Again a soft glow beckoned. A flicker of starlight in a midnight sky. He grasped his courage, pulling his weight upward.
“Adam.”
He heard Kate’s voice, pleading him to climb toward the soft glow. His hand lay against something soft and cool. He tried to brush his fingers along the surface, but he seemed bound in place with wire.
His eyes flickered. A hum reached his ears. Sounds and odors, familiar yet strange. His eyelids felt weighted, but he willed them to open.
The glare blinded him. A square of brilliant light framing an angel. Heaven. He’d struggled through hell and found heaven. Adam tried to speak to the angel, but she remained still, her head bent, a golden halo circling her like spun gold.
He opened his mouth to speak and heard only a groan.
The angel moved. She rose and floated toward him, her hand outstretched.
Death. It beckoned so sweetly.
Chapter Six
“Adam.” A voice penetrated the haze.
Through half-closed eyes, he saw her tears.
“Adam. Wake up.”
Her cool fingers touched his cheek and sent fire down his limbs as awareness settled in.
“Katherine?”
“Praise God, you’re awake.”
Her soft voice wrapped around him like silk. “Where am I? What happened?”
“You’ve been unconscious.”
As she spoke, he saw her push the nurse’s call button.
“Do you remember what happened?” she asked.
Confusion riddled his memory. Adam shook his head, then grimaced. He grabbed the pain that burned in his chest.
“Be careful. You’ve had a chest tube removed.”
A nurse’s voice hummed through the speaker. “Can I help you?”
“Adam Montgomery is conscious. Would you notify a doctor? And please call his parents.”
As the static clicked off, Kate sat beside him.
He felt his eyes close again. Sounds floated around him like distant waves and sleep seemed his friend.
“Adam. Wake up.” He felt her hand against his arm.
He forced open his eyes and squinted at her through heavy lids. Weight pressed against his chest, and a dull ache throbbed near his abdomen. He lowered his hand and felt bandages.
“Are you in pain?” Kate asked.
His parched mouth restricted the words that rattled in his head. Instead he gave her a nod.
In his peripheral vision Adam watched her pour water from the carafe into a paper cup and unwrap a straw. “Take a small sip.”
When he pulled forward, the pain worsened, and he clamped his jaw to hold back a moan. Why was Kate hovering over him? What had happened? He let the cool water wash over his sawdust tongue and moisten his cracked lips.
Kate pulled away the straw. “Don’t drink too much. You’ll be sick.”
Be sick? Right now he felt as if he’d been thrown from a wild horse. He let his gaze drift on the pale beige walls and white ceiling. “Where am I?”
“Vance Memorial. You’re home.”
Home? The words startled him, sending his heart bucking on the wild horse that he was sure had thrown him. “What happened?”
“Don’t you remember?” A look of concern shot across her face. “You were shot by thieves.”
“Shot?” He lowered his hand to his stomach again, then winced at the pressure and removed his hand. Was she playing games with him. “Thieves? I don’t know what you’re talking about.” He heard his voice heighten, and he tried to sit up, but pain overwhelmed him and he fell back on the bed.
“Try not to get riled, Adam. The doctor should be here soon.”
“Don’t tell me what to do,” he said, more determined than ever to sit up. He tried again, but weakness overcame him and he crumpled back against the sheet.
“It’s for your own good. If you injure yourself, you’ll be back in ICU.”
ICU? Her words felt like a slap across his cheek. He looked at the wall clock. Frustration filled him. It had to be daytime because he saw light through the window. But what day? Fear and anger exploded in his head. “Leave me alone. Mind your own business.”
Kate’s eyes widened, and color drained from her face. She rose and returned to the chair by the window as if keeping her distance from him.
Good riddance, he thought.
But seeing her there triggered his waking memories. He remembered the glowing light and the form in white with a halo. He’d presumed she was an angel. Kate, an angel? If he weren’t in such pain, he’d have laughed at the thought.
