Nathan Pierce didn't hang up.

By the time Nathan arrived at Columbus General Hospital, he had replaced his crisp executive jacket with a simple sweater, though he still looked every bit the wealthy logistics mogul he was.

He didn't know why he was there. His legal team had advised him to let social services handle it. His public relations director had warned him about getting involved in a private family crisis.

He went anyway.

In the pediatric waiting nook outside Room 412, two toddlers sat on a vinyl sofa. Kira was holding a plastic cup of apple juice, while Caden was fast asleep, his head resting in his sister's lap, clutching his stuffed dinosaur.

A social worker, a weary-looking woman named Mrs. Vance, was holding a clipboard.

"Mr. Pierce?" she asked, recognizing him from the dispatch notes. "I'm surprised you came in person."

"How is she?" Nathan asked, ignoring the comment.

"Severe malnutrition, acute physical exhaustion, and critical hypoglycemia," Mrs. Vance said, sighing as she looked at her paperwork. "Her name is Amara Johnson. Twenty-six years old. She works sixty hours a week between a grocery store and a commercial cleaning crew. She hasn't eaten a full meal in weeks, Mr. Pierce. She was literally starving herself so her children could eat."

Nathan turned his head to look through the small glass window of Room 412.

Amara lay on the hospital bed, hooked to IV fluids and a heart monitor. She looked impossibly fragile, her skin pale, dark circles hollowed out beneath her long eyelashes. Yet even in unconsciousness, her hands were resting near the edge of the mattress, as if reaching for her children.

"Are they taking the kids?" Nathan asked, his voice dropping into a stern, dangerous quiet.

"Child Protective Services has opened a file," Mrs. Vance admitted reluctantly. "If she doesn't have a stable home, adequate income, or family support upon discharge, the state will be forced to place them in temporary foster care."

Nathan looked down at Kira, who was staring up at him with big, curious brown eyes.

"Are you the phone man?" Kira asked softly.