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Chapter Forty-nine
“Blasted arthritis!” Roy spoke before Sloan could say a word and watched warily as the younger man moved to sit on the nearby chair. “I used to be able to climb any tree. Why in my youth, I was—”
“Don’t even start, Roy. Climbing trees like a young kid, at your age. Are you senile or just crazy?”
“Hey! You don’t get to talk to me like that. Show some respect.”
Sloan had played this game before, but this time he wasn’t going along. “No, Roy. You need to show some respect. To your body, and to me and Les. If you don’t take care of yourself, how can we trust you?”
Roy’s sheepishness appeared and he looked over Sloan’s head at the far wall. He waited. Usually when he did this, Sloan would give in and break the silence first because he hated being on the outs with either of his old dads.
But this time, Sloan didn’t play. He also waited.
Finally, Roy huffed and reached for Sloan’s hand. “I’m a dumb old fool. Sorry, son. It’s just that Kean had been holding the kitten. And when that blasted old bulldog from across the way headed over, she started flailing around in a panic and he let her go. She headed right for the tree. Shot up into the top branches like she had a firecracker up her… ahh, back end.”
“Surely you knew she’d come down eventually. I’ve seen her up on those branches myself a few times.”
“I know. But when the kid started crying, I couldn’t stand it. He gets to me. Like you used to. I just wanted to make him happy again. I’d coaxed the kitten down, but when she ran past me I lost my footing and hit the ground.”
Sloan listened and then he added. “Do you remember when I fell out of that same tree? I was ten.”
Roy’s expression showed his distress, his bandaged head came off the pillow and his voice rose. “Don’t remind me. You broke your arm. It was a terrible time. I couldn’t sleep for days thinking how close you came to getting killed.”
Sloan just kept staring. Then he pointed at himself. “That’s where I am right now, Dad. Feeling what you did then.”
Roy paled, his hand shook as he held Sloan’s. “God, I’m sorry, son.”
The nurse and Alia entered just then, and Sloan had time to blink the moisture away before he caught Alia’s eye.
She nodded toward the back of the room and he joined her there while Ryan set up some equipment next to Roy. “They’ve taken and tested my blood and they’ll give him the transfusion. He’s pretty weak. They were happy to see me come in. The flight from Maui was still an hour out and according to the chart I caught a glimpse of, his blood pressure has dropped. It’s best if they don’t have to wait.”
“I’m so glad you were here. And could help him.”
“I know. In San Diego, I was a blood donor and they called me in a few times during dire situations. I’ve been meaning to sign up here in Honolulu. Now I will for sure.”
Sloan watched the nurse setting up the transfusion paraphernalia and hesitated to go back to Roy. A thought came to him out of the blue and he voiced the question. “I guess parents have the same blood type as their kids.”
“I think that’s how it works, but I really have no idea. I was adopted. Never did find out about my genetic pool, so to speak. I only know that I was born in San Francisco and my parents had to fly there from Chicago to pick me up. They always told me that my mother had been a young girl who’d decided she’d rather follow an acting career than be a mom. Her name was Scarlet Honor. She gave me up for a private adoption.”
“And you didn’t go after more information once you had the opportunities with the bureau?”
She bit her lip and searched his gaze that only showed interest. “Okay, I did. Found out that the adoption agency had shut down and the records had been passed on to the government agency that looked after Child Services. When I accessed those records, it seems Scarlet had died by the time I was two; she’d caught pneumonia and had serious complications. Poor girl never stood a chance.”
“And your adoptive parents?”
“What about them?”
“Are they in San Diego?”
“Nope. They’ve both passed. They were quite a bit older when they adopted me and cancer took both of them years ago.”
Sloan reached for her, his arms cuddling. “I’m so sorry.”
“Me too. They were nice people, Brits. Quiet and scholarly, both teachers. Sadly, I have no idea what made them decide they needed a baby. By the time I joined their little circle, they had various babysitters look after me most of the time and the rest, well… they just made sure I behaved.”
“And you did.”
“I had no choice.”
