Читать книгу To Catch A Thief - Nan Dixon - Страница 14
Оглавление“MAMÁ, ARE YOU HUNGRY?” Carolina asked two nights later from the kitchen entryway.
Her mother plucked at the pleat in her pants, staring out into the distance.
“Mamá?” Carolina hurried to her side.
She knelt, trying to look her mother in the eye. “Talk to me.”
Mamá stared right through her. No response.
This wasn’t normal. She pulled out her phone. Blank screen. Damn it. She’d forgotten to the charge the battery after Sage had called that afternoon.
“I’ll be right back.” She dashed to her bedroom for her charging cord. On the way back downstairs, she heard a thump. “Mamá?”
Her mother lay facedown on the floor.
“No!” She ran and rolled her mother over.
Rosa shook so hard, her head banged the floor.
Seizure. Dr. Laster said this could happen and had given Carolina some basic first aid.
She pulled a pillow off the sofa and tucked it under her mother’s head. “Mamá, I’m here.”
What else?
Check the time. 7:32.
Stay calm. Carolina’s breaths heaved in and out. She forced them to slow.
Make sure she can breathe. How? She closed her eyes. What had the pamphlet said?
Turn her on her side. Shoving her hands under her mother’s convulsing body, she rolled her. Then readjusted the pillow.
Snatching up her mother’s cell phone, she punched in 9-1-1. “It’s my mother,” she cried, interrupting the operator. “She’s having a seizure.”
“Is she safe?” The woman’s voice was so calm.
“I guess.” How could she be safe if this was happening?
“Is she still seizing?”
“Yes. Maybe not as bad as before. She has brain tumors. Cancer.” The words spilled out of her, along with tears.
“How long has she been seizing?”
Carolina checked the clock: 7:36. “Four or five minutes?”
“Paramedics are on their way.” The operator confirmed the address.
Her mother’s body stopped jerking.
Carolina pulled a throw from the sofa and covered her, and then clasped her mother’s clammy hand. “Mamá, can you hear me?”
Even though her mother’s eyes were open, she didn’t answer.
“Please be all right.” She stroked Mamá’s hair and rested her hand on her mother’s shoulder. “I love you.”
Red and blue emergency lights flashed on the street. “The paramedics are here. I’ll be right back.”
She shoved open the door. “In here.”
Uniformed men and women filled the room.
“Patient’s name?” someone asked.
“Rosa Castillo.”
Carolina was shuttled to the side and a paramedic took her mother’s blood pressure and checked her pupils. Another installed an IV.
“What’s that for?” she asked, biting her lip.
“In case we need to administer medication.” They worked and talked, but not to Carolina. And that was fine. She wanted their full attention on Mamá.
She wrapped her arms around her belly, a chill settling deep in her bones.
Mamá groaned.
“Ma’am?” the female EMT asked. “Can you tell us your name?”
Mamá didn’t answer.
Please be okay. Don’t leave me. Please be okay. I’ll get you anything you want. If I have to steal or go into debt, just don’t leave me. She repeated the mantra over and over.
A gurney clattered up the steps. The paramedics gently lifted Mamá onto the flat surface. With precise movements, they strapped her in place. The gurney clacked as they hoisted it up.
“We’re taking her to Memorial University,” the female paramedic said. “Do you want to ride with her?”
Ride with her. Carolina held her head to keep her thoughts from spinning out of control. If Mamá was going to Savannah, she needed her car. She didn’t have anyone to pick her up or drop her off. “I’ll... I’ll drive.”
The woman EMT touched her arm. “Are you sure you can?”
“I...yes.” She didn’t have a choice. Without her mother, she was alone.
* * *
CAROLINA SET DOWN her overloaded tote in the ER waiting room. She’d grabbed her mother’s wallet, both their cell phones, her charging cord and her mother’s makeup. Mamá didn’t go anywhere without makeup.
Next to a chair, she plugged in her phone. The ER was quiet. Two people sat on the opposite side of the room. One had a bloody bandage around her arm.
She wanted to pace. Wanted to cry. Wanted to see her mother. Was she conscious? What was happening?
She headed back to the receptionist. “I don’t think I told anyone who my mother’s oncologist is. It’s Dr. Laster.”
“Let me update the record.” The woman clacked away at the keyboard. “Patient’s name?”
“Rosa Castillo.”
“And her oncologist is Dr. Laster. Got it.”
