One More Taste (One and Only Texas #2)(89)
Chapter Twenty-One
When Knox and Granny June walked through the entrance of Cambridge Memorial Hospital, Emily, Ty, and Eloise were already there, sitting in chairs near the main desk. Ty hunched toward the women, speaking what looked like harsh words while Eloise cradled a small pink leather flask in her hands, looking millions of miles away, Emily hugged herself as she watched Ty speak, her expression one of disbelief.
Knox’s heart sank. He’d been hoping to get to Emily first, to tell her the straight story before Ty was able to spin some gross distortion of the truth.
“Lord help us all,” Granny June muttered, sagging over her cane.
Knox wasn’t sure what the Lord could do to help the situation unless he dropped fifty million dollars into Knox’s bank account so he could match Lux Universal’s offer.
When Emily noticed Knox and Granny June standing near the entrance, she stood and dropped her hands to her sides. It was all Knox could do to restrain himself from stomping over, taking Emily in his arms, and running with her to some quiet corner of the world where he could tell her what had really happened and come up with a solution together.
Granny June’s hand touched Knox’s. “We’ll figure this out, Knox. Don’t give up on this family, yet. Emily, neither. And don’t let her give up on you.”
He didn’t plan on it. But he might not have a choice if he couldn’t come up with the money to make his investors an offer that topped Lux Universal’s. He tugged Granny’s hand. “Come on. Looks like I’ve got some explaining to do.”
Emily’s face seemed to pale as Knox approached. “Is it true? About the offer for Briscoe Ranch? Ty told me.” She whispered the words, as though she ran the risk of making the offer real by voicing it out loud.
Knox looked from Ty to Eloise before settling his gaze on Emily. “Let’s talk in private.”
“Too late. The damage is done,” Eloise muttered, slipping the flask back into her purse. Knox ignored her, his only thought of making things right with Emily.
“You were serious about selling. I mean, you told me, but I was hoping you’d change your mind. I thought—” Emily shook her head. “Never mind. It doesn’t matter what I thought.”
“Emily, please. Give me a chance to explain.”
She wrung her hands, then caught herself doing so and tucked strands of hair behind her ears. “Yes. That’s a good idea.”
He reached his hand out and she laced their fingers together. For the first time since Knox had gotten the news about Lux Universal, he drew a full breath. They’d only taken a step before the closed door adjacent to the reception desk burst open and Decker stood in the door. His chest heaved and his wide, scared eyes were rimmed in red.
Eloise was the first person to reach him, Emily not far behind. “What’s happening? You don’t look good,” Eloise said.
Decker staggered a few steps into the lobby and sagged against the wall. He grabbed fistfuls of his hair as he bent forward.
“My God, Decker. You’re scaring me,” Emily said.
Decker shook his head. “They couldn’t find the baby’s heartbeat, and then they could, but it was irregular. And then Carina’s blood pressure crashed. They’re taking her in for an emergency C-section. I’ve got to get back in there but I wanted you to know. They’re going to let me be in there with her for support, so I—” Dropping his hands to his knees, he gasped, as though the explanation had used up all his oxygen. “Sweet Jesus, I’ve never been so scared in my life.”
“She’s in good hands,” Eloise said. “The doctors probably see this kind of thing all the time. She’s going to be okay. She has to be.”
Ty swayed, then braced a hand against the wall, clearly terrified.
“Eloise is right,” Granny June said. “Carina’s a fighter. We’ll pray and God will make sure she and the baby are fine. End of story.”
“I hope to God you’re right. That’s my wife in there. That’s my baby boy.”
Emily rubbed Decker’s back. “We know. We love her, too. Granny June’s right. They’re going to be fine.”
A nurse appeared in the doorway. “Mr. Decker, we’re ready for you. And if the rest of the family can move to the waiting area, that’d be great. We need to keep this doorway clear. I promise you that either Mr. Decker or I will come out to tell you what’s going on as soon as possible.”
Decker hugged each person in turn, then followed the nurse down the hall. Granny June, Ty, Eloise, Knox, and Emily stood staring at the closed door for a beat.
Then Emily sagged against Knox’s chest. “She and the baby have to be okay. They just have to.”
Behind her, Ty snorted. “Look at you two, playing like you’re part of this family. What the hell are you even doing here?”
Emily pulled away from Knox. “Not now, Ty.”
But Ty wasn’t having it. “No time like the present. You stand there acting like you care one whit about my daughter, even as you’re planning to sell our home out from under us and let some corporation bulldoze it to the ground.”
“That’s not my plan,” Knox countered. As scared for Carina as Ty clearly was, as out of control as it must feel to have his child’s and grandchild’s lives at risk, it came as no surprise that he’d unleash his feelings on Knox.