by V.K. Sykes
Holly had two parent appointments in the morning, but finished up early. Once she ushered the last set of parents from her office, she realized she was starving. She’d been so rattled by that crazy hallway encounter with Nate that she’d completely forgotten to eat breakfast. No wonder, she thought, giving a shaky laugh. The man had not only rocked her world, he’d turned it upside down. She still hadn’t decided whether that was a good thing or not.
Eat first, worry later.
She headed for the cafeteria to grab a low-fat muffin. As she passed her boss’s office, Rosen emerged. “Holly, wait. I was just on my way to see you. Got a minute?”
“Sure. I was just on my way to the cafeteria,” she said. “I skipped breakfast.” Thanks to Nate Carter and the hottest sex she’d ever had.
Rosen put his hand on her shoulder, a smile softening his rough-hewn features. “Good news. The judge just handed down his decision about Tyler Arnold. We got the court order.”
“Yes!” Holly said, resisting the urge to do a little happy dance.
“You did a great job with the affidavit,” he said. “There wasn’t any doubt in my mind that we’d get it. Congratulations.”
It was very good news, except for the fact that Arnold would certainly know about the court decision by now. He’d be furious, but she could only hope he’d realize he couldn’t do a thing about it. “Thanks, Charles. Tyler is the real winner here.”
Rosen nodded. “When will you do the surgery?”
“I’ll book an O.R. for Monday.” The sooner she could get the new valve in, the better, for Tyler’s sake. The court order would also ensure that Tyler had follow up from social workers and home health care, who would also keep an eye on his father.
“Good. Let me know if there’s any problem getting the room and a team. I’ll move things around if we have to.” His brows narrowed. “That father must be pretty upset. He hasn’t contacted you again, has he?”
“Not since before the hearing,” Holly said, her voice starting to thicken as she remembered the menace in Lance Arnold’s voice.
“Hopefully, all that nonsense is over now.” He gave her shoulder a fatherly pat. “But of course we’ll need to contact him to let him know when the surgery is going to take place.”
Holly’s stomach clenched as tight as a fist. The surgeon always contacted the parents with that information, and offered a pre-surgery interview if one hadn’t already been conducted. That wasn’t going to happen this time. She couldn’t go anywhere near the man. Couldn’t even speak to him on the telephone.
“I don’t think I can—”
“Of course not. Don’t worry about it,” Rosen said. “I’ll call him myself.”
Holly exhaled a relieved sigh. “Thank you.”
Rosen snorted. “I wish I could say it was my pleasure.”
He turned to walk away, but Holly caught his arm. “We’ve done the right thing, haven’t we, Charles?” Despite Arnold’s threats, she’d never wavered in her certainty before, but suddenly she felt the need for her boss’s confirmation. She knew she must really be off her game if she needed that.
“Absolutely. Be proud of yourself, Holly. I’m damn proud of you.” He gave her hand a quick squeeze and strode away.
