Laht was asleep when Isara entered his room. A young nurse with a clipboard was writing numbers from the machines. She smiled and motioned for Isara to be quiet. "He's doing very well," she whispered. "The doctor said he can leave in the morning."
Isara stared at his son for a minute before nodding his understanding. He stepped out of the room.
Dr. Phansak, Laht's friend from school, was waiting when Isara stepped into the hallway. "Do you have a minute?" he asked. "There is something you need to know."
"Of course. What is it?"
Dr. Phansak spoke low and direct. His revelations gave Isara pause. When they finished talking, Isara went to the cashier and made the necessary arrangements for hospital fees both current and future.
A minute later Isara was in the waiting area. To his left sat the young woman his son loved. She was staring straight ahead and didn't see him when he arrived. He took the opportunity to study her. On the outside she was as beautiful as Laht had said. But Isara knew that on the inside she carried secrets that he and Laht could only guess at. He was tempted to give her money and tell her to go away, but the image of his dead brother's face squelched the thought. He would let Laht decide his own future. When she finally noticed him, he walked to her.
Somjit pulled her arms tight against her sides and hunched her shoulders downward, as if trying to force herself smaller, or even invisible. She had already lost little Tippawan and now she would lose Laht. She knew it as sure as morning would come. She turned away from his approach.
"Look at me," he ordered.
Somjit glanced up. His presence was overpowering. She slid from her seat to her knees and wai'ed in the beggar-like manner suitable to her lot.
Isara ignored her low gesture. "I said look at me. Get up and look at me now."
Hesitantly, meekly, she looked up. "I'm sorry if I've caused your family any problems. It will never happen again."
Isara had no tolerance for groveling. "If you have any intentions of being my son's wife, you need to start acting like you have some self respect. If you love him, you'll get off your knees and look at me."
Somjit stood and pulled back her shoulders, "I do have self respect. Your son gave it to me. I'll always love him for that."
Isara regarded her haughtily. "Only that?"
She paused at his question. For her it was much more. "I love your son for many reasons. I love him because he is good and kind and caring, and I love him because he saved my life. Most of all, I love him because he loves me."
Isara smiled to himself behind his fake mask. "Then you should take care of him. If you'll excuse me, I have things to do before I can sleep. Tell Laht to call me tomorrow." He turned to walk away.
"What about the woman who saved his life? Is she okay?"
"She will be fine. She has the best lawyer in Thailand."
Somjit couldn't help but smile. "I'm sure she does."
At the door he paused and looked back. "You don't know it yet, but you are pregnant. It's my son's child." With that he disappeared into the night.
Involuntarily she put her hand to her stomach. What if it were true? There was no way he could know something she didn't know herself. Yet somehow she knew he was right. She eased past the doctors and entered the room where Laht lay sleeping. She took his hand in hers and squeezed tight. "I will make you a proud husband," she said. "I promise that to you." She pulled herself tall and smiled. "Then I will make you the proud father of our child."
Isara exited the hospital and entered the awaiting Mercedes. "Take me to the Pattaya police station," he said. "I need to get my best investigator out of trouble. I've promised her a vacation and I'm going to make sure she gets it. I think I'll give her a bonus, too."
The driver nodded, smiled, and drove south.