Now, she sat there again with the window at her back. His gaze lingered on the sunlight glinting through her blond tresses, like an aura of gold…like a halo. Her pale skin and white blouse added to the illusion.
Katherine. Kate. Something tugged at his memory. Kate in jeopardy. His dreams rolled back like mucky water from a drain. Horrible and raw. The blackness. The stench. The fire. The searing pain. The helpless feeling that Kate was in danger and he couldn’t save her. He widened his eyes, praying the thoughts would leave him.
Shifting to his side, Adam let the pain roll through his chest until he’d settled himself. He watched Kate across the room, sitting in silence and staring toward the doorway. He’d hurt her feelings. How long had she been here? How long had he been here?
“What day is this?” he asked.
“Friday.”
“Friday?”
“July ninth.”
The date fell into his mind like a chunk of concrete. July ninth. The last he remembered was July sixth. He’d treated Señor Garcia. He had no recollection beyond that moment. In his peripheral vision, Adam spotted movement at the doorway.
“Welcome back to the living.”
Adam focused on a white lab coat and a familiar face. “Hey, Doc.”
Robert Fletcher moved to his side. “This is a sneaky way to get a vacation.”
“Trust me.” Adam winced again as he shifted back against the sheets. “It’s no vacation.”
“Pain?”
Adam shrugged, but he knew he couldn’t fool Fletcher.
“We’ve had you on a drip, but now that you’re awake we can wean you off that. I’d prefer you take Vicidon by mouth.”
“You’re the doctor,” Adam said, trying to stay lighthearted in the midst of his aching confusion.
“Reese will be in to see you. He was your surgeon so he can give you the details.”
Surgery? His fingers shifted over the wide bandage. What surgery? And when? He clamped his teeth to avoid spitting out his frustration. “Thanks.”
Fletcher jotted notes on the chart and stepped back. “I’ll check on you later.”
Adam only nodded and watched him leave.
Kate remained silent, and Adam’s heart softened. If today was July ninth, he’d been out of it for three days. Had she been here the whole time? Had she been in peril, too…like his dreams suggested? “Are you all right?”
She turned her head toward him. “Me? I’m fine.”
“How long have you been here?”
“Today? About ten or eleven hours.”
Her words wove through his thoughts in knots. Ten or eleven hours? Why? Why did she stay so long? The answer came as quickly as the question. Because she was Kate. No matter what, she cared about people. He’d seen it so many times in Venezuela. She was an angel of mercy.
Remembering his dreams, the thought made him feel foolish. “I thought you were an angel.”
Her head jolted upward. “You what?”
“Thought you were an angel.” He lifted his arm to gesture, but discomfort shot through him.
“Be careful,” she said, rising. “You were hurt badly, Adam. It’ll be a while before you feel like yourself.”
That might be for the better, he thought, remembering how he’d annoyed her so often with his comments. “When I opened my eyes you were sitting in the chair with the sunlight in your hair and dressed in white. I saw the halo around you
r head…and thought I’d left hell and made it to heaven.”
Kate’s face twisted to a wry smile. “Then you knew it was a dream. When you leave this world, I doubt if Satan will let go of you.”
Touché. “I deserved that,” he said, realizing the light was giving him a headache.
“No, you don’t.”
Her eyes searched his and he felt drawn to smooth the stress from her cheeks. “Tell me what happened that day.”
“The day you were shot?”
He nodded.
“You don’t remember?”
He shook his head, then fingered his temple to quell the pounding.
“Headache?” Kate asked.
“A little one. The light hurts my eyes.”
She rose and pulled the curtain as she spoke. “You must have gone to the dispensary for some reason. Do you remember that?”
He pushed his mind back in time. He remembered Garcia, and when he left, yes…Adam recalled heading to the dispensary. “The examining room was short of meds. I think I was going down to—”
Adam faltered, remembering he’d planned to check on the supply order that had arrived that morning. He stopped himself, not wanting to upset Kate now.
