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“Honey,” Mom moaned, “if you start crying, I’ll cry.”
“Please. No more crying.” Dad smiled from his hospital cot.
“Daddy!” I hugged him again, inhaling his cologne and ignoring how bony he felt.
“I’m fine, baby.” He patted my shoulder. His head was shiny and bald thanks to the chemo and radiation treatments, but he’d never looked happier.
“Don’t ever scare me like that again.” I wagged my finger. “You need to live long enough to meet your grandbabies.”
“You have to get married first,” Dad teased.
I cleared my throat and straightened. “How long will the doctors keep you in the hospital? Shouldn’t you be able to go home?”
“They want to do some more tests to make sure there are no diseases in this old body.”
Mom sat regally in the chair and folded her legs together. “The doctors in Merida were so kind and attentive. I’m glad we got our treatment there.”
“Tell me everything,” I said.
Mom and Dad took turns filling me in and I listened, rapt on every word. I was glad to see them smiling and laughing. The worry lines tainting the brown skin around Mom’s beautiful eyes had faded. She looked years younger now that we were given a new lease on life.
“Oh, Angel?” Mom smiled at me. “Do you think you could ask the doctor for the address of that American foundation?”
I stiffened. “Huh? What foundation?”
“Thanks to them, your father could receive his treatment. We owe them everything.”
“I tried to ask the doctor about it, but he said that information was confidential,” Dad explained.
“I’ll see what I can do.” I stood, trying to hide my guilty expression with a cheery smile. “Anybody hungry? Thirsty?”
“We ate before we came,” Mom said.
“I skipped breakfast because I was so excited. I’ll head to the cafeteria real quick and be right back.”
Mom nodded and shooed me away.
I closed the door gently behind me and walked outside. My heartbeat quickened. Thank God Dad’s doctor had come through with pushing Mom and Dad off the scent.
That was a close one.
My steps were light as I strode down the corridor in search of the hospital cafeteria.
When I neared the nurses’ station, I saw a cluster of women in uniforms whispering to each other.
“He’s so hot.”
“Did you see his arms? They’re, like, twice the size of my head.”
“His arms? Did you see his eyes? Girl, talk about dreamy.”
I passed them by and dipped my head. Most of the nurses were familiar to me since my family had been in and out of this hospital since Dad’s diagnosis.
“Hey, Angel!” One of the nurses broke away from the crowd and stepped toward me. “Don’t you know that guy?”
“What guy?”
“The white guy with green eyes and a cute little boy? I saw him in your parents’ room before your dad left for treatment.”
