Silvia walked as slowly as was humanly possible back to the waiting room.
Even though only Sam and Claire were with Daire in the pre-surgery prep, practically all his other relatives were in the tiny waiting room.
Well, not every one of them, but more people than she could deal with at the moment. Alex stood next to Irene. Nora was sitting next to Irene, baby Adam on her lap. Vince and Valery were beside her. Erik, Kimi, and Max sat on the floor next to scattered toys and books.
When Claire entered just in front of Silvia, everyone stood.
Alex approached first, eyes wide. “Any idea of what to expect?”
Claire sniffed, and Sam helped her to a chair.
Sam patted his mother’s arm, then addressed the rest of Daire’s relatives. “The surgeon says they will remove anywhere from twenty-five to sixty-five percent of Daire’s liver and his gallbladder. The surgeon will continue to evaluate during the process, making sure Daire is able to donate. Then another surgeon will start Ava’s surgery. If at any point the teams believe that Daire is at risk or that his liver is not appropriate for transplant, the team might stop the surgery.”
“How long before we hear something?” Alex asked.
The two eldest brothers seemed to have an unannounced understanding among themselves and the other relatives that they were the speakers. Though they were speaking to each other, it was clear that Sam represented Daire, and Alex stood for the rest of the family.
“The lead surgeon promised to keep us up to date but warned me that the entire process could take five to seven hours.”
Along with nearly every Belgarde in the room, Silvia covered her mouth.
Seven hours was a long time to be under. She couldn’t believe Daire had agreed to this. Especially since what little she’d heard about Ava hadn’t been positive. And as Daire had said, she hadn’t revealed herself to him for years, even after he’d become an adult. She didn’t have the excuse that she didn’t know where he was, either. She’d just been spending her life for herself, doing whatever she wanted.
It made Silvia want to barge in there and stop the surgery.
She shook her head. This wasn’t the right way of thinking. Everyone had a past, a reason for their decisions.
Truly, who was she to talk? She’d hurt Daire. Hell, she was probably the reason he even agreed to this.
She had to get out of there. No way could she stare at this wonderful family for the next seven hours. Guilt was already eating her alive. What had he shared with his brothers? How she’d tossed him aside after he stood beside her for the last month?
What if he didn’t make it? What would she do if Daire didn’t come through?
She tossed her head again. That was ridiculous thinking. Daire was a strong young man. The surgeons wouldn’t have agreed to the surgery if he had any heart trouble.
But, again, there was no way Silvia could remain here for seven hours. Instead, she should use the time to plan.
“Claire,” Silvia whispered as she approached the woman. Ava may be Daire’s mother by birth, but it was clear that Claire was Daire’s real mother. She couldn’t imagine what this poor woman had been through all these years.
Sam moved away from his mother, allowing Silvia to step closer. All discussion seemed to stop, and Silvia was, at once, self-conscious. She needed a good excuse. The truth was always the best response, she knew, so she decided to go with that.
“Claire, I have to go home. I left my dog home for so long, and there’s so much I need to do since I came back. But will you call me the moment you hear anything, please?”
“Of course, honey.” Claire patted her hand. “Give Sam your number.”
“Okay.” Silvia started to stand but then slid back down in the chair beside the woman. Tears filled her own eyes. “I really do love Daire. I’m sorry for what you’re going through.”
“Oh, honey, I know. I saw it in your eyes right away. Daire loves you, too. And don’t worry. He’s going to be just fine. He’s a strong boy. And he loves his momma too much to leave this planet before her.” Claire’s lips turned up at her remark, even as tears streamed down her cheeks.
Silvia sniffed back her tears as much as she could as she wrapped her arms around Claire. “I know he does. He loves you so much.” She leaned back and looked at all of Daire’s family members. “He loves all of you more than you can know.”
Silvia stood. She needed to leave before she became a blubbering mess. Irene and Nora stood before she had a chance to excuse herself again.
Irene wrapped her arms around her. After Nora handed Adam to Sam, she wrapped her arms around Silvia’s other side.
It felt so good that Silvia felt her body melt into the two women. It felt like her mother and sister holding her. She hadn’t realized before she’d gone home how much she missed the touch of her family.
More tears streamed down her face as she realized she wanted this family in her life. Not just Daire, but all Daire had to give, including his wonderful family. And she wanted her mother and sister here, too. She never wanted to be away from family again.
But, today, she still needed to prepare. She needed to be ready if—when Luis made an appearance so she could live the rest of her life in peace.
Back home, Silvia decided to make sure she was ready…and to get in her exercise. Daire would be in the hospital for at least five days. Once he was awake, she planned to be there every waking minute.
First, she refilled Harvey’s food and water containers.
