylvie about Marcie staying over some nights. Well, all nights. Not like asking her to move in permanently, but… well, maybe. Fuck if I know. I only know what I want.

My phone rings, cutting through the silence and my thoughts. It's of Marcie I think of first, not wanting to wake her. I reach backward with my right arm, nabbing the phone and am able to thumb the slider and connect the call, but not before I see the name Gabe Mardraggon on the screen.

In the span of the less than one second it takes to put the phone to my ear, I am acutely aware of the time, that Sylvie is staying over at the Mardraggons tonight and Gabe would not be calling if it wasn't important.

"Is Sylvie okay?" I demand as I sit up in bed, reaching over to turn on the light. Marcie sits straight up, hair mussed but looking at me with clear, worried eyes.

"No," he replies and my entire body goes numb. "She's on her way to the hospital. The ambulance is pulling out right now and I'm following."

I put the phone on speaker so Marcie can hear and swing my legs out of bed. "What happened?"

Marcie scrambles out as well and we both nab our clothes from the floor.

"I don't know. I was out and when I got home, I swung by Sylvie's room to check on her. The door was open and I saw her on the floor. She was unconscious, barely breathing. I called 9-1-1 and they got here quick, Ethan."

"But what happened?" I growl, setting the phone on the bed so I can get dressed while talking.

"I don't know," he snaps back, and I can hear the worry in his voice. If that asshole is worried, then I really need to be. "I came home. She was on the floor. I called the ambulance. Rosemund said she was fine after dinner. Went to bed around nine."

I talked to her about eight thirty tonight and she was eager for me to pick her up early, but for no reason other than we were going to get her up on a horse today. Marcie too for that matter.

"Just get to the hospital," Gabe says. "Anything I need to know or tell them? Has she been okay since she's been with you?"

His question is legitimate and not accusatory. "She's been fine. But remember to tell them she's allergic to penicillin."

"Yes, I know that," Gabe replies. "We're pulling in now. I'll see you when you get here."

?

When we arrive at the hospital, Gabe meets us in the lobby, ushering me to the reception desk. "They've got her in a room and they're working on her. They wouldn't let me go back but they said you'd be able to. This is Sylvie Mardraggon's father."

I'm apparently expected as the woman buzzes back to someone. A door clicks open and the woman says, "Go down the hall all the way to the end, turn left and then take the second right. She's in emergency bay two."

I glance back at Marcie and I want to pull her into my arms and tell her it will all be okay, but I don't know that. I don't know anything right now. I reach out and squeeze her hand. "Call my parents and let them know what's going on."

She nods, squeezes my hand and then reaches into her purse for her phone. I glance at Gabe, give him a nod and head through the doors.

When I reach the emergency bay, I'm not sure what I was expecting, but it wasn't a large glass window looking into a room where Sylvie lies in a bed with tubes everywhere. Her eyes are closed and she looks so small and fragile.

The door is open so I walk to it, step just inside. Three women are around her bed and I'm ignored at first, but then one of them, who I assume is a doctor, sees me. "I'm Dr. Jacobs. You're Sylvie's father?"

"Yeah." My eyes cut over to her. "Is she going to be okay?"

"We're treating her as best we can right now. She's got very low blood pressure and a weak pulse, plus some difficulty breathing. Her EKG is normal, but we can't rule out a heart issue. I've got her going on fluids and oxygen and we've given her a dose of epinephrine to help raise her blood pressure and improve blood flow to the heart. Right now, she's stable and we're going to admit her."

"Jesus," I mutter, dragging my hand through my hair. "What do we do now?"

"Tests," Dr. Jacobs says. "We're running her blood work now and I want to get a CT scan of her chest. I've asked for cardiology and pulmonology consults."

"Can I stay in here with her?"

Dr. Jacobs smiles. "Of course. She's been drifting in and out, but she'll be happy you're here. She asked for you."

I nod mutely and move to the side of her bed. Taking her small hand in mine, I start praying for her.

?

Marcie rubs my lower back as we sit side by side at Sylvie's bed. She was moved into her own room on the children's floor a few hours ago and she's been sleeping since then. I took a few minutes to talk to my family, who showed up en masse, and they're all still waiting in the lobby for an update. I tried to make them go home, promising to keep them apprised of developments, but Kat called me an asshole for suggesting such a thing.

