AllFreeNovel
Share Us
"And they bought it."
"Lock and stock but with more references to my criminal past."
"Your father's criminal past."
"For some of these guys it's the same thing." She shrugged and slipped out the door.
In the elevator, Lola stared at the illuminated numbers and cleared her throat. "Did you remember anything else important? I take it your entire life did not come flooding back into your consciousness."
"Lesley guided me with questions. I remembered almost everything she asked. My parents died when I was in high school. I remember them. I recall my college years, most of my time as a Green Beret."
"And Prospero?"
"I remember the team. We had a bond so close, they were like family, like brothers. But Prospero broke up. We all retired from the Armed Services. They all moved on."
"Except you." The elevator bell dinged and the doors slid open. "You're still involved in the business of spying."
On the pediatric ward, Lola checked in at the nurses' station while Jack hit the vending machines in the waiting area for a soda. Was he still so fuzzy he didn't realize she wanted info on his marital status?
Once she'd ascertained Gabe's safety and Jack's integrity, the marriage question was number three on her list. She smiled automatically at the nurse and asked for Eddie's chart.
"I thought you were still on vacation, Dr. Famosa."
Lola looked up from the chart showing Eddie's daily improvement. "My vacation plans changed. Since I'm home, anyway, I figured I could check up on Eddie."
The nurse shook her head. "He sure has taken a shine to you. I mean, all your patients do, but there's something special between you and that little boy."
"He's special." Lola hugged the chart to her chest.
"Yeah, he also has Jesus the orderly and Freddie the janitor checking in on him daily." The nurse ducked her head and whispered, "I heard about the attack on you the other day down by the morgue. They say it was Eddie's stepfather. Are you okay?"
"Besides a bruise on the side of my neck, I'm fine. And that vile man isn't Eddie's stepfather. He and Eddie's mother never married."
The nurse gave an exaggerated shiver and pulled her sweater tight. "I hate going down to the basement. Creeps me out."
"Yeah, me, too." Lola tapped the edge of the clipboard on the desk. "I'll bring this back when I'm done."
She glided down the hallway and almost bumped into Jack coming around the corner. Glancing at the can of cola in his hand, she said, "Going to pump some caffeine into your system?"
"I'm still kind of groggy and I have a persistent pain behind my eyes." He raised the can in the air. "Maybe this will help."
With Jack hovering behind her, Lola poked her head into Eddie's room. The boy's dark eyes lit up once he dragged his gaze away from the TV in the corner. "Dr. Lola!"
She swept into the room, crossing the small space, and planted a kiss on the top of his head. "You are getting better every day. I brought my friend to see you, too. I heard you two met the other day."
Eddie slipped Jack a shy smile beneath lowered lashes. "No wrestling on today, Mr. Jack."
"Epic needs his rest to take on his next opponent."
Lola wagged her finger at Eddie. "Are you still watching wrestling?"
"It's good, Dr. Lola."
Jack echoed. "Yeah, Dr. Lola."
Eddie giggled and Lola changed the course of her wagging finger to wave it under Jack's nose. "You are a bad influence."
Jack shuttered his eyelids halfway and said, "I know."
The look he sent her from those dark, unfathomable depths turned her insides to toasted marshmallow. She tapped Eddie on the knee with his chart. "You're going to be getting out of here in a few days."
Eddie drew back against his pillow, his small face stiffening, and Lola's stomach took a dive. She pasted on a bright smile and shoveled sunshine into her voice. "You'll be fine, Eddie. There are a lot of loving foster families out there, and maybe your grandmother will take you."
Dade County had contacted Eddie's grandmother when her daughter had been murdered, but she'd been less than enthusiastic over the idea of taking in her orphaned grandson. The thought of Eddie bouncing from foster home to foster home carved a hole in Lola's belly, but she wouldn't allow him to see her fear.
