Page 42 of The Senator's Wife

“Seriously?”

“Yes. I might be reading more into it than there is, but…”

“Hmm. Keep your eye on her for me. And don’t let her near my office, okay? As an added precaution, change the password on my desktop.”

“I’ll take care of it.”

“Thanks, Bri.” Sloane ended the call. Thinking about what Brianna had told her, an idea came to her. She picked the phone back up and called Brianna again.

“Sloane?”

“On second thought, disregard what I said about letting Athena use the office. The only thing I want you to do is change the computer password.”

“Ooookay.” Brianna didn’t press her for an explanation even though it was clear she was surprised. That was a trait that Sloane valued in Brianna. She knew when to ask questions and when notto.

Next, she called the security company that monitored the foundation offices and instructed them to put video surveillance cameras in her office so she could access them from her phone and view her office from all angles. As an added precaution she told them to do it after hours when the offices were empty. She didn’t want anyone knowing they were there. She’d send Athena back in a few days to pick something up and watch what she did. Feelingbetter about that, she took a deep breath. She hoped Athena would prove her wrong. She needed to get this flare under control. Get well enough so she didn’t need Athena anymore. Athena should have been gone already, after Sloane had recovered from the hip operation. And she had to get well enough to visit Rosemary at the hospital. The doctors were still not sure if Rosemary was going to regain consciousness. Taking a deep breath, she sat up again and rose on unsteady legs. She wasn’t ready for a marathon, but her new hip was working well, and she could build her strength back up by walking up and down the hallway.

But by the time she reached the bedroom door, her forehead was damp with perspiration, and she was breathing hard. She turned the knob and continued. One step in front of the other. She ignored the burning sensation in her feet and the cramping muscles in her arms and legs.If I can just make it up and back,she thought.

Suddenly, magically, the weariness lifted, and she felt her body grow wings. A feeling of euphoria washed over her. She was weightless. She could fly! Sloane threw out her arms and wrapped her fingers around the railing, peering down the two stories to the hall below. She didn’t have to use the stairs; she could fly, she thought giddily, laughing out loud as she leaned over the railing and prepared for takeoff.

- 33 -

ROSEMARY

When Rosemary opened her eyes, the room slowly came into focus. She looked around in confusion. This wasn’t her bedroom. Where was she? It took a moment for her to realize she was in a hospital room. Feeling around the bed, she found the call button and depressed it. A woman in scrubs walked in.

“So glad to see you’re awake, Mrs. Chase. I’m Sophie, your nurse. You’re at Sibley Hospital. We’ve been very worried about you.”

Rosemary tried to speak but was able to emit only a grunt. She cleared her throat again. “What happened?” The words came out in a hoarse whisper.

“You’ve suffered a head injury. You’ve had surgery. Let me get your doctor to explain.”

Rosemary’s mind raced as she absorbed this news. A head injury? What had happened?

“Hello, Mrs. Chase. I’m Dr. Makris.” An attractive young woman approached the bed. “How are you feeling?” She held a flashlight and examined Rosemary’s eyes, then had her follow her finger up, down, and side to side.

“You’ve been in the hospital over three weeks. We had to operate when you were brought in by EMS. Your CT scan showed a brain bleed. We’ve been monitoring the swelling in your brain and have had you in a medicated coma until five days ago. You’ve been in and out of consciousness since. Fortunately, your latest scan was normal.”

Rosemary tried to remember what had happened, but everything was a blank. The last thing she remembered was waiting for Faye to come to her house. “How…what…?”

“You were brought in by ambulance with severe head trauma.”

“Home. Now?” Rosemary tried to make it sound like a question but was unable to add an inflection.

“We’ll run some more tests, and then we’ll see. You’re also going to need rehab. Your daughter’s been here most of the time. I’ll give her a call and tell her you’re awake. She can explain what happened.”

Rosemary nodded and closed her eyes, exhaustion overtaking her.

—

It was dark outside when Rosemary woke up and saw Camille sitting in the chair by the window. Camille jumped up and came to the side of the bed.

“Thank God you’re awake! I’ve been so worried.”

“What hap— happened?”

Camille took her mother’s hand. “You were assaulted.”

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