Finding Isadora(107)

“I have beer and wine. Other folks will bring stuff. We should be fine. Oh, you remember my apartment building? It’s a couple of blocks up, on the right.”

“I remember. See you soon.”

He leaned over and kissed me. “Soon.”

The shopping was easy. I’d done the same thing for my parents often enough. I hefted the straining bags and lugged them toward Gabriel’s building, arriving as three people climbed out of a battered car and headed for the front door.

We established that we were all heading for Gabriel’s. I let them buzz up, and went in with them. His door was open and just hearing his voice from the living room gave me sexy shivers of awareness. My lover. My love.

I slipped the groceries into the fridge, then went nervously to join the eight or nine people in the living room. Gabriel, barefoot in jeans and a black T-shirt, hair loose on his shoulders, was talking to a young couple in shorts and Birkenstocks.

He turned as if he sensed my presence, and his face lit. “Isadora.” He came forward, extending his hand, a wicked gleam in his eye. “How good of you to come.” He put a slight emphasis on the word “come.”

“Gabriel.” I took his hand, a hand that had explored the most intimate secrets of my body. “How good of you to have me.”

He almost laughed, but managed to hold it back. Then, from behind me, I heard Grace’s voice. “Isadora! You did come.”

My gaze held Gabriel’s as I said, “Yes, Grace, I did.”

Gabriel made a choking sound, and I rescued him by turning my back on him and going to hug my mother. “I got your message, just didn’t have a chance to call you back.”

“Too bad. We were in your neighborhood and it would have been easy to pick you up.”

“In my neighborhood?” Thank heavens they hadn’t decided to drop by.

“Giving a new volunteer a lift.” She swung around. “Here they are now.”

Jimmy Lee backed through the entrance from the hall, pulling a wheelchair after him. When he and the chair and its occupant were inside, I cried, “Henry!” It was Henry Melnick, Spooky the cat’s human.

I went over to shake his hand. Two handshakes in the space of a few minutes, and I couldn’t help but compare Henry’s frail grip with Gabriel’s strength and vitality. What a horrible disease AIDS was. “It’s great to see you. But are you sure you’re up to it?”

He winked. “What’s the worst that happens? It kills me?”

I’d had a taste of his humor before, so knew enough to grin.

Gabriel came over. “Another newcomer.” He held out his hand. “Gabriel DeLuca.”

“Henry Melnick.”

I watched as they shook, knowing Gabriel would be holding back, letting Henry meet him on equal masculine ground.

“You two know each other?” Gabriel, asked, looking from Henry to me.

It was Henry who answered. “Doc Izzie recruited me. My cat’s one of her patients.”

“I told Henry about the case you’re working on, and he said he’d like to help out.”

“A prospective plaintiff?” Gabriel asked him.

Henry shook his head and gave that wink of his. “Not unless you’re faster than most lawyers at getting cases into court.”

Gabriel digested that, then said quietly, “AIDS?”

It was a pretty safe guess, given Henry’s physical state and the lesions on his face, but Henry had told me most people just assumed, then avoided the subject. And avoided him. It pissed him off no end. I hoped Gabriel’s frankness didn’t do the same.

But Henry gave him an approving nod. “Yup. The drugs aren’t working any more.”

“I’m sorry.” Gabriel rested a hand on Henry’s shoulder for a moment. “We’ll be glad to have your help.”

“And I’ll be glad to give it. Beats sitting on my bony ass feeling sorry for myself.”

“Sure as hell does,” Gabriel agreed. Then he turned to me. “Thanks for signing up another recruit, Isadora.”

A group of newcomers claimed Gabriel’s attention, and Henry and I made our way across the room. People welcomed us warmly, including several long-time friends of my parents, who didn’t seem surprised to see me there.

I glanced around the room, my gaze touching the shabby couch, the beautifully crafted thunderbird blanket box, the guitar. When Gabriel played for me, what music would he choose?

More people trickled in, then he clapped his hands together. “Let’s get started. Find yourself a place to sit, if you can.”

I helped Henry maneuver his chair into a corner and settled on a pillow at his feet. Not far away, Jimmy Lee had claimed a kitchen chair and Grace too sat on a pillow on the floor, serene in the lotus position.

Gabriel straddled his desk chair, his forearms resting on the back of it. “Someone want to take notes? There’s paper and pen on my desk.”

An earnest-looking young woman waved her hand eagerly and flashed him an admiring smile. “I will, Gabe. My netbook’s in my bag.”

“Thanks, Constance.” When he smiled back, she blushed and fumbled to extract her small computer.

I imagined this happened everywhere he went. Adoring female acolytes. The thought didn’t make me exactly comfortable. But then his gaze drifted my way and he dropped a quick wink before glancing away again, and I realized it was absurd to feel jealous. Yes, he might have a flock of admirers, but I was the woman he loved, even if he wasn’t ready to admit it.