“You look fresh as a daisy,” he said and covered his mouth. “And I bet I’m an array of pungency. At least, my mouth feels that way.”
“You have no idea how good you look and smell to me.”
“You must be kidding.”
“Not in the least.” She leaned over to kiss him.
“Oh, no,” he growled and backed away. “I don’t think you want to get much closer.”
Fully awake, he took another look toward Raine. He stood and lightly touched her forehead. “Thank God.” He sat once again. “It was a rough night for her.”
“I heard. I spoke to the nurse before I came in. She’s been much better for a couple of hours, since around four.”
“Yeah, that’s when I leaned my head back for some rest. What time is it?”
“Six-thirty.”
“You’re kidding? I slept three hours in that…box?”
“It would appear so.”
“Well, my back knows it.” He stretched, and his joints issued a few pops and cracks. “Let me go splash some water on my face and we can talk.”
“Oh, no, you don’t.” She grabbed his arm and pulled him toward the door. “A deal is a deal. I had my luscious bath and snooze and now it’s your turn. Besides, if you don’t get a shower and some real rest soon, they’re gonna ban you from the hospital premises anyway.”
“But—”
“No buts. I’m a doctor. And those are my orders. Raine is resting fine. Her fever is way, way down, and you need a break. I’ll be right here by her side. I’m all fresh and rested, fed and pottied.”
“You smell good.” He leaned into her.
“And you don’t,” she lied.
“I’m hurt,” he replied and smiled.
“You’ll get over it.” She pushed him down the hall and then remembered she had the suite key. “Think fast.”
He turned in time to catch the card key as it slithered through the air. She watched him walk along the hall toward the elevator and noticed she wasn’t the only one looking at him. During the long walk down the corridor, he turned a few female heads and received his usual stares. She would bet it had nothing to do with his scruffy look and everything to do with how sexy he looked.
In a dirty way, of course.
Several hours later, Noelle was well into the last book she had purchased, another Sean Sampson bestseller, when Raine awoke.
“I feel better, Miss Noelle.” Raine bounced upright in the bed, as far as the restraints would allow.
“And you look much better.” Noelle stood and patted her hand. “And I bet you might be hungry?”
“A little. But mostly I’m thirsty.”
Noelle poured apple juice into a fresh cup with ice and pushed a straw into it.
“Mmm. That’s good.”
“Slowly, please.”
“Okay.” After she took several sips, she handed the cup back to Noelle.
“Would you like some breakfast?”
“Could I have oatmeal with honey?”
“Let’s see.”
“Can I press the button?”
“Of course.”
In a short time, the oatmeal arrived. Raine dug in. Noelle picked up her book and read while Raine ate. “Daddy says someday I can read his books.”
She put the book down. “And you’ll love them. He is a very gifted storyteller.”
“I know. He tells me a lot of good stories all the time. I think he makes them up as he’s telling them. They’re funny.”
“Well, I hear you are pretty good about making up stories, too.”
“Yeah, sometimes Daddy and me share a story.”
“Oh, yeah?” Noelle shifted in her seat and leaned forward. “What do you mean?”
“It’s fun. Daddy starts with a sentence—about anything. Then I add a sentence. Sometimes I make him laugh. He always tries to get the story back on track, but I say crazy things, making it hard for him to keep the story going.”
“Sounds like fun.”
“It is.”
After a short silence, the intercom, out in the hall, called a doctor’s name with instructions to call an extension.
“I’m glad I don’t have the bad thing.”
Noelle could think of no immediate response.
“I’d glad I don’t have limp-on-my.” Raine slowly formed the words and smiled.
Noelle’s pulse quickened. She glanced at the door. “Has the doctor seen you this morning, sweetie?” Maybe he came while Sean was asleep. But that didn’t make sense; the doctor would have awakened Sean.
“No, he hasn’t told me yet.”
“Is this something you dreamed?”
“Uh-uh. It’s the Castle Man. I have the Castle Man’s disease inside of me. Not the limp-oh-my.”
“The Castle Man’s disease?”
“Yeah, when I woke up I just knew. You can look it up on the Internet.”
Raine’s matter-of-fact tone sent a chill down Noelle’s spine. Her hands shook as she took out her cell and opened the search engine. It took her several attempts to type the words Castle and Man. When she finally succeeded, she felt faint. She quickly scanned the information, enough to see there was indeed a disease termed Castleman’s. A lump formed in her throat, as through her tears she read about the disease and how closely it resembled lymphoma. She quickly fumbled through her purse to find the card Dr. Wells had given them. She managed to punch the numbers onto the phone pad. After a few rings, the doctor answered.
“Doctor, this is Dr. Noelle Victor, Raine’s—”
“Doctor Victor, I am on my way to the hospital to make my rounds. I have good news for you.”
That was all she needed to hear. The tears flowed unchecked. She found she could barely speak. “I know. It’s Castleman’s disease. It’s a benign condition of the lymph nodes and completely curable and treatable.”
“Yes, but…but how did you know?”
Without answering the doctor, she told him she needed to call Sean, so he could meet them at the hospital when the doctor arrived. The doctor said not to hurry, it would be a couple of hours before he made his way around to them. She told him okay and hung up the phone, as a pretty young girl came through the door with a cart in tow.
