Chapter 114
Blake
"Mr. Sterling, I have Sage Morrison on line one. She says it's urgent—about your daughter."
My assistant's voice barely registered as I stared at the quarterly reports spread across my desk. But that final word—daughter—pierced through everything else like a fucking knife to the chest.
I snatched up the phone, my heart already hammering. "This is Blake Sterling."
"Mr. Sterling." The probation officer's voice was professionally calm but carried an unmistakable urgency. "I'm calling to inform you that Lily has been taken to St. Mary's Children's Hospital. The paramedics were called to Ms. Green's apartment after the child was found unresponsive."
My blood turned to ice. "What the fuck happened?" I demanded, already on my feet, a cold sweat breaking across my forehead as images of a tiny, lifeless body flashed through my mind.
"She was found unconscious during her nap. The EMTs stabilized her, but they're concerned about her heart condition. She's en route to the hospital now."
"And Sophia?" The question escaped before I could stop it, accompanied by a twist of guilt I couldn't fully understand.
"Ms. Green is still at her apartment. Her bail conditions prevent her from leaving, even for this emergency."
Something twisted violently inside me at the thought of Sophia trapped in her apartment while our daughter was rushed to the hospital. I pushed the feeling aside, but not before imagining her face—desperate, terrified, fucking helpless. Christ, what kind of system keeps a mother from her sick child?
"I'm on my way to the hospital now," I said, my voice tight with barely controlled panic. "What about the Morgan guy?"
"Mr. Morgan is accompanying Lily in the ambulance as her legal father."
The words 'legal father' hit me like a goddamn sledgehammer to the gut. Rage boiled up so suddenly I nearly crushed the phone in my grip. That fucking impostor touching my daughter.
I ended the call and immediately dialed another number, my fingers trembling with adrenaline.
"James," I said when my father answered. "Meet me at St. Mary's Children's Hospital. I need answers, and I need them now."
"Blake, what's—"
"Lily's been taken to the hospital. I don't know how serious it is." My voice remained steady even as my heart threatened to explode from my chest. "I need to know what's happening with her custody situation. With Morgan."
"I'll be there," James replied without hesitation.
I hung up and strode toward the elevator, barking instructions to my assistant. "Cancel everything for the rest of the day. Have security bring my car around front."
As the elevator descended, I leaned against the wall, momentarily alone with my thoughts. Cold fear clawed at my insides. What if she died? Never got to be her real father? The thought made me want to vomit, to scream, to put my fist through the goddamn elevator wall.
I'm her father.
The thought came with absolute certainty, bringing with it a pounding in my temples so intense I nearly doubled over. I pressed my fingers against the pain, willing it away. I couldn't afford a memory episode. Not now. Not when she needed me.
The elevator doors opened, and I crossed the lobby with long strides, employees scattering from my path like frightened animals. My driver stood at attention beside the black Bentley.
"St. Mary's Hospital," I ordered as I slid into the backseat, my voice like gravel. "Take the fastest route. Don't stop for lights. I don't give a shit if you have to run them all."
"Yes, sir."
As the car pulled away from the curb, I called my mother, sweat beading on my forehead as the headache intensified.
"Blake, darling, I was just—"
"Lily's been taken to St. Mary's," I cut her off, each word clipped and hard. "I'm on my way there now."
Her sharp intake of breath was audible. "What happened? Is she all right?"
"I don't know yet. She was found unconscious in her apartment." My voice cracked slightly, betraying the terror I was trying to suppress. "Fuck, I don't know anything yet."
"I'll meet you there."
"No," I said firmly, the pounding in my head making it hard to think. "I need you to stay with Amanda. Make sure she doesn't leave the apartment when she wakes up."
"But Blake—"
"I need to handle this myself." My grip on the phone tightened until my knuckles turned white. "And I need to know Amanda is contained. Tell her I want to speak with her when I get back. Face to face."
There was a moment of silence before my mother spoke. "Of course. I'll make sure she stays put."
"I'm sending additional security to the building. No one gets in or out without my approval."
"Do you think that's necessary?" she asked, her voice careful.
"I'm not taking any fucking chances. Not with everything that's happening." The pressure behind my eyes intensified until I could barely see. "I need to know where everyone is."
"What about Sophia? Will she be at the hospital?"
"No," I replied, staring out at the New York traffic as my driver wove aggressively between cars. An image of Sophia's face, streaked with tears, flashed in my mind, making my chest ache in a way I couldn't explain. "She can't leave her apartment unless the judge approves a supervised visit, or she's cleared of Amanda's accusations."
"I see." My mother's voice was unreadable. "Keep me updated on Lily's condition."
"I will."
I ended the call and pressed my fingers to my temples, where a vein pulsed painfully. The headache was getting worse, like someone was taking a goddamn ice pick to my brain.
I'd missed two years of her life already. Two fucking years I could never get back.
Twenty minutes later, we pulled up to the emergency entrance of St. Mary's. I stepped out, adjusting my tie with hands that weren't quite steady.
"Stay close," I instructed my driver and the security team that had followed in a separate vehicle. "If anyone suspicious approaches, I want to know immediately."
The hospital doors slid open as I approached, and I strode directly to the reception desk, bypassing the line of waiting patients, my heart pounding so hard I could feel it in my throat.
"My daughter was brought in by ambulance," I announced to the harried-looking nurse, my voice harder than I intended. "Lily Green."
She glanced up, recognition flickering in her eyes. Everyone in New York knew the Sterling name.
"Mr. Sterling, the ambulance hasn't arrived yet. They're still about ten minutes out."
"Where's Dr. Robinson? He's her specialist." Ten more minutes of not knowing if she's alive or dead. Ten more fucking minutes of helplessness.
"I believe he's been notified and is preparing to receive her."
I nodded, then walked toward the double doors marked "Authorized Personnel Only," my heart a battering ram against my ribs.
"Sir, you can't go back there!" the nurse called after me.