NICO HAD NEVER met a man as intense as Alex Santiago. Physically, Nico and Alex were evenly matched, yet Alex managed to stare him down. “How is my wife?”
“She’s doing well. She just had breakfast and is sitting with her sister. I’ll take you directly to her.” Nico looked back at Luke Williams, who gave him a wide grin and nodded reassuringly. Nico had met Luke earlier, when he’d piloted Kat onto the island. When they got to Kat’s room, Alex didn’t hesitate; he went right to her and kissed her unabashedly.
Nico turned to Luke. “Is he always like that?”
“The first time I met him, the guy wanted to throttle me just for talking to Kat.”
Nico smiled, imagining the scene. “I never thanked you for bringing the ECMO machine. It meant a lot to Anna to be able to save that baby.”
Luke pinned him with his startling blue eyes. “No problem, man, I was glad to do it. What you’re doing here is pretty incredible.”
“That’s high praise coming from someone who is literally putting his life on the line to serve our country.”
Luke waved his hand. “There are hundreds of thousands like me, but it takes a lot to build something out of nothing. If I could do anything with my life, I’d want to do something like this. To bring medical care to people, to better their lives… That’s the way to live.”
“You’re pretty young, and healthy,” Nico said pointedly. “You can do anything you want.”
“If only it were that easy.”
Somehow, Nico knew what he meant. “Family obligations?”
Luke nodded. “Following in my father’s footsteps. How about you?”
“Trying not to follow in my father’s footsteps.”
The two men watched Alex and Kat break off their impossibly long kiss.
“Tell you what, I would give up anything to have that kind of love.” Luke gestured to Alex and Kat; despite their tears, they were looking at each other like nothing else mattered.
* * *
ANNA MADE HER way to Nana’s front door. She’d woken this morning to find that Alex had arrived and Nico had already explained what had happened, taking the brunt of Alex’s anger. Still, she had gone to see Alex and Kat. While he wasn’t happy, he seemed to care more about the fact that Kat was okay. For her part, Kat seemed to accept what had happened. When Anna apologized to her, she’d looked up and said, Sometimes fate deals you a blow and you have to roll with it. Dwelling on it means you can’t move forward.
She wished she could be as strong as Kat but Anna also didn’t want to repeat her own mistakes.
Since everything seemed under control at the hospital, she’d decided to come here before her flight off the island later today. Normally the PHS worked at the speed of molasses to get paperwork approved but her leave orders came through in record time. Linda had pulled some strings so Anna could leave with Kat; otherwise, she could be stuck on Guam for days or even weeks.
Rapping on the door, she stood back and waited. Nana smiled widely when she saw Anna and invited her in. Tito was there, recuperating from his femur fracture.
“Hey, no offense, Anna, but I still have PTSD from you yanking on my leg that night. Jeez, I thought I was gonna die.”
“Sorry, Tito, it had to be done to save your leg.”
“Well, for that I guess I can forgive you. The ladies don’t like one-legged men so much.”
Anna smiled. She’d forgotten how Tito made her smile. As if sensing a serious conversation brewing, he made an excuse about needing a nap and disappeared into his room.
Nana made tea while Anna sat at the Formica table. She remembered the first time she’d visited this house. Nico had been a little embarrassed, making a point about how his mother refused to get rid of her old things even though he offered to buy her new stuff. Anna had been charmed. She would’ve given anything to have grown up in a home with so much personal history. Instead, her mother had bought new things every time they moved. At Nana’s house, there were still crayon marks on the table from when Nico was a child.
Nana set down two steaming cups. “You’ve come to say goodbye.” She wasn’t a woman to mince words.
Anna nodded. “I didn’t want to leave like I did the last time. And I want to thank you for the quilt, and for giving me closure on Lucas’s death.”
“You were not the only one who needed the closure. We all needed to grieve for him, and we couldn’t do it without you.”
Anna nodded, looking down at her teacup. It seemed the only thing she could do these days was cry. Nothing made sense anymore, no decision felt right.
