Wherever You Are. Elle Wright

      Drake had been insisting that El go out with Love’s cousin Lana. The sneaky matchmaking couple had blatantly set up numerous dinners under the guise of fake celebrations, like Love almost being pregnant or Drake successfully operating on a patient. Not that he didn’t hope Love would realize her dream of being a mother or that he wasn’t proud of his nephew’s impressive surgical record. But every single thing that happened didn’t need to be celebrated with dinner and drinks at a high-brow restaurant downtown.

      “You don’t know my life, Drake. And I’d appreciate it if you didn’t act like you did.”

      Drake shrugged. “I’m just sayin’. If I don’t tell you the truth, who will?”

      “How about you concentrate on your life with your beautiful wife. Leave my business to me.”

      It was no use telling Drake to mind his own business. He’d learned early on that he had no private business growing up in a house with the younger Jacksons.

      Drake was the eldest son of El’s brother, the incomparable plastic surgeon Dr. Lawrence Jackson. Behind Drake were the twins, Ian and Myles. His sweet niece, Melanie, came later.

      When El was five years old, Lawrence took him in and raised him along with his own children. Lawrence was twenty-one years older, and El was the “oopsie” baby, an unplanned inconvenience to his parents, who’d preferred to hire nannies than spend quality time with him.

      Before his brother rescued him, El’s childhood had been cold, a web of loneliness and despair. His mother and father had barely spared him a glance, and when they did it was to tell him that he was a mistake they didn’t want.

      Once El left his parents’ home, he’d never looked back or even communicated with them again. He couldn’t even bring himself to attend their funerals. As far as he was concerned, they didn’t deserve to be anyone’s parents.

      Most often, his brother wasn’t known for his kindness, but that one decision had changed El’s life for the better. And despite Lawrence’s many flaws, inherited from their parents, El would always be grateful to his brother for stepping in.

      El met Drake’s intent gaze. “What?” he asked.

      Drake assessed him, a frown deepening on his brow. “You went to the Power Center, didn’t you?”

      El stood up. “Are you ready to go? Thai?”

      Drake stood, but made no move toward the door. “You did. You went to see Avery at the Black Celebratory.”

      El closed his laptop and shoved it into his bag. As if Drake wasn’t standing there watching his every move, he continued to pack up his belongings. He’d finish working at home.

      “How did she look?” Drake asked.

      When he met his nephew’s gaze, he couldn’t ignore the gleam in Drake’s eyes. “Damn good,” he admitted finally. “She was still Avery.”

      Drake barked out a laugh. “I knew you wouldn’t be able to resist. I always told you that you let her go too easily, but you’re too damn stubborn to admit it.”

      “I thought I was the psychiatrist in the family. You stick to cardiothoracic surgery, and stop trying to figure me out.”

      “Did you talk to her?”

      El zipped up his messenger bag. “I did.”

      “Well?” Drake asked after a few seconds.

      “Well, nothing. She is still Avery, busy and about her business.”

      The sarcasm in his words wasn’t lost on his nephew, who folded his arms across his chest and planted himself on the arm of a chair.

      “Drake, I don’t want to talk about her,” El persisted. “I went to see her. We had words. I left. Nothing more, nothing less. Let’s go.”

      Except, El knew there was more to that visit than he’d let on to Drake.

      “How long will she be here?” Drake stood up and walked toward the door. “I want to see her.”

      “I have no idea.” They left his office and headed toward the elevators. “I had to use the emergency room valet when I came back.” El had been called back to the hospital earlier when one of his patients attempted suicide, and had never gotten a chance to move his car.

      They fell into step beside each other as they walked to the Emergency Department parking lot.

      A few people breezed past them as they neared the doors. El noted the crowd in the waiting room.

      “Are those photographers?” Drake asked, pointing toward the glass doors at the entrance.

      El frowned. Photographers in the ER were a rare occurrence, and he wondered what had happened. He caught a glimpse of the same guard he’d seen earlier with Avery as the burly man stormed into the triage area.

      When he saw a distraught Jessica run in next, his heart fell. Because on the gurney behind Jess was Avery.

      Drake jumped into action first, calling Avery’s name as he met the paramedics. Shock, fear and concern shot through El at the sight of an unconscious Avery. The paramedics yelled out commands, while Drake barked out a few of his own.

      “El?” Drake barked. “Snap out of it.”

      El peered down at Avery, then at Jess. “What happened?” he shouted.

      Jess was barely holding on. Her eyes were swollen and red, and pieces of tissue were stuck to her cheek. “She...” she croaked, swallowing visibly. “I knew she didn’t feel well. I told her to rest, but she wouldn’t. El, what if she dies?”

      El grabbed Jess’s shoulders and squeezed gently. “She won’t die, but I need you to tell me what happened.”

      El prided himself on being able to hear two conversations at once. It often came in handy in his line of work. He was able to talk to Jess and hear the symptoms being thrown out by the medical personnel working on Avery. Vision changes and high blood pressure. Jess continued her explanation, telling El about Avery’s behavior after the graduation. Severe headache. The other woman explained that Avery told her she couldn’t see her. Possible stroke.

      Possible stroke? He turned to Drake. “What?” he asked.

      Drake lowered his head. “It sounds like it.”

      Before El could ask anything else, emergency room staff were there, pulling Avery behind the frosted glass. Drake was right behind them, dialing furiously on his phone.

      Jess tried to push her way through, but El held her back. “Jess, you can’t go back there.”

      “But she needs me,” Jess yelled, panic in her voice. “I can’t leave her alone.”

      “She’ll be fine. Let the doctors do their job.”

      El couldn’t believe how easily the words came out. Sure, he’d practiced them thousands of times in medical school. When there was nothing else left to say, encourage the family to let the doctors do their job. Only this wasn’t a random patient; it was Avery, the only woman he’d ever loved. And she was fighting for her life.

      Hours later, an ER doctor pulled some strings and El and Jess were allowed in the room while the doctors worked on Avery. Drake had been called away for an emergency, but had been checking in periodically.

      It was surreal to see his colleagues, some of his friends, working on Avery. Many of them had attended college with them, had known her before she was the Avery Montgomery who had a hit television show on network television. Of course, they were professional, but occasionally one of them would shoot him a sad glance. A few would give him updates as they worked.

      Avery Montgomery was high profile, and the hospital had taken steps to secure the facility so that they could save her life without interruptions. Only a few people were allowed