Fashioned for Love (A Silver Script Novel Book 3) (7 page)

Traffic was heavy in parts, due to the evening commute, but for the most part, it was a smooth drive. She realized too late that the route would take her through a tunnel, but she didn’t have much of a choice. There were too many cars around for her to get out of the lane. She paid the toll and continued on. As she went into the tunnel, she couldn’t help but hold her breath. She went on the subway all the time, but this just seemed different as she drove through.

As soon as she was out of the tunnel, she dialed Lance’s number. He answered after a few rings.

“Lance Walker. How may I help you?” His voice sent a thrill through Debra.

“Hey, I just came out of the tunnel. I should be half an hour or less. Unless I get lost.”

"Were you able to pick up the order?”

Debra stayed silent for a moment. “Um, what?”

“The order. Were you able to get it with no problem?” There was interference in the speaker, and muffled voices.

It clicked that Lance was trying to cover up what this was actually about. She waited for him to get back on the phone before she answered back. “Yes, I got the order. When should I drop it off?”

“As soon as possible. It’s—one second.” There was more muffled talking before Lance ordered whoever it was out of the room. “Sorry. My parents were trying to take my phone. I had to tell them it was for the fashion show and it would completely flop if this call didn’t happen. By the time you get here, I’ll have my parents convinced that I’m exhausted and need my sleep. I hope. Thanks again.”

“Glad I could help. I’ll be there as soon as possible.” Debra ended the call just as she heard the door open in the background. No wonder he wanted out of there. Somehow that seemed to be the hardest part of the plan.

It took a couple of tries to get the car parked straight, but Debra finally turned the car off and pulled the keys out of the ignition. She checked her reflection in the mirror, adding just a touch of lipstick.

Debra smiled at the nurses she passed as she walked into the hospital. She’d been there often enough that most of those on duty knew her. And now she was going to try to get past all of them with a guy who couldn’t even walk.

Lance’s parents came around the corner and Debra quickly backed up behind a column. She didn’t want to give them any hint that she’d been around. As they walked past, discussing how they’d change the house so he could get around easier, Debra sighed. From what Lance had told her, the house had looked pretty much the same his entire life. They were willing to go out of their way to help him out, and here she was helping him escape.

She could walk away right now. Take the car to his house and go back home. Or she could get him out and back to work where he could help Nikki with the problems there. No, maybe his parents were right. He should have a break.

But it was his choice. He was a grown man. He was acting like a child by hiding, but he was still in charge of his own life. Debra pushed off the wall and walked into his room. She quickly turned away as he pulled on his shirt over his head. He’d obviously worked out by the tone of his chest and arms, but she hadn’t expected to see it when she walked in. A knock probably would have been a good idea.

“Oh, hey. You’re here.” Lance’s voice was happier than she’d heard it in a while.

She peeked to make sure the shirt was on before turning back toward him. “Hey. I saw your parents. They were talking about fixing the house up for when you get there.”

He smirked. “They say that now, but I’m pretty sure I heard them making plans to visit my sister in Africa.”

“Maybe they’ll go after they’re done with the changes.” Debra helped put his socks and shoes on. She lowered her voice. “Do you think this is a good idea?”

Lance tipped Debra’s chin up so their eyes met. “I need to get out of here. There’s absolutely nothing they can do for me here that I can’t do at home. I haven’t had an IV for two days, and I’ve been cutting down the painkillers to where I’m down to just the bare minimum. Please.”

The flecks of green in Lance’s eyes mesmerized Debra as she stared into them. She finally nodded. “Okay. But we need to hurry. I assume they’ll be in to do therapy or something soon.”

“Already took care of that. I had my mom and dad help so I’d make sure everyone was satisfied. Now, do you have the papers from David?”

“Oh, yes. They’re right here.” She pulled them out of her purse and smoothed them out. “You really think this will help?”

Lance shook his head. “I have no idea, but I’m not about to wait around to find out. Oh, and the cash? I figure I better pay them for the wheelchair since we’ll be taking off with it.”

“I thought that was for the car.” She pulled the roll of cash out and handed it to him.

“It was.” He tossed it on the bed next to the papers. “But since you had no problems, I figure we might as well use it. I’ll pay David back as soon as I get back to my computer.”

Debra moved closer so he could wrap his arm around her to climb into the wheel chair. “And we’re just going to walk out of here?”

“Yep. Remember you were going to take me on walk the other day. We’re just doing it now instead. Oh, and you’ll need to carry my laptop bag over your shoulder. Having me take it would look a little suspicious.” He pulled on his coat, and Debra helped him zip it up. “How close did you park?”

“Just around the corner. I figured we wouldn’t want to have everyone watching.” Debra put his bag over her shoulder and pushed his wheelchair toward the door.

Lance looked back at her. “Thank you. I owe you for this.”

“Hey, anything for my husband.” She emphasized the last word, making Lance chuckle.

“Sorry about that, but it was the only way they would have let you out of the dealership with it.” He nodded at his doctor as they pushed past. Thankfully Dr. Peterson only nodded back before continuing his discussion with the nurse.

