Page 117 of Betrayal of a Billionaire

Kyle flicked his gaze to Grant. “I hope so. I’m not sure anyone can handle something else happening to Julia right now.”

He agreed wholeheartedly with the statement. He couldn’t take much more when it came to Julia. It was enough that he may have already lost her as a wife, but to lose her overall would be a devastating blow his family would never recover from.

They reached the emergency room, quiet compared to the ones they’d been in while in New Orleans. He scanned it for any signs of Julia, Alicia, Ethan, or anyone he recognized.

He didn’t see anyone. “Where is she?”

“I’m not sure. They took her as soon as we got here. I’m not sure where,” Kyle answered.

Grant flicked his eyes to the admission desk. “I’ll just ask where she is.”

Kyle followed him as he approached the scrub-clad woman sitting behind a monitor. “Hello. Uh, my wife was brought in a few minutes ago, but I’m not sure where they took her. Can you tell me what room she’s in?”

“I’d be happy to look that up for you. What is her name, sir?”

“Julia Harrington.” He spelled the last name for her, and she typed it into the system before she stared at the screen. “I’m sorry, sir, I don’t have a Julia Harrington here.”

His jaw clenched as she stared at him with a blank expression.

“No, she…they just brought her in. She was with my son and her sister. Could she not be in the system yet?”

“All the patients being treated in the emergency room have been registered.”

“Well, then she has to be in there. Can you check again?”

She tapped on her keyboard again before she glanced at the screen and shook her head. “Sorry, no Julia Harringtons here.”

“Stanton,” Grant said, tapping a finger against the counter. “Julia Stanton. Try that.”

She shifted in her seat before she tapped on the keyboard again. She flicked her gaze up to him with a slight smile. “I do have a Julia Stanton registered.”

Grant heaved a sigh, realizing her sister had likely given her information under her maiden name. “Perfect. Where is she?”

The woman tugged her lips back in wince. “I’m sorry, sir, I can only give that information out to family. Are you family?”

He stared at her blankly for a moment before his eyebrows pinched. “I’m her husband.”

“Uh, well, but Stanton is her maiden name, so…she wouldn’t have a husband.”

“Are you…” He fluttered his eyelashes at her as he glanced at Kyle. What was going on? “Okay, there’s just been a mistake here. Her sister probably registered her when she came in, and she did it under her maiden name. But I assure you, she’s married.” He chuckled as he pointed a finger at himself. “To me. And I just need to know where she is so I can see her.’

“Umm, well, it looks like there’s not a mistake. Julia is listed as single. I probably shouldn’t even be saying that to you because that’s confidential, but, umm, I’m sorry, there’s nothing I can do.”

Annoyance built in him, making his jaw clench as he reached into his pocket. He pulled his money clip out and peeled a one-hundred-dollar bill from it, sliding it over to the woman. “Okay, look, this is all just a mistake, but if you could tell me where my wife is, I’d really appreciate it.”

She stared down at the bill poking toward her before she lifted her eyes. “I’m really sorry, sir, but I can’t take a bribe.”

“It’s not…it’s not a bribe, just a thank you for helping me fix this tiny problem.”

She wrinkled her nose and shook her head. “I really can’t.”

Kyle grabbed the bill and shook his head. “Hi, I’m Dr. Carter. I came in with her. Surely, I can see her, right? I was the physician that brought her in.”

“I’m so sorry, Dr. Cooper, but–”

“Carter,” he corrected.

“Right. I’m so sorry, but you don’t have any privileges at this hospital, so I can’t release that information to you.”