Her Little Spanish Secret

by Laura Iding

  “I’ll visit him this afternoon,” she promised. “He’s a good kid, Miguel. I know his mother has several other children at home, but it breaks my heart to see him lying in that hospital bed all alone.”

  “Mine, too, Katerina,” he murmured. There was no denying the soft spot in his heart he had for the boy. “His father is off for weeks at a time as a truck driver, so she isn’t ignoring him on purpose. Regardless, I know he’ll be thrilled to see you.”

  The ride to the hospital didn’t take long. He put on his lab coat and then gave Fernando some well-deserved time off, seeing as he was close enough to walk home from the hospital.

  “I’d like to see Juliet first,” Katerina said as they entered the elevator.

  “Of course.” Several of the staff greeted him as they walked down the hallway of the I.C.U., and if they were surprised to see him once again with Katerina, they didn’t say anything to his face. No doubt, there was plenty of gossip going on behind his back and he was glad no one else knew about Tomas.

  “Hey, sis, I’m back,” Katerina said, as she crossed over to Juliet’s bedside. “I’m sorry I couldn’t be here earlier, but Tommy was bitten by a dog and I had to bring him to the emergency room.”

  Miguel was pleasantly surprised when Juliet opened her eyes and turned her face to look at Katerina.

  “Juliet! You’re awake!” Katerina took her sister’s hand and leaned over to press a kiss on her forehead. “I was so worried about you.”

  Juliet looked as if she wanted to talk, but the breathing tube prevented her from making a sound. Before Miguel could step forward, Katerina took control.

  “Don’t try to talk—you still have that breathing tube in. But don’t worry, Dr. Vasquez is trying to get that removed very soon. Which means you have to cooperate with him. You have to show us that you can breathe okay on your own. Can you understand what I’m saying?”

  Juliet nodded and pointed to the tube, demonstrating with hand gestures that she wanted it out.

  He crossed over to pick up the clipboard hanging off the end of the bed. “Good afternoon, Juliet. I can see here that your weaning parameters look very good.”

  Katerina glanced at him, her eyes full of hope. “Does that mean we can get the tube out now?”

  He hesitated. Juliet had suffered a seizure just twenty-four hours ago, but he’d been convinced all along that she’d be fine once he got her electrolytes under control. “Let me listen to her lungs first,” he said, replacing the clipboard and pulling his stethoscope from the pocket of his lab coat. Katerina went down to crank the head of the bed up so that Juliet was sitting upright. He helped her lean forward so that he could listen to her lung sounds.

  “Well?” Katerina demanded when he’d finished.

  Even though he knew that this meant Juliet would be discharged back to the U.S. soon, he nodded. “Yes, her lungs sound clear. I will get the nurse to come in and assist.”

  Katerina looked relieved and stood back as he and Maria, Juliet’s nurse, took out her endotracheal tube.

  “Water,” Juliet croaked.

  Katerina quickly came over to hold the small plastic cup and straw up so that Juliet could take a sip.

  “Hurts,” Juliet whispered hoarsely, putting her hand up to her throat.

  “I know. Try to rest,” Katerina said, putting a hand on her arm. “Breathe slow and easy. You’re going to be just fine, Jules.”

  “Where’s Mom?” Juliet asked.

  Katerina tossed him a worried look. “Mom’s gone, Juliet. She passed away three years ago.”

  “Remember, she’s still recovering from her head injury,” he murmured.

  “Don’t talk, Jules. Just relax.”

  “I thought you were a dream,” Juliet said, rubbing her obviously sore throat.

  “I’m not a dream. I came as soon as I heard. I love you, Jules. Very much.” Bright tears filled Katerina’s eyes.

  Miguel slipped out of the room, giving the two sisters time to be alone. He was pleased with Juliet’s progress, even though he knew she still needed time to recover fully. Yet his heart was heavy as he went back to the nurses’ station to write new orders. Obviously, if Juliet continued doing this well, she’d be stable enough to move to a regular room in the morning.

  That would give him no choice but to deem her stable enough for transportation back to the U.S. as soon as arrangements could be made.