Then, she smashed some targets with the virtual reality game she wouldn’t be returning.
And lastly, she decided to go for a run—with Harvey, of course.
As she stood on the deteriorating steps of her cheap rental, she pulled in a deep breath of cool air. Daire was right. She could simply breathe better in Alaska. And the snowcapped mountains in the distance were always a sight to see.
Around her, nothing but birds and insects filled the air. No city sounds. No sirens. No traffic.
“Come on, boy!” Harvey had already done his business, but he hadn’t left the edge of the lawn. Instead, he was lazily sniffing around. “That’s you, you big oaf. Come on. Let’s go. I don’t have all day. I need to finish prepping and get back to the hospital.”
Harvey sniffed a few more times, looked around, pushed his head into the bushes, and finally ran toward her.
Mouth open and tongue flailing, he zipped past her and darted for the street.
“Oh, you want to race, do you?”
Silvia took off after him. Even though he usually kept her pace, he could outrun most things on two or four legs.
They jogged their regular route, except that Harvey kept stopping at every bush, sniffing, as if he’d never been in this part of Alaska. Maybe a coyote or stray dog was making its rounds in Harvey’s territory.
“Let’s go, buddy!” Silvia called when Harvey disappeared into the woods. “Some watchdog you are, taking off on me like that!”
She walked to the edge of the woods. She knew he roamed the neighborhood, but when he ran with her, he usually stayed with her. His dark chocolate, mahogany, and cognac coloring blended well with the black cottonwood and balsam poplar trees that made up a significant part of the woods surrounding her neighborhood, so she had difficulty finding him.
Her pulse jumped. He’d never done this. Was it possible that a bear had come this close to the city? She’d never seen one, but she knew dogs and bears didn’t mesh.
“Harvey!” she demanded in her most authoritative tone.
Leaves and underbrush rustled to her left. She whipped toward the sound, reached for her bear spray, but came up empty.
She’d left her phone, keys, and pepper spray on the table while waiting for Harvey to do his business.
What had she been thinking?
The bushes parted, and out popped Harvey and nothing else.
“Thank God!” She sneered at him. “What were you thinking leaving me like that?”
He trotted over to her, not looking the least bit contrite.
“I thought we had a deal. I spend a small fortune feeding you, and you watch my back. You can’t do that very well if you’re running off.”
He stared up at her, and she bent down and patted his head. “It’s okay. You’re a wild spirit, aren’t you? And that’s what I love about you.” She took off toward home. “Come on. Let’s go. I don’t want to miss a call from Claire.”
As they jogged back home, she told Harvey what Daire was going through. Who else did she have?
Unusually, none of her neighbors were out and about. Then again, she was generally at work or running errands by the middle of the afternoon.
As she trotted up the steps, she yawned. “Maybe after a shower, we’ll take a nap. I know you like your naptime.”
Silvia opened the door, then stopped. She stared down at her keys, right where she’d left them on the kitchen table. She was supposed to be readying the house, not getting lax.
She scooped up her phone. No calls. She checked the ringer and volume, then carried it to the bathroom, just in case one of Daire’s relatives called.
After showering, she slipped into an oversized T-shirt Daire had left. A nap would do her good. That way, she could be with Daire when he woke up.
Harvey was slurping up water as if he’d run a marathon. She wedged the doorstop tighter than usual to discourage him from joining her with his slobbery jowls. Even though he could push through the doorstop if he wanted her to wake up, he preferred the cool kitchen floor to the narrow swaths of carpet alongside her bed.
Silvia pulled the blinds and heavy curtains closed, then slid under the cool sheets and down comforter.
She lifted the front of the T-shirt and inhaled Daire’s cologne. “I might not ever wash this.”
She checked her phone one last time, then set the alarm for three hours, which would give her enough time to get to the hospital before Daire came out of surgery.
As she tried to fall asleep, her mind grasped anything possible to think about.
Images flickered. It was like watching a montage of movie clips.
Daire’s hat.
Luis grabbing Daire’s arm.
Harvey burying his head deep in the bushes and sniffing longer than usual.
Her keys.
Something was wrong. She sensed it.
She opened her eyes in the near-dark room.
An out-of-place shadow wavered.
She inched up on her elbow, and the shadow shifted forward.
Like a cougar pouncing, the dark mass was on top of her, smashing her mouth closed before she could scream.
“Shh… You don’t want me to kill the dog, too, do you?” His other hand flicked a blade in front of her face. “Where were we? Oh, I remember. I was ready to finish the job when your fat-ass sister showed up.”
Silvia’s mind raced.
“I see you’re confused. I’ve been in this dark room longer than you, so my eyes have already adjusted. “If you don’t scream, maybe we can talk a bit.” The man moved the hand from her mouth.
