The First Son's Spy (PUBLISHING)

Chapter 3

I wake up to a doctor changing my IV bag.

Wait, what exactly happened that landed me in the hospital?

I try to rack my head for what I was doing before. There was a photographer, then a body guard, and Sterling’s hard gaze. Did someone knock me out?

No!

I vaguely recall Sterling asking me what happened with the man being arrested. I must have passed out from the nerves surging throughout my body. The secret cannot come out until he is safely in the confines of Harvard University. We will be hundreds of miles apart from each other. There are just three and a half more months to keep my secret from spilling my guts. Until then, I am keeping as much distance from Sterling as humanly possible. It’s the only solution.

“How are you feeling, Piper?”

Well that plan is now in the pooper. I move my head so it’s resting against the uncomfortably flat pillow. Sterling is sitting next to my bed with a coffee cup in hand.

“What-What exactly happened?” I ask Sterling just to be sure that I didn’t imagine the whole ordeal.

“There was this man that had on handcuffs and I guess you got overwhelmed or something.” He shrugs his shoulders. I know that he’s leaving out the part when he asked me what I knew. Maybe he doesn’t want to bring it up until I am out of this place.

“Oh.” I say because there’s not much else I could say. We sit there in silence until a nurse comes in with a tray of hospital food. Oh great….

“Hi honey.” The nurse is an older, plump lady with red hair. She has that appearance that automatically screams “caring”. “I brought you some mashed potatoes and turkey.”

“Looks yummy,” I say sarcastically. Sterling rolls his eyes at my abruptness.

“Don’t give me that sass, hun,” the nurse tells me with a slight smile. I smile to. Her smile is contagious.

“I mean, it looks soooo good!” I say with mock cheerfulness.

“That’s better,” the nurse says as she takes the tray from me and leaves me with the plate of box of food.

She leaves the room and promises me she’ll be back within the hour to check my blood sugar. I let out a sigh, but a sob erupts from deep inside of me. The tears come before I can tell them to stop. Soon, I’m crying so hard that I have started to shake.

“Hey,” Sterling is kneeling down so he’s face to face with me.

Wiping away my tears, I met Sterling’s face. His eyes are sketched with worry and something else I can’t identify.

“I just-nevermind. Where are my parents?”

“They said they couldn’t get out of their conference. I told them I would take care of you. The hospital had no problem with it because I’m legal. You’re not, so here I am.” He smiles at me like we aren’t in the hospital.

“Too bad this didn’t happen August 24 when I turn eighteen.” What bad timing…I laugh to myself at how asinine that sounds.

He gives me a weak smile to benefit me. The silence commences once again. He carefully moves back to the seat beside the bed. The T.V. is turned on to the ABC Family channel. I watch it for a while and realize that Sterling has fallen asleep. The clock next to me reads 6:30 a.m. Oh God, I’ve been here for a whole day?

The room is so quiet that I can hear the bustling out in the hallway. The nurse pokes her head in. She notices Sterling asleep on the chair and puts a blanket over him. I hold out my arm for her to check my IV. Carefully, she takes it off.