Alpha Billionaire Series

GAVIN

“It's typical for patients like these to have issues. I'm on top of it, Dr. Carpenter” Adam Baker DPT, took over Drew's case over a week ago. After him waking up, it became apparent very quickly that he would need physical therapy to regain his full range of motion and muscle mass. And being a neurosurgeon, I was useless in that aspect. I lingered, visiting the room and Drew's family, only because I felt somehow connected to the Heintz family.

“Thanks, Adam. I think you're the best person for the job." I offered the doctor my hand, and he shook it. Though his grip was strong, I often wondered how he managed his patients. I towered over his short frame—a whopping five-foo six-inches tall, to my six-foot-plus frame.

“Tell me what his support system is like.” Adam crossed his arms over his chest. Every doctor knew that recovery mode for any long-term patient was fraught with ups and downs. Patients needed a strong network of people who would encourage them, visit, and even help with certain aspects of the therapy.

My chest tightened at the question, because despite having some really involved and very supportive parents, I wasn't certain how else to explain Drew's support system. Madison had been visiting. I'd seen her daily coming and going, though she hadn't returned any of my calls or texts, so I was giving her space. And I had no idea where we stood. One day I was falling asleep with her in my arms and the next she was seated at her ex-fiancé’s bedside. “Maybe you can just discuss the specifics with his parents. I believe they are waiting on us in the room.” I gestured at the door which stood ajar. I heard talking inside the room but didn’t know who all were in there. Adam nodded and followed my lead. We waited for an orderly pushing a mop bucket to pass by, then I led him into the room.

Alice and Henry sat at his bedside, and a redhead with short, wavy hair sat across from them. Drew's eyebrows rose when we walked in. He was seated upright, most of his monitors and tubes had come out over the past two weeks. He already had better color, but that was likely due to the fact that he was eating food again, rather than being fed by an IV. It always amazed me how quickly coma patients bounced back when they began eating instead of being fed intravenously. Even the marvel of medical science didn’t compare to what the human body could do when fueled correctly.

“Gavin,” Alice said, standing. She smiled warmly and walked over to me. “So glad you stopped by again. I'm so happy you've stuck around even though it's not your job anymore.”

Her hair had been pinned back, revealing simple pearl studs in her ears. Alice was a classy lady, and beautiful for he older age. She reminded me of my mother, though a lot nicer. I had to chuckle at the mental trigger—comparing my mother to Alice was like comparing a mango to a sea sponge. No comparison at all.

“Sure, Alice. You know as well as I do what an interest I took in Drew's case.” It was a lie. I hadn't ever taken such an interest in a patient my whole life. It had always been Madison, right from the start. And she captured my heart. “This is Dr. Adam Baker. He is the physical therapist we talked about.” I stepped aside for Adam to stretch his hand out.

Alice shook the doctor's hand and Henry joined us, exchanging a handshake with him as well. “Nice to meet you, Dr. Baker” Henry's voice had more life in it than I'd ever heard. I felt very out of place knowing everything that had transpired between Madison and me and knowing that both Henry and Alice knew as well. It was a very awkward interchange, every time I spoke with the family.

“Call me Adam.” After shaking hands, Adam walked up to the bedside and smiled at the redhead. “You must be Madison.” He extended his hand again, and Alice chuckled.

“No, dear. This is Emily Gutierrez from Ten News. She wants to do a story on our Drew. Isn't that nice?” Alice cast a sideways glance at me, but I kept my expression professional.

Just hearing Madison's name made me frustrated. Part of me wanted to leave the room just so I didn’t have to bump into her until she was ready to have the important discussions we needed to have. Another part of me hoped she walked right in there and handed Drew's ring back to him. I'd seen her wearing it once, which told me maybe she wasn't even sure where we stood. It wasn’t a good feeling to have.

“Oh, that's nice.” Adam turned to Drew and smiled. “So, when are you going to get out of that bed and walk?” His joking made Drew smile. I could see what Madison saw in him. He was charming, even as emaciated and weak as he was.

“Well, I hear that is what you're for.” Drew shifted and raised a hand to rub his eye, and I could see the effort it took. It would be months before he was walking again, even with the right nutrition and therapy. He'd lost almost all of his muscle mass. Skin hung from his arms and was loose around his neck. “So, tell me what I have to do to get better because I have a wedding to plan.”

The words carved a chasm in my gut. I knew I could not keep my face calm and professional, so I faked a smile and looked at Alice, who stared back at me with concern. Her brows were drawn together, and the pleading look in her eye told me she didn’t want me to make a scene. I wasn't about to anyway. Not only would it be completely unprofessional, but I would never hurt Madison that way. It was obvious she needed a bit of time, and I wanted her to be certain of marrying me. I didn’t want her to have any regrets when she said, “I do.”

“Well, Drew. It looks like you're in good hands here with Adam. I'll leave you two to it. Alice, I'll check back later next week.” I had to get out of there before I let my anger get the better of me. Alice nodded and frowned.

“Yes, Gavin. Thank you for stopping by.” A tiny wave accompanied her drooping expression.

I bolted for the door, ready to be away from that scene and pretend I hadn't heard him say he needed to plan a wedding. Had Madison already jumped back into that water? But our wedding was only postponed.

