Page 18 of Believing in a Billionaire (Hearts and Holdings #7)

GRANT

G rant kicked a leaf as he stormed down the path toward his car, frustration from his conversation with Lydia boiling over.

As usual, she had pushed his buttons, taunting him with every vague threat she could.

Had she not already succeeded in nearly ripping everything from him, he wouldn’t have given her insinuations a second thought.

But the past two years had taught him to take her threats seriously. And now she was coming after him on every front.

He’d have to step up his game to protect his family. He wouldn’t let anything happen to them. He curled his fingers into fists as he vowed to do whatever it took to protect Julia, his company and his entire family from his ex-wife.

After climbing into his car, the cold fury from Lydia’s words still echoing in his mind, Grant slammed the door shut. He took a moment, his breathing heavy, trying to transition from the rage Lydia sparked to the calm he needed to maintain before seeing Julia.

He threw himself back against the supple leather seat, his heart pounding in his chest, hands trembling slightly as he tried to rub away the tension knotted in his jaw. He slid his phone from his pocket as he tried to temper his mood.

He scrolled through his notifications, heat washing over him as he spotted several missed calls from Kyle. With a deep sigh, he tossed the phone into his cupholder and fired the engine.

Glancing at Kyle’s missed calls, a nagging unease settled in his stomach. What did his son want? Did he have some information on Lydia?

Whatever Kyle wanted could wait until he got home. He didn’t need his son’s brand of crazy adding to Lydia’s.

With the city in his rear-view mirror, he white-knuckled the wheel, trying to pull himself together.

Torn between the urge to confide in Julia and the instinct to protect her from further stress, Grant wrestled with his conscience.

Lydia’s shadow loomed over them, and he felt the weight of his decision pressing down.

Knowing Lydia was out of prison was enough of a blow. Confessing her most recent threats would be adding insult to injury.

He wanted to keep the drama as far away from his wife as possible.

Harrington House came into view, lights glowing from inside.

It eased his frayed nerves. He imagined easing into a chair with a bourbon and spending the evening with Julia.

Her presence was enough to soothe him. And on Monday, he’d take back his company, then he’d work on putting Lydia behind bars to protect his family.

He didn’t give a damn who her new husband was.

He climbed from his car and strode into the house. Silence reigned, making him hesitate as his eyes swept the foyer. Where was everyone?

He considered stepping into his office before he decided to find Julia. He climbed the stairs, tugging at the knot in his tie. He tugged it apart as he pushed through the door into the bedroom, finding a chaotic scene.

His stomach stopped. “Something wrong?”

From her bed, Julia shook her head, but he didn’t care for how pale she looked. “No,” she answered, her voice weak and breathy.

Sierra leapt from her side on the bed. “Daddy, thank goodness you’re here! Julia is sick. And she’s getting worse.”

“I’m not getting worse,” Julia answered. “I just…the food didn’t agree with me. Maybe it was too much.”

He struggled to catch up with the events that had taken place since he’d seen her last. She’d gone to lie down. Now the entire family seemed concerned over her health.

“It wasn’t too much,” Kyle argued, flicking his gaze to Grant. “She’s sick. Something’s not right.”

“People get sick, Kyle. I just need some rest.” Julia slid her eyes closed as her features contorted.

Grant’s stomach also twisted into a tight knot as he pushed past Alicia to grab Julia’s hand. After the threats he’d just heard from Lydia, he was concerned, too. “Julia, maybe we should take this more seriously.”

“No, I’m fine. I just need some rest. And Kyle is taking good care of me. I trust him.”

“Nice try at flattery, Julia. But it won’t work. I’m going to let you get some sleep, but I’m keeping a close eye on you. If you get any worse, you’re going straight to the hospital.”

“Fine,” she said as her eyes slid closed.

He tightened his fingers around her as Sierra climbed onto the bed next to her. She placed a cool cloth on her head.

Grant stared at her pale form, his mind whirling with worry. “Should we take her now?”

Kyle shook his head as he stared at her. “Let’s give her a few hours.”

“I’m really worried. She looks worse than she did before,” Alicia said.

“I don’t like it either,” Kyle answered, “but it could be a twenty-four-hour bug. Let’s see what some sleep does for her.”

