Callie's Christmas Wish

by Merline Lovelace

  “It might be better if Emilio talks to her,” Callie suggested.

  Joe’s glance sawed into her. “You think I might frighten her?”

  The scar. He thought she was worried about the scar. Her chin lifting, she met that absurdity head-on.

  “You have to admit you can be pretty intimidating when you want to,” she replied calmly. “But I was thinking of yesterday morning. Emilio actually got Amal to talk to him. And she told me that she thought he had a kind face.”

  Joe snorted, and the others all turned to study the face under discussion. It immediately turned brick red. Thoroughly embarrassed, Emilio said gruffly that he’d be happy to accompany them to the hospital.

  * * *

  The Ospedale San Giovanni Addolorata was a massive complex in the heart of Rome, located right behind the Egyptian obelisk and within sight of the Colosseum. Interactive displays in the hospital’s main entrance depicted its long history, while plexiglass cutouts in the tiled floor gave glimpses the long-buried ruins of the home of Emperor Marcus Aurelius’s mother.

  A call to Nikki confirmed that Amal and the baby had already been transferred from the ER to the maternity ward. Getting to the ward proved quite a challenge. Signs directed Callie and the others to another building, then to two different banks of elevators and, finally, to the wing containing the obstetrical delivery suites, nursery and neonatal intensive care unit. Their small group drew several glances along the way. Particularly Simona in her gaudy borrowed T-shirt, dragging skirt and flyaway dandelion hair. Blithely ignoring the stares, she marched up to the nurses’ station where Nikki was filling out forms.

  “How are they?”

  “Fine. The doctor has examined them both. The baby’s in the nursery, and Amal’s getting cleaned up a bit. I’ll need some help with this paperwork.” Nikki made a helpless gesture at the forms. “She still won’t give us her name or any other identifying information.”

  “I’ll talk to her. What room is she in?”

  “Three twelve. Second door on the left.”

  When the director headed for the room, Nikki gave Callie a quick smile. “You did well this morning.”

  “I didn’t do anything. Amal and Simona did all the work.”

  “Well, the result was worth their effort. The baby’s beautiful.”

  “You said she’s in the nursery?”

  “She is. There’s a viewing window just there, down the hall.”

  Nikki went back to her paperwork, Emilio went in search of coffee and Callie waited for Joe to finish checking his text messages.

  “I wanted to make sure my contacts received the sketch,” he told her when he finished. “They have, and they’re running facial recognition programs. If he’s in the system, we’ll ID him.”

  “I’m going to see the baby. Want to come with me?”

  “Sure.”

  The shades were up, giving an unimpeded view of the plastic bassinets in their stainless steel stands. Most were empty. The babies were probably with their moms, Callie guessed, being nursed or bathed or cuddled. Only three bassinets were occupied.

  In one, the baby wore a blue stocking cap. The other two wore pink. Both still had the scrunched-up red faces of newborns, but the baby on the left had to be Amal’s. The silky black hair peeking below her stocking cap was a dead giveaway. That, and the name on the bassinet. Callie had to squint to make out the hand lettering. When she did, she caught her breath.

  Simona. Amal had named her baby Simona.

  The rightness of it put a smile around Callie’s heart. She hoped it would put one around the director’s, too.

  “Which one is Amal’s?” Joe asked.

  “The one on the left.”

  “How can you tell?”

  “Look at the name on the bassinet.”

  Like Callie, he had to squint. Unlike her, though, he wasn’t as confident about the rightness of it.

  “I don’t know much about your boss’s past,” he said quietly. “Carlo doesn’t, either. Only that she was married once and lost her family in some kind of natural disaster. Hard to imagine how someone who’s lost so much will feel about having a namesake.”

  “I think she’ll love it,” Callie murmured. Her gaze lingered on the pink stocking cap and tufts of black hair. “Cradling that little head in my hands this morning at the moment of her birth was the most amazing thing I’ve ever experienced.”

  With a last glance at the baby, she angled away from the window.

  “We haven’t talked about having kids, Joe. How do you feel about having a namesake?”

  “Just say the word.” One of his rare smiles tipped his mouth. “Kate and Dawn would probably advise you to take a trip down the aisle first, but I’m ready any time you are.”

  “I’m ready, too. For both.”

  It took a moment for that to register. When it did, his smile became a full-fledged grin. “How does a Christmas wedding sound?”

  “Oh, I would love that! But I can’t fly home, even for a few days, and leave Simona in the lurch.”

  “So we have the wedding here.”

  “But...”

  “Kate and Dawn. Yeah, I know. Reminds me of that old saying.”

  Callie arched a brow.

  “If a frog had wheels, it wouldn’t bump its butt.”

  Her other brow rose. “What does that mean?”

