Remington's Sky Read online

  Nia lifted her head slightly and turned sad eyes toward Sky. “No matter how much money you or I make, with our brown skin, we would never get away with an affluenza-like defense. They would lock us up and throw away the key.” Nia sighed.

  Sky swirled her wine around in her glass. “If you say so. I still think it was worth a try.”

  “You were kidding right?” Sometimes she couldn’t tell if Sky was serious or not.

  Sky didn’t blink or crack a smile. Her void of emotions resting face, or as Nia like to call it—the disguise—usually hid what Sky was feeling.

  Slow to respond, Nia answered for her. “I know you didn’t really mean that.” At least Nia hoped she didn’t. “Anyway, I’ve told you, I wouldn’t make a good inmate. I’m not cozying up to big Bertha for protection.”

  Sky licked her lips and simply stated, “Okay.” Then, drained the rest of her drink.

  Nervously, Nia laughed. “I-I’m going to just chalk that suggestion up to the wine talking.”

  Sky placed her glass down on the table. She couldn’t hold it in any longer. “If you must. But, look since we’re both almost drunk don’t hold my words against me in the morning. Steven’s only problem is that he’s a jerk. He was a cheating scumbag when we were in college, and he still is. I don’t think he’s ever going to change. I’ve seen him belittle you and tear down your self-confidence. You have too much going for yourself to continuously put up with his crap. Give yourself a chance to be appreciated by someone else. Hell, give another guy a chance to screw up. But, if you’re not going to do that, or commit to choking him to death, for your own sanity, change your number, the locks to your doors, and forget about him.”

  Fresh tears rolled down Nia’s cheeks. She whispered. “Sky . . . I’m not like you. I want love in my life. I love being in love. I can’t just shut off my emotions.”

  Sky scrunched up her face as if tasting something sour. What was she talking about? Sky wanted to find real love too, and she didn’t turn off her emotions. Just because she didn’t let them rule her and wasn’t so quick to give her heart to undeserving assholes didn’t mean she didn’t want love. “I have feelings and standards. You should try it. I’ve heard it’s sexy.”

  Nia began to rationalize her situation. “Look, you’ve never really been in love, or in a long-term relationship since college. I know you’re dating Noah, but I can’t honestly tell how you feel about him. In relationships, there is give and take. You don’t just cut someone off because they make mistakes which is what you do all the time. I know Steven is a hot mess, but he’s my hot mess. It’s not like there are that many eligible black men around. So, I understand how he can be tempted by women throwing themselves at him.”

  Nia’s words stung and pissed her off. Sky couldn’t help herself. “Oh, my god. Are you really buying into the endangered black man myth? Men are like a pair of shoes. They are everywhere! You can get a good or bad pair. I don’t wear anything that makes my feet hurt. I prefer Jimmy Choo’s not bargain basement or thrift store specials. And, for the record, Steven’s not just your hot mess but hers too.”

  Pissed, Nia sat up straight. “He said they were only together once!”

  “One time is too many!”

  The fight went out of Nia as she sagged back into the couch. “I don’t know if I want to give up on our relationship? I know you can’t stand Steven, but he has some amazing qualities. And, let’s not forget, I’ve invested too many years to give up and start over. I want a family. I’m not getting any younger. If therapy can work maybe, I should at least give it a try. You might be fine growing older alone, but I’m not.”

  Growing older with Steven? That was never going to happen. And, family . . . That entire concept was foreign to Sky. Her parents divorced when she was a young child. Still, hearing those words coming from the one relationship she valued more than any other was painful.

  Sky knew that people thought she was cold and calculating, but she’d had to be. Otherwise, the world would have swallowed her up and she would never have reached this level of success, especially if she had to depend on feelings.

  Nia leaned over and placed her head on Sky’s shoulder. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean that. I’m devastated, and it’s the wine talking.”

  They sat silently for a while both pondering each other’s words until Nia’s breathing started to even out. Now she passes out. Murphy’s Law.