Grant shifted his gaze back to Julia, rubbing her clammy cheek with a thumb. Was she simply down with a virus or was there more reason to worry?

Julia’s chest rose and fell rhythmically as she drifted off to sleep. He breathed a little easier, hoping the rest would help her as he slid his hand from hers and rose to pace the floor.

Alicia filled into his spot, stroking the back of her sister’s hand as she watched her sleep.

Grant loosened his collar as he stepped closer to Kyle. “How long has she been like this?”

“Few hours,” Kyle answered. “Worthington came to get me. When I checked on her, she nearly collapsed.”

Grant’s eyes went wide. “What? Why aren’t we taking her to the hospital now?”

“She insists she’s fine.” Kyle flexed his jaw as his voice cracked, betraying his worry. “But we all know Julia. She’d downplay her pain to keep us from worrying. I don’t like this sudden sickness.”

“And it could be something serious.”

Kyle bobbed his head up and down. “I know. If she doesn’t improve in a few hours, she’s going straight to the hospital for a full workup.”

“Should we wait?” Grant flicked his gaze back to his wife, sleeping as Sierra and Alicia kept close tabs on her.

“If she continues to get worse, she’s going first thing in the morning. The next few hours will tell us what we need to know.”

“She is resting comfortably now, it seems. Hopefully, that’ll keep.”

Unfortunately, her peaceful slumber didn’t last long. She slept restlessly, moaning at times as she dozed on and off, her condition deteriorating.

Grant paced the floor at the foot of the bed, biting his thumbnail as he monitored her, each passing second more and more difficult to watch.

His heart thudded as they waited to see if she’d show any signs of improvement. With another moan, she fluttered her eyes open as the sun tinted the morning sky.

“Hey, Juju, how are you feeling?” Alicia asked as she rubbed her hand.

“Worse,” she admitted.

His heart dropped at the muttered word. Kyle pressed closer, monitoring her vitals. “Her fever’s higher than ever. She’s pale, and her heart rate is too high. She’s in enough distress that I don’t think we should wait any longer.”

Grant’s chest tightened with the words as Worthington left to call an ambulance.

Kyle pressed his phone to his ear. “I’m calling ahead to let the hospital know we’re coming.”

“Grant?” Julia’s weak voice called to him.

He pushed past Alicia and grabbed her hand. “I’m right here, Julia. I’m right here.”

Her eyebrows pinched as she struggled to do something, but he wasn’t sure what. Before she could, a tear rolled from her eye before her body went limp.

“Julia?” he called as he patted her hand. “Julia?”

His voice rose, shaking with panic. “She’s not waking up.”

Kyle pushed past him and pressed two fingers against her wrist. “Her pulse is thready and weak. Sierra, go wait for the ambulance and bring them up here right away. Let’s get her on her side.”

Sierra’s eyes, wide with terror, met Grant’s for a fleeting second before she flew from the bed, her footsteps echoing like a desperate plea for help.

“Is she worse?” Grant asked.

“Yes,” Kyle said. “I want to make sure she doesn’t have any trouble breathing. So far, so good, but we need to get her to the hospital right away.”

Grant’s stomach churned at the words as panic filled him. Was this Lydia’s doing? But how?

The paramedics arrived moments later, escorted by Sierra who looked just as panicked as he felt. He wrapped an arm around his daughter who trembled against him, clinging to him for strength, but he feared he didn’t have it to give.

Kyle barked orders to the paramedics, offering insight on Julia’s condition.

“I want her on oxygen immediately and a rapid saline infusion. We need to stabilize her now. She’s been suffering from nausea, headache, rapid pulse for the past several hours.

Vomiting several hours ago, no food or water since. I’ll ride with her.”

The paramedics loaded her onto the gurney as Kyle shifted his eyes to Grant. “Dad, you coming along in the ambulance?”

“Uh, yeah,” he said, his voice weak. “Sierra…”

“Go, Daddy. Alicia and I will follow you. I’ll call James.”

“Okay,” he said as he left his daughter behind and followed the paramedics to the ambulance, climbing inside with Kyle.

His son monitored her vitals as he took a seat next to her, clutching her hand in his.

The ambulance doors closed and the engine revved. They lurched forward, sirens blaring on the way to the hospital.