They continued out the door to the back of the hospital where most of the patients went for their time outside. No one was out because of the weather, so they had to move quickly before questions were asked. Debra glanced around and ducked around the corner toward the car. She unlocked the door and started it using the remote, then opened the trunk.

“Wow, I didn’t know it had all those features.” Lance waited for her to open the door and moved himself from the chair to his seat in the Porsche.

Debra quickly folded the chair up and shoved it in the trunk before going to the driver’s side. Her heart beat rapidly as she backed out of the parking spot. Lance took her hand, sending tingles up her arm.

“Hey, it’s okay. Relax.” He squeezed her fingers.

“That’s easy for you to say. You didn’t just kidnap a patient from the hospital.” In her rearview mirror, she could see a few nurses rush out the doors and look around. Dr. Peterson followed closely after and ran his hand through his hair. “Looks like we didn’t quite make a clean getaway.”

Lance laughed. “They’re not coming after us. We’ll be just fine. Besides, I overpaid the bill by quite a bit, so they can’t complain too much.”

Debra glanced over at him. “How do you know much the bill was?”

“I pulled up my chart while the nurse was getting my medicine for me. They really need to make their passwords harder to figure out.” He leaned back in his chair and closed his eyes.

“So you’re a hacker on top of a fashion designer. Good to know.” Debra glanced into her mirror to make sure no one was coming. “Where are we going, anyway?”

Lance shrugged. “You can take me to my office if you’d like. I just don’t want to go home.”

“I’m thinking that’s not the best place to go. Do you know where David lives? Maybe you could go there.” Debra pulled onto the freeway and headed for Manhattan.

“He moved to a small town outside of the city. I could call him.” Lance pulled out his phone.

Debra tapped her fingers on the steering wheel. “No. That would be bad now that I think about it. He still has the paparazzi after him, and that’s the last thing you need right now.”

“Good point.” Lance stared out the window.

“You okay?” Debra checked the mirror again, then glanced over at him. “You look a little pale.”

He nodded. “I’m just tired. That took more effort than I thought it would.”

Debra sighed and tapped in an address. She knew the way, but it helped to have the computer remind her of all the turns. It was a few minutes later that Lance’s breathing became deeper as he fell asleep.

“Hey, Lance. Wake up.” Debra shook his shoulder. “We’re here.”

Lance jerked awake and glanced around. “Where are we?”

“My apartment. You’ll stay here until we can get you back home.” She helped him out of the car and into his chair. “Nikki’s grabbing some stuff for you and she’ll be by later. She’s pretty ecstatic that you’re back.”

Lance rubbed his eyes. “Man, I must have been out. How’d you get all of that planned?”

“Well, it was hard to do over your snoring, but thankfully, Nikki could still hear me.”

Debra pushed the button on the elevator and waited for it. This was the first time she’d used the parking spot and hoped the manager wouldn’t get suspicious. When the doors opened to her floor, she pulled her keys out of her purse.

“Lucky for you, I just had the guest room decorated, so no sofa for you.” She pushed him into the room. “Although, I admit it’s a little more feminine than you’re probably used to.”

The lilac bedspread and curtains had been picked out specifically for her mom’s taste. Her dad always joked about how much her mom loved purple. “I can change them out if you’d like.”

“No, this is perfect. I was getting bored with the white walls at the hospital. Purple is a good change.” He waited for Debra to help him up onto the bed. “We might have to do something about the height of the bed, though. Not that I mind your arms around me, but I need to be able to get in and out easier.”

Debra bit her lip. “My own bed isn’t much better. I guess we could do the sofa bed if you really need it.”

“I’ll make this work. Sorry, I shouldn’t complain. You really helped me out today.” He smiled and pulled out his laptop.

“I’m glad I could help. Now, I need to get some sleep. Oh, hey, Nikki called while I was at work. She was frantic because she didn’t have the designs. I sent her copies of the ones we talked about.”

Lance sighed. “This is part of why I needed to get out. Nikki and Ella do a fabulous job with the adjustments and running shows, but the management part isn’t something they’re used to.”

“Well, you two can talk about it when she gets here. Oh, I think that might be her.” Debra went to buzz Nikki up and put the teapot on the stove. She wanted some hot chocolate before bed. When the knock came at the door, Debra let Nikki in. “Hey, thank you again for bringing him those things.”

“I’m glad I could help.” Nikki followed Debra into the spare room and set the supplies in a chair. Lance had fallen asleep, so she put her fingers to her lips and walked out of the room, with Debra right behind. “You’re so sweet for offering your room to him. It’s so close to work and the studio. Not that it will do much good. I don’t see him getting far with the wheelchair.”

Debra glanced back at the guest room. “We’ll make it work for him. Thanks again”

Nikki smiled. “That’s what I do. Give me a call if he drives you crazy.”

Debra waved and closed the door behind Nikki. She made her mug of hot chocolate and climbed into her bed. The day had taken quite a different turn than what she’d been expecting, and she was exhausted. She just hoped she’d made the right decision.