Billionaire Hearts Club- The Complete Series Collection

by Blake Andrews

  Sandy had to wonder how much she could trust Trish to know something like how long she’d be in the hospital. She was well-meaning, but she wasn’t a doctor or anything. “I’m hoping so,” she said instead of contradicting her.

  “What kind of jerk hits someone and then just drives off?” Desmond asked.

  Sandy lifted her shoulders vaguely. “The kind of jerk who peeks in the windows to make sure you’re okay first, I guess. I saw him looking at me but then he just scampered back to his car and drove away. Actually, I think he was in the passenger seat.”

  “Well, at least he made sure you were alright before he left,” Annie offered. She sat on the side of Sandy’s bed and lightly dabbed at her eyes with a tissue.

  “I hope the Lyft driver gets a lot of money from him,” Trish said. “Or whoever was driving.”

  Sandy shook her head. She didn’t care about vengeance, not really. She just wished they’d been more careful. “I always thought drive-shares were safer for me. I don’t trust myself to drive in New York traffic; that’s why I don’t even have a car here. But apparently it’s the same as if I was driving.”

  “It’s not you or your driver’s fault, though,” Desmond told her. “Unfortunately, a lot of people drive recklessly just about everywhere in this country.”

  Sandy nodded. She couldn’t deny that. It was just a case of being in the wrong place at the wrong time, she thought. She just wished that she could have been fortunate enough to not get hurt. “I wish my face didn’t have to bear the brunt of it, though,” she said sadly, letting herself cry again though she was nowhere near the blubbering mess that she’d initially been when she first arrived at the hospital. Her friends and father being there to spend time with her really did cheer her up, even if she did still feel like a mess.

  “You’re going to heal and everything will be okay,” Annie said.

  “No one will even be able to tell that you were in an accident,” Trish said. “There are good doctors in this city who can fix you up if you need it. It just takes time.”

  “The show’s not going to wait for me to heal, though,” Sandy pointed out. “And what am I supposed to do while my face is all purple and my wrist is in a cast?”

  “We can write it into sketches,” Desmond suggested, only to be elbowed slightly by Trish.

  “You’re still pretty and audiences will understand that you got injured,” Trish said. “You can tell them, too, if you feel like it. But you don’t have to.”

  Sandy knew the press would be interested to learn about what happened and how it was affecting her. Though they didn’t often try to help as much as they liked to gossip. She was a little bit relieved she wasn’t a megastar or anything, with the paparazzi always in her face. Being a worldwide celebrity was never something she’d wanted for herself anyway. It was much more fun to lovingly make fun of the worldwide celebrities that she could parody on her show. “Maybe it would be fun to just keep people guessing and wondering.” She raised her eyebrows.

  She did feel better having her friends with her, but of course they couldn’t stay in the room with her forever. Not long after, her dad reappeared. “She should rest now,” he announced to them, but Sandy suspected he wanted her to himself again.

  Her friends each gave her a gentle and slightly awkward hug as she lay there in the hospital bed. “We’ll be back,” Annie promised. “Don’t get too comfortable.”

  What a strange thing to say. Sandy laughed and waved as her friends all filed out of the room.

  “How are you feeling?” her dad asked, taking up Annie’s place on the side of the bed. “Are you hungry? I can call down for them to bring you up some dinner. Hospital food isn’t the best, but it’s better than nothing and at least you’re free to eat whatever you want.”

  She smiled at him appreciatively. “I doubt I can eat whatever I want. The cafeteria probably has a limited menu. But if you want, I’d love something. You must be hungry too, right? I was supposed to help you make dinner.” Sandy still felt guilty about that, even though she couldn’t have known that the Lyft would get plowed into on her way home.

  “Okay,” her dad said to her with another happy smile. He was clearly just happy to be with her, even if they were in the hospital. It was true, they were together and they had plenty of time to still hang out, talking. She wished they’d been able to visit a few more New York landmarks, though. “I’ll go flag down a nurse and I’ll be right back.” He leaned in towards her and gave her forehead a quick kiss before leaving the room once again.

