Stolen Identity: Mute Heiress

Chapter 298: I’m Here

The ambulance that had picked Emily and Ryan from the airstrip rolled to a stop in front of Royalty International Medical Center, the hospital owned by Emily’s father.

After they arrived at the airstrip earlier, Ryan had dismissed the two other nurses who had accompanied them down to Ludus after transferring some money to them and making them promise not to breathe a word of what had happened on the plane to anyone, or tell anyone about Emily’s identity.

Emily got out of the ambulance as two nurses rushed out of the hospital with a wheelchair. Ryan looked a little weak and pale, his breath uneven as he was transferred to the wheelchair.

Emily stayed close to him, walking slowly beside the wheelchair as Mack handled it while the nurses and smiled their welcome to Emily telling her how much they missed her.

Her smile was weak and her voice tired. She had barely slept in two nights and she was feeling dead on her feet, yet her heart lifted as she walked into the hospital.

She had felt an overwhelming sense of relief from the moment the pilot announced they were in Ludus, but it was even more so now that she was in the hospital which was like her second home. She knew every nook and cranny of the building, and in that moment she realized how much she loved the place, and had missed it.

Most especially she was glad that soon, she’d see Callan, Jamal, and finally get to meet Dawn and Jamal’s little boy. She wished Mari was in Ludus. It’d have been more fun to have her restless energy around.

The sound of beeping monitors echoed from nearby rooms down the hallway as they made their way to the VIP Ward which had been already arranged for Ryan’s admission.

As they entered the room, Mack helped Ryan onto the bed. One of the nurses attached a blood pressure cuff and began taking his vitals. Emily sat on the couch, watching quietly.

Then the door opened again, and Emily looked up. She rose with a smile when she saw her father.

”Dad.”

”Emily.” Relief flooded his voice when he saw her and he hurried towards her, his white coat billowing slightly behind him.

Ryan lay quietly on the bed, an IV line in his arm as he watched Emily move to her Dad and wrap her arms around him.

”Dad,” she whispered, her voice breaking a little as she inhaled her father’s familiar scent.

Her father held her close, one hand on her back, the other stroking her hair. He kissed her forehead and drew back just enough to look at her.

”My princess,” he said softly, searching her face. ”Are you okay? You look so pale and tired. Did he hurt you?”

Emily shook her head quickly. ”No, I’m fine, Dad. I promise. I’m just tired from the long shift at the hospital and long flight down here.”

”I have no idea what you were thinking when you chose to make this trip,” he murmured.

”I was thinking of seeing you and hugging you this way,” she said with a grin, and he scoffed.

”How is he?” Damon asked, his tone stayed professional as he glanced at Ryan before turning back to his daughter.

Emily looked at Ryan. ”He’s stable. Just weak and exhausted.”

”That’s good,” Damon said, adjusting his glasses. He turned to one of the nurses. ”Keep an eye on his vitals. If anything changes, page Dr Charles immediately.”

Then he turned back to Emily, his voice gentle again. ”You’ve done enough for now, sweetheart. I’ll take you home so you can rest,” he said, heading for the door.

Emily didn’t follow. ”I’ll wait for Callan to get here first before I leave.”

Damon who was already at the door paused mid-step and turned with a frown. ”Wait for Callan? Why? You can go see him at home later.”

”I promised Mr Harris that I’d stay with him until Callan gets here,” Emily said quietly, her voice gentle.

Damon glanced past her to Ryan, who was lying quietly observing them. His jaw tightened slightly as his gaze moved to Mack before returning to Emily, ”Did they threaten you?”

Emily shook her head immediately. ”No. They didn’t. I gave him my word. He’s very anxious about meeting Cal, so I promised to stay with him.”

Her father looked at her closely as though trying to find a sign in her face that she was lying, but when she heard his gaze, he sighed, running a hand down his face. ”Emily...” he said, his tone carrying both love and exasperation. ”I don’t know why you made such a promise, but if that’s what you want... fine. Callan is already on his way. He should be here soon. I’ll be back to take your home the moment Callan gets here. You look exhausted and need to rest.”

Emily nodded, and he kissed her forehead once more before leaving the room. The door shut softly behind him.

For a moment, the room was quiet again, then Ryan spoke, his voice hoarse. ”Thank you for keeping your word.”

Emily nodded. ”You’re welcome. If you don’t mind, I need to make a few phone calls. I’ll be back soon.”

Without waiting for his permission she turned toward the restroom at the corner of the room and stepped inside, closing the door behind her. Her reflection in the mirror looked tired, her hair slightly messy, but her eyes still clear. She took a deep breath and reached for her phone in her handbag.

The first number she dialed was Callan’s and he answered almost immediately.

”Hey, Princess! I was about to call you,” he said, and her lips curved at the sound of his voice. It was funny that the nickname which used annoyed her because it felt like he was taunting her no longer seemed to annoy her. ”I heard you guys just arrived. Are you still at the hospital?”

”Yeah. I’ll leave after you get here,” she said softly.

”Cool. I’m on my way to the hospital right now. Did you see my text? I asked you a question, but you didn’t reply.”

”I saw it,” she said quietly, leaning against the sink. ”I thought it was better to answer in person when you get here.”

She wasn’t sure she could vouch for Ryan. She didn’t want to despite his apology earlier. She had seen how he used both Genevieve and Dawn. She knew he was selfish and would use anyone to get what he wanted. She didn’t want him to use her to get to Callan.

At the same time she didn’t want to discourage Callan from meeting him or giving him a fair hearing. So, she’d rather he met with his father and came to a decision himself.

There was a pause, then Callan’s voice softened. ”You sound tired.”

Her throat tightened slightly at the concern she heard in his tone. ”I am tired. I’ve barely slept,” she admitted. ”I’ll leave after I see you.”

”I’m about ten minutes away,” he said. ”I’ll be there soon.”

She smiled faintly, though he couldn’t see it. ”I’m waiting.”

”Thanks, Em,” he said before the line went dead.

After the call ended, Emily wanted to call Mari and Jamal, but when she saw her reflection in the mirror and remembered that Callan said he was ten minutes away, she decided to call them later and do something about her appearance before Callan arrived.

She didn’t want him to see her looking so rough and tired. She might be trying to move on from him, but that didn’t mean she wanted to look less attractive to him.

She quickly splashed some water on her face, then took out her hairbrush, face wipe, a pink lipstick and powder from her bag.

She quickly did what little she could to brighten her face and when she was done, she checked the time. It was almost ten minutes already, that meant Callan was either at the hospital already or very close to it.

She stood still for a moment, her hand resting on the counter. Then she took a deep breath before walking back out to join Ryan in the room.

She noticed that Mack was no longer in the room, then she looked at the door and saw he was standing guard outside.

When Ryan’s gaze met hers, a flicker of amusement crossed his eyes when he saw what she had done to her face.

”Don’t look at me that way. And you’d better don’t say a word of anything I told you to Callan, else I’m going to tell him about all the threats you made,” Emily threatened, and this time Ryan smiled ruefully.

”I doubt that’s the kind of conversation we are going to be having when he gets here,” Ryan said, and she nodded as she sat on the couch.

”He should be here in any minute now,” Emily told him.

Ryan said nothing, but they both knew that everything from now on would depend on the moment Callan finally arrived.

Just then Emily’s phone rang, and she picked it up when she saw it was Callan.

”I’m here.”