  As he wrote instructions for breathing treatments and another chest X-ray in the morning, he vowed to let his boss know he needed a leave of absence as soon as possible. He couldn’t bear the thought of Katerina and Tomas leaving so soon. He’d barely spent an hour with his son. And even though he would consider Katerina’s proposed custody arrangements, he wasn’t going to give up that easily.

  There was no way he was going to settle for some long-distance relationship with Tomas. He was going to need that plane ticket after all.

  CHAPTER TEN

  KAT spent several hours with her sister, enormously relieved that she seemed to be doing so much better. But Juliet was also still very confused, not understanding that she was in Spain or that their mother was gone.

  When Kat finally left, she was surprised to find Miguel sitting out at the nurses’ station, clearly waiting for her. He rose to his feet when he saw her approach.

  “Do you have time to visit Pedro?” he asked, meeting her halfway.

  She nodded, ashamed to realize she’d completely forgotten about the young teen. “Of course. But you didn’t have to stay, Miguel.”

  “I wanted to,” he said simply.

  She was touched by his dedication, even though logically she knew that he was glued to her side because of Tommy more than anything. Still, when he put his hand in the small of her back, her traitorous body reacted by shivering with awareness.

  When the elevator doors closed, locking the two of them inside, the tension skyrocketed, his familiar scent filling her head. For a moment she couldn’t think of anything except the heated kiss they’d shared.

  She sneaked a glance at him from beneath her lashes, wondering if she was losing her mind. Why did she have this strange attraction to him? She’d avoided personal entanglements with men because she didn’t want to be left alone, like her mother had been.

  Yet here she was, wishing for another chance with Miguel.

  The doors opened and she stepped forward quickly, anxious to put space between them.

  Thankfully, Pedro was a good distraction, greeting her enthusiastically. “Miss Kat! I’m so glad you came to visit.”

  “Hi, Pedro,” she said, going over to take his hand in hers. She gave him a mock frown. “I hear you’re not taking your pain medication as Dr. Vasquez ordered.”

  “Yes, I am,” he corrected. “I took some earlier today when you were here, Dr. Vasquez. Don’t you remember?”

  Miguel sighed. “Pedro, that was almost eight hours ago. Do you mean to tell me you haven’t taken anything since?”

  He ducked his head sheepishly. “I wanted to wait until it was nighttime. You said that sleep was important.”

  Kat put her hands on her hips. “Pedro, you promised me you would take the pain medication.”

  “I’m sorry. I will take more tonight. Why are you so late here at the hospital?”

  “Well, it was quite a busy morning,” she said, as Miguel went out into the hall, probably to flag down Pedro’s nurse. “I have a four-year-old son named Tommy and he was bitten by a dog so I had to take him to the emergency department to get antibiotics.”

  “I didn’t know you have a son,” Pedro said in surprise, and she belatedly realized she hadn’t mentioned Tommy earlier. For a moment Pedro seemed almost disappointed by the news, but then he recovered. “Having a dog bite is very scary. Is he okay?”

  “He’s fine.” She refused to look at her watch, not wanting Pedro to think she was in a hurry. Even though she knew Tommy would be up from his nap and ready to eat dinner soon. “But tell me how you’re doing, other than
not taking your pain medication.”

  “I walked today, the way Dr. Vasquez told me to. I went up to visit DiCarlo.” Pedro grimaced and shrugged. “But I’m bored here with nothing to do all day. One of the nurses did play a word game with me, but she would only use Spanish words. How am I to learn English without practice?”

  She’d noticed the game next to his bed. “How about we play a game before I leave? But our rule will be that we only use English words. Okay?”

  “Really? You would do that for me?” He looked so happy that she wished she’d thought of it earlier.

  “Of course.” She pulled out the game and then sat next to his bed. She couldn’t just leave, no matter how much she wanted to see Tommy.

  “May I join you?” Miguel asked.

  “Yes, more players will be more fun,” Pedro said excitedly.

  As Miguel pulled up a second chair, she realized Miguel would make a wonderful father.

  But even as she acknowledged that truth, she knew there was no way to know for sure if he would be just as good a husband.

