Only Yours (Fool's Gold #5)(59)

“I’m showing Simon around town because Mayor Marsha asked me to,” she said firmly.

“That’s a good story and I would encourage you to stick to it. Maybe someone will believe you.”

Montana laughed. “You’re impossible.”

“But in a good way, right?” She approached the bed. “Hey, Mrs. Lee, I see your favorite visitor is back.”

“She is.”

Bella petted the poodle, then glanced at Montana. “I have the list. Go deliver Samson to his fans.”

“I will. Thanks.”

Cece would spend about fifteen minutes with each of her “regular” residents. Bella would take care of delivering her where she was supposed to go, and kept track of time. Samson visited in the men’s wing. Another volunteer would meet Bella there and take charge of Samson. Having the help left Montana free to make sure the bigger dogs circulated evenly in the main recreation room.

Her visits usually lasted about three hours. She knew that by the time she left, close to noon, she would be feeling much better about herself and her life. It was impossible to watch the dogs in action and not be reminded how much good there was in the world.

She made a quick stop by physical therapy to check on her charges, then walked back to the front of the facility. As she approached the recreation room, she heard the sound of music and knew the dancing had begun.

Some of the residents simply swayed in their chairs. A few sang along with the music. But what Montana liked best were the old couples who still danced.

She made sure her dogs were behaving and paying attention to each resident individually, then let her awareness return to those in the center of the room. As always, her gaze settled on the Spangles.

They’d been married seventy-one years. She knew—there’d been a cake for their anniversary last month. Despite the lines on their faces and the frailness of their bones, they were as much in love today as they had been all those years ago.

The facility had allowed them to room together, twin hospital beds pushed together. One of the nurses had told Montana that they fell asleep holding hands.

Watching them, the way they held each other, made Montana smile. This was how it was supposed to be, she thought. People could love each other until death parted them. Sometimes, at the end, love was all that was left.

Rather than being hurt or feeling rejected, she should feel sorry for Simon. He didn’t believe in couples like the Spangles. He believed in being alone.

As not seeing him again didn’t seem to be an option, she would simply have to remember that she wanted different things than he did. While being with him was fun and making love with him was extraordinary, at the end of the day, he wasn’t anyone she could depend on. Recognizing that now would allow her to protect herself. She hoped.

“I DON’T UNDERSTAND,” Fay said, from the other side of Kalinda’s bed. The girl’s mother was frantic, practically wringing her hands as she stood guard, desperate to do something. Anything.

“She has a fever and it’s climbing,” Simon told her.

Worse, Kalinda was barely conscious.

“I know that part. I sit with her every minute of every day. What I want to know is why now? What is happening to her?”

He closed the chart. “I don’t know,” he admitted, leading Fay into the hallway. “There are several possible causes. She could have an infection, she could have caught a virus or her body could be reacting to the burns.”

“But it’s been nearly a month since the accident.”

Fay Riley had no idea what her daughter had been through, he thought grimly. No matter that she’d stayed faithfully, had watched her suffer, had done her best to make things better. She couldn’t understand the depth of the damage, the incredible strain the injury put on the rest of the body.

He thought about explaining. There were technical words he could use, pictures he could show. But to what end? She would still be a frightened mother, dealing with a very sick child.

“I think it’s unlikely she has a virus. We’ll check for infection, but I don’t think it’s that, either. The healing process for what Kalinda is going through is massive. If we use the example of having to climb Mount Everest, then Kalinda has barely started on the plane trip taking her to Nepal.”

The woman stared at him. Her color drained as her eyes widened. “Are you saying she could still die?”

The truth was, she could die, he thought, but he wasn’t going to say that. Still, Fay must have guessed. Tears filled her eyes as she covered her mouth. Then she bent slightly and gave in to the sobs.

“I can’t lose her,” she gasped. “Not after all this. You have to save her.”

“We’re keeping her comfortable, helping as best we can. It’s up to her.”

Fay straightened and glared at him. “She’s only a little girl.”

“I know.”

He knew more than she gave him credit for. He’d been where Kalinda was now—suffering, close to death.

Fay continued to cry. He shifted uncomfortably, wanting to excuse himself.

“Maybe we should speak later,” he began.

She nodded and turned away.

He took a few steps toward the nurses’ station, then glanced back. Fay stood in front of the door to her daughter’s room, her arms wrapped around herself, her body still shaking from the sobs.