Page 25 of The Refiner

Dr. Cox arches a brow, waiting.

“I want her to hold her daughter.” I wipe away the tears. “Piper has suffered too much, not to see the only good thing to come out of her sacrifice. I want her to see her daughter before we let her go. Do you think you can make that happen, Dr. Cox? Can you make sure my sister sees what she did all this for?”

I hear a sniffle behind me.

“I can arrange that,” Dr. Cox promises.

I nod, a sense of peace washing over me. “Thank you.”

Dr. Cox gets up to leave when one more request pops into my head. “And Dr. Potter. Could you call him? I think she would want to see him too.”

Dr. Cox looks confused.

“You know, Dr. Dick, her lover?” I roll my eyes at the thought. “Her baby daddy?”

“I know who Dr. Potter is,” he tells me.

“Great. Tell his majesty to get his ass back here and hug my sister goodbye.” Or kiss her. You never know. Piper could have a classic case of Princess-itis. She could wake up with one kiss from Lover Boy and be perfectly fine.

“I don’t know if that will be possible.”

I throw my head back. “Don’t tell me…he has a facial scheduled and needs a raincheck?” One good thing about hating Astor is that the tears stop when I think of him sleeping soundly in his posh suburban home. It’s easier to be detached from the situation when you didn’t promise a lifetime to your baby’s mama.

Dr. Cox clears his throat. “Dr. Potter collapsed earlier.”

Kenny gasps, just as I jump up from my chair. “What do you mean he collapsed? Is he okay?” I know I hoped Astor had a brush with an STD, but nothing serious. My niece needs one parent to raise her.

Dr. Cox frowns. “I can’t violate his privacy and give you details, but he’s okay.”

The way his voice wavers has me on high alert. “You don’t sound like you’re sure.”

“Everything is fine, Ms. McKellan, I assure you. And when Dr. Potter is stable, I will pass along your message.”

“Thank you, Dr. Cox. I’ll get back to you with the form.” But not until my demands are met. Piper needs her prince and princess.

“Of course. I’ll check on Piper again in the morning.”

As soon as Dr. Cox shuts the door, I turn and look back at Kenny. “I’m going to find Dr. Dreamy. Are you in or out?” I don’t trust Dr. Cox to relay my message fast enough. If Dr. Potter is really fine, he can see my sister and give back the book he stole. My sister has done enough waiting for him—and me—but I’m placing most of the blame on Astor. It’s the least he can do before taking the last piece of my sister from me—my niece.

A wide grin spreads across Kenny’s face. “Oh, girl. I thought you’d never ask. I’m always down for a manhunt.”

Astor

“Ah, the princess is awake.”

Pressure is throbbing between my temples, making it hard to concentrate on Duke’s annoying voice in my ear.

“Assstor. Wake up, sugar. You have a lot of explaining to do.”

“Fuck off.” I groan, covering my face in my hands. My eyelids feel like they weigh ten pounds.

“I would, but since you’re having difficulty surviving, you’re now under my care for the next twenty-four hours.”

Everything hits me at once. The hospital. Seeing my daughter. Her eyes—my eyes.

I jerk upright in bed, my gaze zeroing in on the band secured around my wrist, the wordsDuke Potter, admitting physicianglaring back at me.

“Get this shit off of me.” I pull at the wires taped to my chest before I notice Vance sitting in a chair at the foot of the bed. “You think this is fucking funny?” I ask him. “Letting Duke admit me?”

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