Carolina’s stomach dived and banked. “Do you know anything? Can I see my mother?”
“A nurse will call when you can go back.”
“Thank you.” Carolina wanted to look over the woman’s shoulder to see what was in her mother’s record. She’d been waiting at least thirty minutes. What were they doing? She headed back to her chair.
Lord. She was losing it. She’d left her purse, bag and phone just sitting on the table.
She picked up a magazine. Threw it down. Stared at the news playing silently on the flat screen.
A nurse came to the door and called, “Ms. Calarion?”
The two people waved. The man supported the injured woman while the nurse led them away. At least they had each other.
Carolina paced. When Mamá had been diagnosed with breast cancer, they’d never ended up in the ER. Her mother had chosen a lumpectomy and everything had been outpatient. But Carolina had spent months helping her mother through her chemo. Holding her hair back as she’d thrown up.
Mamá had been in remission for so many years. Why now?
Her phone rang and she answered without looking at the screen.
“Hi, Carolina.”
“Sage?”
“I know we just talked this afternoon.” He laughed. “I wanted to hear your voice again. I’m not a stalker. Really.”
Stalker? “I don’t think you’re...” She broke down and sobbed.
“What’s wrong?”
“My...my mother,” she blubbered.
“Take a deep breath.” His voice soothed her like a warm blanket. “Tell me what’s wrong.”
“Mamá had a seizure.” She pressed her lips together so she didn’t cry. “I’m at the hospital. They won’t tell me how she is.”
“I’m so sorry. I didn’t know she was that sick.”
She hadn’t wanted to focus on her mother’s cancer during their conversations over the last two days. “This is her first—I think.”
“That’s hard,” he said. “Who’s at the hospital with you?”
He was so sweet. “No one.”
“You’re alone?” he asked. “Where are you?”
“Memorial.”
“I’m on my way.”
“What? You don’t—” But he’d hung up.
She should call Sage back. Tell him not to come. He was healing from his own injury.
But she was selfish. She didn’t want to be alone.
* * *
SAGE FIRED UP the Uber app and entered the information. Twice. The numbers and letters kept bouncing around. Great. Five minutes away. He was pushing out the door when the SUV arrived. “Memorial University Hospital. ER please.”
The driver frowned at him through the rearview mirror. “You aren’t bleeding on my upholstery, right?”
“No. Just—helping a friend.” He patted his pocket, checking for a pain pill. He wasn’t sure if a headache would erupt. He knew some of the triggers—bright lights, forgetting to eat—but he didn’t know what else might ignite the jackhammers in his head.
Talking to Carolina over the last two days had been the highlight of his week. Somehow listening to her voice soothed his aches. He’d known she’d come back to Tybee because of her mother, but he hadn’t known her mother was this sick. Carolina shouldn’t be alone at the hospital. He could sit with her, help her.
The image of him in a white cowboy hat riding Mac, his Appaloosa, to her rescue stuck in his brain like barbed wire. Would his father think this was heroic? It was about all he could do until he could get back on the job.
The SUV pulled up to the ER doors. “Thanks.”
He spotted Carolina in the ER waiting room. She stared at her hands, not noticing him walking toward her.
Slipping into the chair next to her, he said, “Carolina?”
“You came,” she whispered. The relief in her drenched blue eyes made him want to earn that white hat.
There was something so lost about her that he took her hands, needing to touch her. “What can I do for you?”
Her mouth dropped open. “For me?”
He ripped his gaze off her pink lips. This wasn’t the time to think about kissing her. “The medical staff is taking care of your mother. I’m here for you.”
“Thank you.” The muscles in her body softened. “They won’t tell me what’s going on.”
He wanted to hold her. To tuck her safely into his arms. “Let me check.”
Sage never used his job to get information, but for Carolina, he headed to the receptionist desk and snapped out his badge. “What is the status of...?” Damn. He didn’t know the mother’s name. “Mrs. Castillo?”
The receptionist’s eyes widened at the sight of his FBI credentials. “Is there an ongoing case?”
Hell, Sage was on medical leave until his headaches and vision were normal. He just stood there, letting the woman draw her own conclusions.
“Mrs. Castillo is stabilized. They’re giving her fluids for dehydration. She’s scheduled for a MRI.”
“So why can’t her daughter see her?” Sage raised his eyebrows, even though there was a warning tick that if he kept this up, those jackhammers behind his eyes were going to start drilling.