  “Damned if I know. Gran says it all the time, though.” Curling a knuckle under her chin, he tipped her face to his. “Let me work the details, Pansy Eyes. All you’ll have to do is—”

  “Joe! Callie!” Nikki waved to them. “Simona wants us to join her in Amal’s room.”

  Chapter Fourteen

  “He is my husband’s brother.”

  Amal didn’t look at them. Gripping the hospital blanket with white-knuckled fists, she stared at wall above their heads.

  “He was to drive the car. The one that was hit. But he suspected someone had betrayed him. Coward that he is, he sent his brother to die in his place.”

  She dropped her gaze, glaring at them as her words gained heat and fury.

  “My husband was not like him! He was gentle and kind and would have nothing to do with his brother’s hate-filled friends! That’s why they tricked him into driving the car. Why he followed at a safe distance, sending messages on his computer to others in their cadre, waiting to see if my husband sprang the trap they’d suspected.”

  Her fists convulsed on the blanket. Her face, her eyes, her body language all conveyed rage.

  “He would kill me, too. I knew what he had done. He could not let me live to tell of his shameful cowardice. So I fled. And when the boat sank and I swam ashore, I told no one my name. Told no one where I’d come from.”

  She stopped, breathing hard and fast as the memories tore at her. Then her fire shaded to fear.

  “I thought we were safe, my baby and I. Now Simona says... She says he may be here. In Rome. Is that true?”

  Joe didn’t pad the truth. “We think so.”

  “You must find him! Please! Before he finds me and my baby.”

  “We plan to. Until we do, Emilio will stand guard. He and the polizia. They’ll protect you and the baby.”

  “I’m staying, too,” Simona announced. “Callie, you’ll go with Joe back to the center, won’t you?”

  “Of course.”

  “Explain what’s happened to the staff and other residents. Show them the sketch and tell them to be especially aware when they go out.”

  * * *

  They were in the SUV, just pulling up at the center, when Joe got a call from Carlo. He screeched the vehicle to a halt with a terse explanation.

  “One of Emilio’s crew spotted him. He’s having espresso at the same little café where you
bumped into him. The polizia are on their way. Wait here at the center.”

  She knew better than to suggest she should go with him. Joe didn’t need to be worrying about keeping her safe. She wanted him to focus on keeping himself safe! Her heart banged against her ribs as he shouldered the door open.

  “Be careful!”

  “I will.”

  He tore off the moment she hit the keypad and was safely inside. The café was just around the corner. She would hear the sirens when the police arrived. Only if they hit the sirens, she amended. They might not want to alert him.

  She had no idea how long she stayed rooted just inside the door. Her hands shoved in her pockets, she repeated again and again the wish she’d made just a few hours ago at the Trevi Fountain.

  * * *

  And then it was over.

  No flash, no bang, no police sirens.

  Just Joe pulling up in the black SUV to deliver another quick report. Callie spotted the monster vehicle through a front window and ran outside almost before he’d braked to a halt. The driver’s side window whirred down, and Callie hung on the door while he shared the news.

  “We got him. Bastard was too busy banging away on his laptop to realize we had him in our sights. He tried to run when the polizia arrived.” His mouth tipped in a wolfish grin. “Didn’t get far.”

  “Are you sure it’s him? Amal’s brother-in-law?”

  “Almost one hundred percent. Carlo’s going to the hospital with one of the police officers. They’ll nail down the last one percent.”

  “Thank God!”

  “I’m heading downtown to share what I know with the anti-terror unit.” He put the SUV in gear but kept his foot on the brake. “When I get back, we need to finish the discussion we were having at the hospital. The one about namesakes and Christmas weddings.”

  Callie was so overjoyed that the worry and fear might finally be over that she would have married him right there, in the street. She settled for leaning through the window and hooking an arm around him to drag him down for a kiss.

  “You take care of the bad guy. I’ll take care of the wedding.”

  * * *

  Naturally, her first call was to Kate and Dawn. She couldn’t wait. Still standing in the street, she woke first one, then the other and had to assure both that she hadn’t yanked them from sleep because she was hurt or had been in an accident or had dumped Joe.

  “Just the opposite. We’re getting married.”

  “When?” Dawn shrieked.

  “Where?” Kate yelped.

  “That depends on whether Brian’s corporate jet’s available in the next few days.”

  “To fly you home?”

  “To fly you guys here. I know it’s short notice and you’ve probably got family coming for Christmas. Brian’s folks, or yours and Travis’s, Kate. But if you can make it, I would—”

  “Don’t be stupid. Of course we’ll make it. Just tell us where you want us when.”

  “Christmas Eve. Here in Rome. I haven’t worked all the details yet. I’ll get back to you as soon as I do.”

