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“Is Mum alone?”

“No. I’m here. Katherine’s on her way. Voss knows.”

“I’ll be there as soon as I can.”

I end the call and shove the phone into my pocket.

Blaire steps closer. “Ross, what happened?”

“My father had a heart attack.”

Her face changes immediately.

“Oh my God.”

“He’s at St. Thomas’.”

She reaches for me.

“Do you want me to come with you?”

The answer comes too quickly.

“No.”

Blaire stops.

I see the reaction cross her face, and I soften my voice before she can misunderstand it.

“No, stay here,” I say.

“I’ve got it. I’ll call you as soon as I know something.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yes.”

She studies me for a second, then nods.

“Okay,” she says. “Just call me.”

“I will.”

I kiss her forehead, grab my keys and head for the door. By the time I reach the hallway, whatever I almost told her has disappeared behind one thought: Get to my father.

The private cardiac wing is quieter than I expect when I arrive, which somehow makes everything worse.

Sebastian is the first person I see. He is standing outside a consultation room with his jacket off and his tie hanging loose, one hand braced against the back of his neck. The moment he sees me, he straightens.

“Where the hell were you?” Sebastian asks.

“I was out,” I say, already moving toward him.

“My phone was buried. What do we know?”

Sebastian’s irritation disappears as quickly as it came. “Not enough,” he says.

I look past him and see my mother sitting inside the room. Eleanor is still wearing the clothes she had on when my father collapsed. Her hands are clasped tightly in her lap, and Katherine Wolfe is seated a few feet away while Voss stands near the far wall speaking quietly with someone from hospital administration. Neither of them approaches me.