  * * *

  At the end of the second game Kat threw up her hands in defeat. “I give up. It’s embarrassing to lose to both of you when I’m the one who speaks English.”

  Miguel flashed a conspiratorial grin at Pedro. “What do you think, amigo? Maybe we should have let her win one.”

  Pedro nodded. “I think we should have. It’s only polite to allow a woman to win.”

  She rolled her eyes and stood. “I don’t need either of you to do me any favors. You each won fair and square. But I’m afraid I need to go. Pedro, I’ll visit again tomorrow, okay?”

  “Okay. Thank you for staying,” Pedro said. “I had much fun.”

  Miguel also stood. “I’ll take you back to the hotel. And, Pedro, take your pain medication, please.”

  “I will.” Pedro looked sad to see them go, but she’d already stayed far longer than she’d planned. She gave him a quick embrace before heading down the hall, anxious to get back to the hotel.

  She glanced at Miguel as they waited for the elevator. “I can ride the metro back, there’s no reason for you to go out of your way.”

  He didn’t answer until they were inside the elevator. “I would like to see Tommy again, if you wouldn’t mind. I thought I would take you all out for dinner.”

  She wanted to refuse, because being around Miguel was wearying. She was constantly on edge, trying not to let her true feelings show. But glancing up at him and seeing the hope in his eyes, she found she couldn’t say no. “Tommy can’t wait that late to eat. We usually have dinner at six or six-thirty.”

  “That’s fine with me.” When the elevator doors opened on the lobby level, he once again put his hand in the small of her back, gently guiding her. “I will take every moment possible to see my son.”

  She nodded, realizing with a sense of dread that they would have to make more specific plans for the future, especially now that her sister was doing better. How much longer would Juliet be allowed to stay in Seville? Probably not long. She swallowed hard and tried not to panic.

  She wasn’t surprised to see that Fernando was waiting outside for them. Now that she knew the reason Miguel had hired him, she found she was happy to have him drive them around. “Buenos noches, Fernando,” she greeted him.

  He flashed a wide smile. “Buenos noches, señorita.”

  “And that’s pretty much the extent of my Spanish,” she muttered wryly, as she slid into the back seat.

  “I’d be happy to teach you,” Miguel murmured after he climbed in beside her. “Tomas should learn both languages too.”

  She bit back a harsh retort, turning to gaze out the window instead. Her anger wasn’t entirely rational, yet the last thing she needed was Miguel telling her how to raise her son.

  Their son.

  Her lack of sleep the night before caught up with her and tears pricked her eyelids. Telling Miguel about Tommy had been the right thing to do so there was no reason to be upset.

  “Katerina, what is it? What’s wrong?” Miguel asked. He reached over to take her hand and she had to struggle not to yank it away. “Becoming bilingual is a good thing. If my mother hadn’t taught me English, I would not have been given the opportunity to study abroad. We never would have met.”

  And if they hadn’t met, Tommy wouldn’t exist.

  She momentarily closed her eyes, struggling for control. “Miguel, can’t you understand how difficult this is for me? Tommy has been my responsibility for almost four years. I was pregnant and alone. I did the best I could. Now it seems like you’re planning to barge in and do whatever you want. Without bothering to consult with me.”

  His hand tightened around her. “Katerina, I am more sorry than you’ll ever know about how I left you alone. I will always regret not keeping in touch with you after leaving the U.S. And not just because of the time I missed getting to know my son. But because I realize now how much I missed you.”

  She sniffed and swiped her free hand over her eyes. “You don’t need to flatter me, Miguel. If I hadn’t shown up here to visit my sister, we wouldn’t have met again. You never would have tried to find me.”

  There was another long pause. “Katerina, do you believe in fate? Believe that some things just happen for a reason?” His husky voice was low and compelling. “It’s true that my dream was to join Doctors Without Borders, and if not for the difficulties with my brother, I probably would not have been here when your sister required emergency care. But I was here. And you arrived with our son. What else could this be if not fate?”