The sun has risen, but it's gloomy and overcast, same as my mood. Sylvie was taken for a CT scan and Dr. Jacobs said it was clear, which is a good thing. The consult doctors will be by this morning but I'm getting agitated that no one seems to have any answers yet.

"Can I get you some coffee?" Marcie asks softly.

I shake my head, turning to smile at her. Leaning over, I kiss her temple. "I'm glad you're here though."

"Nowhere else I could possibly be," she replies.

"Dad," a croaking voice says, and Marcie and I both whip our heads to Sylvie. Her eyes are open and she sounds groggy. "Where am I?"

I bolt out of my chair and lean over the bed so she can see me more clearly. Marcie stands as well but hangs back a little. I take Sylvie's hand. "Hey, baby… you're in the hospital, but you're going to be okay."

Her eyes widen with alarm but I stroke her hand, reassuring her quickly. "You're fine now. They gave you some medicine and you're going to be just fine."

That might be a fucking lie for all I know, but seeing the relief on her face makes me feel good about it.

"What happened?" she asks, eyes sliding over to Marcie. She manages a wan smile.

"Hey, sweet girl," Marcie croons, now stepping up to the bed, shoulder to shoulder with me. "We're not sure. Your uncle Gabe found you on the floor by your bed and he couldn't get you to wake up. So he called the ambulance and then called your dad. But the doctors are taking really good care of you."

"Do they know what's wrong with me?" she asks.

I shake my head. "We don't know that anything's wrong just yet, but they're going to have some special doctors look at you today."

Her beautiful green eyes fill with tears. "I'm scared."

"Oh, honey… I know." I lift her hand to my mouth, press a kiss there. "But I promise you're in good hands and I'm not leaving your side. Mamie and Papi are here, as well as Trey, Kat and Wade." I turn to Marcie. "Do you mind letting them know she's awake and I'll come out in a bit to give them an update?"

"Of course," she replies and then leans over the rail, brushing her lips over Sylvie's forehead. "Brave girl."

Sylvie manages a smile and when Marcie's gone, I pull the chair up closer and sit back down, never relinquishing my hold on her hand.

"I don't feel sick," she says, tipping her head to the side and taking in the IV pole. She grimaces as she looks at the tube running down to her inner arm. "How long do I have to stay?"

"Dr. Jacobs said as long as you continue to improve, just one more night. So tomorrow morning. The good news is the CT scan they did yesterday looks good and your blood work so far looks good. It's a bit of a mystery though. Do you remember anything? Feeling bad last night?"

She shakes her head. "No. We had dinner and then Uncle Gabe and I played Scrabble. He went out and I went to my room and read a book. I felt fine when I went to sleep."

I give her a wink. "Medical mystery, indeed. I'm just glad you're doing better."

Sylvie nods and her gaze slides away from mine as if she's contemplating something. When she returns her attention to me, she says, "I don't think I want to do overnights at Lionel and Rosemund's anymore."

My hackles rise along with my protective instinct. "Why? Did they do something to make you feel unwelcome?"

"No," she rushes to assure me. "Not like that. It's just… they don't do anything. Lionel is never around and Rosemund barely speaks to me. Uncle Gabe is the only one who spends time with me, but maybe I can just go out to dinner with him or he can come over—"

"You can absolutely go out to dinner with him," I say quickly, cutting off my need to tell her I don't want him at our house. Although my feelings are a little muddled right now because he probably saved Sylvie's life by checking in on her. "But if you don't want to do overnights with your grandparents, you don't have to. I want you to have the option of a relationship with them if you want."

She nods and then tentatively says, "Do you think you can talk to them about it? I'm afraid they'll get mad at me."

"Sure thing, kiddo. I'll talk to Gabe. He'll understand."

A nurse walks in holding a saline bag and she smiles at Sylvie. "I'm glad to see you're awake. I'm going to hang this new bag of fluids and then check your vitals before I let the doctor know you're up."

I stand from my chair. "Are you okay if I step out to talk to everyone? I'm going to try to convince them to go home."

"But you're coming back?" Sylvie asks.

"Not leaving your side until we walk out of this hospital," I reiterate.

