Page 39 of Full Circle

“And…you are?” Desiree coldly asked the woman.

Wesley snorted low beside me, shaking his head in disbelief.

None of it seemed to phase the woman, however. She flashed Desiree a bright smile and held out her hand. “As I was explaining to Mr. Hendricks, my name is Willow and I am his personal concierge for the duration of his stay. I will attend to anything and everything Mr. Hendricks needs so that he can focus solely on feeling better. There’s no need to fret when I’m around!” Willow turned her bright smile on Daddy and if I knew how to gamble, I’d be willing to bet that Daddy blushed a little in response.

Pure, unadulterated hatred spread across Desiree’s heavily manicured face. “We won’t be needing your services,” she seethed. “Doug has me…his fiancée.” Ever so casually, Desiree’s diamond ring slid down Daddy’s arm until it was front and center in Willow’s face.

I’ve seen dogs and cats piss to mark their territory more times than I could remember. It never occurred to me that humans needed to do the same thing.

Willow’s smile never broke, though, I’ll give her that. She nodded and enthusiastically gushed, “Congratulations on the upcoming nuptials! However, I will be staying until Dr. Hassan says otherwise as my services are required by the Madden family.” She turned to give the rest of us a friendly wave, nodding to Phillip as though they were already acquainted, then provided Daddy with another even brighter smile. “I’ll be right back with some refreshments for you and your guests, Mr. Hendricks!”

As soon as the door closed behind her, Desiree’s eyes flashed. “Douglas Hendricks, were you just flirting with that simpering idiot right in front of me?!”

For once, Daddy didn’t rise to her screeches and instead turned towards me. “Sugar bee! I’ve got a hug here with your name on it!”

A sob involuntarily escaped my throat as I threw myself into his waiting arms. I let the smell of Daddy, that Georgia pine flavor, wash over me and allowed myself to hope for just a moment that everything could be okay. Yes, we were in a fancy hospital in a big city to seek treatment for a brain tumor. But in that hug, I could pretend to be six years old again and allow my daddy’s presence to assure me that we were all safe.

“Mr. Hendricks, if it’s alright with you, I’d like to take Celeste back to my house so she can get some real sleep in one of our guest rooms. Nana, too,” Wesley’s voice cut in.

I pulled away to look at him in surprise. “We don’t have to stay here at the hospital?”

Phillip held up the tablet. “I have made arrangements for the family to have the penthouse suite at the Four Seasons hotel nearby, and I am available to take anyone there whenever you would like. Dr. Hassan is scheduled for Mr. Hendricks’ consultation at 4 p.m. after Emory has completed all of their initial testing so there are updated results for Dr. Hassan to examine.”

“He already had tests done!” snapped Desiree. She looked angry almost, enough that I took a step away from Daddy. What had her so wound up?

“Oh, but our machines are much more advanced!” Willow announced as she returned to the room with a rolling cart covered with finger food on a white linen cloth. She wheeled everything closest to Daddy and whispered conspiratorially, “I’ll make you a plate first since you’re the man of the hour!”

Daddy giggled. My grown father actually giggled.

Desiree started to open her mouth, but Daddy cut her off. “It’s okay, sweetheart. Let Willow ease some things for us. And Wes, I think that’s a great idea, as long as Nana can chaperone.”

“Doug!” Desiree scolded in alarm.

“Honey, you heard Phillip. I’m about to go sit through a bunch of tests anyway. All of you should go get some rest. You can’t do me a lick of good pacing in here like a caged lion.” He took her hand in his and gave it a reassuring squeeze. “I’ll be okay for a few hours. And then you can come back in time for the doctor, right, Phillip?”

The assistant nodded. “Absolutely. I will ensure all your needs are met.”

Desiree huffed in annoyance, but didn’t say another word. Her eyes were calculating as they swept up and down Willow’s form before planting a deep kiss right on Daddy’s mouth. I gagged in response and turned to join Wesley. Nana followed close at my heel, mumbling about jealous women.

We made our way out to the elevators and down through the labyrinth of hallways to the same black Escalade waiting by the curb. Once again, the driver opened the door for us, nodding to Wesley.

“Don’t we need to wait for Desiree?” I asked as we pulled away from the curb.

“Phillip has his own car that he’ll transport her in,” Wesley assured me.

I realized belatedly that our hands were still intertwined and resting on his knee. Nana already looked to be half asleep in the seat beside me. She leaned back against the headrest and allowed her eyes to close, a soft snore confirming my suspicions.

The sights of downtown Atlanta could wait. The chance to see Wesley’s home was what excited me at that moment. While he had never sounded particularly fond of it, I knew Wesley spent most of his time there alone since his father was always gone on business. His life before River’s Run fascinated me and I hoped to learn more about it while we were here. It was a welcome distraction from what awaited us back at the hospital later.

Wesley didn’t wait for the driver to open the door when the Escalade pulled up in front of a shiny black skyscraper that stretched towards the clouds. Even with my neck craned all the way back, I couldn’t see the top. He led us through glass doors that two men in crisp white jackets held open for us. Three other men in similar jackets were stationed behind a desk made of black, jagged granite. A glass mosaic with a waterfall cascaded behind them, identifying the building as the M Tower. Although I could see a lobby with four elevators just behind the waterfall, Wesley turned to the left and went through a door that blended in perfectly to the wall.

A sleek gray vestibule surrounded us in front of another elevator. This one had a blue screen on the wall next to it, but no buttons to go up or down. Nana hovered in the doorway behind me, her eyes as wide as mine surely were, too.

“Sorry, Nana, I can’t scan us up if that door is open,” Wesley told her apologetically. She scooted in closer, firmly closing the door behind her, and Wesley let go of my hand to place his on the blue screen. It scanned his entire palm and then the doors opened to an elevator with wood paneling, carpet, and a loveseat.

I gave Wesley a side eye of inquisition before he grinned sheepishly at me as Nana settled into the seat behind us. “It’s a security measure,” he explained. “My father didn’t want anyone to have access to our penthouse. No one can scan in if the door is open because it would be all too easy for someone to sneak inside and jump on the elevator uninvited.”

Nodding as if it made sense, I glanced back at Nana and found her just as awestruck as I was.

---