“Time for your bath, Miss Sampson.”
Raine wrinkled her nose.
Noelle regained her composure and took Raine into her arms. “You were right, sweetheart. You’re going to be fine. The doctor said so. I’m going to step outside and call your daddy. I made him go back to the hotel for some rest and a shower.”
She frowned once again.
“Is that okay?”
“I think I might have pee-peed on myself.”
“Oh, honey, I don’t care. That’s okay.”
“I don’t want to hurt you, but I kinda want some privacy, if that’s okay, Miss Noelle?”
The nurse smiled. “I’ll be happy to stay with her, if you want. If your hotel isn’t too far away, I’m sure you’d have time. It will take me a while to get this little one all fresh and clean.”
“Is that all right, sweetie?”
“I guess,” Raine said.
“Are you sure?”
Raine nodded and squirmed.
“Okay, I’ll go tell Daddy the great news, and we’ll both be back in a while.”
She yawned. “I might take another nap after my bath, so you don’t have to hurry back, okay?”
“I see.” This little girl might have more motive than Noelle was giving her credit for. She kissed her forehead. As she hurried out the door, she felt like a child, granted permission by a parent to go out for the night. She ran squarely into a tall, slender man in a dark suit.
“Excuse me,” Noelle pleaded. “I’m so sorry, I wasn’t watching—”
The man smiled and removed his shades. “My, my, you must be the famous Dr. Noelle Victor?”
“Yes, and you are?”
“I’m Derek, Sean’s agent and good friend.”
Noelle smiled a
nd took Derek’s hand. “I am so happy to finally meet you. To say I have heard a lot about you is an understatement. Did Sean know you were coming?”
“No, I thought I would surprise you all.” He grinned. “I figured you guys were tired by now and could use a break.”
“Well, as a matter of fact, we could. I was about to ask the nurse’s station to look in on Raine and the attendant while I leave for a few minutes.”
“Nonsense.” He shook his head. “Not necessary. I’m at your service.”
Noelle started back toward the room. “Come on, I’ll take you in to see—Oh, I forgot, the attendant is giving her a bath.”
“That’s perfectly fine. I’ll just hang out for a while until I’m sure the attendant’s done.”
“Are you sure you don’t mind?”
“Of course not, what are friends for? You run along, get some rest. And tell Sean I said hello and will be here when ya’ll get back.”
“You are a godsend.” Noelle rose on her tiptoes and kissed his cheek. She continued down the hall, before remembering the good news. She turned back toward Derek, who had taken a chair in the hall. “Oh, Derek, our little girl’s going to be fine.”
“Wonderful,” he called back.
Noelle picked up the pace toward the elevator. There was much good news, and she couldn’t wait to get to Sean to tell all.
****
Noelle’s heart beat wildly. She removed the extra card key she had gotten from the front desk from her skirt pocket. If only her shaking hands could hold it long enough to get to the room and insert it. She nodded to the agent when he stood from his post next to the suite door. The green light flickered. She quietly opened the door and stepped inside to silence. She passed Sean’s bed, which was still made. A light shone through the bathroom door. She quietly pushed open the door and caught a glimpse of him wiping the fogged mirror. He had a towel wrapped around his waist and shaving cream on his face.
He caught her movement and turned defensively. “You scared me. What? Why are—”
She hurried to him. “Everything is fine. Raine is fine. She couldn’t be better. In fact, I have such great news.”
His facial features softened as he stood motionless, apprehensive.
“I know I said I wouldn’t leave her side, but please hear me out before you jump to any conclusions. And besides, Derek is with her.”
“Derek?” Sean’s face lit up. “When did—”
“He arrived as I was arranging for someone to stay with Raine.”
“Great. I had no idea he was coming, although that’s just like him to show up unannounced. So what’s the news?” He leaned against the counter. He may have lost a few pounds, but his slim, tan frame was still rippled with muscles. His shirtless torso and wet hair made him look delicious. It was all she could do not to attack him before delivering the message that would surely make him very happy.
“She doesn’t have lymphoma.” She choked on the barely audible words. His eyes filled with tears, assuring her he had indeed heard her.
Visibly shaken, he sagged against the counter. “How?”
She relayed the narrative about Castleman’s and her conversation with the doctor. He literally staggered to her and put his arms around her. For a long moment he held her, his broad shoulders heaving from silent sobs of joy. She held him as tight as her arms could muster.
He took a deep breath, pushed her away, and gazed into her eyes. Tears streamed down his face, and he nodded. “You can bring me news like this any time you want.” He kissed her. As he withdrew, he laughed, and wiped a finger across her face, removing shaving cream. Before long they were both laughing.
“So my sweet little angel was okay with you leaving and told you not to hurry back?”
“Yep. Wanted her privacy and a nap.”
“I think we’ve been duped. She is such the little Cupid.”
“No doubt. Too bad you’re so tired. I suppose you need a nap, huh?”
“For some reason, I’m not really sleepy anymore.”
“Then whatever will we do with our free time?”