She grins at me and I release her hand. Just as I'm starting to turn away, she says, "I love you, Dad."

Never in my life has a feeling of such pure euphoria hit me. I've been waiting on those words since we first hugged, and I didn't think I'd get them so soon. I move back to her, noting she looks uneasy and slightly embarrassed over the admission. Maybe even a little fearful it's too soon, not reciprocated, or that I'll make a big deal about it, which is something Sylvie wouldn't like.

So I just bend over the bed and kiss her forehead. "I love you too, Sylvie. Be right back."

The nurse chatters away at Sylvie and I figure she's in good hands. I don't intend to be gone long.

The lobby for the children's ward is just down the hall and when I walk in, I see my family gathered around Marcie, talking in hushed tones. On the other side of the room, Rosemund and Gabe sit together. No sign of Lionel, but I'm not surprised he's absent. Putting aside the fact he's not a doting grandfather, he's seems like the type who would consider it a colossal waste of time to sit around a waiting room when there's business to be done.

"How is she?" Gabe asks as he reaches me, and my parents and siblings also turn to face me.

"Awake and says she feels pretty good. The nurse is in there now."

"Can we see her?" my mom asks.

"You can," I say, jerking my head down the hall. "In fact, you should go now, but don't stay long because when I get back in there, you're going home with everyone else and getting some rest."

No one else in my family asks to see her as they can all tell I'm not going to let her get overwhelmed or worn out. But my mom… I can't deny her.

Although my family knows this information, I say it for Gabe's benefit because he's the one who found her and got her the help she needed. I don't care if Rosemund hears it or not. "They're not sure what's going on. They did a CT scan of her chest and it's all clear. They are going to have a cardiologist and pulmonologist evaluate her, but they are anticipating letting her go home tomorrow, assuming she remains stable."

"May I see her then?" he asks politely.

I'm surprised when Rosemund chimes in, "I'd like to visit as well."

My eyes cut back and forth between them and rather than answer, I say to Gabe, "Can I talk to you alone?"

Rosemund's lips purse but Gabe nods, following me out into the hallway. I walk down a few paces and turn to face him with my arms over my chest. "Listen… I really appreciate what you did and I'm starting to understand you really care for my kid, but she doesn't want to visit with your parents anymore over at their house. She doesn't feel comfortable."

I brace for him to blow up, but he rubs at the back of his neck, his voice nearly cracking. "Yeah… can't say that I blame her. My parents aren't the warm-and-fuzzy type and I'm guessing you understand more than ever why Alaine wanted Sylvie with you."

There's something in his tone… maybe fatigue? He's definitely rattled by Sylvie's close brush with… well, I don't want to think about just how bad it could've been.

"Yeah, I'm understanding now. But she still wants a relationship with you. I don't know what that means or what it will look like, but we'll work something out. No visits today though. I want her to rest, but soon."

"I appreciate it," he says grudgingly. "I'll tell my parents that Sylvie won't be doing overnights anymore."

"Will they be mad?" I ask, prepared to handle any fallout on Sylvie's behalf.

Gabe laughs mirthlessly. "I doubt it. Once they realize they can't turn her against you, I can't see that they'll waste efforts anymore."

"And all to control the winery?" I say with a disgusted shake of my head, because how can they not want to be around Sylvie, their own flesh and blood? "Your family has issues."

"Don't we all," he replies. "But don't lump me in with my parents as far as Sylvie is concerned. I've been her uncle from the moment she was born and while Alaine wanted you to have custody, she trusted me implicitly to make sure she was protected as far as the winery goes. It's why she made us co-trustees, so don't expect me to back away from it."

"One could argue that she didn't trust you, which is why she made me co-trustee," I point out.

"You'll never know that for sure, but I do. She wanted someone experienced in our industry to guide you, to help keep the business profitable and growing for Sylvie."

I level a skeptical look at him. "And yet you tried to buy Sylvie out."

"My dad tried to buy you out. I was only the messenger. But that's moot and you're going to have to keep dealing with me."

"I'm painfully aware of it," I drawl and throw a thumb over my shoulder. "I'm going to get back to Sylvie. I'll text you an update when I know for sure she's being discharged."

"Appreciate it," he says and turns to walk away.