Woods opened his door and held it so I could go inside. I went in and walked over to stand beside the chairs across from his desk. He stood in front of his desk and sat on the edge of it while crossing his arms over his chest.
A frown wrinkled his forehead as he studied me. I was beginning to wonder if this was about something else. I'd thought it was about Nan but maybe it wasn't. Had I done something wrong?
"I got a call from Grant this morning. He's at the hospital and he's worried about you. He said Rush showed up in the middle of the night and was in a rage. Seeing as how for the first time in their life Nan and Rush aren't on speaking terms and now she is in this condition, Rush isn't taking it well. Grant was concerned as to how he left you and if you were okay."
My heart hurt. I hated to know Rush was in so much pain and there was nothing I could do. He wasn't calling me and that only led me to believe he didn't want to talk to me. I was the reason for his rift with Nan. I was the reason he hadn't spoken to her in weeks. I was the reason he was going through this. Tears stung my eyes. As much as I didn't want to admit this, I was the reason this was even harder on Rush. If I hadn't caused their fight then he wouldn't be living with the guilt I knew he was swimming in right now.
This was why Rush and I would never work. Pretending the fairy tale was real had been amazing. But it hadn't been real. We'd been biding our time until the fact I didn't fit into his world sent it crumbling down. He needed his family right now. I wasn't his family. I wasn't even accepted by his family. How did I fit into this?
"I... I don't know what to do." I choked out, hating that Woods was going to see me cry. I didn't want him to see me cry. I didn't want anyone to.
"He loves you," Woods said gently. I wasn't even sure he believed those words. Not now. Maybe Rush had thought he loved me but how could he still love me? I'd caused him to turn on Nan and now he might lose her.
"Does he?" It was a question I needed to ask myself, not Woods.
"Yes. I've never seen him with anyone the way he is with you. Right now... the next few days or weeks however long this lasts it may not feel like it. But he does. I'm not telling you this because of Rush. He's an ass and I owe him nothing. I'm telling you this for you. It's the truth and I know you need to hear it right now."
I shook my head. I didn't need to hear it. Thinking clearly and deciding what was best for me and my baby was what I needed to do. Could I bring a child into a family that might never accept it? If I never fit then how would my child?
"I can't tell you what to believe. But if you need anything, I'm here. I know Rush has a garage full of cars but if you don't want to drive one then I can give you a ride to the doctor or the store. Just call me if you need me."
My next doctor's appointment was in five days. How was I going to get into the house? And he'd never shown me where the keys to his cars were or given me permission to drive them.
"I'm locked out of the house. He thought I had my key when he left," I told him.
"Where did you stay last night?" he asked dropping his hands from his chest and standing up. He looked angry. I hadn't meant to make him mad. I was just stating a problem I had. All my clothes were in Rush's house.
"Bethy's."
"How did you get there?"
"I walked."
"Shit! Blaire, that is three and a half miles at least. It was dark last night when Rush left. You have a phone now, use it." He was yelling.
"I wanted to walk. I needed to walk. Don't yell at me," I raised my voice and glared at him.
The tension in Woods' shoulders left and he sighed. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have talked to you like that. It's just that you're so damn determined to be independent. Let me make myself clear. Call me if you ever need a ride. I like to think we're friends. I help my friends."
I needed friends. "I like to think we're friends too," I replied.
He nodded. "Good. But as your boss I'm not letting you work today. I'll have you in Rush's house within the hour. I'll drive you there."
Before I could ask him how he had his phone to his ear.
"I've got her in my office. She's locked out of the house." He paused.
"No shit. She walked to Bethy's last night. I'm going to take her there if you can get Rush's housecleaner to go unlock the place." He paused again.
"No problem. Happy to help. Keep me updated, I'm thinking about y'all." He hung up and looked at me. "Grant's having the housecleaner open the house. You go get something to eat from the kitchen and then we can head that way. He said to give her about twenty minutes."
I wasn't hungry but I nodded. "Okay." I started for the door then stopped and turned to look back at him. "Thank you."
Woods winked. "My pleasure."
Chapter 37
Rush
I hadn't been able to close my eyes. I sat in the leather chair beside the hospital bed and stared at my little sister. She hadn't opened her eyes. The monitors blinked and beeped telling me she was alive. Her still form on the bed with gauze wrapped around her head and needles in her arms made it feel as if she were gone. The last words I'd said to her had been hard. They seemed cruel now. I'd just wanted her to grow up. Now that might never happen.
The rage I'd felt when I arrived had been knocked out of me when I laid eyes on her. Just seeing her so broken and helpless was killing me. I couldn't eat or sleep. I just needed her to open her eyes. I needed to tell her I loved her and I was sorry. I'd promised her that she'd always have me. No matter what. Then I'd jerked that away from her. Because she couldn't accept Blaire.
My stomach knotted up thinking of how I'd left Blaire. Her eyes had been wide and terrified. I'd handled leaving her all wrong too but I'd been terrified myself. I couldn't call her yet. Not while Nan was like this. I'd already put Blaire before Nan and look where that got me. This time Nan needed to come first. If she knew I was sitting here waiting on her she'd open her eyes. I knew she would.