Night descended on the hospital and things quieted down in the lounge as the tired residents fell into the sofas and covered their eyes to hide from the light. Groans of exhaustion followed on the tails of satisfied sighs. The doctors were finally settling in for a brief rest.
All except one.
“Shanya,” Mateo said in a sing-song voice, rolling his chair next to his friend. “I have a favor.”
“Go away,” Shanya moaned, kicking his chair with her foot so that he flew to the other side of the room. “I need peace and quiet.”
Using his legs to oar himself back to her side, Mateo rested his head on the desk and widened his eyes in appeal. “Please?”
Shanya squeezed her eyes shut. “I won’t be charmed. I won’t be charmed.”
“Shan-Shan…”
“Dang it!” She shot up and faced him. “You have five minutes. Go.”
“How would you prefer a friend of ten years to confess his love to you?” Mateo picked up the notebook with his scribbled thoughts and held it under his nose. “Should I go the Valentines route with hearts and flowers, a candlelit dinner, or a musical?” Shanya rubbed her eyes. “Slow down there, Romeo. Back up and start way, way from the beginning.” “And keep it down!” Josiah pleaded.
“Sorry,” Mateo whispered and then leaned close to Shanya. “You’re a girl. Can’t you help me out here?”
“Fine, fine.” Shanya tried to think. “You said you’ve been after this woman for ten years?”
“More or less.”
“Geez, that’s pathetic.”
“Hey!”
Shanya flipped her hair over her shoulder. “My advice is, don’t go with any gimmicks. If you want to make a meal for her or buy her flowers or whatever, it’s your prerogative. Just be straight up and tell her how you feel. That’s how Lamar got me.”
“Yes, well, Lamar wasn’t competing with his girl’s fiancé.”
“She has a fiancé?” Shanya’s eyes nearly popped out of their sockets. “Mateo, what are you thinking?”
“He’s a jerk!”
“Says the guy who wants to steal his girlfriend!”
“Save the lecture for later, please.”
“Don’t think I won’t,” she said. Mateo flashed a smile and she slapped his cheek. “I hope this girl is worth what you’re getting into.”
“She is.”
“Then I wish you the best.” Shanya brought her coat over her head. “Now go away so I can sleep.”
Mateo squeezed her shoulder and darted for the door, pulling his keys out of his pockets. A few minutes later, he was pacing through the hospital lobby when a nurse tapped his shoulder.
“Doctor Hernandez?”
“Yes?” he asked, a thread of irritation in his voice. Checking himself, Mateo forced a smile and spoke calmly. “Can I help you?”
“The patient in the Recovery Unit has been asking for you. Do you know a Robert Palacio?”
“I do.”
“Doctor Park asked if you could step in for a moment. The patient seems agitated.”
“Of course.”
Mateo changed directions and headed for Mr. Palacio’s room. What could the man possibly want from him? He checked his watch as he strode down the hallway. The summons had come at the most deplorable time. If he didn’t get a move on, Abigail would be asleep when he got home.
“Mateo,” Parker greeted him when he opened the door to Palacio’s room. “Thanks for coming down, man. I need him to rest, but he says he won’t be able until he talks to you.”
“It’s alright,” Mateo patted the older man’s shoulder, “I’ll deal with this.”
“Alright,” Parker said and appraised Mateo’s clothes. “You heading home tonight?” “I’m trying to.”
Parker arched an eyebrow, but said nothing.
“Come here, boy!” A voice croaked from the bed. Mateo turned his attention to the recovering patient and distractedly nodded at
Parker as he left.
“How can I help you, Mr. Palacio?”
“Come closer,” he whispered. “I don’t want everybody hearing this.”
Mateo glanced around at the empty room, but obliged and drew a chair closer to the bedridden man’s side. “Yes?” “You’re still close to my daughter?”
Confused by the question, Mateo took his time answering. “We’re… friends, yes.” For the time being
“I need you to talk to her. She’s gone crazy saying she won’t marry Paul.”
