Page 90 of Scandal
I have a feeling she says that a lot.
“Do you have any updates for us?”
“Not as much as you are probably hoping for, I’m afraid.” She offers us a sad smile. “Lord Dunloch?—”
My mum raises a finger. “Is it possible to use only his first name while we’re in public?”
The doctor’s eyes dart around to the other families in the room, who don’t seem to be paying us the slightest attention. But then again, I’ve had paparazzi hide in bathrooms and impersonate wait staff just hoping to get a shot or a juicy piece of gossip, so who knows what else they’d do?
“Of course.” She nods. “Would it be better if we took this conversation somewhere more private?”
“No,” I reply again before my mother can. “This is fine. We don’t want to impose. Once we know his prognosis, Mercury and I will be heading back to the estate anyway. I don’t want our presence to draw unnecessary attention or cause a scene.”
“That’s very considerate of you,” Dr. Wright replies. “And I know this must be difficult.”
I refrain from answering as Mercury squeezes my hand. It’s a small gesture that says so much.
I’m here for you.
I’ve got you.
We’re in this together.
“Right now, Mr. Blackstone’s prognosis is still up in the air. We know his cancer has stopped responding to treatment, but you already knew that.”
We all nod.
“The tests we’re waiting for will tell us what we’re dealing with. It could be internal bleeding or an infection. It could be something as simple as dehydration or an electrolyte imbalance.”
“Do you think it might just be dehydration? I’m always telling him to drink more water.” A spark of hope alights in my mother’s eyes.
“It could be. But at this stage, it’s more likely something more severe.” I see that spark in my mom’s blue eyes wither and die. “I tell you this merely to prepare you for what lies ahead, since I know there are special circumstances.”
Special circumstances?
She doesn’t know the half of it. Like, how my mother’s been acting like we’re Scottish royalty for years, and thanks to my music career, we might as well be, with all the attention I’m bringing our way.
Or how I’m fake-dating my manager’s daughter, who also happens to be my mate’s little sister.
Special circumstances, indeed.
We thank the doctor, and she promises to give us any further updates as she hears them.
As soon as she walks away, my mother goes into damage-control mode. It seems the previous conversation we had about being truthful about my father’s cancer has been completely forgotten since hearing the news from the doctor. After a quick, somewhat involved text conversation with Connor, she looks up at Mercury and me and says, “How do you two feel about going on a trip?”
Chapter Twenty-Two
MERCURY
“Explain to me why you have a new phone again?” I ask, sitting across from him as Scotland’s rolling hills flash by the window. We boarded the Northern Crown this morning, a luxury rail service catering to celebrities and royalty.
It’s completely over the top, with elaborate gold finishes and luxurious, velvety furnishings. The food is prepared by a Michelin-starred chef, and there is enough wait staff to serve a dining room of twenty.
And yet, there are only the two of us.
Just the two of us…
I try to dispel that thought from my mind. It is not the time for it. Just yesterday, we were at the hospital, waiting for news about his father.
