Chapter 6 - Awakening
On the fifth morning, the phone in Callum’s study rang. It was Dr. Mercer.
"She's awake, Mr. Pierce," the doctor said. "She's weak, but she's breathing on her own, and her fever has dropped. She's asking where she is."
Callum arrived at Swedish Medical within twenty minutes. He did not bring the girls with him yet; he wanted Eleanor to be fully aware and prepared before she saw her daughters.
When he stepped into the private suite, Eleanor was sitting upright in the bed, supported by several pillows. She looked small, her face pale and exhausted, but her brown eyes were alert, filled with a mixture of confusion and intense anxiety.
"Who are you?" she asked, her voice raspy and faint. "Where are my daughters? Where are Juny and Tess?"
"They are safe," Callum said immediately, stopping at the foot of her bed so he didn't crowd her. "They are at my house in Bellevue. They are eating well, they have fresh clothes, and they are sleeping in warm beds. I promise you, Eleanor, they are completely safe."
Eleanor looked at him, her chest heaving as she tried to process his words. "Who... who are you? How do you know my name?"
"My name is Callum Pierce," he said gently. "I found your daughters on the waterfront bench five days ago. They were waiting for you."
Tears spilled over Eleanor's eyelashes, running down her hollow cheeks. She covered her face with her trembling hands and began to sob—a sound of pure, unadulterated relief and profound shame.
"I didn't abandon them," she choked out through her tears. "I swear to God I didn't abandon them. I was going to get money... I was going to pawn my ring... but my legs gave out. I couldn't get back to them... I couldn't..."
"I know," Callum said softly. He stepped forward and pulled the chair over, sitting down beside her. He reached into his coat pocket and placed the embroidered handkerchief on her lap. "Juny gave this to me. She told me to give it to you so you would know they were waiting."
Eleanor snatched up the handkerchief, pressing it against her heart, her crying deepening into ragged gasps.
"You don't have to explain anything to me, Eleanor," Callum said, his voice steady and grounding. "I know about David. I know about Vanguard Development. I know about Arthur Vance and Meridian Assets. I know what was done to you."
Eleanor looked up, her eyes wide with shock. "How... how do you know all of that?"
"Because I made it my business to find out," Callum said. "And because I have spent the last three days fixing it."
He leaned forward, placing his hands on his knees. "Meridian Assets no longer exists as an independent entity. My firm acquired it yesterday. All debts against you have been permanently extinguished. The judgment against your credit has been erased."
Eleanor stared at him, unable to speak.
"Furthermore," Callum continued, "the suppressed safety report from the construction site where David died has been handed over to the State Attorney General. Federal investigators opened an inquiry into Vanguard Development this morning. Arthur Vance is currently under investigation for corporate fraud and obstruction of justice."
May you like
"I... I don't understand," Eleanor whispered, her voice shaking. "Why would you do this for us? You don't know us."
"Because I saw two six-year-old girls sitting on a bench in the cold, perfectly silent because they thought good girls weren't supposed to bother anyone," Callum said, his eyes filled with a deep, quiet intensity. "And no mother who loves her children as much as you love yours should ever be broken by monsters like Arthur Vance."
