Part 41 (1/2)
When her father and sister were back with her step mother, Jade excused herself to go up a floor and see how Rick was doing. She realized that Lucian was behind her.
”I could have done this alone,” she said. ”In fact, 1 should be doing this alone.”
”You shouldn't be doing anything alone.”
”We're in a busy hospital.”
”I need to see your friend.”
”He was doing much better. He might be conscious. He and Liz have had symptoms so much alike, and she's doing so very well....”
”Let's hope,” he murmured.
She stopped dead, placing a hand against his chest. ”Lucian, I-”
”You're worried about your friend meeting me?” he inquired, his fingers sliding around her wrist to pull her hand away, his eyes cold.
”Do you really think you could just go back to the way things were?”
”No... yes... perhaps. You still... I still know nothing about you.
You've just barged into my life-”
”You know everything there is to know about me. If you admit it,”
he said, walking by her. She felt chilled.
He knew the way. They reached Rick's room.
He was still in intensive care. A nurse stopped them from entering.
Jade said that she had sat with him for hours already, and the nurse said, ”Oh, you're the fiancee!”
Her cheeks reddened as she felt Lucian just behind her, but she said, ”Yes.”
”He's still unconscious, but holding his own. Go on, talk to him.
Maybe it will do him some good.”
Jade slipped in. Rick still looked pale. She gazed at the different monitors connected to him; his vital signs seemed stable enough. She squeezed his hand. ”You're going to make it. You are!” she encouraged him.
Through the gla.s.s window to the room, she could see Lucian talking to the nurse. The nurse smiled, opening the door for Lucian to enter.
She stared at him. ”What did you say to her?”
He shrugged. ”Nothing much. I said I was a friend.” He paid her little attention, but walked straight to Rick, observing his face, then searching his neck. He seemed perplexed.
”Bite holes, right?” she mocked skeptically.
He motioned to her. There did seem to be two little pinp.r.i.c.k marks in his neck, but not the big red circles she had seen in movies.
”Shouldn't they be bigger?” she whispered, thinking she was really losing her mind now.
”She's playing.”
”What?”
”Sophia is just playing. He's holding his own, though. For the moment. But he shouldn't be alone at all. I'll tell Sean.”
”I don't understand any of this. And I don't believe he's sick because of those little pinholes in his neck. This is crazy.”
”Very,” he agreed.
And he turned around and left her.
Chapter Fourteen.
By the light of day, in the sterile and well-ordered world of the hospital, Jade felt as if she were letting the bizarre get the best of her mind.
She wasn't running after Lucian.
She simply wasn't going to believe so easily. There were always logical answers in life.
Sometimes they were just hard to find.
Stubbornly, she remained with Rick. She sat by his side as time ticked slowly by. She held his hand; then she gently touched his cheek.
”I'm so sorry. I would never purposely hurt you. Never.”
She looked outside the room again, thinking that maybe Lucian was waiting for her.
He was not.
A few minutes later she saw a handsome young man come, take a chair, and settle with a newspaper outside Rick's door.
She exited, looking at him. He rose, a friendly smile on his face.
”Hi, Jade, is it? Jack Delaney; I work with Sean.”
”Naturally,” she murmured. ”You're going to watch over Rick?”
”For now,” he said cheerfully.
”That's good to hear.” She watched his eyes carefully. ”He isn't being hunted down by a mafia chieftain or anything. He came in here sick.”
”Right. Well, he's a cop, and a good one. One of our own. I hope you don't mind my being here with him.”