Begin Again novel Chapter 10

The call came just as Liam left the race track.

When he saw the name flashing on the screen, he ignored it, and his sister went to his voicemail. He wasn't in the mood to listen to Willow go off at him about his irresponsible, selfish actions. They'd had a lot of such calls in the past several weeks, starting when Senior first brought up his succession plan.

His phone pinged again. This time it was a text from Holly, the youngest Anderson child. As the baby of the family, Holly was the most spoilt and self-entitled.

Their parents could never refuse her anything. Liam figured being a renowned ballerina helped, because no matter how ridiculous her demands were, Clarke and Lois would bend over backwards to cater to her every want and need.

When Holly wanted her very own private ballet studio, Clarke had bought a warehouse and refurbished it specifically for her needs.

When she demanded a six- bedroom penthouse in Rock Castles' prime location, an army of realtors had to run around like headless chickens to secure it for her, never mind that the place would stay empty because she was hardly in the country.

The most ridiculous of her whims though was that one time when all the boutiques on 9th Street had to be closed because she wanted to choose her fifty thousand pair of shoes and matching handbags without all the commoners gawking at her.

Her text was yet another demand. She wanted Liam to get his ass to the Medi-Clinic in Glen Eagles ASAP.

Willow called again. He put her on speaker. His heart crashed to his feet when her desperate sobs filled the car.

It took him a few minutes to calm her down and get her to tell him what's wrong.

"It's Dad," she bawled on her end, "You have to come to the hospital!"

Liam hung up and made a U- turn, ignoring the huge warning sign forbidding him from making a turn there. He skipped every red traffic light and ignored the millions of car horns blaring at him. His eyes were firmly on the road ahead, but his mind was back in his father's study, replaying their heated exchange and the last words he said to him.

In the ten minutes it took him to get to the hospital, he prayed harder and more times than he's ever done in his life. He made silent promises and bargained with everything he had. He'd give it all up, his dreams, racing, the tournaments if it meant having just one more hour with his father.

Liam didn't know how he got to the hospital; he snapped out of his daze when he pulled up in the visitor's parking lot and heard screeching ambulances race off to save lives somewhere.

Both his sisters came to meet him at the entrance.

On most days, Holly and Willow- both named after trees because of their Mom's love for plants-were immaculate visions of class and poise. With their ink- black hair, large green eyes, porcelain skin and slim frames, they could easily pass for twins despite the four- year difference between them.

Tonight, though, they were both dishevelled, their faces splotchy with tears and snot, their eyes red and hollow with fear.

They threw themselves in his arms when they saw him. He hugged them tight and tried to assure them as best as he could even though he didn't know what the situation was.

"What happened? Where's Mom and Dad?" He asked as he released them from his embrace, and they headed to elevators to take them to the VIP wing.

"Dad's very sick, Liam," Willow said in a tearful voice.