Chapter 12

Tophyr stared in horror as she watched the ambulance took her father to the hospital.

Jim Hurst had come in from a long day at the office. He had been having chest pains since the day before. He didn't say anything to his wife or children because he didn't want to worry them.

He came in like he always did and dropped his stuff on the table by the door. He kissed his wife and asked what was for dinner. When dinner was finished, he sat down with his family, said grace, and had a lovely meal. After dinner he went to his office, poured himself a snifter of brandy, and sat down to go over his client's case. Tophyr had come in and started talking to him about something that was going on with her life.

He wanted to pay attention to her, but the pain in his chest became so unbearable he had stopped her in midsentence. She looked at him and then became instantly aware that something was wrong with him. She yelled to her mother who took her precious time getting to them. By that time, Jim was slumped in his chair. Tophyr was trying to force a Bayer aspirin down his throat with a little bit of water. Lucille had called the ambulance.

Twenty minutes after the ambulance had left, the family poured in. Mia was holding Alonso as Alain talked with his family. Britani and Jason had brought their twins with them and simply put them in Britani's old bedroom. Everett was comforting Lily off to the side. Alex and Percy were talking to Alain and Matthew as they were trying to figure out what had happened. Penelope held onto Percy as if he were going to fall down.

Tophyr was sitting off to the side alone. She hadn't said anything. She hadn't even cried. Her entire world was suddenly silent. She was suddenly numb. Her father was everything to her. He was the only one of her parents she could talk to. Right now she wasn't doing anything.

There was a knock at the door that Alex got. He stepped back and allowed Derek in. Derek stepped into the house and looked around. When he spotted Tophyr, he made a beeline for her.

Tophyr looked up as she heard someone coming for her. It was Derek. At that moment she didn't care that he was in her house or near her. She needed him. When he wrapped her in his arms, she inhaled the scent of his leather jacket. He was warm and his arm secure around her.

It was at that moment she let the floodgate break.

Derek felt his heart break as he held Tophyr Hurst in his arms. When he heard that Jim Hurst had been taken to the hospital after suffering a heart attack in his study,

he had left his house immediately. His only thought had been to get to Tophyr.

As soon as he stepped through the front door, he was looking for her. She had been sitting on the stairs away from her family. He had been surprised when she let him hold her. In fact she literally melted into him. She needed this and she didn't want it from family.

He framed her face and forced her to look at him. His heart melted instantly. The tears in her big blue eyes killed him and he had to wipe them away. She looked at him as she shuttered and began to wipe at her eyes furiously. Shaking her head, she turned and fled up to her bedroom. Derek wasn't going to take it; he followed after her.

Even though he wasn't going to take no for an answer this time, he was still a gentleman. He knocked on her bedroom door before he walked in. she was curled up in a little ball on her bed. He tossed his jacket on the chair and kicked his shoes off (his mama had taught him never to wear shoes in bed) before he crawled on the bed beside her. She didn't say anything as he wrapped his arm around her and pulled her to him.

"He was just sitting there," she choked out. "He was just sitting there when he slumped over."

The truth hit Derek hard. Tophyr had been the one to see her dad while he was having the heart attack. No wonder she had been so quiet. The others had left her to her own, not even asking how she felt.

"Tophyr, it wasn't your fault," he replied.

She sat up and looked at him. "Yes, it was. If I hadn't been talking to him about you, he wouldn't have the heart attack."

Derek frowned. "You were talking about me? Why?"

"Because I don't know what to do with you! No matter what I do you don't stop! You keep coming at me from all sides. I told him about your grandmother's portrait you tried to give me. He said it was a token of your love. How wrong was he? And now he's in the hospital."

"Tophyr, you didn't cause the heart attack."

"How do you know? You weren't there."

"My grandfather died of a heart attack. He had just been to the doctor and had been given the all clear. He went home and died that night. My father sued the hospital and got a considerable amount when he settled out of court. I was there the night my grandfather died."

Tophyr looked away. Derek was telling her something personal and that wasn't helping her mood. She looked down at her hands as the silence ensued.

"Do you want me to leave?" he asked out of thin air.

"No. I don't want to face my family," she replied.

He ran his hand along the seam of her shoulder blade. She leaned back into his hand. Finally after being tired of holding herself up, Tophyr laid back down. Shifting to get under her covers, she snuggled against Derek. He looked at her for a moment before he followed her example.

When he was situated, he turned on his side and looked at her. Her face was tear streaked and slightly puffy but he wasn't going to tell a young woman that. He reached out and brushed a stray curl from her face. She looked at him with her big blue eyes. He jumped a little when she took his hand in hers.

"Are you going to be okay?" he whispered.

She shrugged gently. "I don't know. It all depends on how my dad is."

"You're really attached to him."

"He's my dad, Derek."

"I mean you talk to him on a regular basis right?"

"We talk about everything. Why?"

"I was just wondering. My dad thinks the sun rises and sets on Dayton. No matter what I do, I never appeal to him."

"Is that why you don't go to school for an art degree?"

Derek looked at her. He wasn't surprised she picked that out. He did love to paint and draw. "He thinks my art is stupid. He thought my grandfather was crazy to dabble in the arts. I tell him what I think but it goes in one ear and out the other."

"You should just do what you want to do. I did. My parents don't understand but that don't question me too much. As long as I'm not bar hopping, they don't mind what I do."

"Wish my family was like that. My mom thinks I should be dating a debutante and that's it. She doesn't care if I like that girl or not. All she cares about is who can give us a comfortable amount of money and grandchildren."

"That's why I'm concerned for Dayton. That's all Caroline wants."

"Speaking of that, we have two days left before the wedding."

Tophyr shook her head. "I don't think I can see this through, Derek. Not after what happened tonight."

"I understand. I think I can pull it off. But I need a little bit more information."

They spent a good portion of the evening talking about what Derek needed to know to break his brother's weeding up.

Around three, Derek woke up and looked around. He wasn't in his own bed. Then he remembered where he was and looked down. Tophyr was curled into him, her head on his shoulder and an arm thrown around his waist. Not wanting to disturb her, he shifted closer and went back to sleep.