  “Coincidence.” Even as she said the word, she knew it wasn’t entirely true. Was there really some cosmic force at play here? Drawing the two of them together after all this time? She generally believed that hard work and taking responsibility for your choices was the way to get ahead, but she couldn’t totally renounce Miguel’s beliefs.

  “Fate, Katerina,” Miguel whispered. “I believe we were meant to be together.”

  Together? As in as a family? She didn’t know what to say to that, and luckily Fernando pulled up in front of her hotel. She gratefully tugged her hand from Miguel’s grasp and reached for the doorhandle. “Gracias, Fernando,” she said, before climbing hastily from the car.

  But as quick as she was, Miguel was that much faster. He caught her before she could bolt and gently clasped her shoulders in his large hands. “Katerina, please talk to me. Tell me what has caused you to be so upset?”

  She tipped her head back and forced herself to meet his gaze. “I’m more overwhelmed than upset, Miguel. And I’m not sure how you can stand there and claim we were meant to be together. We’re not a couple. We’re simply two adults who happen to share a child.”

  One of his hands slid up from her shoulder to cup her cheek. “You can’t deny what is between us, querida.”

  She was about to tell him not to call her darling, but he quickly covered her mouth with his, silencing her with a toe-curling kiss.

  She told herself to pull away, even lifted her hands to his chest to push him, but instead her fingers curled in his shirt, yanking him closer as she opened for him, allowing him to deepen the kiss.

  All the pent-up emotions she’d tried so hard to ignore came tumbling out in a flash of pure desire. She forgot they were standing on the sidewalk in front of the hotel. Forgot that Fernando was still there, watching them with a huge, satisfied grin.

  Forgot that she wasn’t going to open herself up to being hurt again.

  Everything fell away except this brief moment. A stolen fragment of time when they were able to communicate perfectly without words.

  “Querida, Katerina, I need you so much,” he murmured between steaming-hot kisses. “I can’t understand how I lived all this time without you.”

  She pulled back, gasping for breath, bracing her forehead on his chest, wishing she could believe him. Wishing he’d felt a tenth of what she’d felt for him back then.

  “Kat?” the sound of
Diana’s shocked voice had her jumping away from Miguel.

  “Good evening, Diana. Hello, Tommy.” Miguel smoothly covered the awkward pause. “Katerina and I were just about to ask you both to join us for dinner.”

  Kat avoided Diana’s accusing gaze as she went over and gathered her son close. “Hi, Tommy, I’m sorry to be gone so long. Are you hungry?”

  Tommy nodded. “I’m starving.”

  “Well, then, let’s get going,” Miguel said. “I understand there is an American restaurant nearby that serves great food, including hamburgers.”

  As much as she enjoyed the tangy bite of Spanish food, the thought of a simple American meal was tempting. “We can go somewhere else,” she offered.

  “Actually, other than smaller places that serve only tapas, the main restaurants don’t open this early,” Miguel said with a note of apology.

  “I’m all in favor of having good old-fashioned hamburgers,” Diana said. “But let’s hurry, okay? Tommy’s bound to get cranky if he doesn’t eat soon.”

  Kat couldn’t help feeling guilty all over again. She shouldn’t have stayed at the hospital so long. And she really, really shouldn’t have kissed Miguel again.

  The American restaurant was within walking distance, so Miguel sent Fernando away for a couple of hours. Diana’s sour mood evaporated as they enjoyed their meal. When they were finished, Miguel took Tommy over to play a video game, leaving the two women alone.

  “Kat, do you think it’s smart to get emotionally involved with Miguel?” Diana asked in a low voice.

  “I’m already emotionally involved with him, Diana,” she responded wearily. “He’s Tommy’s father, remember? It’s not like I can avoid him.”

  “Avoiding him is very different from having sex with him.”

  “It was a kiss, Diana.” Although she suspected that if they’d been somewhere private, without the added responsibility of caring for Tommy, nothing would have stopped them from making love. “Besides, we’ll be going home pretty soon. Juliet woke up and is off the breathing machine. She’s still confused, but she’s doing a lot better. I’m certain she’ll be stable enough to be transferred home very soon.”