Goddess of the Rose (Goddess Summoning #4)(7)

Mikki's smile slipped off her face. "Did you say Sevillana?"

"Yes, that is my given name. Is there something wrong, my dear?" Mikki helped Sevillana into the chair in front of the registration desk before she answered. "No, nothing's wrong. It's just that I know the name."

"Do you?" The old woman raised one delicate silver eyebrow. "And what is it you know?"

"I know it's the name of a rose, a Meidiland Rose that originated in France. It's a brilliant scarlet in color and very hardy. It makes a great hedge, and it blooms for almost four straight months."

Sevillana smiled with surprised appreciation. "I knew there was something special about you."

Mikki tried to return her smile, but she was still disconcerted by the odd coincidence of their names. Plenty of roses had been named after people - the JFK rose, the Dolly Parton, the Princess Di - but she'd never met anyone else who had been named after a rose. Retreating into the familiar, she tapped her computer and pulled up the new patient profile screen.

"What is your last name, ma'am, I mean, signora?" Mikki asked.

"Kalyca. Spelled k-a-l-y-c-a." She took an insurance card from her purse and handed it to Mikki. "And what is your name, my dear?"

Mikki glanced up from the computer screen. Automatically, she opened her mouth to tell Sevillana her nickname, but something in the old woman's knowing gaze made her hesitate.

"Mikado," she admitted.

The smile that lit Sevillana's face seemed to wash decades from her age. "Oh, my! Another lady of the roses. What a lovely surprise."

"It's certainly unusual," Mikki agreed, with a hint of sarcasm.

Sevillana studied Mikado carefully. "As you age, you will learn to appreciate the unusual, no matter in what form you discover it. Or it discovers you."

Mikki closed her lips on the ready quip that came to her mind. There was something so wise in the old woman's eyes that she felt her normal defenses slip.

"Do you really believe that?" Mikki asked suddenly.

"Of course, my dear." Sevillana's incredible eyes were sharp. "The unusual is as close as we can get in this world to experiencing real magick, and magick is the breath of life."

Mikki would have liked to have questioned the old woman further, but just then a nurse stepped officiously up to them.

"I believe you're my last patient." The RN helped Sevillana to her feet. "Let's take a look at that hand."

"It is nothing but a scratch," the old woman said as she let the nurse lead her from the desk. Then, glancing over her shoulder, she met Mikki's eyes and spoke clearly and distinctly. "I have received far worse wounds from pruning my roses without gloves."

Her words caused a shock of surprise to explode across Mikki's skin.

How did the old woman know?

Mikki was still staring thoughtfully at the doorway through which Sevillana had disappeared when her boss squeezed her shoulder, making her jump.

"Didn't mean to scare you, Mikki. I just wanted to thank you. I appreciate your help today. It was above and beyond the normal call of duty."

"Oh, no problem, Jill. It was a nice change from regular office work."

Jill looked at her assistant closely. She noticed the dark circles under her expressive eyes and the unusual paleness of her skin. Mikki had been her assistant for five years, and the director had come to depend on the no-nonsense way she kept the Nursing Services office running smoothly, but lately her assistant had begun to worry her. She had become increasingly absent-minded, and just two days earlier Jill was almost positive Mikki had been sleeping at her desk. Perhaps it was time her assistant took a vacation. And maybe she needed a raise, too. Jill would hate to lose her to one of their competitor hospitals, and that new heart hospital had just opened on 91st Street. They were probably recruiting heavily for experienced employees. She made a mental note to look into the raise and bring Mikki one of those cruise line catalogs first thing Monday morning.

"Why don't you knock off early today? It's been a long week."

Mikki smiled in surprise. "Thanks! I do have a big date to get ready for."

Jill grinned at her assistant. "I'll keep my fingers crossed." Then she looked around to be sure no one could overhear her before quipping, "You know, a hard man is good to find."

Mikki giggled. "This one's a professor."

"Well, here's hoping that his" - Jill paused, omitting the word and waggling her eyebrows suggestively - "is as big as his brain. See you Monday." Then she departed, swinging her hips jauntily in time with her characteristically saucy stride.

Mikki was still smiling as she turned off the computer. It was as she clicked the mouse that she noticed the laminated insurance card.

"Ah, damnit! I didn't give Sevillana back her card."

Mikki grabbed the card and rushed through the door to the inner area of the emergency room. The nurses' station was located in the middle of the large center arena. Mikki recognized the unit secretary who sat behind the tall counter. As usual, the petite brunette was busy typing orders into the computer.

"Hey, Brandi, what room is Sevillana Kalyca in?"

"Seven." The harried secretary didn't even glance up at her. "That's a name that is hard to forget."