“Do you remember going into the room?” Kate asked, her eyes searching his.
“I recall…” Nothing. He dug into his memory and a grain of recollection struck him. “The door was ajar. I was surprised. I remember that. When I walked in, I saw…two men.” Adam’s heart leaped in his chest with the vision. “Two men…one of them…”
Pain shot through his head, searing his thoughts. He grabbed his temple and closed his eyes, wanting to press back the pounding.
“Just lay still,” Kate’s voice soothed. “It’ll come to you.”
Fear tore through Kate’s mind. “I’ll get a cool cloth for your head.” She headed into the bathroom and wet a washcloth, using the distraction to control her anxiety. She wrung out the excess water and returned to Adam.
He lay on his back, frustration written on his face.
“Here you go,” she said, placing the cooling balm on his forehead.
A sound drew her attention to the doorway as Gordon Reese entered the room. He crossed to Adam’s side. “Good to see you awake. Headache?”
Adam gave a faint nod.
“To be expected. You’ve had a bad concussion.” He pulled up a chair and sat. “Do you want to hear the details now, or later?”
“Now,” Adam said.
Gordon detailed the wounds Adam had received from the looting attempt and explained the chest tube, then the resulting surgery. When he asked for Adam’s remembrance, he received the same news.
Brain damage? Fear filled Kate’s mind. Could he have sustained permanent damage?
When Gordon Reese rose and stepped toward the door, Kate followed, determined to hear his opinion. “What’s wrong?” she asked in the corridor outside Adam’s room.
“I’m not sure, Kate, but my guess is he has retrograde amnesia.”
She nodded. “That’s what I feared. He doesn’t remember what happened after he entered the dispensary.”
“His memory may come back. Time will tell.”
He walked away, and she stood there letting the thought weave through her.
Time would tell. Time would tell about so many things. How much time would pass before Kate faced the truth? She had to give up on her dreams of Adam. She imagined his touch, his lifesaving hands caressing her skin. She gazed at his lips, imagining his kisses. Foolish.
An impossible dream.
Adam had fallen asleep again as he had, on and off, since he’d awakened earlier. Kate looked at the doorway, hearing footsteps. Adam’s parents hurried in, their eyes focused on their son.
Kate rose. “Just call his name. He’ll wake up.”
Liza’s eyes brimming with tears, she inched forward as if afraid to touch him.
“Adam,” Frank boomed, stepping to him without hesitation.
Adam’s eyes shot open. He winced, then covered the expression with a faint grin. “Thought I recognized that voice, Dad.” His gaze shifted. “Hi, Mom.”
“Oh…Adam,” she said, bending over to kiss his cheek. “We’ve been so worried.”
Kate edged closer to the door. “I’ll leave you for a while. I’ll run down to the cafeteria.”
Liza shook her head. “Adam, this young woman has been by your bed for days as faithful as a puppy. She’s been so wonderful.”
A grin spread across Adam’s face. “What kind of puppy?”
Kate grimaced at Liza’s well-meaning comment and gave them a wave as she left. Outside the door, she heard Liza scrambling to explain her comment. The longer Kate thought about the comparison, the more she agreed. She had been like a lovesick puppy—wagging her tail at the Montgomerys’ attention and curling around the comfort of their kindness.
It was time she moved ahead with her life. Mooning over Adam was useless and would only cause her hurt and disappointment. Adam was a man out of her reach, and once his health improved, he’d be his old arrogant self again…although she’d even grown to accept that part of him.
She took the elevator to the first floor and made her way to the cafeteria. She’d lost weight since the ordeal. Her clothes hung on her, but food had lost its appeal. Being back home in Colorado Springs, she should have slid back into some semblance of normalcy. Next Monday she’d return to work and Colleen had agreed to take her soon to Adam’s town house where she would have privacy and her own life back.