“We had car accident victims come in. They’re pretty busy.” The receptionist stood. “But let me check.”
“Thanks.” He headed back to Carolina and asked, “Did they tell you she was dehydrated?”
“They haven’t talked to me.”
“They’re working on that and she’s scheduled for an MRI.”
Carolina took a deep breath, her tank top molding to her very nice chest. Damn, he was scum.
“They probably want to check her brain tumors.” Carolina’s voice was so soft he leaned closer to hear her.
“Brain tumors?” Guess they hadn’t fully discussed her mother’s diagnosis. “I’m sorry.”
A nurse waved to them from the door. “Miss Castillo, you can come back now.”
Carolina stuffed things into a big bag. She turned to him, her lower lip caught between her teeth. “Will you come with me?”
“Absolutely. Whatever you need. I’m here for you.”
* * *
“HAS SHE REGAINED CONSCIOUSNESS?” Carolina asked the nurse, taking Mamá’s hand.
“Still unconscious, but she’s made some sounds.” The nurse smiled. “That’s not a bad thing. I’ll get the doctor. He can tell you more.”
The nurse slipped out the doorway. Sage’s fingers squeezed her shoulder.
Her mother’s skin was as pale as the industrial-white sheets covering her. Carolina was used to her mother’s warm golden skin tone. The blue veins in Mamá’s arms and hands stood out. Without her dancing eyes and animated face, her mother looked fragile.
Sage leaned over. “You look like her.”
“That’s what people say.” Her mother was more beautiful than Carolina would ever be.
“Sit.” Sage pushed a chair next to the bed. “Can I get you something? Coffee? Tea? Food?”
“I guess. I didn’t get a chance to eat.” She stroked Mamá’s hand. “Crackers and water?”
He grimaced. “How about a sandwich?”
She shrugged.
“I’m on it.” He patted her back and his chocolate-and-citrusy scent cut through the hospital disinfectant. “I’ll be right back.”
It should be—weird. But having Sage here wasn’t awkward or strange.
“Mamá.” She lay her head next to her mother’s. “I want you to get better. Don’t leave me alone.”
She held her breath, hoping Mamá would squeeze her hand.
Nothing. Carolina’s shoulders slumped as she exhaled.
“You have to get better. The gown you have on is not in your color wheel.” She smiled at her reference to The Blind Side. She and Mamá had watched it the other night and laughed at the line.
Carolina couldn’t stand the silence. “I met a very nice man when I interviewed at Fitzgerald House. We’ve talked every day since we met. When he heard I was at the hospital, he rushed down to help us. Isn’t that sweet? His name is Sage. His eyes are green—like his name.”
She stroked her mother’s hair. “He has headaches, too. I don’t know the cause, we haven’t known each other that long. He’s getting me some water. Isn’t that nice?”
Footsteps stopped at her mother’s doorway. Carolina brushed away the tears that wouldn’t stop.
“Hi, Carolina,” Dr. Laster whispered. She moved in and gave her a hug. “I’m sorry to see you again so soon.”
“Me, too.” Carolina’s response was watery.
“Tell me what happened.”
Once again Carolina went through her mother’s seizure. As she finished, Sage came in. Dr. Laster raised her eyebrows.
Carolina said, “This is my friend Sage.”
He handed Carolina an open bottle of water and a sandwich. “Would you like me to leave?”
“Just for her examination,” Dr. Laster said.
Sage and Carolina waited outside the door. “Thank you,” she said, taking a bite of the sandwich.
“I didn’t know what you liked.” He smiled. “I thought ham and cheese would be better than tuna fish out of a vending machine.”
“It’s fine.” She couldn’t taste anything anyway.
“You can come back in,” Dr. Laster said from the doorway.
Sage settled her in the chair and stood behind her with his hands on her shoulders.
“Here’s the plan,” Dr. Laster said. “She’ll have an MRI. Once she’s conscious, I want a neurologist to see her.”
Carolina nodded. “Will she be able to go home?”
“We’ll see.” Dr. Laster patted Mamá’s hand and headed out the door.
Carolina and Sage waited. And talked. When her mother was wheeled down for her MRI, they walked along the quiet corridors behind her gurney. Each time they passed under a bright light, he winced.
She asked, “How’s your head?”
“My head?”
“You’re hurting.”
He started to nod but grimaced and stopped. “I’ve got my meds if it gets too bad.”
Even though she wanted him to stay, she said, “You should go home.”