  She wished her friends had been able to stick around for dinner, but she knew that hospitals had visiting hours. She also knew her friends had busy lives, so she was grateful they’d taken time out of their days to see her. It would be nice if I didn’t have to stay here much longer, but I hope I get another visit from them if I do.

  The doctor wanted to keep her in there for a while for monitoring, mainly because they hadn’t completely ruled out a head injury. Sandy suspected her head had hurt because her nose got bashed against the dashboard, but she was no doctor. She also didn’t think she’d rest as comfortably on the air mattress back in her apartment.

  A nurse soon came along with her dad, and Sandy and her father dined on chicken and corn with some chocolate pudding. “I saw that chocolate pudding and knew it’d cheer you up,” he told her proudly.

  She slept well that night, mainly due to the medication but also because her dad was sleeping right there in a chair next to the bed. She had a feeling that he was nowhere near as comfortable as she was. I’m going to make this up to him, she thought before drifting off to sleep.

  The following day, as promised, her friends from the show arrived again. This time, Annie was bearing rainbow-colored cupcakes and Trish was carrying a thick black notebook. “Yesterday may have been moping day for you, but it’s time to stop feeling sorry for yourself. We’re going to celebrate your recovery and we’re going to get to work,” Trish told her with a genuine smile.

  Desmond sat backwards in a chair while Annie and Trish sat on the bed with Sandy. Her dad stayed in his chair, watching them with amused appreciation as they ate cupcakes, laughed together, and began working on writing some sketches for their show. They made sure to give her dad a cupcake too, and he proved to be a great audience for their rough drafts of sketches. Sandy may have been down, but she certainly wasn’t beaten. She was still a part of the cast, and she was still going to be included in the next show. Having something to look forward to was valuable. She couldn’t have loved her friends or her father more.

  Chapter Five

  Craig was bummed when his brother left after the holiday weekend, but he was also ready to let things get back to normal. He went back to work and couldn’t stop thinking about the poor girl crying in the car. As much as he wanted to believe the doctors at the hospital had things under control and could take care of her broken nose, he couldn’t help feeling like he could do a better, more thorough job. Her nose may work like normal, sure, but will it really look like it used to? Donnie didn’t want him worrying about it, but it was easy for Donnie. He didn’t spare many thoughts for his patients, all the while enjoying the money he got from them. Craig couldn’t remember the last time Donnie had talked to him about a patient.

  Craig decided, once he was done with work, he was going to check in with the young woman at the hospital. The staff might be hesitant to let him visit her, since he was a stranger, but he was a doctor himself so it would be under the guise of being completely professional. I want to apologize to her, even though it wasn’t my fault. I was at least somewhat at fault for what happened, he thought. She probably won’t accept my apology, though. But I might be able to help fix her nose.

  He didn’t think she would be vain about her appearance, but he had a feeling – based on how much she’d been crying – that her appearance did matter to her. Craig thought one would be pressed to find someone in New York who didn’t care at least a little about their appearance. As
ide from Hollywood, NYC seemed to house a great many celebrities, for example, and they were a group which was quite looked-focused. Hence why his expertise was so popular and successful there.

  As soon as Craig left his office, he got into a hired car and whizzed along up the street to the hospital where the girl was located. It wasn’t difficult to figure out where had been taken because the name of the hospital was on the EMT jackets as well as the ambulance that came for her. Once she finds out what I can do for her, she’ll be glad to see me again, he thought. He wasn’t in the mood for feeling entirely smug – after all, he had most likely spoiled her holiday – but he knew he could be a great help to her.

  He told the person at the front desk who he was and who he was there to see – “The young lady who was brought in last night with a broken nose from a car accident” – and he was informed that he had to know her name if he wanted to visit her. Fortunately, he was able to pull some strings because he knew the doctor who was standing nearby. Soon he was led to her room and all was forgiven.