“I can think of something,” he said, as the towel around his waist fell to the floor.
****
Lying in the bed afterwards, Sean broke the comfortable silence.
“Marry me, Noelle.”
“What did you say?”
“I said, marry me, Noelle,” he answered and grinned. “You would make me—and my lovely daughter—two very happy people.”
“Your daughter?”
“Well, she doesn’t know I was going to ask you to marry me—wait, let me rephrase—as far as I know she doesn’t know, but she’s certainly been nudging us together.” He squinted his eyes. “And you would have to be blind not to see she loves you, too.”
The tears came hard and fast, and Noelle couldn’t wait to take the little girl in her arms. But first, she couldn’t wait to give him her answer.
“Yes, yes, yes. Yes, I will marry you.” She laid her head against his chest. She had never been happier.
****
While the nice lady gave her a bath, Raine tried to make sense of her apprehension about the Castle Man. The doctor told Noelle the tests proved she was right about having the not-so-bad thing instead of the real bad sickness. So why was she still feeling as if there was something else about the Castle Man that made her scared? She should be happy and relieved she would get better. Why did she think something else was wrong? Of all the feelings she had in the past months, this one was the hardest to figure out.
Getting clean felt good. She refused to let the silliness spoil everything good that had happened recently. She had caused so much trouble by being sick; it had to be the right thing to do to ask Miss Noelle to go see Daddy. Wasn’t it? She loved Miss Noelle so much and hoped she would never leave again and she would be with her and Daddy forever. Daddy was so lonely, and Miss Noelle was so good to him. It was okay to ignore a bad feeling to get them to spend some time together, wasn’t it?
The lady finished bathing her and smiled as she prepared to leave.
“Is there anything else you need, little miss, before I get someone to come sit with you?”
“No, thank you,” she said and remembered her manners. She stifled a yawn. “Thank you for bathing me. I feel so much better.”
“You’re very welcome,” the woman said and laughed. She handed Raine the call button. “You looked tired and sleepy. Why don’t you relax? And if you need anything, just push the button. Someone will be in soon to sit with you until your doctor and daddy get back.”
This sounded like a good idea. She could hardly hold her eyes open enough to turn her head on the pillow.
Although it seemed like only seconds, when she awoke a strange man was leaning over her. The mean look on his face scared her.
Her heart beat fast, and she struggled for breath.
She reached for the button, but it was gone. The bad man lifted his arm and revealed the call button.
“Looking for something, brat?”
She wanted to scream for Daddy, but no sound came from her mouth, as the pillow covered her face.
She struggled, and it all became clear to her.
She remembered the other bad thing about the Castle Man.
****
The cab couldn’t get there fast enough. Although Noelle relished the time alone with Sean, she was anxious to get back to Raine. She flinched as his cell phone rang. The hospital came into view.
“Hello?” Sean answered and smiled. “So I was wondering when I’d hear from you again. When did you get in?” Sean paused for a moment and then frowned. “What do you mean, what do I mean?” He winked at her, as the cab pulled up to the hospital entrance. “Showing up out of nowhere and then offering to sit with Raine. Since when did you turn so nice?”
She watched his expression turned to horror. His cell phone fell to the floor of the cab. and in no time he sprang out of the car, turning to her in the process. “That was Dere
k—calling from Gulf Shores. We’ve got to get to Raine!”
He darted onto the sidewalk and broke into a run toward the door.
Noelle managed to pass him inside the entrance. Although Raine was on the third floor, she didn’t wait for the elevator. She took the steps two at a time and flung open the door to the third floor.
The imposter flinched as she burst into Raine’s room. The blood drained from Noelle’s face as she saw him standing over her on the opposite side of the bed, and the pillow over Raine’s face.
“She’s resting.” The man pulled the pillow away and fluffed it before moving toward the door.
Although the scene took only seconds, her heart sank at Raine’s sweaty pale face. Her little body was too still. He glanced between Noelle and Raine, then whipped a knife from his jacket pocket. Noelle ignored the knife and rushed to Raine, pulling her into her arms as the man stabbed the mattress. As he drew his arm back for another strike, Sean darted in and dove for him, catching the blade of the knife on his forearm before taking control of the intruder’s arm. He slammed him against the wall, knocking the knife onto the floor. It slid across the room.
Sean grabbed the stranger’s thin neck and yanked him forward, slamming him face first into the wall. The imposter struggled away from Sean and staggered toward the door but quickly dropped face first onto the tiled floor. The impact made a sickening crunching noise as blood gushed from the man’s face.
A hospital orderly rushed into the room.
Noelle laid Raine back onto the bed. The child wasn’t breathing. She breathed air into her mouth. Sean’s heart beat wildly as he watched the woman he loved and her desperate attempt to breathe life back into his little girl. His head spun with dizziness as the sheet on the bed before him turned bright red. For a moment he feared the man had cut Noelle or Raine, until he looked at his arm and the blood gushing with each rapid beat of his heart. As shooting flecks of lights invaded the corners of his eyes and his balance spun out of control, he fought to hold onto consciousness. Tears streamed down Noelle’s face as she spoke softly to his daughter.
Time for Raine Page 24
