Book Cover created in acrylic by the extremely talented @therealpaul
If you have not read the first book of the series, "Reborn", it is advisable you do so before reading "Renewal" or you will be lost. This link will provide you with a series summary as well as all sixty-eight chapters of Reborn
Chapter Twenty-Eight
The morning after Jared shot down her plea to help the sick man, Anna convinced him to take her into town. She insisted she needed food and other sundries, though in truth she just needed to go anywhere to relieve her cabin fever. And she was also hoping to sneak in a purchase of a prepaid phone. She had a visa and if she could get him bored enough to wait somewhere else for her…it was risky but if she couldn’t tell him about herself she still needed to be able to contact her dad.
She took her time looking around the town’s only department store and after a while she could feel him growing annoyed.
“You could always wait outside on the bench and smoke a cigar, or in the diner where it’s warm,” she suggested. They were currently in the woman’s clothing section. “I want a new dress and it might take me awhile to try different ones on.”
He grunted and pulled a bank card from his wallet and handed it to her. “Don’t be all day.”
She nodded shooing him.
She waited until he had disappeared, then hurriedly selected a couple of dresses to try on. The electronics department was at the other end of the store so she would need to make a quick selection and dash over there for her phone purchase.
She was just stepping into the changing stall when she heard her name and turned to see Camilla from the tavern hurrying over to her.
“I’m so glad tae find ye here! Your da’ called, he seemed very intent on getting a hold of ye, have ye spoken ta him?”
Anna’s heart stilled. She looked towards the entrance wondering fearfully if Jared was listening. She looked back at Camilla and the concern on the woman’s face drove home what she’d said…dad was intent on getting a hold of her? He was never intent on anything.
“Could I use your phone again?” she asked quietly.
“O’ course!” She handed it over and Anna excused herself, sliding into the changing room stall. If Jared was tuning in she was about to have a very bad day.
The phone rang twice and a woman’s voice answered. A woman’s voice?
She wondered if she’d dialed the wrong number. “Um, hello, this is Anna, is my dad there?”
“Oh! Honey! Oh, honey. He’s been waiting for your call.” The woman sounded distressed.
“Is…is something wrong?”
“Um. Oh, this is not the way I would want to tell you this, in fact I’m sure he’d want to do the telling but…well he’s sleeping right now and it’s important that you come home.”
Anna’s heart started to pound. “Home? He’s in New York?”
“Yes dear, he’s been here for a couple of weeks.”
Anna shook her head slightly, her brows knitting in confusion. “Who are you?”
“I’m his nurse sweetie.”
“His….what? Nurse? What do you mean?” She squeezed the phone tighter and felt the saliva drying in her mouth.
“Oh this is so…your father is sick honey. He has a tumor. In his brain. Oh goodness, I certainly didn’t want to tell you this over the phone but the sad fact is there isn’t time.”
She was frozen for a moment as the words sank in. “W-wh-what do you mean there isn’t……time?” she choked out the last word, shocked disbelief racing through her mind.
“I think it was wrong of him, I know it’s not my business, but he should have told you much sooner. He didn’t want you to spend months worrying about him when there wasn’t anything you could do, but it would have given you time to prepare.” The woman tsked.
Anna felt her head shaking back and forth and she couldn’t stop it. The phone slid from her hand and she dropped down on the bench trying to understand what the woman was saying, because it didn’t make any sense. Her dad was dying? Of a brain tumor? Not possible.
She looked at her hands and stilled. NOT GOING TO HAPPEN.
She bent down and retrieved the phone.
“Hello?” The woman was clucking.
“I’m coming,” she told her and hung up. Her hands were shaking as she dialed information for the numbers of private jet companies in the surrounding areas, or anything of the sort. She pulled a pen from her purse and jotted down a bunch of digits and began calling.
“I need to hire a private jet for as soon as possible to get me to NY.” She repeated the statement several times until she landed on pay dirt.
She made arrangements and for a small fortune she would have paid a hundred times over a plane would be waiting for her whenever she got there, fueled and ready to go.
One small problem. Or extremely large one, rather.
She looked nervously at the dressing room door half expecting him to be standing on the other side with fire in his eyes. She pushed it open and peered out. Not there. He must not have heard her. So what now?
The jet was conveniently located at the same airport where she and Jared had arrived in Scotland, which meant she could blur straight there. Whether he’d catch her depended on how long it was before he noticed she was gone.
Well if he caught her she’d have to tell him everything, which was the same as what she’d have to do right now if she wanted to include him. Her fear was that he would reject her at the worst possible moment of her life, or far worse- refuse to let her go. At any rate the explanation would waste valuable time, the way the nurse had sounded….NO she shouted in her mind, he will NOT die before you get there, you will get there and heal him and everything will be okay.
She saw Camilla at the other end of the store and hurried over. Before the woman could speak loudly she pulled her into a hug and whispered in her ear.
“I can’t explain right now but my boyfriend is outside somewhere and he can’t know about my dad’s call. Or the fact that I’m leaving out the back door of this store. Please don’t say anything else, and thank you for your help.”
Camilla stared at her with wide eyes as she took her phone. She made a key turning gesture against her lips and Anna mouthed thanks again. She rushed to the back of the store and pushed open the exit, peering around her. Since the temperature was frigid there were no people milling about and when the door shut behind her she blurred.
She rushed through the airport terminal’s automatic door and hurried to the information desk. The woman directed her to the runway she needed and she prayed they wouldn’t hold her up at security.
Luck was with her, apparently rich people didn’t have to go through security, well if they were taking a plane with no other patrons anyway.
A man guided her out to the steps of the vessel and she hurried up them. There was one flight attendant on board and she asked her how long until take off.
“Just a few minutes if you’re ready Miss Preston.”
“I’m ready.”
She buckled into her seat, her heart thundering in her chest as she stared out of the window.
Once they were in the air she let go of the breath she’d been holding and rested her forehead against the clear pane. Her heart jerked. Jared was standing on the runway staring after her with a look of shock on his face. When the jet moved into a position that blocked her view she dashed to the other side. He was still staring up and she wondered if he could see her. She pressed a hand against the window and mouthed “I’m sorry” and then he was gone.
Generously created for me by @son-of-satire