“Dominic?” she whispered. “You got out?”
“He wishes. No. Not Dominic. We sent him away a long time, didn’t we? Amazing how a well-timed purchase of flowers and a few swipes up his razor into the face mask he supposedly wore worked to convict him. Jurors love DNA, you know. Makes them feel…” He scrunched up his face. “Powerful. People like to feel powerful, Christiana.”
She still couln’t make out his shadowed face, but she gulped on the way he said her name and his confession. “Luis?”
“In the flesh, morrita.”
“I don’t understand.” Even though her mind was reeling, Silvia knew she had to keep him talking. As long as she could keep him talking, there was a chance she could get the upper hand.
“What don’t you understand, Christiana, or should I call you Silvia? Such an ugly name compared to Christiana. I have to admit it, though. You fooled me. You were my only prey to escape. You know how bad that makes me look?”
“But why would you set up your own brother?”
“Because of you, puta! He was going to leave me. For you! I can’t have any of my boys leaving me, let alone my own brother. I’d look weak.” He stared down at her, his eyes roaming her T-shirt. He used the knife-wielding hand to lift the hem. “You used to wear sexy little tank tops and short skirts.” In one swipe, he ripped the T-shirt from bottom to top.
Reflexively, Silvia screamed.
Harvey barked, then rammed the door.
“I’ll kill him. I’ll make you watch. Just like I sliced up your sister.”
“Harvey, no!” she commanded.
Harvey released a low howl, but he stopped banging the door.
“Now, where were we?”
He placed the sharp tip under her chin, and Silvia raised her head. She wouldn’t beg. She wouldn’t give him the pleasure. She just needed a distraction.
“Oh, look at this.” He moved the edges of her cut shirt aside, tracing her scars with the knife. “I don’t usually get to see my work. How beautiful.” He made kissing sounds. “A little of me, huh, morrita?”
Harvey wailed and pounded the door again.
“I’ll slice his throat, Christiana.”
The door swung open, and Luis rolled sideways.
Silvia wasted no time. Her hand quickly found the grip of her .38. Always in the exact spot. Positioned the same way, so she could grab it and fire.
Harvey latched on to Luis’s left arm. Luis jumped up, screaming. Before the loser could swing around to fulfill his promise of cutting her dog’s throat and then finishing off her, Silvia pulled the trigger.
“You brought a knife to a gunfight, Luis!” she screamed, pulling the trigger again. And again. And again. And again until she pulled and nothing happened.
~ Daire ~
Sounds of machines and chatter buzzed around Daire, but he couldn’t open his eyes. He knew he was awake, but not awake.
“Sil…vi…”
Shuffling footsteps. “You awake, Mr. Belgarde? Do you know where you are?”
“The…hos…pi…tal. Sam…”
“Do you know what day it is?”
Daire sighed. “Mon…day. Sam… Please.”
“Your family’s here. I need a few minutes, then—”
Daire forced his eyes open, but they refused to obey. “Need… Sam. Please.”
“One second, honey. I need to check—”
“Silvia’s…in…trouble.”
“The recipient is in recovery.”
Daire felt himself getting angry. He managed to open his eyes into slits and breathed out the three words this kind nurse wasn’t getting. “Get. Sam. Now.”
He saw the shadow of the nurse move. “Okay.”
“Sor…ry.” He wasn’t one to get upset, but he needed Sam to get to Silvia.
“It’s okay, ma’am.” Sam’s resonant voice parted the buzzing and chatter. “I know why he’s upset. Can I talk with him?”
“Yes, but make sure you don’t upset him further. He has a long recovery ahead of him.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
Daire felt his heartrate settle some. Sam always knew how to get his way.
“Daire.” A warm hand encircled Daire’s wrist.
He forced his eyes open again. Had it only been seconds? He’d literally fallen back to sleep. “Sam?”
“It’s me. Everything’s okay.”
“Sil…vi…a? She’s—”
“Silvia’s okay.” Sam moved closer to his ear. “Apparently, that guy…whoever he was, showed up. And Silvia took care of him.”
“Wha…?”
“The man’s in Mat-Su Regional. Handcuffed to a bedrail, I’m told. Don’t know how he survived with five bullet holes in his back.”
Daire blinked tears from his eyes. “She…did…it. She…said…no one…would…chase…her…a…way. Good. Sil…vi…a.”
Sam patted his arm. “Yeah… Gotta learn that whole story soon. Sounds like she and Nora might turn out to be best friends. Anyway…” Sam squeezed his hand. “She’s still talking with the police, but she’ll be here as soon as possible.”
Daire closed his eyes. “Thank…you.”
“I love you, Daire. Always have. Always will.”
“Love you…Dad.”