“Excuse me?”
“Convince her to go back to him, please. I’ll do anything.”
Mateo swallowed, stunned by the request. The years were back-pedaling until he was once again eighteen years old with just enough courage to confess his feelings to Abigail Palacio. Like that night, Abigail’s father threw a wrench in his plans, forcing Mateo to keep silent.
He chuckled and the sick man grimaced. “What’s so funny, boy?”
Mateo struggled to get a handle on his reaction, but the repetition was too pathetic to be fair. He was starting to suspect that Robert
Palacio had a radar that went off whenever Mateo decided to spill his feelings to Abigail.
“Why should I do that?” Mateo asked, when he’d gotten himself together. “Why should I help you?”
“Isn’t studying to be a doctor very expensive? I can take care of student loans. I can introduce you to the men who own this place. Get you a nice, cushy office after residency. Whatever you want.”
It was a lofty offer that Mateo didn’t buy for a second. Even if he was strapped for cash—and he wasn’t thanks to his mother’s investment of her inheritance—Robert Palacio was too desperate to be believed.
“What’s in it for you?”
“I’m not asking you to cut off a limb, man. Just talk to the girl!”
“Fine,” Mateo began to rise, “if that’s how you want to play then I don’t feel the need to help you.”
“Alright! Alright!” Robert turned his head to the side and groaned. “I’ve made some bad calls for the past few years. We have a shareholders meeting scheduled in the next two months and the board’s getting ready for a mutiny.” He laughed, but there was no humor in it. “Can you believe it? They want to kick out the man that made the company.”
“I don’t get it. What does that have to do with Abigail?”
“If Abigail marries Paul, the merger will be tied through their marriage. The board won’t be able to touch me.”
Mateo’s lip curled up. This self-serving father couldn’t see past his own greed to the daughter who ached to be acknowledged. Abigail had never voiced her longing, but Mateo knew what it was like to feel like he wasn’t good enough, and Robert Palacio was a master at making others feel small.
It was a terrible way to live and it broke his heart that the woman he loved had been suffering under such a ruthless, uncaring man.
“Is there any part of you that loves her?” Mateo whispered.
“How dare you—”
“Is her real father all that you can see when you look at her?”
“Don’t use that against me, boy!”
Mateo strode for the bed and gripped the rails. “It wasn’t Abigail’s fault that your wife loved someone else. It wasn’t her fault, so why are you treating her like a chess piece in your little game? She deserves so much better than that!”
Robert opened his mouth and closed it again. Mateo prepared himself for a fight, but Robert turned his head away. A grim line stiffened his lips and he spoke with an air of dismissal. “I’ll take this as you denying my offer.”
“It sure looks like it.” Mateo stood to leave, but turned back. “Abigail is the brightest, warmest soul I’ve ever known. It doesn’t matter where she came from or who her real parents are. It is a privilege to know her. I wish you saw that.” “You don’t understand.”
“Then tell me!”
Robert’s voice, feeble and meek, warbled quietly. “She looks like her mother. Every time I look at her, that’s who I see and it hurts so much. She’s not my daughter and she’s not my wife and I can’t stand to be around her. All I have is my company. That is my family.”
Mateo fisted his hands and stormed for the door, slamming it shut behind him. Anger and regret weighed him down and caused his head to thump like a runaway jackhammer.
Even after Robert chased him away from Abigail and then chased Abigail away from Belize, Mateo never held it against him. He took it all in stride, believing that Robert was acting as a father, believing that he was acting out of love.
Pushing Abigail away was a sacrifice he’d made on a father’s request, but Robert didn’t consider himself a father and Mateo knew now that he’d come only to manipulate his daughter toward a future that would be beneficial for him and his company.
Mateo drove home with fire in his eyes. Abigail deserved so much better than that. She was a treasure and if she ever gave him the opportunity, he would spend the rest of his life making sure she knew it.