Believe Me (Hearts for Ransom Book 3) (6 page)

She was from admissions and needed his personal information. Emily retrieved his wallet from a locker he hadn’t noticed before, and he told her to go ahead and fish his license and insurance card out of it.

Then the woman asked him for his next of kin. He didn’t know what made him say it—whether it was the medication he was on, or the desperation of the situation, but he said, “Zoey Hadley. She’s the only family I have.”

“Relationship?” the woman asked.

“She’s my daughter.” It felt so good to say those words aloud, even if it was to a stranger who could care less.

After she had used a small device she was carrying to scan Mason’s insurance card, the woman left the room.

“Mason, you said Zoey Hadley is your daughter?” Emily quietly asked.

“Please, Emily,” he begged. “You can’t tell anybody else.”

“I won’t.” She paused. “Hadley…” A look of realization came over her face. “Is Claire her mother?”

“Yes.”

She moved toward the door. “Should I call her?”

“No.” He reached out and put his hand on her arm to stop her.

“I don’t understand.” Emily studied his face. “Why shouldn’t I call her?”

“I did something unforgivable…I took advantage of Claire. Now I don’t even deserve to see my daughter.” His medication was making him sleepy.

“You mean you’ve never seen her at all?” Emily’s hazel eyes were round.

He shook his head and it hurt so bad it brought tears to his eyes. “I’m not allowed to even say her name. I don’t have the right to do that. I’ll never get to hold my baby.”

Tears were running down Emily’s face.

“Mr. Wright?” A nurse had walked into the room. “I’m here to take you upstairs and get you settled.”

Emily, still crying, leaned over and kissed his cheek. “I need to go tell the guys about you, and then I’ll just go on home with Logan.” She smiled sadly. “I’ll see you tomorrow. I’ll come up when I have my breaks.”

Even in his drug-hazed condition, Mason had never felt more alone in his life as the nurse pushed his bed out of the room.

Claire felt like she was running like a chicken with its head cut off, and not getting anything accomplished. Butlers was swamped. They usually weren’t this busy during the noon hour on Mondays. She had no idea why, but it appeared half the town had decided to dine there.

It didn’t help any that Zoey had fussed off and on during the night again. Claire tried everything—rubbing a little gel on her gums, giving her a cold teething ring, a wet washcloth—anything she could think of. Once again, the only thing that worked was to sit and hold the baby snugly against her chest. So, not only was she busier than usual, she was dead on her feet tired.

“You have one customer at table seven,” Alma informed her.

Another person hungry for the meatloaf special? Claire fixed her tray with a glass of ice water and menu and walked to the small corner table.

Emily Taylor sat there.

“Hi.” Claire was pleasantly surprised to see a person who would be friendly. “What can I get you to drink?”

“I’m not here to eat or drink.” Emily’s voice was cold.

Claire looked more intently at the other woman’s face and saw pure anger in her eyes. “Then, what can I help you with?”

“I’ve got something to tell you.” Claire had never heard the kind-hearted woman use that tone of voice before. Why was Emily Taylor so angry with her?

“I don’t know the whole story, and I don’t care what it is. All I know is a man I care about is lying in the hospital with both legs and one arm broken. He’s virtually helpless. Do you know who he listed as his next of kin? The only family he has.”

Claire’s accelerated heartbeat was probably audible.

“Even though he’s never even been allowed to see her, touch her, or hold her, that little girl is all Mason has right now, and shame on you for being so selfish you can’t look past whatever pain he caused you to let him love his own daughter.” Emily’s eyes blazed with a temper Claire would have thought impossible had she not been its witness—and target.

“Believe me, I know Mason was a jerk. He did a really crappy thing to me once, but he’s changed. Now I realize it has something to do with Zoey.”

Emily’s eyes were diamonds of tears as she stood and stared Claire down.

“I hope it makes you feel better about whatever happened, to know the condition Mason is in. Now, he’ll definitely suffer for what he’s done.”

Emily brushed past Claire, nearly knocking her off her feet, and stormed out of the room.

Claire stood there. She felt the blood rushing out of her head and thought she might pass out. She had to get out of the restaurant.

She turned and walked to the base station, where her supervisor, Stan, was working.

“I’m sick,” she told him. “I need to go home.”

He took one look at her, and she must have looked as bad as she felt because he called out to Celia and told her she was covering Claire’s tables. “Get better,” was all he said as she walked to the clock and punched her timecard.

A few minutes later she found herself sitting in her car with her head on the steering wheel. Then she started the car and pulled out of the parking lot. She kept asking herself what she was doing the entire time she drove, and she still hadn’t come up with an answer when she pulled into the visitors’ lot at the hospital.

As she started to get out of the car, reality set in. What was she doing there? She couldn’t just forgive Mason because he was injured. She couldn’t give him his daughter because she felt sorry for him.