  Sky glanced down at her friend. She loved Nia like a sister, and she didn’t deserve Steven’s asshattery. Her heart was just too soft and too forgiving when it came to him. Sky readily admitted her heart was mostly made of stone—too many disappointments. Sky continued to compare herself to Nia, she was much better off. Silly emotions are what had Nia tied up in knots, and Steven had her mind so twisted, the woman didn’t know if she were coming or going.

  In her sleep, Nia clutched her wine glass in one hand and her cell phone in the other. Sky removed the glass and sat it on the table next to the now empty bottle of Merlot. Just like clockwork, as it had all night, her cell phone vibrated. It had been a symphony of buzzing noises and was still vibrating at almost three o’clock in the morning. Sky half expected Nia to jump up out of her sleep to answer it, but she hadn’t. Nia had evidently fallen into a wine-induced sleep-like coma. After a second, or two, when she still didn’t move, Sky gently removed the phone from her hands and looked at the screen. Just as she had suspected, the number on the display was Steven’s.

  Sky shut off her phone, and as she stood with it in hand, the room tilted. Sky stood stock still. Once she felt as if her feet were on solid ground, Sky reached to grab the afghan that was draped over the back of her sofa and placed it on to Nia’s sleeping form.

  “Ugh. We made a mess.” Sky didn’t want to wake up to that in the morning. So, she decided to clean up a little. “Whoa.” She must have moved too fast because the room started to spin again. Sky stilled and extended her arms out to steady herself. After a couple of moments, it did. Carefully, she bent down to pick up their wine glasses. Sky stumbled into the kitchen, and placed Nia’s phone on the island, then tossed the wine bottles in the recycle bin and put the glasses in the sink.

  Sky didn’t understand how her alcohol-soaked mind could still function. Thank God I’m not on call this weekend. She swayed from side to side praying she didn’t fall over. On her way to her bedroom, Sky had to focus hard. She placed one barefoot in front of the other while holding onto the wall.

  Tomorrow’s headache was going to be a bitch. Men. This is what they did to women. Causing them to act out of character and Steven wasn’t even her man, yet there she was drunk as a skunk. Sky couldn’t imagine how she would react if she ever truly gave her heart away, and it was being toyed with. Well, she could, and it would probably make an episode of Snapped.

  In an effort to be more compassionate, Sky continued to ponder how she would have reacted to Nia’s situation if she had been in her shoes. I would never be in that situation because I wouldn’t allow anyone to exert that much power, and certainly not a man. They just weren’t worth it.

  Miraculously, Sky made it to her bedroom without falling over herself. She didn’t bother taking off her clothes as she face-planted into the center of her bed and fell into a deep sleep.

  Chapter 2

  Remington Kneeland was in a meeting when he received a phone call that no parent ever wanted to receive. “Wait. What? Say that again. Bella, I can’t understand you.” His ex-wife’s words were garbled as they tumbled over themselves.

  Without saying anything to the men at the table, Remington got up and left the conference room. He thought Bella said that Charlie was hurt.

  “This isn’t my fault!” She screamed hysterically into the phone.

  “What’s not your fault? I can barely understand you.” Remington covered his ear and plugged it with one finger hoping it would help him hear more clearly. “Calm down and tell me what happened.”

  “She fell off of her h-h-horse and was hur
t. She was unconscious when they brought her to the hospital. She is being examined now. She was so pale, REMI.”

  His heart stopped. Forming coherent thoughts was difficult. “It’s almost three a.m. there?” He yelled into the phone. “What the hell was she doing out this late and on a horse in the first place?” Then, Remington took a deep breath to calm down. “How bad is she?”

  Bella hesitated. “They don’t know if she’s going to . . . make it. They have to remove part of her skull to release the pressure on her brain. She has some internal injuries and might have to have an operation on her spine depending on what the tests show.”

  His knees buckled. Fortunately, he was standing next to a wall. It kept him upright. Remington squeezed his eyes shut and pinched the bridge of his nose. “Who’s performing the surgery?”