Nana patted her hand. “I’m sorry to see you go.”
“I’m sorry I messed things up between Nico and Maria. I tried to talk to her. It was never my intention…” What could she possibly say? “I wish I had quit my job and never come back. Then Nico would still be engaged to Maria. They’d be happy.”
“That was my hope. But even if you hadn’t come, that’s not what would’ve happened.”
Anna looked up. Nana’s face was weary. “I’ve been asking Nico to send you the divorce papers. Your mother said she had an address he could use, but he’s been holding on to them. I think he was planning to go to California to see you one last time. He has never stopped loving you.”
“I would’ve signed the papers if he’d sent them. Then maybe I wouldn’t have ruined Maria’s life.”
Nana shrugged. “Maria is a smart, beautiful girl. All the bachelors on the island want to marry her. She’ll be okay. I hear even the governor is sweet on her. It’s Nico I worry about. He will never be the same without you.”
Anna knew where this was going and she had braced herself for it. Nana would try to talk her into staying. She would argue a case for compromise or make a deal with Anna. It was what she’d done when Anna had expressed her discomfort with living in Nana’s house after they’d gotten married. Nana had suggested they find a home of their own. It was what had made her and Nico decide to buy their own house. Then Nico, in his typical make things happen fashion, had bought the house in Tumon without telling her. But not before he got Nana’s blessing. One thing Anna could never fault in Nana was how much she loved her son. She would sacrifice her own happiness for his.
“You need to go in order for things to work out,” Nana said softly.
Wait, what? She had settled in to hear a lecture about why she shouldn’t leave Guam. Nana wanted her to go? But Anna nodded, like it was unquestionably the right decision.
“Please come to California and get treatment. It’s only for a short time—you’ll be back on the island before you know it.”
Nana smiled and stood. Giving Anna a hug, she patted her back. “I’ve had a good life, Nico has made me very proud. I’m okay here at home.”
Anna had lost track of how many tears she’d shed during the past few days. And she had yet to say her most painful goodbye. Alex and Kat were leaving on the helicopter with Luke in just over an hour. Anna was going to catch a ride to Japan with them. She’d never get off Guam if she had to wait for a commercial flight here. The airport still only had one working runway.
She returned to the hospital and said her goodbyes to Maria and Bruno after running into them in the lobby. The other woman hugged her and cried. Even Bruno was a big baby, sobbing uncontrollably.
Then it was time to see Nico.
She knocked on his office door.
His eyes were red when he opened it, and the hurt in his face pierced her soul. He held up her ring and the divorce papers. “I see you’ve signed these.”
What could she say? She had left them on the desk so she wouldn’t have to say the words out loud. A part of her wanted to leave like she had last time. It always seemed easier in the moment, but she’d learned the hard way that she’d regret it for years to come.
“I gave you the house in Tumon. Whatever money you get from the insurance, put my half into this hospital.”
“I couldn’t care less about the money. I want to rebuild that house with you.”
“And I want us to have a life away from this island.”
He held out his arms and she went to him. They had said everything they ever needed to say to each other. There was nothing left to do but to say goodbye.
He bent his head and cupped her face. His lips were soft and light on hers. It was like the first time he’d kissed her, his lips seeking permission. She didn’t hesitate. This was the last time she’d get to be with the man she loved, and she wanted every last touch she could get. She stood on her tiptoes to get closer to him and deepened the kiss. His love flowed into her heart, like it always did. She tasted salt and didn’t know if it was from her tears or his. She ended the kiss to sob into his chest and he held her tight.
A rap on the door broke their embrace. Maria looked in, her face pained. “I’m really sorry, but everyone is loaded into the chopper and Luke has to get going.”
Anna nodded and Nico grabbed the duffel she’d dropped on the floor. They walked to the helicopter and he handed her bag to Vickie. Alex was sitting next to Luke in the copilot seat to make room for Anna to sit in the back. Vickie held out a hand to help her climb in. Anna looked down as the helicopter rose.
Nico pressed a hand to his heart then to his lips, and blew a kiss at her.