Chapter 99: Chapter 13

MASON

“What do you mean Grandpa collapsed?” I blurt out, my voice echoing in the room.

“Exactly what I said, Mason! They’re rushing him to a room to figure out what happened,” my brother retorts, his voice laced with frustration.

I can only stare at him, my mind racing, as my mom rushes into the room. She tries to talk to my dad, but he brushes her off, storming out of the room.

My mom watches him leave, her face etched with worry. She turns to me, her eyes welling up with tears as she reaches out to hold one of the twins.

“Mason, it’s okay. Your dad just needs to let off some steam. Grandpa will be fine. We Maxwells are fighters.”

“I hope you’re right, Mom. Let’s just hope it’s nothing serious,” I reply, trying to sound reassuring.

She attempts a smile, but it doesn’t reach her eyes. I can tell she’s trying to stay positive, but there’s a sense of unease in the room.

I decide not to press the issue, focusing instead on the twins. Just then, the doctor walks in, a serious look on his face.

“The twins’ blood work came back. They’re healthy, but they tested positive for drugs. We’re not sure if it’s from their mother’s milk or if they ingested it somehow. It’s not a large amount, but it’s there. We want to keep them overnight for observation. We’ll move you to a room shortly.”

He motions for my mom to follow him outside. I start to get up, but she shakes her head at me.

I settle back down, holding Sasha and the twins close, hoping for good news.

MANDY

I follow the doctor outside. As soon as we’re out of earshot, he turns to me, his face filled with concern.

“Spit it out, Doc! What’s happening with Dad?”

“We’re sending him for a CT scan of his brain. His blood pressure is low and his labs show no infection.”

“Why a brain scan?”

“He had a seizure when he collapsed, and they haven’t stopped. We’ve given him medication to keep him unconscious for now. We need to find out why. We’ll update you as soon as we have the scan results.”

I nod, my heart pounding in my chest. I see my dad being wheeled away on a gurney. Eva steps out of the room, her hands covering her face as she sobs.

I rush over to her, wrapping my arms around her and guiding her to the waiting room. I leave her with Jace, Cami, Jocelyn, and Jessie, and go to find Nate.

I find him in the parking lot, smoking. He rolls his eyes when he sees me, clearly annoyed.

“Nathaniel Caden Maxwell, you better listen to me! Your mom needs you right now! So pull yourself together, man up, and be there for her! They’re scanning Dad’s brain and I want you in that waiting room before we get the results!”

I don’t wait for his response. I turn on my heel and head back to the hospital. I hear him mutter a curse behind me, but I ignore it.

When I get back to the waiting room, everyone is anxiously waiting for news.

“Mason, Sasha, and the twins have been moved to a room for the night,” Jocelyn informs me.

I nod, sitting next to Eva. She leans against me, her body shaking with sobs. Nate walks in, smirking at me. He leans down to whisper in my ear.

“I’ll let you talk to me like that when we’re alone. But next time, I can’t promise I won’t make you pay for it.”

I feel my cheeks heat up as he pulls away, still smirking. Before I can respond, the doctor walks in. The look on his face says it all. Something’s wrong.

“We got the scan results. There’s a tumor. It’s in a place where we can operate, but we’ll need to test it to see if it’s malignant or benign.”

Nate stiffens next to me. Eva clings to me, crying. Jessie jumps up to stand next to Nate, but he walks away, punching the wall.

Eva stands up, spinning him around and slapping him across the face.

“How dare you! What would your father say! We’re Maxwells, we’re better than this! Jessie, take him to the gym!”

“Mom, I need to stay here!”

“You need to get your anger out, Nate! Go blow off some steam and come back later. The surgery will take hours. I’m getting hotel rooms across the street. Go to their gym, I don’t care.”

I gather everyone and head across the street. I tell the guards outside about the wall and the uncomfortable waiting room chairs.

I ask to see all the security heads in my hotel room immediately. They nod and start making calls. I walk inside and they hand me keys for the top floor.

As we head to the elevator, I notice a couple of guys snickering. I stop and pull out my guns, aiming them right between their eyes.

“Say one word. I dare you. Think the Maxwell women don’t pack heat? Think you wouldn’t be my first kill?”

They go pale as I holster my guns. Our security heads arrive, ushering me away. We take the elevator to the top floor and head into the conference room.

I sit at the head of the table, relieved to see Ronald has made it to this position.

“All right, guys, it’s time to put ‘Broken Wing’ into action,” I announce. “I’m stepping up to the plate, with Nate as my right-hand man and Jessie as our third. Caden’s not in a position to call the shots right now. He’s being prepped for surgery. We could really use some positive vibes hoping that this operation goes well. If you’ve got any questions, Nate and I are your go-to guys. You’re all free to go.”

As they rise and start to leave, I remain seated. Nate storms in, his gaze fixed on me.

“What the hell is ‘Broken Wing’?” he demands.

“Nate, did you really think we wouldn’t have a contingency plan if something happened to your dad? Or to any of us, for that matter?” I retort. “We’ve always had this plan ready to roll, and all the key players were in the loop. It was strictly on a need-to-know basis.”

I lift my hand to my necklace, clutching it tightly as I silently pray for his safe return.