Holding on to his tender side, Caleb swung his legs over the edge of the bed. A chill down his spine made him look at the hospital gown. “Where the hell are my clothes?”
“Whoa!” Nathan scrambled off his seat and grabbed Caleb’s shoulders the way the nurses had earlier. “Where do you think you’re going? Just because the doctor says you’re okay doesn’t mean you should be walking around.”
“I need to see her.” He hopped off the bed and winced at the coldness of the floor. “I need to see for myself that she’s all right.”
“JJ’s taking care of all that.” Nathan’s face fell the moment the words left his mouth.
“My father’s here?” His eyebrows came together. “And what does ‘taking care of all that’ mean?”
“Of course he’s here,” his cousin said without meeting his gaze. “Last I saw him he was speaking with Didi’s mom. He’s footing the bill.”
Knowing his father, the hospital bill wasn’t the only thing he was taking care of. He fisted Nathan’s shirt and said through his teeth, “First, you’re finding me some clothes. If you don’t I’ll borrow yours. Then you’ll tell me where the hell Didi is.”
“Jesus, you’re pushy after wrecking my car.” Nathan slapped his hand away, then pointed a finger in his face. “You owe me big for this.”
“I know, Nate.” He held his anger in check. Nathan didn’t deserve it. “I’m sorry about the car.”
“The bill’s in the mail,” his cousin said with a wink before leaving the room.
In jeans and a T-shirt Natasha had brought over for him, Caleb rode the elevator down one floor. He blamed JJ for this. If they hadn’t argued, he wouldn’t have run out of his office and the crash wouldn’t have happened. He needed to see Didi. See for himself that she was fine before he could truly breathe easy.
He wanted to apologize. For driving too fast. For taking his eyes off the road. For putting her life in danger. He staggered and covered his mouth as bile climbed up his throat when the elevator doors opened. He had put her in danger. The mere thought of it made him sick.
“Are you all right?” a woman in blue scrubs asked, placing her hand on his shoulder.
“I’m fine,” he said, his words muffled by his hand.
“Are you sure? You’re looking pale.”
He swallowed several times before plastering a shaky smile on his face. “I’m visiting my girlfriend.”
The doors slid shut before the woman could argue against him stepping off.
He glanced left, then right. When he spotted the nurses’ station, he approached on wobbly legs. He wouldn’t have been surprised if Didi never wanted to see him again.
Stomach in knots, he vowed to make things right with her. If he had to grovel, beg, crawl—whatever—he would.
“Excuse me,” he said weakly to the woman seated across from him. When she looked up, he continued. “Which room is Didi . . . ah, Diana Alexander in?”
Her fingers flew over the keyboard of the computer she sat in front of. The frown that crossed her features as she squinted at the screen stopped his heart. Then her words chilled the blood in his veins.
“She seems to be in the psych ward at the end of the hall.” The woman looked up at him again. “Only immediate family can see her.”
“Why would Didi be in the psych ward?” The question slipped out without Caleb being conscious of it. He retreated into his thoughts. What the hell had his father done putting her in there? Was this his way of keeping them apart?
“I’m sorry,” another voice said from behind him. “Did I just hear you inquire about my daughter?”
Stiffly he turned around to face a woman who looked like an older version of Didi, except a mix of age lines and worry lines gave her a tired appearance. She wore a pink uniform of some sort with her brown hair in a ponytail. In both her hands were white plastic bags.
“You’re Didi’s mom,” he said, his voice coming out hollow. He still couldn’t wrap his mind around the girl he loved being in a psych ward.
She nodded. “You must be—”
“Caleb Parker. I’m her boyfriend.”
“Boyfriend?” The confusion in her face spurred him to explain.
“Didi and I have been seeing each other for a couple of months now. If my father has anything to do with this—”
“Mr. Parker isn’t to blame. He’s been very generous to us.”
“But . . .” His father? Being generous? More like JJ wanted to avoid a lawsuit.
“She’s told me about you,” she said. “But she said you were friends. From what you’re saying it seems like you two are actually together?”