The exasperation her manager felt was palpable even through the phone.
Kylie had talked to Hannah and Lulu several times since arriving in Georgia. She’d told Lu the actual truth, but Hannah she had to be vague with. The one thing Trace had made adamantly clear was that under no circumstances of any kind were the details of Rae’s accident to be shared with anyone who might leak it to the label or the media.
“Chaz is not happy, Miss Ryans. The label is going to be even more upset. This just isn’t done. Unless you yourself are dying or someone close to you is dead, there isn’t a family emergency big enough to justify disappearing in the middle of the night.”
Kylie’s brain seemed to have switched places with her heart, as there was steady throbbing coming from inside her head.
“I know, Han. Believe me, I know. Just…do what you can. Call Jane Bradford and tell her I’ll be in touch.”
“The show in Oklahoma City this weekend is sold out. What am I supposed to say is your reason for canceling it?”
Kylie closed her eyes, thankful that Hannah couldn’t see her. She was pretty sure this wasn’t going to be over in a mere four days.
“All I can give anyone right now is two words. Family emergency. It’s all I have, Han. I’m sorry.”
The girl sighed. “Okay, Miss Ryans. I’ll do what I can.”
“Hannah?”
“Yes, Miss Ryans?”
“Please call me Kylie from now on.”
She promised she’d be in touch as soon as she could. But when she heard Trace’s voice thundering from down the hall, her conversation with her manager was forgotten. As were the other sixty-three missed calls on her phone.
“Well what do you know, exactly? Because we’ve been here for an hour and I haven’t been able to get a single straight fucking answer from—”
“Trace,” she said, effectively distracting him from the poor nurse he was yelling at. Kylie placed herself between the two of them. “Hi there,” she said, turning to the nurse behind the desk. “Kylie Ryans,” she said, extending her hand in greeting.
“I know who you are,” the nurse practically sneered as she ignored Kylie’s outstretched hand. “But this is a hospital, not the Grammys. So I can’t bump you to the front of the line on the red carpet.”
Kylie forced herself not to punch the smug woman in the face.
“I apologize for our impatience. Please know we don’t expect any special treatment. But we’re trying to locate the private family waiting area closest to where his sister is being cared for. I would appreciate it so very much if you could please help us find it so we can get out of your hair.”
The woman looked to be about Claire Ann’s age but was about fifty pounds heavier and apparently not a fan of country music. Or of the human race as a whole.
All Claire Ann’s last text had said was, Sixth Floor, which wasn’t all that helpful since the sixth floor was enormous.
The woman narrowed her eyes at both of them and clicked a few times on her keyboard.
“I don’t have a Rae Corbin anywhere in my patient list. As I told you before, go down to the Patient Information desk on the first floor and—”
“McClain,” Trace said suddenly. “I forgot she’s been using our mother’s maiden name. Her actual last name is McClain.”
The woman snorted as if she couldn’t be bothered to check again. Kylie felt Trace’s body tense beside her.
“Yes, well, be that as it may—”
“Look, lady. We get it, okay?” Kylie did her best to speak plainly through her gritted teeth. “Being a nurse is probably not the easiest job on the damn planet. Long hours, disgusting bodily fluids all over the place, and highly emotional people snapping at you every other second. And we appreciate the job that you do, believe me. But let me make this crystal fucking clear for you. I guarantee that by tomorrow morning, I can have the CEO of this hospital, whose granddaughter happens to be a huge fan of mine, fire your ass. Effective immediately. So do us all a favor and type Rae Michelle McClain into your computer before I have to call my good friend George and explain how horribly I’m being treated by a staff member at his hospital. Think you can handle that?”
“Here it is. R. McClain. She’s in ICU recovery room four. Waiting room’s straight down that hall on your left.”
Kylie did her best to smile sweetly. “Thank you so much for your help.”
She linked her arm in Trace’s and tugged him toward the hallway the woman had indicated.
“You really know the CEO?” he whispered from beside her.
“I saw his name on the website when I was getting the address for the GPS,” she whispered back.