But did she want her old life to resurface? Her thoughts floated back to the Montgomerys. She’d grown fond of them both—Liza with her kindly ways, trying to be prim-and-proper while Frank blustered and made sandwiches out of his dinner, but both loved their children and gave their time and money to worthy causes…like Adam seemed to do. Kate liked that in them all.
Like? She admired them and wished she could be a part of their family….
Inside the cafeteria, Kate grabbed a salad plate and filled it with greens and other veggies. She sprinkled on some hard-boiled egg and bacon bits for a little protein, drizzled on the dressing, then added a glass of iced tea to her tray.
After paying the cashier, Kate made her way through the tables. When she spotted a familiar face, she gave a wave and joined her.
Dr. Emily Armstrong rose and opened her arms to Kate. “I heard you were back. What happened?”
Kate slid the tray on the table and embraced Emily. “You haven’t heard the details? I thought everyone had.”
“I was at a hematology conference last week. I just got back.”
Emily returned to her chair, and Kate sat beside her. In a few words, she told Emily the gist of what had happened at the clinic while Emily grimaced at the details.
“It must have been horrible,” she said, giving Kate’s hand a squeeze. “How’s Adam now?”
“Good, considering.” Kate lifted her fork and paused. “But I’m worried. He has retrograde amnesia. I know that can correct itself, but I don’t think they’re sure if he’s sustained any permanent brain damage. I’m heartsick. He’s a wonderful plastic surgeon…and there are so many children who are born with birth defects. The need is so great in Venezuela.”
Emily listened with interest. “Children are the ones who suffer in those poverty-stricken countries with poor nutrition and lack of medical treatment. It’s heartbreaking, I agree.”
“But despite the sadness and primitive conditions, the setting has its good points. It’s beautiful there. You’d be amazed at the variety of flowers and birds, the coconut palms and the lagoon.”
Emily grinned. “I can see it won you over. When I was married to Peter Vance, he always lived on the edge. He traveled to exotic places with so much danger. Even though we’ve been divorced for years, I remember how Peter loved excitement even when it meant his life might be in jeopardy…and I sat here with no adventurous spirit and no desire to put my life on the line for anything. Maybe I missed ou
t on something.”
“Maybe not. Some people aren’t cut out for danger. Do you still hear from him?” Kate asked.
“Not in years. I have no idea where he is…and neither does his family. I recently asked his brother Sam and there’s still no news.”
Kate couldn’t imagine caring about someone who had vanished as Peter had done. “That’s strange…and sad.”
Emily gave a nod and became thoughtful.
“Our lives weren’t always exciting in Santa Maria de Flores. It was quiet there—and safe, we thought—until that incident. We were busy and worked hard. Long hours often in the humidity and heat, but you got to know the people, especially the children. That made all the difference.
“That’s why I specialize in pediatric hematology. I love kids. I’m sure the project is worthwhile.” Emily gave a faint grin as if enjoying a private thought. “I can live without danger, but a little adventure might be interesting for a change.”
Kate understood her smile. “They’ve pulled our team out for now, but I’m sure they’ll send staff back again once this horrible incident is settled. To be honest, despite everything, I’d love to go back.” With Adam, Kate added to herself.
“It’s something to think about. Doctors Without Borders. It sounds unique. Intriguing.”
Kate forked some salad, sensing she’d piqued Emily’s interest. “You’d make a great contribution to the clinic with your skills.”
“Thanks.” She paused. “I’ll have to drop by and see Adam. He and Peter were such good friends years ago,” Emily said, returning to their earlier conversation. She took a bite of her sandwich and washed it down with a drink of soda. “So what about Lionel Valenti? That must have been horrible for him. Did he come back with you?”
“They held him there for questioning. I suppose they wanted details. And he did kill someone, even though it was self-defense.”
Emily rolled her eyes. “I hate to say it, but I’ve never thought of Lionel Valenti as the hero type.” A sly grin settled on her mouth. “But Adam. Now that’s a different story.”
Her comment sent Kate’s stomach reeling. “Emily, don’t tell me you have a thing for—”
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