  Craig went into the hospital room slowly, eager to see her but also feeling a bit apprehensive. There was a chance the young woman would be very angry to see his face again, and there was also a chance she was much worse off than he knew. She hadn’t looked to be too injured when last he saw her, but he wasn’t a trauma surgeon. As soon as he was in the room and saw her lying there on the white bed, her nose bandaged and her wrist in a cast, Craig felt relieved. He felt sorry for her as well, mostly because the only reason she was in that hospital bed was because of his brother.

  “Hi,” he gently said to her, as he approached her bedside. “You don’t know me, but I’m afraid you’re here because of my brother. I was a passenger in the car that hit you the other night. And I haven’t been able to stop thinking about you ever since the accident.”

  The young woman sat up a bit her bed, and sure enough she was glaring at him, although only slightly. “I remember you,” she said. “You looked into the car to see if I was hurt, and then you just took off.”

  Craig felt defensive now. He shook his head. “I didn’t just take off. My brother and I saw the paramedics there and we knew they’d be able to get the situation under control. We didn’t want to get in the way.”

  “I wish you and your brother hadn’t gotten in the way while I was on the road,” the woman said with a slight huff. “Because of you, I missed out on time with my dad. He came all the way to visit me, and he barely got to do anything with me. I don’t think helping to feed me pudding was on his to-do list while he was here.”

  Craig could see tears welling up in her eyes. He felt awful for what had happened, and it hadn’t even been remotely his fault. If he’d said no to Donnie, it didn’t necessarily mean his brother wouldn't have gone for the joyride. He’d rented the car, and like always when Donnie had his mind set on something, there was no turning back. “I’m so sorry,” Craig said to her, lowering himself into a chair near her bed instead of sitting directly on the bed. “I can’t even begin to explain the circumstances. I know that nothing I say can take back what happened. But I do have an idea for a way I can help you, if you’ll let me.”

  She stared at him. Gosh, she’s beautiful, he thought, though he knew it was beside the point. She looks a little familiar, too. Is she actually famous and I just don’t know it? Craig wasn’t the most knowledgeable when it came to celebrities and pop culture. He was usually busy with other hobbies, like schmoozing with friends at The Executive or going to work functions.

  “How can you help me?” she asked him. “Haven’t you done enough? How did you even get in here? I thought only family was allowed to visit at this hour. Do you work here?”

  She was angry at him, but at least she was talking to him. She was asking questions he could easily answer, too. Craig had prepared for her to give him stone cold silence, but she was actually talking to him. He smiled at her slightly, cautious about angering her further, but taking this conversation as a win.

  “I can help you because I’m a plastic surgeon,” he told her. “I was allowed in because I know some of the staff here and they trust my opinions. I don’t work here, but I’ve been a consultant here a few times.”

  Craig realized he should offer his card to her. If she was going to see him for his services, it would help if she knew his name and where his place of business was. He reached into the pocket of his blue blazer and handed her a business card.

  “Craig Lucas,” she read aloud. “I think I’ve seen the ads for your clinic around town. My friend even said I might want to get in touch with someone like you, but since you’re the reason I’m like this…”

  “I can fix it,” he assured her. “It doesn’t even appear to be too bad of a break.”

  She looked at him thoughtfully. “The doctor kind of cracked it into place and seems to think it will be fine now,” she told him. “But I think I’m doomed to have a bump now.”

  Craig nodded his head. “And I can help make sure you’re not stuck with a bump on your nose, if that’s what you’re hoping for. You don’t have to say yes right away either. I know you’ve probably got a lot on your mind.”

  She continued to read over his card as if she was trying to commit it to memory. Then she set it aside on the nightstand next to her bed. “I’ll be in touch once I’m out of here, I guess,” she told him. “Thank you.”

