Chapter 280 The Ghost in the Hospital

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When Alpha Dominic heard that Jack had disappeared, his jaw went tight. His Alpha side didn’t like threats to his pregnant mate.

"Put three security teams around the building. Elara doesn’t go outside without guards. I don’t care if she’s just going to the store."

"Check every car twice a day. Brakes, everything. I want people watching everything."

Even after giving orders, he still felt worried. His protective instincts were on high alert.

He found Elara on their leather couch, looking at work on her laptop. She wore baggy sweats and fuzzy slippers.

Her hair was in a messy bun. She looked cute, but he could tell her wolf felt restless from staying inside.

"Jack is hiding somewhere," he said. "I don’t trust that guy not to do something crazy. With Jack missing, we need to be extra careful when you go outside. No more casual trips."

Elara had barely left the house anyway. She only had to go to Hannah’s wedding at the end of the month.

"That’s fine," she said, closing her laptop. "Hannah’s wedding is my only plan. After that, I’m staying home until the baby comes."

She looked at her phone. "Oh wait. The TV crew wants to film the group activity tomorrow with all the other pregnant moms. Can we do it here instead of going to that studio in Brooklyn?"

When she mentioned going out, Alpha Dominic’s face got dark.

His Alpha instincts hated the idea of letting his pregnant mate leave their territory while danger was out there.

He wanted to take her off the show completely. But they were halfway done filming.

"If the show needs to film the group activity with all the other pregnant women, they’ll have to bring everyone here. I own the whole floor next door. I had it turned into one big space, like a private house. We’ll use that."

Elara couldn’t believe how much property he owned. The Alpha King’s wealth was crazy. She tried not to roll her eyes. "That works."

--

After discussing Jack and the security measures, Elara curled up on their leather sectional with a pregnancy book.

But Alpha Dominic could tell she wasn’t really reading. She’d been staring at the same page for ten minutes.

He loosened his tie and sat beside her, sensing her troubled thoughts through their mate bond. "What’s on your mind?"

She closed the book slowly. "I keep thinking about Nadia. Alone in that hospital room. I know she’s a terrible person, but..."

"But she’s still your mother," Alpha Dominic finished quietly.

"I don’t know if I want to see her. But I also don’t know if I can live with myself if I don’t."

He glanced at his watch. "Actually, don’t you have your checkup with Dr. Hayes this afternoon?"

Elara checked her phone calendar. "Yeah, 3 PM."

"Perfect timing then. We’ll take care of your appointment first, make sure everything’s good with the baby. Then if you still want to visit Nadia afterward, Sloan Kettering is only twenty minutes from Dr. Hayes’ office."

Alpha Dominic reached over and took her hand. "One thing at a time. No pressure either way."

One hour later, they finished the checkup with Dr. Hayes.

The baby was healthy and developing perfectly.

Now Elara found herself standing outside Nadia’s hospital room at Sloan Kettering.

Alpha Dominic waited in the hallway with Charlie and two additional guards while she approached the door.

But when she peered inside, the bed was empty.

A nurse with cartoon cat scrubs told her Nadia was in radiology and wouldn’t be back for twenty minutes.

Elara stared at the empty bed for a long moment. Maybe this was the universe telling her something.

She pulled out a thermos of homemade soup from her bag, set it on the bedside table, and walked away.

--

Nadia had just returned from radiology when she settled back into her private room. The nurses helped her get comfortable in bed.

She was exhausted from the scans and lost in her thoughts about Elara. Would her daughter actually come?

Every footstep in the hallway made her look up. Every time the elevator dinged, her heart jumped.

Nadia had binged enough Hallmark movies to know how this should go. The estranged daughter rushes to her dying mother’s bedside. They have a tearful reconciliation. Maybe share some apple pie and talk about old times.

Real life wasn’t a Lifetime movie.

Dr. Kapoor came by during evening rounds. He was a slight man with wire-rimmed glasses and the kind of calm bedside manner that came from twenty years of delivering terminal diagnoses.

"We ran the genetic panels," he said, pulling up her chart on the tablet.

"The good news is you’re a candidate for targeted therapy. Think of it like precision bombing instead of carpet bombing. Less aggressive than traditional chemo. Fewer side effects. Better quality of life."

He looked at her over his glasses. "What do you think, Mrs. Grant?"

Nadia forced a weak smile. "Whatever you think is best, Doctor."

Dr. Kapoor glanced around the room. "Oh, I see someone left you a thermos. The nurses mentioned your daughter stopped by while you were in radiology. She asked us to take good care of you."

Nadia’s eyes widened as she finally noticed the thermos. "Elara was here? When?"

"While you were downstairs getting your scans. She didn’t stay long. Left the thermos on your bedside table."

So typical Elara. Even her acts of kindness came with an escape route.

Dr. Kapoor didn’t know the toxic family history, so he didn’t push. He’d probably seen worse dysfunction than a soap opera marathon.

He just reminded her to rest and left.

Nadia stared at the plain steel thermos sitting on the table. Her vision blurred with tears.

"I’m sorry, Elara," she whispered. "I’m so sorry."

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