I closed the door behind me, and headed toward my office, hoping I wouldn't run into anyone who needed my attention. I needed a break before I blew my top. As I approached the elevators on my way to my office, the bell dinged, and the doors opened. Madison stepped out.

She looked surprised to see me. She crossed her arms over her stomach and hugged herself. The light purple jacket she wore complimented her blue eyes perfectly. I loved when she wore that color. It made my heart stop for a second, to see her standing there looking so ravishing.

“Hey,” she muttered, stopping awkwardly. A strand of her black hair fell across her face, but she didn’t move it. I knev why. She was wearing his ring, and she didn't want me to see it.

“Hey...” I came to a stop by her, cramming my hands into my pockets. The chance meeting gave neither of us any time to prepare what we might say to each other. Maybe it was fate, because had I had time to prepare a speech, I likely would have ended up getting angry and hurting her. This shock had me reeling.

“Il, uh... Sorry I haven't texted.” She looked down, keeping her hands crammed beneath her arms at her sides. More hair fell in her face, and my hand itched to move it, but I kept my hands in my pockets.

“Yeah, why haven't you?” What I wanted to do was let her know what Drew just said and grill her. But if I had learned anything about Madison during the I6 months, I watched her by his side before she agreed to date me, was that I ha to be the supportive man she could come to willingly. If I pushed her, she'd run away.

“I'm sorry. It's overwhelming.”

Her voice was small, her posture wilting. I couldn't hold my hands back, not when she obviously needed comfort. I couldn't imagine what she was feeling. What I was feeling was difficult enough. Just thinking of how torn her heart must be made me forget all about my anger. I reached out and pushed the hair behind her ear and she looked up at me, now standing closer to her.

“It's okay. I understand.” I didn’t really. But I was trying. If she loved me the way I thought she loved me, she would have told him by now. But maybe she just didn’t want to hurt him.

“You do?” Another strand of hair draped across her eyes, and she reached up and pushed it away, revealing what I had suspected. The ring she had returned to Drew's bedside only weeks ago now clung to her finger. I hadn't expected that to hurt as much as it did, and I forced my face to remain calm despite the emotional upheaval going on in my thoughts.

I captured her hand and held it between us. “Why?”

I tried hard not to let any emotion seep through, but it was impossible. She was mine, promised to marry me, but his ring was on her finger. It should have been my ring.

“He doesn’t know yet. Alice told me that the doctors don’t want him getting too stressed or worked up. They said it wouldn't be good for his recovery.” She pulled her hand away and looked back down.

Of course, I understood. I was “the doctors,” the one who had told Alice and Henry that exact thing. I knew what it meant, and I knew that it was the right advice, but I was having a horribly difficult time keeping my own advice. The doctor part of me knew she was doing the right thing, no matter how long it took for Drew to be okay. But the man part of me wanted to smash that ring with a hammer.

“Yeah. I know.”

“I'm sorry, Gavin. It's so confusing.”

“Have dinner with me?” When I asked, she looked up at me. I could see the pain there in her eyes, and the love. Deey inside, she still loved me. And I wasn't going to just give up. I knew whatever she had with Drew had to have faded sc much by now they'd never get it back. And if I just stayed persistent and loving, she'd come to her senses.

“I don’t know.”

The elevator dinged again, and I looked up to see the redhead-reporter standing there. I hadn't even seen her pass by me, but she watched us with a hawk-eyed gaze. Just what we needed, a nosy reporter telling Drew about Madison sneaking around in the hallway with his doctor.

I waited until she was safely in the elevator and on her way down before I spoke again.

“Listen, we have things to talk about. Okay? Say you'll have dinner with me, and we'll just see how it goes. No pressure.” I wanted to hold her against my body, feel the warmth of her lips against mine. I missed her. Her tender heart, her listening to me, her advice and encouragement, even her body. But what I needed most was for her to make the decision on her own to choose me again. So I waited.

She bit her lip and picked at her fingernails. I tried to pretend I hadn't seen the ring, but it gnawed at me. I slid my fingers between hers and held her hand until she peered up at me with tears in her eyes and nodded.

“Okay”

“Good. I will pick you up the night after tomorrow. I'll text you a time.” God, I wanted her so bad, just to stake my claim and prove to her and Drew that she loved me. That she was mine.

She nodded again, and as I leaned in to kiss her, she backed away. “I gotta go. I'm sorry.”Content protected by Nôv/el(D)rama.Org.

It was like a kick in the gut watching her walk away, toward another man. The way her yoga pants hugged her curves would normally have sent my pulse racing, but this time all I felt was jealous rage. How could I be angry with her? She was innocent. She was trapped in some strange obligation of her own making—I knew it. There was no way she still loved him.

And how could I be angry with Drew? One minute he was at his bachelor party, and the next he wakes up two years later. A victim.

I watched as she disappeared around the corner without so much as a glance back at me. The interaction was so cold, you'd have thought we were squabbling siblings, not engaged.

Frustrated, I continued on to my office, only to lock myself in. I ignored several knocks, three phone calls, and a slew of texts. With the lights dim and the blinds shut, I propped my feet up on my desk and leaned back in my chair. Madison Springer was the best thing that ever happened to me, and it felt like I was losing her to a ghost.