“I’m good.” He took her hand and laced their fingers together. “I want to help you.”
“Thank you for being here,” she said.
“It’s no big deal.”
But it was to her. She wasn’t alone. She had someone to lean on. She wouldn’t mind him holding her until her mother was better.
The tech directed them to a small waiting room. They sat next to each other on the sofa.
“This will go down as my most unusual first date ever,” he said.
“Date?” She looked up at him and got lost in his green gaze. “I like you, but because of my mother, I don’t think I have time to date.”
“I know we don’t know each other very well, but I want that to change.” He stroked a finger down her cheek. “No pressure. I’m here to help.”
He tugged her so her head rested on his shoulder. “Any help or comfort you need, I’m your guy.”
Her body melted into his.
When her mother had first gone through breast cancer treatment, Carolina had been alone. Could she accept his help?
A different tech, female this time, walked in. “Agent Cornell?”
Agent?
Sage straightened but kept his arm around Carolina. “Yes?”
“How are you doing?” The blonde put a hand on his arm.
“Do I know you?” he asked.
The tech giggled. Giggled! “I did your MRI—twice. Just a couple of weeks ago.”
He’d had MRIs? Carolina’s breath rushed out. Did he have cancer, too?
“I’m sorry.” He shook his head. “I don’t remember.”
“Of course you don’t.” The tech still hadn’t removed her hand from Sage’s biceps. “How are the headaches?”
Sage didn’t answer. “Are you here to tell Ms. Castillo about her mother?”
“Oh, yes.” The tech straightened, her hand dropping away. “She’ll be done in a few minutes. Then they’ll compare this scan to her last one. You can wait in her exam room.”
“Did she wake?” Carolina asked.
“I thought she had for a moment, but she’s not conscious now. The good news is that she hasn’t had another seizure.”
Well, that was something.
The tech smiled at Sage. “If you want to know anything about your scan, you can ask for me—Amara.”
“Thanks. I talked to my doctor.” Sage laced his hand with Carolina’s.
She and Sage headed back toward her mother’s room.
Instead of asking why he’d had two MRIs, she asked, “Did you recognize her?”
“No.”
“Why did she call you ‘agent’?”
“That’s what I am.” He hesitated. “I work for the FBI.”
An FBI agent? She swallowed. Yesterday she’d started to ask what he did for a living, but Mamá had needed her medicine. She and Sage hadn’t gotten back to that conversation.
“Why did you need MRIs?” she asked.
He shifted, no longer touching her. “I was hit.”
“In the head?”
“Yeah.”
At least he didn’t have cancer. “That’s why you’re having headaches?”
“Yes.”
He wasn’t volunteering information. They reached her mother’s room. The distance between them was bigger than the hallway. “Thank you for coming. It’s probably better if you leave.”
“What? Why?”
Was he clueless? “You were injured. You shouldn’t be taking care of me while you’re still healing.”
“Hey.” Sage stepped closer. “I want to be here. I...hate sitting around.”
“How exactly were you injured?”
“I hit my head and a bullet winged me.”
Her legs wobbled. “You were shot?”
“Winged.” He led her to the chair and pulled over a rolling stool, sitting in front of her. “I don’t remember much.”
She cupped his cheek. He’d been shot and he’d still come to the hospital—for her. “Will you be all right?”
“Absolutely.” His gaze dropped to the floor.
Was he lying?
Her mother was wheeled back into the room and a nurse followed in her wake, so she couldn’t press him.
“Dr. Laster is admitting your mother,” the nurse said. “We’re working on the paperwork.”
“When will she wake up?” Carolina wanted her mother back.
“She mumbled on the way back to the room. That’s good.”
Carolina took her mother’s hand. “Hey, Mamá. I’m here.” She leaned closer. “Come back to me.”
There was weak pressure on her fingers.
“Mamá?” Carolina squeezed again. Hope coursed through her body like a shot of adrenaline. “She squeezed my fingers.”
“That’s great,” Sage said, smiling.
Carolina held her mother’s hand until an orderly came to take her to Intensive Care. “Thank you,” she said to the nurse.
“You bet, honey. I hope your mama wakes up soon.”
Sage took her hand as they followed her mother’s gurney down the hall. His touch whisked away the worst of her stress.
A nurse met them at Intensive Care. “You can wait there.” She pointed out a small waiting room. “We’ll get her checked in. Then I’ll come get you.”
