Unlocking my Boss’s Heart (Romance in Sweet Comedy #4)

26. Anton

Chapter twenty-six

Anton

A fter dropping Celia at her apartment, I returned to mine and retreated to my study. I’d brought a few documents home from the office that needed a thorough review. Recent events in my personal life had put me behind at work.

A little after 2 AM, I set the case file aside and turned off the lights. The growling in my stomach pulled me toward the kitchen for a light snack. I poured myself a glass of orange juice and was chewing on a granola bar when my phone began to vibrate. I groaned. Who could be calling at this hour? I hurried into the living room, to grab it. Dreading these late-night calls that inevitably brought bad news.

It was an unknown number, which slightly eased my anxiety.

I tapped the button to accept the call. “Anton Waltons.”

“Anton, this is Maddison. I’m at the hospital with Celia,” she said frantically. “She’s really sick, and I didn’t know what to do, so I called an ambulance.”

The all-too-familiar feeling of helplessness invaded my psyche, a near-constant companion in recent months due to my father’s poor health. It squeezed my airways shut, making it difficult to breathe. But I couldn’t allow fear to paralyze me.

“Maddison, are you alright? What hospital?” I said, grabbing my keys and heading out the door.

“Don’t worry about me. We’re at General Hospital.”

“I’m on my way.”

Even at nearly 3 AM, the streets of New York weren’t as empty as one might think. I yelled at slow drivers and growled when red lights seemed to take forever to turn green.

How was Celia doing?

Maybe it was just a fever. I said, to calm my racing mind. The last thing I needed was to get into an accident because I was panicking.

Finally, while parking in the hospital visitors’ lot, I prayed that Celia was okay. A voice at the back of my head kept reminding me that if it were nothing serious, Maddison wouldn’t have called an ambulance.

When I walked through the automatic glass doors and entered the bright waiting room, I found Maddison slumped in a chair, biting her nails. She jumped up immediately and led me to Celia’s room.

I paused beside the bed and watched Celia. She seemed asleep, her skin pallid with a slight gray tone. Her hair lay in damp clumps around her forehead. She was hooked up to vital signs monitoring machines.

I glanced at Maddison, who stood at the foot of the bed. She looked pale, her eyes bloodshot from lack of sleep and crying. She was dressed in a black shirt with a cartoon pony on it and faded sweatpants—likely what she’d worn to bed, with no time to change before coming to the hospital.

“So what did the doctors say she has?” I asked.

Maddison wrapped her arms around herself. “They said food poisoning and food allergy. Celia was out, so she couldn’t tell us what she ate, that could’ve caused it.”

I thought of the meal we had at my parents’, then the tofu from the food truck. As much as I wanted to blame the food truck, there was no proof that it was the cause of Celia’s illness.

“Did she eat anything after she returned home?”

Maddison shook her head, eyes locked on Celia’s sleeping body. “I don’t think so. We went to bed at about the same time, then, I woke up to her retching. She couldn’t stand, she was so weak.” Madisson’s voice caught, she swallowed few times, likely pushing back tears before adding, “They said she was severely dehydrated. If I hadn’t brought her here, I don’t know what would’ve happened.” She let out a shaky sigh.

“Hey, it’s okay,” I told her, though the words felt like a lie. I was going out of my mind with worry, but there was nothing either of us could do except wait. “You should go home and rest, Maddison. I’ll stay here.”

She narrowed her eyes, more out of concern than suspicion. “Are you sure? I don’t mind staying, too.”

I nodded. “I promise I won’t leave her side. Go get some rest.”

She hesitated, looking exhausted. Then said, “Okay, I’ll be back in a few hours, then.” She kissed Celia’s cheek before leaving.

I brought the chair from the corner of the room next to Celia’s bed and sat down. Careful not to wake her, I took her hand in mine, gently caressing it.

That arm had an IV with fluid dripping from a bag hanging on a pole. I was tempted to call a nurse and ask all the questions that swirled in my mind, but I held my peace. Someone would come by to check on Celia.

A strand of hair had caught on her eyelashes. I brushed it back and tucked the end behind her ear. “Come on, Celia,” I muttered. “You have to pull through.”

Her hand was already getting warmer from the heat of my skin. As I watched her sleep and talked to her, I wished she would shift or sigh—just give me any sign to reassure me that this was simple food poisoning and nothing more serious.

“I can’t lose you,” I murmured, kissing her hand.

The nurse came in a few times, asking prying questions about whether we were related. I flat out told her I wasn’t leaving. Nothing could move me from Celia’s side until I was certain she would be okay.

Now, I understood why my mother remained at my father’s bedside during all his hospitalizations. We’d urged her to get some rest, assuring her, we would call her immediately if there were any changes. But she wouldn’t leave his side.

What a change from the beginning of their marriage! After the rocky first few years, their commitment to each other had grown strong. No matter what, they were always there for each other. Despite their flaws and shortcomings, they would drop everything for the other person. That was the true definition of love.

And now, I knew that I would do the same with Celia. It didn’t matter if she had to stay here for days or weeks. I would be here with her.

Before now, work had always come first in my life. That was no longer the case. Nothing else mattered more to me than Celia.

This event had put me over the edge, I felt like Celia’s life was on the edge as well. I knew what I wanted. I just regretted that it had taken something like this to make up my mind.

For the first time in my life, I felt a genuine commitment to someone outside my family. After so many years of avoiding serious relationships, I was ready to do whatever it took to make Celia a permanent part of my life.