  “Dr. Noah Bridges. And, if the spinal cord surgery is necessary, they said one of the best on staff.”

  “That means nothing if the facility is a chicken shack! I want the best in the country!”

  “We don’t have time to fly anyone in!”

  “What the fuck, Bella? Head trauma? Possible spinal cord injury? How did this happen?!”

  “We can discuss that when you get here. In the meantime, they need you to sign some papers and send them back. I had them e-mailed over to your assistant.”

  Remington was numb. “What’s the name of the surgeon?”

  “Dr. Noah Bridges. He’s also the Assistant-Chief-of-Staff and is with her now. I’ll have him call you. And, if necessary, Dr. Sky Kirby. She is on her way to the hospital just in case. I’ll know more once she arrives.”

  Ashleigh stepped out of the conference room just as her name was mentioned. Remington motioned for her while talking to Bella. “Have Dr. Bridges call me on this number. I’m on my way.” After he hung up, Remington turned to his PA. “Give my excuses. Use my electronic signature to sign whatever papers Bella had sent over and have them bring the car around. Find out who Dr. Sky Kirby is and get her on the phone. As a matter of fact, get her a police escort to St. Lucia’s hospital. I need the plane ready to go within the hour.”

  Furiously, Ashleigh took notes. “Of course, Mr. Kneeland.” Her eyebrows furrowed with worry. “Is everything okay?”

  “No. Not at all.”

  Chapter 3

  Sky was asleep and buried so deep underneath the covers it would take a group like the US Special Forces to find her—or, the hospital. They seem to always be able to locate her.

  Her cell phone vibrated on the nightstand next to her bed.

  Given the nature of her job, Sky never slept too soundly. After the second buzz, she reached up into the darkness to answer it. Her voice was muffled since she barely raised her head off the pillow to speak. “Dr. Kirby.”

  “Sky. It’s me.”

  Inwardly, she groaned. “Noah, I have to be at the hospital in a few hours. I’m not in the mood for company.”

  “Way to let me know you miss me after your man bashing weekend with Nia. Anyway, this isn’t a social call. I have a twelve-year-old girl with a spinal cord injury. The lumbar vertebrae was badly damaged. It’s a mess in there.”

  Immediately, Sky sat up and flipped on the lamp. “Are you keeping it cold? It’s important to make sure those nerves remain viable.”

  “They’re following protocol.”

  “Good.” Sky hopped out of bed. “I’m getting dressed now. I should be there within half-an-hour.”

  He ran his hand across the back of his neck. “Look, I’m just going to be honest, I’m not sure there’s anything that can be done to fix her but figured you’d want to take a look. I should warn you the patient is actress Bella Lord-Langston’s daughter.”

  The lightbulb went off in her head. “Ahh . . . you called me because the press is going to be all over this as soon as the sun comes up.” He was taking extra precaution of covering himself if things didn’t go well.

  “They will. And, I’ll need you to make sure you’re on. Considering.” Sky had handled several high-profile patients in the past, and while Noah was a good surgeon, as well as the Assistant-Chief-of-Staff, he had never achieved the level of surgical success that she had. But, he was a great politician, and thus his position. So, given that, she thought it was interesting he was giving her medical advice. “Considering what?”

  “Let’s just say I hope all the wine you consumed on Friday is out of your system.”

  “Are you serious? I would never touch a patient if I were incapacitated in any way.”

  “Just want to make sure.”

  “Is your name, Dr. Franklin Johnston?” After her binge session with Nia, she’d spent the next two days in bed recovering. Sky was fine. But, it also helped to have had a father who drank entirely too much, and because he did, had a recipe for every type of hang-over. She’d spoken to him the morning after.

  “No. I know exactly who I am. My name is Dr. Noah the shit Bridges. It should be a name that makes you tingle all over. The ladies love my dark hair that falls just a little bit into my sexy deep blue eyes. Some women have even mistaken me for Ian Somerhalder.” He said it with a haughty arrogance.