But what if Emily was right? What if Mason had changed? And he didn’t have anybody. She wouldn’t have Zoey if it weren’t for him, even if what he did was wrong.

She slowly got out of the car and made her way inside the building, to the front desk. The volunteer manning it told her Mason Wright was in room 215.

During the short elevator ride and walk down the hall, she realized she didn’t even know what she was going to say. Then she took a deep breath, walked into the room, and saw him.

Mason lay there, covered in scratches and bruises. His collar-length, black hair had been pushed out of the way to make rooms for bandages. His ever-present beard was gone, and there was a long line of stitches across his chin. Both his legs were in casts from thigh to calf, and white plaster covered his entire left arm. He looked broken and helpless. Her legs gave out from under her, and she sank into the chair next to the bed.

Every one of his words came crashing back to her. He had just wanted to see Zoey. Spencer’s father never even cared enough to find out whether she’d given birth to a boy or girl, even after they were older. All Mason asked for was to know his daughter.

Mason opened his eyes. A scuffling sound drew his attention to the chair beside his bed. He wondered if they had increased his medication, because he was seeing things. It looked like Claire Hadley was sitting in his hospital room.

“Hi, Mason.” His delusion spoke.

“Did you bring Spencer to see me?” he tiredly asked.

“Spencer doesn’t know you’re here yet.” She couldn’t keep the tremor from her voice.

“How did you know I was here?” His accident couldn’t already have been in the
Ransom Razor
.

Her eyes met his. “Emily Taylor let me know.”

“I’m sorry.” His voice was gruff. “I never asked her to do that. You can just tell Spencer I’ll see him as soon as they let me out of here. There isn’t any reason for him to see me all banged up like this.”

“Spencer will want to come and see you. He won’t wait.” She dug down deep to find the strength to speak her next words. “I’m not here about Spencer. I wondered if you were feeling up to meeting your daughter.”

Mason suddenly realized what Emily’s mood must have been when she “let Claire know” about him. Well, no thank you.

“I don’t need your sympathy,” he enunciated. “I know how you feel about me. I’m still the same piece of crap I was before I plowed into that pillar. You can just go home and forget about me. I won’t bother you anymore.”

He cleared his throat. “In fact, you can tell Spencer I’ve left the Brothers at Heart program. Fletcher Danning is available since Emmett decided to stop participating. He’ll be happy to take over with Spencer.”

She was speechless.

“What are you waiting for?” He all but yelled. “A ticker tape parade on your way out?”

She stood up and studied his face. There, behind the anger, she could see pain and vulnerability. He wasn’t as cold and unfeeling as he wanted her to think.

“Don’t let the door hit you,” he growled.

Claire silently turned and left the room.

As soon as the door closed behind her, he began shaking.

If he was worthless before, he was even more so now. His daughter should never be in the same country as him. He had been on his own for a long time. He didn’t need anybody. He’d do fine on his own.

A sharp pain shot through his arm and brought tears to his eyes. He didn’t even try to stop them.

Claire was as prepared as she could be when Spencer walked through the door after school. She knew he would be upset by her news.

“Mom?” he called. “Wait until I tell you what…” His voice tapered off as he saw her sitting on the couch. “What’s wrong?”

“Sit down.” She indicated the place beside her.

He dropped his backpack on the floor and hesitantly sat down. “Is Zoey okay?” His deep voice quivered.

“She’s okay.” Claire gestured toward the playpen. “She’s taking a nap.”

“Then, what’s wrong?”

“It’s Mason.” She reached out and put her hand over his. “He had a car accident last night, and he’s in the hospital.”

“Is he all right?” Spence’s face was as white as a sheet. “Why is he still in the hospital, if it happened last night?”

“Spence, both of his legs and one of his arms were broken.”

Spencer’s mouth dropped open and closed. “How can he move?”

“I don’t suppose he’s able to right now,” she admitted. “He probably won’t be able to, until his bones are healed and the casts are removed.”

“How long will that take?” He drew closer to her.

She sighed. Claire knew her son loved Mason, and this was going to be difficult for him. “I don’t think they know for sure yet.”

Spence stood up. “We’ve gotta go! I have to see him now.”

Claire stood beside him. “I knew you’d want to. I just want you to be ready. Mason has lots of cuts and bruises. They even had to shave his beard off.”

Tears started pouring down her son’s face. “I don’t care how he looks, Mom. I just want to see him.”

She remembered Mason’s words about giving Spence to another big brother. “Mason may not act like he usually does, Spencer. He’s in a lot of pain, and I’m sure he’d rather be at home than in the hospital. Sometimes people act angry when they’re really hurting inside.”

Spencer shook his head. “Mason won’t be mad at me. He never gets mad at me. I want to go see him now.”

“Okay. Let me get your sister ready so we can leave her with Louise. We don’t need to take her with us.” She was worried enough about how Mason was going to respond to Spencer, let alone Zoey.

She went to get Zoey’s coat, praying Mason would be happy to see her son.