  This was as good of a response as he could hope to get. Craig stood up from the chair and nodded his head. He offered his hand to her and she took it, gingerly shaking hands with him. “What’s your name, by the way?” he casually asked her. “So I don’t have to keep thinking of you as ‘the beautiful blonde that my brother so carelessly hit with his rented sports car.’”

  To Craig’s surprise, she actually smiled at that. She even blushed a little, though it was difficult to notice with all of the purple and green that was also on her cheeks. “Sandra Davenport,” she told him. “But my friends call me Sandy.”

  “It’s nice to meet you, Sandy,” he said to her, preparing to leave her room so she could get back to resting.

  She narrowed her eyes a little. “I said my friends call me that.” He couldn’t tell if she was joking or not, but he had a feeling she was. Particularly because the smile remained on her face.

  “I hope we’ll be friends after all of this,” he said to her confidently, and then he left the room.

  He wished he could stay with her longer, but he didn’t want to bother her. He couldn’t actually provide anything else other than company and the promise of helping her nose return to normal. If she’d been in want of company, she surely could find it. He had no doubt she had friends around who were coming to see her.

  Taking a hired car, Craig went to The Executive to meet up with his friends. He hadn’t seen them since Donnie was in town, and he was sure they were going to ask him how the joyride had gone. I can’t even really claim it was fun, he thought. There were other things I did with my brother which I found more enjoyable. He knew his brother sometimes found the things he liked boring, so he’d agreed to the joyride. He actually didn’t like how right he’d been about it being dangerous…

  “Hello everyone,” Craig said as he slid into a chair at the table with his friends. They didn’t have drinks yet, so they mustn’t have been there very long before he got there. It was nice to not be the last one to arrive for once. “How have you guys been?”

  “Good,” Ashton said. “Did you have a nice holiday weekend?”

  “I bet you’re glad to not have your brother in your hair anymore, huh?” Tim asked him with a slight grin.

  Craig let out a slight groan. “You can’t imagine,” he said. “It was great to spend time with him, but he also stresses me out, if you couldn’t tell.”

  “How did the car ride go?” Doug asked him, almost reading his mind.

  “Oh, pretty much what I’d expected,” Craig replied. “I thought it sounded risky and dangerous, and it totally was. We ended up smacking into s
omeone’s car and putting a girl in the hospital.”

  His friends gasped and stared at him, appalled. He might’ve led with that, but he wanted to ease into discussing it because it wasn’t a pleasant conversation to have. Thankfully a waiter appeared and took their orders – they got the usual hors d’oeuvres and drinks and the waiter was on his way.

  “She’s all right,” Craig told them as soon as the waiter was gone. “I went to the hospital to check in on things. She broke her nose and her wrist. I offered to help her. She seemed pretty skeptical, but she took my card, so who knows? Hopefully I’ll be able to help fix her up so no one will ever know she was injured.”

  Tim whistled softly. “She’s lucky to have you looking out for her. Pretty rough, though, man.”

  “What’s she like?” Doug asked. “You must think she’s pretty, or you wouldn’t be so concerned about making her face as good as new.” He elbowed Craig a little.

  “I’ve only seen her a few times, and always for a short while,” Craig replied. “But she’s beautiful. I think she must be an actress or something, which is part of why I want to help her. She seems like someone who cares about how she looks… Fortunately, it seems like a clean enough break and she shouldn’t have problems breathing or anything. She asked me if she’d have a bump.” He pouted slightly, remembering how bad he’d felt when he saw her sitting in the car, crying her eyes out. Craig of course knew she was crying because of pain as well, but he hadn’t missed the mirror being down. She’d seen her reflection.

  “It sounds like you want to date your new patient,” Ashton teased. “Did you give her your number?”

  “My number’s on my card, smart aleck,” Craig joked back. “I didn’t want to come on too strong after putting her into that position, but I do find her attractive. I think anyone with eyes would find her attractive…” He didn’t think he’d have to explain himself if they could see her.