“Then I guess I’ll let you get away with it.”
“Let me? No choice. You know we both signed over medical powers of attorney years ago because we weren’t married and were always running into red tape.” His hand tightened on hers. “The minute you enter that emergency room, you’re mine.”
“Bully.” Mine. Wonderful word that could mean so many things when spoken between them. “I’ll see about that.” She was having to force her lids to stay open. “And it might not have been that I was really blacked out. Might have been Jenny…”
COMMUNITY HOSPITAL OF THE MONTEREY
PENINSULA, CARMEL, CALIFORNIA
“Eve?”
Margaret’s voice, Eve realized drowsily as she fought to rouse herself from sleep. She slowly opened her eyes to see Margaret standing beside her bed. The hospital room was dark except for the light streaming in from the hallway. “Hi, what are you doing here?”
“Sneaking in where I’m not supposed to be.” She smiled down at her. “Joe helped me, but he’s not pleased. I wouldn’t have done it except that the doctors said that you’re not nearly as fragile as you looked right after you got that knock on the head.”
“It must be important if you’re barging in here in the middle of the night.” Eve yawned. “Is everything okay?”
“No. But I think it might be something you can fix.” She turned her head. “Cara.”
Cara Delaney moved out of the shadows in the far corner of the room. “Is it all right that I’m here? I won’t be any trouble.”
“Cara.” Eve held out her hand to her. “It’s all right as long as we don’t get caught. They seldom have middle-of-the-night visiting hours at hospitals.” She glanced at Margaret. “But she’d be better off in bed.”
“No, she wouldn’t,” Margaret said. “Nalchek pulled strings to keep her out of a child-care facility, so she could stay in my hotel room tonight. But she kept waking up with nightmares. The last time she woke up, she said she had to come here to you. She was getting upset, so I stopped arguing and decided to try to negotiate our way in here.”
“You evidently succeeded,” Eve said dryly.
“I won’t be any trouble,” Cara repeated. “Just let me stay.”
“She’s very good,” Margaret said quietly. “I wouldn’t have brought her if I’d believed she’d be a hassle for you.”
“I’ll just sit here and be with you,” Cara said. “Like Jenny would want me to do.”
Eve went still. “What?”
“She didn’t tell me that,” Margaret said.
“No?” She was gazing at Cara. She looked so much like Jenny, yet there were differences. Her features were not as delicate, and her eyes were hazel, not green. She had Jenny’s exotic cheekbones but they looked stronger, more defined. There were other differences; the years of living and being on the run had given Cara a reserve and quiet strength unusual in a girl her age.
And she was gazing steadily at Eve as if she were trying to tell her something.
Perhaps she was, and whatever it was, Eve wanted to hear it. “You can leave her with me, Margaret. We’ll be fine together.”
Margaret nodded and fetched a chair from against the wall and set it beside the bed. She turned on the lamp on the bedside table that cast a low glow in the room. “I believe you will.” She headed for the door. “But you can expect Joe to peek in shortly just to make sure.” She glanced over her shoulder at Cara. “Don’t wear her out.”
“I won’t.” The little girl settled in the chair, and added gravely, “I know I have to take care of her.”
Margaret’s brows rose. “Really?” She shrugged. “Whatever.” She left the room.
“Do you want me to turn out that light? I don’t want to keep you awake,” Cara said. “I just wanted to be here.”