Chapter 95: Crisis
*Grief is the price we pay for love. - Queen Elizabeth II*
“Mr. Thompson, Mr. Reese is on line two.” The temporary assistant said over the intercom. Once again he wondered why he agreed to let Emily go on a two week cruise. He missed her efficency and thoroughness.
And her coffee. The stuff he was making could not pass as coffee on the best of days. And today was not the best of days.
“Tell him that I’ll call him back.” Frank said absently.
The intercom went silent and then it buzzed again. “I’m sorry, sir. He says that it’s an emergency.”
“Fine.” Frank growled and sat the proposal aside. He grabbed up his handset and pushed the button to connect the call. “Hey, Reese, I don’t have much time today.”
“I need Helen.” Came the reply and Frank could hear that his friend was upset.
“Did they transfer the call wrong?”
“No. I need her to come home. I know that she just started this position, but I need her for a few days.”
“Reese, I can’t let your sub off every time you want to play.”
There was a painful sound that came from the other end of the phone and then Reese said a sentence that had Frank agreeing and tellinghis friend that Helen would be going home. Frank had been friends with the Reese family for years. Even before Reese went to the Navy. There were very few times that he had ever heard his friend upset.
And currently, he was very upset.
Frank walked down the hall and knocked on Helen’s door. She looked up from her laptop and smiled at him. He tried to smile back but he couldn’t. Something was terribly wrong, and Reese needed this favor. He needed his sub. The other half of his soul.
“Helen, I need you to take your laptop and your work and go home.”
“Did I do-.”
“Helen, please. Reese needs you. He’s going to need you for a little while. Work when and if you can. If you need to take the day, just message either Katherine or myself.”
“Is Reese okay?” Helen asked, getting concerned.
“I’ll let him tell you what’s going on. But you need to go home to him.”
Helen nodded as she began to shut down her programs and gather her work. She placed everything in the leather bag that she had gotten the day of their shopping spree. The day that Reese had chased Daphne out of her own store so they could have sex in her dressing area.
Stepping out of the elevator into the lobby, she called Reese. When he answered, it was not with his usual greeting.
“I need you.”
“I’m on my way home.” She assured him. “Do you need me to stop anywhere? Get you anything?”
“No, Kitten. I just need you.” He replied softly.
“Okay, I’m on my way home.” She slid into the driver’s seat of her Kia and headed home.
Scenarios of all kinds ran through her head. Dean got expelled from school. A contract fell through. Gina had news on Hank. Neo needed Jolene to move out. Something happened to Bunny. Jaxon or Ty got hurt at work.
She parked in her spot and grabbed her purse and bag. Walking into the smaller house, she found Reese sitting in the living room with his head in his hands. Placing her bags on the coffee table, she sat down next to him and rubbed his back.
Reese pulled her into his lap and buried his face in her neck. They held each other for several minutes while he cried. He pulled back and looked at her.
“Mary’s dead.” He told her quietly.
“Oh, Reese.” Helen brushed some tears away from his eyes.
“I don’t know how to tell Dean.” He admitted. “I’m … I just…”
“Shhh…” she soothed as she reached for her purse and got her phone. The first thing that she checked was her calendar that told her that Ty was off today. Then she clicked on his name and called him.
“Ty?”
“What’s up, mom?” Ty asked cheerfully.
“Are you busy?”
“I’m priming the nursery. Dean said that she would paint a mural for us if we primed the walls.”
“I need you to go get Dean and bring her home.”
“Is everything okay?”
“We’ll talk it about when everyone is here.” She told him. After hanging up, she called Dean’s school and arranged for Ty to check her out. She simply told the secretary that there was a family emergency.
“Please, do not say anything.” She told the other woman before ending that call.
Then she sent a quick message to Dean stating that Ty was going to come check her out of school. Once that was done, she called JD and told him that he needed to come home.
“Mom, I’m in class.”
“Do not argue with me.” Helen said sternly. “We have an emergency that we need to handle.”
“Yes, ma’am.” He agreed.
Helen then called JD’s school and told them that he would be checking himself out due to a family emergency.
Next, she called Jaxon and Bunny. Jaxon pressed for details, but she refused to give any. With Bunny, it was different.
“Helen, I don’t know if I can get away.”
“Dean’s mom died, and we need to tell her.”
“Oh, shit. Give me five minutes to rearrange my schedule and I’ll be there.”
“Thank you, Bunny.”
“You’re welcome, mom.” Bunny said softly.
Helen put her phone aside and kissed Reese. “I don’t have Neo’s phone number, but I think that Jolene needs to be here too.”
Reese nodded and pointed to his phone on the coffee table. She grabbed the phone and keyed in his code. She had no issue finding the IGYS phone number and dialed it.
“IGYS Security, this is Shelby.” Came a cheerful voice.
“Shelby, this is Helen Dunning, I’m Owen Reese’s fiancée.” Her hand touched the collar on her neck and decided that it wasn’t a complete lie.
“Hi, Miss Helen!” Shelby said and Helen couldn’t help but smile.
“Is Neo around?”
“No, ma’am, he’s on site. I can have him call you.”
“Please, as soon as possible. There’s been an emergency.”
“Yes, ma’am.” The other woman assured her and then ended the call.
Less than a minute later, the phone in her hand rang with Neo appearing on the screen.
“Neo?”
“Yes, ma’am.”
“I hate to ask this, but can you bring Jolene to Reese’s house?”
“Sure. When?”
“As soon as possible.”
“It’s going to be a few before I can get out there. Is it okay if Shelby brings her?” Neo asked. “I’ll send Zack with them.”
“That’s fine. Yes, thank you.”
“Anytime, Miss Helen.”
Reese watched her put the phone away. "I should call the princesses."
"No. Right now, it's about Dean. That means, you need to go pull yourself together. Go get a shower. Dean is the main focus right now. Afterwards, we can all grieve together."
Log in with Google Account
Chapters
Favorite
Settings