“That’s the way of hospitals. So much waiting.” Sage headed to the small coffee maker. “Do you want coffee or tea? There’s decaf.”
“Sure.” She picked out a tea bag and poured hot water. He poured a cup of coffee.
“Can you drink coffee this late at night?” she asked, tossing her tea bag.
“The caffeine helps with the headaches.”
“Are they back?”
“They don’t ever leave.”
This was something she could do. She pointed to a chair. “Sit.”
“Okay?”
She began with his shoulders.
He put a hand on hers. “You don’t have to do this.”
“It will take my mind off my mother.”
“And I get the benefit.” He leaned forward, giving her better access to his neck and shoulders. “It seems wrong.”
She let her mind go blank as her fingers dug into his muscles and tendons. His groans guided her hands. “I do this for my mother, too.”
“She’s lucky to have you.”
“I’m the lucky one.” Without her mother, she’d have no family.
“Do you have brothers or sisters?” Sage’s words were loose and ran together.
“Just me.”
“Dad?”
“Dead.” Her pain cranked up. She pushed too hard and he stiffened.
“I’m sorry. My dad died when I was five.”
“I was five, too.” Not that it was a competition. “Do you have more family?”
“My mother—she’s a rock. And two older brothers.”
“You’re lucky.” If something happened to his mother, he’d still have his brothers. “Where do they live?” she asked.
“Texas.”
“Texas? You don’t have an accent.”
“My dad was in the army. We lived on different bases. After my dad died, we moved to my grandparents’ ranch.”
“A ranch.” She moved in front of him and massaged his temples, glad his eyes were closed. “I can’t imagine that.”
“It was great.” His face softened as he smiled. Under her fingers, the tension in his face eased. “I like being around the steers.”
“But you joined the FBI.” And left his family. “Why didn’t you stay to run the ranch?”
He cringed again.
“Sorry.”
“No.” He touched her hands. “It’s... All the men in the family are heroes. I want to be just like my dad and my brothers. Being on the ranch...” He shrugged.
“Heroes?” What did that mean?
“My dad’s a Medal of Honor recipient. Posthumously.”
“I’m so sorry.”
The nurse waved from the doorway. “She’s all settled.”
The hallways lights had dimmed since they’d followed her mother’s gurney up to the floor. If it wasn’t for the beeping monitors and the IV tubing, her sleeping mother would look peaceful.
“She’s in good hands.” The nurse patted Carolina’s shoulder. “You should go home and get some sleep.”
“What if something happens during the night?” Carolina chewed her thumbnail. “I’m twenty minutes away without traffic.”
“We’ll call.” The nurse walked to a whiteboard. “What’s your phone number?”
Carolina recited it.
There was nothing more to do but say good-night. She brushed a kiss on her mother’s cheek. “I love you, Mamá.”
She wouldn’t cry. Mamá needed her to be strong. “I’ll be back in the morning.”
Sage had held back, letting her say goodbye. Now he took her hand. “Are you okay to drive?”
She nodded. But she wasn’t sure.
“I wish I could take you home.” He guided her to the elevator. “But I’m not cleared to drive.”
“How did you get here?”
“Uber.”
He’d made an effort to help her. She swallowed back the gratitude filling her throat like a river. “Thank you. Let me drive you home.”
“Not necessary.”
“Yes, it is.” She pointed the direction to her car. “How are you feeling?”
“It’s your mother in the hospital. How are you?”
She frowned. “You’re avoiding my question.”
Sage waited for her to unlock the car. Then he slid into the passenger seat. “It’s always there. The headache. But your magic hands pushed the pain back. Thanks.”
“What do the doctors say?”
“My brain needs to heal.” He slammed the seat belt together. “I’m not good at waiting and I can’t stand sitting around.”
Who could? But Carolina knew there was going to be a lot of sitting and waiting in her future. “I hope coming to the hospital didn’t set you back.”
“That’s more walking than I’ve done in a while,” he said. “But it’s good since I can’t work out.”
“Let me know if I can do anything for you.” She would make the time for Sage. “Where am I going?”
“River Street.” He fired off directions, since she’d never driven these one-way streets before.
As she parked in front of a warehouse condominium, he unbuckled his seat belt. “I’d like to invite you to up to my place.”
“I can’t.” But she didn’t want to leave him, either. He kept her—calm. “I really appreciate you coming to the hospital.” How many times had she said that already?
