out of bed and shoved her feet into her boots. “That’s Lance Walker from Walker Apparel. I’ll be there in forty-five minutes.” She grabbed her purse and keys and slammed her door shut behind her as she ran for the elevator. “Listen, look for a Nikki or Ella in his phone. They’re his assistants and will need to know a.s.a.p.”
“Thank you. I’ll see you when you get here.”
She hung up the phone as the elevator doors shut. The call would have been dropped anyway, and she had his number so she could call back when she got into the cab. It was just a matter of finding one at this hour. Generally, if she waved the Ad Agency’s name under their noses, she could get them to pick her up quickly. She put in a call to the nearest service and they had a car there within minutes. She’d have to thank David once this was all over.
As soon as the cab pulled up to the curb, Debra yanked the door open and climbed in, then gave the address to the driver.
“Take the fastest way please. This is an emergency.” She wanted to pull her hair out as he turned into traffic and moved slowly toward the bridge to get them off the island. This was one time she wished she had a car. She felt so out of control letting someone else take her, and she just wanted to get there.
Guilt, anxiety, and fear ran through her as they weaved their way along. She should never have made him take her to the hockey game and party. She should’ve just gone alone. Not that she wanted to, because it had been one of the best days she’d had in a long time.
As soon as the cab pulled up to the hospital, Debra handed over a wad of cash to the driver and jumped out. She’d made sure to leave a tip for driving so far and so quickly, and she could hear the shouted “thank you” as she entered the front doors.
Now that she was there, Debra had no idea where to go. She strode over to the information desk. “Hi, I’m looking for Lance Walker. I was told he was in an accident, and I need to find the man who called me. Shawn something.”
The nurse frowned at her and typed a few things into the computer. “Are you related to him?”
“No, but I was told he was here, and I need to see him.” Debra drummed her fingers on the counter.
“I’m sorry, but unless you’re family, you can’t go back there. He’s a high profile patient, and we don’t want press getting wind that he’s here.”
With a sigh, Debra turned away. She probably shouldn’t have told Shawn who Lance actually was. She pulled out her phone and called Lance’s number.
“Hello?” the now familiar voice asked.
“Hi, it’s Debra. I’m at the hospital, but they won’t tell me where you or Lance are.” Debra turned her back so she wouldn’t glare at the nurse. She was just doing her job.
“I’ll be right out.”
Debra pushed the lock button on her phone and shoved it into her purse. The minute it took for Shawn to get out there felt like an eternity. A tall man with curly brown hair walked through the door and glanced around before spotting Debra. He walked over and held out his hand.
“You’re Debra?”
“Yes, that’s me. How is he?” She gestured toward the door he’d just come through, and he started walking back toward it.
Shawn ran his fingers through his hair. “They don’t know. And since I’m not family either, they won’t tell me anything. I’ve just been keeping the police and doctor company until you could get here. I called his assistants like you told me to. Nikki is out of town and catching the first flight back. Ella will be by in the morning. Something about a niece staying with her.”
“Thank you.” Debra stopped when they got to the OR waiting room. She hated this room. She’d spent too many times in the waiting room in Connecticut when her dad was so sick, and she didn’t want to be back.
A doctor came forward. “You must be Debra. I’m Dr. Peterson. We’ve been waiting for you so we could get more information. We’re