  “Well, Dr. Bridges, right now, I’m not tingling. And, you are not my father or Ian. My dad is the only man who can question me. Even he knows where to draw the line. You need to remember that. I’ve got to go. See you in twenty.” Pissed, Sky disconnected the call.

  She made a quick trip to the bathroom before getting dressed. Just as she was zipping up her grey hoodie and about to stick her feet into a pair of sliders, her phone buzzed again. Sky grabbed it off the table as she was leaving the room. She didn’t even try to hide her frustration. “I’m walking out of my condo now.”

  “Good. I have a squad car waiting outside your building to escort you.”

  It was a deep voice with a sexy timbre she didn’t recognize. That voice made her tingle. “Excuse me. Who is this?”

  “This is Remington Kneeland. I’m calling because you are one of the physician’s treating my daughter. I was hoping you could update me on her condition and provide some assurances about her care. The bottom line is, I need to know if you can handle the challenge of saving Charlie’s life.”

  Sky hoisted her back-pack over her shoulder as she stepped onto the elevator. “I’m not God, but in an O.R. I’m pretty damned close. If it can be done, I can do it. Sometimes, if it can’t be done, I can do it. However, I haven’t examined her yet. Therefore, I can’t update you about her condition. Until I know what I’m dealing with, you’re going to have to depend on the Man above for your assurances.”

  “Call me as soon as you’ve examined her.” Remington didn’t ask but demanded. “I’m currently on my way back from China. I should be there sometime tomorrow evening. You should know that I’ve contacted Dr. Thomas Henson. He’s the top surgeon in this field, and he should be arriving shortly after me. No offense, but I need the best.”

  Sky’s ego took a sucker-punch to the gut. She stepped out of the elevator and walked outside her building through the revolving doors. The valet had already brought her Mercedes around the circular drive. Parked directly behind it was the police car. Once the officer noticed her, he turned on his flashing lights.

  Sky wasn’t impressed. All people should be treated equally. The differences between the haves and have-nots were just too vast to ignore. She was sure her voice came off icier than intended. “Dr. Henson has an impeccable reputation. I’ve met him once or twice.” While Sky had tremendous respect for him, she simply thought she was a much better surgeon—even if she wasn’t a household name, yet. “If it were my daughter I would want the best for her too.” She slid into the passenger seat. Since they were putting all of their cards on the table, Sky let it rip. “I understand that this must be a tough time for you, and I’m sorry. But, unless I give you permission to contact me on my private number, call me on the hospital line.” Irritated, she ended the call and stepped on the gas en route to St. Lucia’s Hospital.


  Chapter 4

  Noah pulled up a chair in one of the private waiting rooms for high-profile patients and sat across from Bella and Kane Langston. They made a striking pair and seemed eager for answers. Kane’s arm was draped around his wife’s petite frame. He held her close in an attempt to offer comfort. The look of terror only intensified the moment he walked into the room, and with good reason. The news was grim at best, better than the worst-case-scenario—but not by much.

  Noah didn’t mince words. “As I told you when Charlie was brought in to the emergency, her injuries are severe. We were able to relieve some of the pressure on her brain, but as suspected, she’s sustained some internal bleeding and is going to need surgery on her spine. The surgeon I mentioned earlier, Dr. Sky Kirby should be here soon.”

  Bella clutched her blouse at the center of her chest and crushed it between her fingers. She was afraid to ask her next question. “Will Charlie be okay?” She was barely able to get the words out.

  “We are doing everything we can.” Noah attempted to remain sensitive as he explained the situation. “Charlie’s head trauma is serious, and her spine has been severely damaged.”

  “Oh, Gaawd.” Bella turned her face into her husband’s chest.

  Noah directed his next words to Kane. “Dr. Kirby is one the best surgeons we have on staff, and I will be assisting.”

  “That’s not good enough.” Bella lashed out. “We need the best!”