He slid closer. “I want to see you again.”
She could see the kiss coming.
He stopped inches from her face and asked, “Can I kiss you?”
“Yes.” Her single word was a whisper.
His lips were gentle. Sweet. Light pressure with a little scrape from his stubble.
“Nice,” he murmured, brushing kisses on her cheeks and eyes.
“Yes.” Her hands rested against his chest. “Really nice.”
Sage leaned in. His tongue licked the seam of her lips, seeking entrance.
She opened and stroked his tongue with hers. He tasted of coffee and mint and something dark and sexy. His chocolate-citrus scent made her want to sip at his lips, kiss his eyelids and nibble on his collarbone. She gripped his shoulders, the muscles hot under her hands.
He tipped her head and buried his fingers in her hair.
She fell hard into their kiss, wanting to explore the firm body beneath her fingers. “Sage.”
He pulled her closer.
Pain slashed her chest as her seat belt locked in place. “Ooh.”
They laughed.
He cupped her cheek. “I guess your car is trying to tell us something.”
That she should take him up on his offer to come up to his apartment?
“I can meet you at the hospital in the morning,” Sage suggested. “Maybe we could have breakfast nearby?”
Guilt had her sitting back behind the wheel. While kissing Sage, she’d forgotten about her mother. “I’ll have to see what’s happening.”
“Sure. Sure.” He brushed another kiss on her lips, this one sweet and soft. “Will you let me know when you get home? I don’t want to worry that you didn’t make it.”
Had anyone ever cared if she got home safely? Not even her mother. Mamá had always been worried about how her arrivals and departures affected her own life.
She couldn’t think that way. Her mother was dying.
She touched Sage’s cheek. “I’ll call you.”
* * *
CAROLINA HADN’T CALLED. Sage had fallen asleep when he’d hit the bed, but this morning there hadn’t been any calls or texts in his log. And she hadn’t answered his phone call this morning, either. Damn.
He’d moved too fast. Shouldn’t have kissed her. What had he been thinking?
He’d been thinking she was—incredible. He wanted to spend time with her. Find out what made her smile or cry. And he wanted to help her. Because sometimes she seemed lost.
It was after one in the afternoon. He shut his laptop. Even five minutes looking at the screen had his head pounding. The letters danced and doubled if he looked too long.
Picking up his phone, he scrolled to Carolina’s number. But her last words had been I’ll call you.
He tossed his phone on the coffee table. There had to be something he could do. Sitting around was driving him as crazy as a rattlesnake in a stampede.
Since reading intensified his headache, he pushed up from the sofa and headed to the window. For now, the sun glinting off the river didn’t shoot shards of glass into his brain. He slipped open the slider and stepped outside. The Savannah heat and humidity was a shock. His body kept expecting the dry Texas prairie winds.
Next week he had an appointment with his doctor. Maybe by then he’d be able to get back to work. Sitting around was more painful than his headaches.
Muffled laughter floated up to him from brave people sitting on restaurant patios along River Street. How could they stand the heat? A woman waved from the deck of a boat as it motored down the Savannah River.
This sucked. He went back for his phone. He would call Carolina. All she had to do was tell him she couldn’t be bothered. That the kiss they’d shared last night had been a fluke.
It hadn’t been a fluke for him. Finding Carolina was like finding a long-lost friend. ’Course when he touched her, he wasn’t thinking friendly thoughts. Not with all the gorgeous hair and those eyes that carried so much sadness. He wanted to wrap her up and tuck her away from the pain of her mother’s cancer.
He hit Dial.
“Sage?”
“I thought I would check on you.” He corrected himself. “Did you...have any trouble getting home?”
“Oh, shoot. I promised to call.” Carolina sounded upset.
He waited.
“My phone was dead when I got home. And I fell asleep before I could access your number.”
“No problem.” At least she hadn’t blown him off. “How’s your mother?”
“The hospital woke me early. She’s conscious, but she had two more seizures during the night.”
Now he felt like a heel. “Is she okay?”
“She wants to go home.” He heard her sigh over the phone. “We’re waiting on her oncologist for a family conference.”
That didn’t sound good. “Is there anything you need? Food? Clothes?”
“That’s so sweet.”
Sweet? He wanted heroic. He rolled his eyes. Pain made him regret the action.
“I think I’m good. Ever since they called, I’ve been on the run and haven’t looked at my phone.”