“Prep a round of epi, just in case.”

Grant’s heart pounded against his chest. Kyle had used that medication the last time Julia had been critically wounded in the car accident. He’d used it when her heart stopped. Did he suspect that would happen now?

“Kyle? Is she–”

“She’s fine for now. She’s holding her own. But I don’t want to take any chances.” He grabbed her other hand. “Come on, Julia. Stay strong. We’re almost there.”

The ride to the ambulance felt agonizingly slow. Grant counted her breaths, the heart monitor’s constant beeping giving him some measure of reassurance, though far too little.

He struggled to keep his emotions in check, trying to stay strong for her, but worry clouded his every thought.

When they finally arrived, the flurry of activity that surrounded his wife gave him hope but also made him anxious.

Kyle followed her into the back, informing him to wait in the waiting room until they’d stabilized her.

He sank into a chair, his nerves raw. Images of Julia’s pale, limp form as they took her away haunted him. Sierra and Alicia hurried into the waiting room.

“We can’t see her?” Alicia asked as Sierra wrapped an arm around his shoulders, sniffling.

“Kyle wants to get her…” He struggled to get the words out, his voice threatening to break. He cleared his throat. “He wants to get her stabilized.”

“Was she unstable when you got here?” The raw panic in Alicia’s voice mirrored the storm brewing inside him.

“No, no change. Still unconscious, but he was concerned about her heart and her breathing. But she was the same as when she left the house. Hopefully, that’s good.”

Alicia bobbed her head, biting her lower lip as she paced the floor in front of them.

“Family for Julia Harrington?” a nurse called.

Grant leapt from his seat and hurried toward her along with Sierra and Alicia. “You can–oh, umm, sorry, only two people–”

“I’ll pay you ten thousand dollars to let us all go,” Grant said.

“Uhhh, right this way.”

Alicia offered him a sideways glance as they followed the nurse back. “Thanks.”

“Of course. She’d want you back there.”

The nurse showed them into a private cubicle. Visions of Julia’s accident danced in his mind as he spotted her slight form in the bed. “How is she?”

Kyle monitored her vitals before he slid his eyes toward them. “She’s holding her own. I’m waiting on some test results to see what we’re dealing with here.”

“Any ideas?” Alicia asked.

Kyle puckered his lips as he glanced at the spikes marking her heartbeat. “Let’s see what the results show.”

Alicia took her sister’s hand in hers, her eyes filling with tears. “Come on, Juju. Hang in there.”

“I’m going to go call the lab and ask them for a rush on her bloodwork,” Kyle said, leaving her side.

Grant shuffled forward, his arm firmly around Sierra. They both took her hand, sandwiching it between theirs. “Feel better, Step-mommy. We need you.”

Alicia flicked a tear away as she glanced at them. “This must be…hard after the accident.”

“Yeah. I,” Grant said with a crack in his voice. “I hate this.”

“Yeah, ma-maybe it was best if I didn’t know the last time.” Alicia’s voice hitched as she stared down at her sister with tears spilling onto her cheeks.

Grant nodded as he did his best not to fall apart, trying to stay strong for both Julia and Sierra.

The monitor’s rhythmic beeping suddenly changed, a symphony of medical alerts that immediately set Grant’s nerves on edge.

A flurry of hospital staff descended on her. Kyle raced back inside, his eyes scanning the monitors.

Grant stood frozen, his gaze locked on Julia’s pale form. The fear of losing her, a constant weight on his heart, was now a tangible force, squeezing the air from his lungs. The room shrank, the walls closing in on him, compressing the space with palpable dread.

Julia’s body stiffened, her arms jerking violently.

“What’s happening?” Grant asked.

The medical team hurried to react. “She’s seizing,” Kyle said. “Push four milligrams lorazepam now.”

A nurse rushed to comply, swiftly preparing the syringe and injecting it into her IV.

As the seizure continued to shake Julia’s body, a visceral fear gripped Grant. The world narrowed to the sight of her struggling form, each jerk of her limbs a stark reminder of how fragile life was.

Hold on, Julia .

He focused on the silent show of strength. But as the medical team scrambled, a chilling question haunted him: was he about to lose the love of his life?