“If you’re there through dinner, I could bring you food.” What restaurants were near the hospital? Or there must be a cafeteria.
“I... I guess I’m hoping I can bring Mamá home today.”
“Of course you are.” Idiot.
“Could I call you after we meet with the doctor?” Was her voice trembling? “Would that be okay? Unless something else comes up for you.”
“That’s perfect.” The words flew out of his mouth. He didn’t want her changing her mind.
“I’ll do that. The doctor’s supposed to be here in the next half hour.”
He sure hoped she wasn’t putting him off. “I’ll wait for your call.”
* * *
CAROLINA COULDN’T KEEP the smile off her face. Sage was the one good thing that had happened since she’d arrived home. She was about to the tuck the phone back in her purse, but noticed the voice-mail icon. Shoot, it had come in last night.
She poured hot water over her tea bag. As long as she was in the waiting room, she’d listen to the call.
“Hi. This is Abby Fitzgerald. I’d like to offer you the job. Give me a call when you get a chance. I was hoping you could work a short shift on Thursday for training.”
Carolina stared at her phone. She’d gotten the job.
No! She didn’t want to work for Abby.
With Mamá ill, it was too long a drive between Savannah and Tybee. Her mother needed her.
She started to hit the call button but Dr. Laster entered the lounge.
“Hi,” Carolina said.
“Hey.” The doctor poured a cup of coffee. “Looks like we had the same idea. Shall we head to your mother’s room?”
“Sure.” She tucked her phone away. She would call Abby and turn down the job after she took Mamá home.
“How are you, Rosa?” Dr. Laster asked as they walked into the hospital room.
“I’m so tired.” Mamá pushed the button on the bed and sat up. “What happened?”
“You had seizures last night and this morning.”
“Seizures?” Her mother frowned.
Carolina’s chest tightened. She and Mamá had already talked about this.
“It’s okay if you don’t remember.” Dr. Laster patted her mother’s leg. “The neurologist has prescribed medication, but we’ll need to monitor you. I’d like to keep you in the hospital while we do that. We can begin your first treatments here.”
“In the hospital?” Rosa grabbed Carolina’s hand. “Can’t I go home?”
“You’re safer here. I’d rather you didn’t have to come back via ambulance.”
Carolina wanted her mother to be safe. “What if you fall or have a seizure and I’m not around?”
“But...” Rosa closed her eyes and inhaled. “I hate hospitals.”
“Who doesn’t?” Dr. Laster smiled.
“I’ll bring your pretty robe and whatever you need from home.” Carolina forced a cheerful tone into her voice. “We can make the room nice.”
“Nice?” Her mother snorted.
Yikes. Her mother didn’t snort.
“We can. Flowers will brighten up the room.” Carolina should have brought her mother flowers.
“I want my bird.” Her mother pointed her finger at Carolina. “Don’t forget my bird.”
Carolina would like to purge the bird from Mamá’s memory. She didn’t want stolen property sitting in her mother’s hospital room for all to see. Why was the bird the one thing Mamá wouldn’t forget? “Sure.”
“Staying here is best for you, Rosa,” Dr. Laster insisted.
“It won’t be for long, will it?” Rosa asked.
“A couple of weeks. Maybe more. I’d want to make sure the medication stops the seizures before you start the radiation treatments. Then...we’ll see how it goes.” The doctor glanced at Carolina.
A chill ran through Carolina’s body. We’ll see how it goes? She tucked her trembling hands under her thighs. With her mother listening, she couldn’t ask Dr. Laster whether Mamá would ever go home.
Dr. Laster talked about lab work, medication and getting her mother’s weight up before treatment started. Carolina should be taking notes.
Her mother nodded off.
“Can I ask you some questions?” Carolina asked as she and the doctor headed out of the room.
Dr. Laster nodded. “I know this is a lot to take in.”
“You didn’t sound certain that my mother would leave in a week or two.” Carolina stared into Dr. Laster’s kind blue eyes.
“Honey, I don’t know that she will get out very soon. We have to stop the seizures. Then we can start treatments.”
“And she has to gain weight.”
Dr. Laster nodded. “She’ll need reserves.”
“So this might be three or four weeks?”
The doctor nodded.
Her plan to turn down Abby’s job offer faded like the final note in a sad song. If she took the bartending job, she could spend the day with her mother and then head to work.
She didn’t have to like it. She just had to make money. Because a long hospital stay was going to hurt—financially.