  “What about your folks?” Dawn asked. “The jet has plenty of room if they want to come.”

  “Thanks for the offer. I doubt they’ll want to fly over, but I’ll call and check.”

  She gripped the phone, suddenly teary eyed with emotion and drippy nosed from the cold.

  “This has been the most amazing morning,” she sniffed. “I almost got fired and I helped deliver a baby. Then Joe and Carlo took down a really, really nasty bad guy. Oh, and I tossed a coin in the Trevi Fountain. The wish is already coming true.”

  “All that in one morning?”

  Kate sounded amazed, but Dawn zeroed in instantly on the most significant of those events.

  “Hot damn! The fountain scores again.”

  Callie gave a watery laugh. “Okay, I’m standing on the sidewalk freezing my ass off. I’ve got to go inside and make a bunch more calls. I’ll get back to you as soon as I firm up the arrangements. Ciao. And thank you!”

  Before she could start working her growing mental list of to-dos, she had to brief Leela and Sabeen and the other residents on the visit to the hospital. They greeted the news that both mother and baby were doing fine with happy smiles.

  “We will visit her,” Leela declared. “And take gifts for the baby.”

  Callie left them making arrangements and hurried to her office to make her own. It was still too early to contact her folks, so she called Carlo, intending to just leave a voice mail asking him to call her when he could. He picked up halfway through her message.

  “Oh, I’m sorry. Are you at the hospital?”

  “We’re still on the way. I just spoke with Joe. He tells me you’re to be married. Congratulations, mia bella, although I can’t understand why you would wish to tie yourself to such a lout when you could fly with me to—”

  “Yes, yes, I know. Casablanca or Antibes or wherever. Why don’t you take Simona? You know you want to.”

  “Ha! She would not consider it for a moment.” He hesitated a beat, two. “Would she?”

  “You won’t know until you ask. In the meantime, I might need a favor.”

  “You have only to name it.”

  “I haven’t checked yet what kind of license or permit we’ll need to get married in Italy on Christmas Eve. If it turns out there’s a bureaucratic tangle, do you think you could you get one of your judges to slice through it?”

  “Certainly. And may I make a suggestion? My home here in the city boasts a very large salon. It would give me great pleasure if you and Joe would have the ceremony there. With a supper to follow, perhaps?”

  Callie’s initial thought had been to hold the ceremony here at the center. Having it at the prince’s palazzo would make it a treat for the residents and so very, very special for both Joe and her.

  “Oh, Carlo, thank you! That would be wonderful!”

  “Bene! I’ll take care of getting the judge to conduct the ceremony, too, if you wish. One of those many in my pay,” he added drily.

  “Yes, and thank you again!”

  She disconnected feeling slightly dazed. In the space of ten short minutes, she’d nailed down the time, the place, the matrons of honor, the judge, the wedding supper. That left a dress...and a ring for Joe.

  She knew exactly how to nail those down, too. Yanking open her desk drawer, she searched for the business card she’d brought back from Naples with her. Luckily, she got through to the buffalo ranch and reached the person she wanted on the first try.

  “Ciao, Arianna. It’s Callie.”

  “How good to hear from you. How are you enjoying Rome and your new job?”

  “I love both.”

  “We must have lunch when I come up to Rome. Perhaps next week, yes? I still have a few presents to buy and haven’t seen the lights of the Fendi building yet.”

  “That’s why I’m calling. Joe and I strolled down Via Condotti the other night, but those boutiques are way out of my price range. I thought maybe you could recommend a shop where I could get a wedding ring for him and a dress for me.”

  “But yes! I frequent many excellent shops. When is the wedding?”

  “Christmas Eve. I know it’s short notice, and I’m sure you have plans to spend that evening with your family, but we would love if any or all of the Audi family could attend.”

  “But yes!” she exclaimed again. “And I will drive up tomorrow. It’s Saturday and all the Christmas shoppers will be out, so we must start early. Can you meet me at Caffè Domiziano, in the Piazza Navona? Shall we say nine o’clock?”

  “I’ll be there!”

  * * *

  Unbelievably, every hastily contrived plan came off without a hitch.

  With Arianna’s ent
husiastic assistance, Callie found the perfect dress and a simple gold band for Joe. Carlo sent his head chef to consult with her on the menu for the wedding supper and lined up a judge to perform the ceremony. After filling out reams of paper, she and Joe obtained a special license and arranged for a representative from the US consulate to act as a witness.

  When Amal and the baby returned from the hospital, the refugee broke down in tears and shared her real identity. As Callie had suspected, Rasha Hadid was a highly regarded artist whose work was on exhibit in museums in Damascus and Cairo and Athens. And now that she no longer had to fear her brother-in-law, she could accept the position she’d been offered as an adjunct professor at the University of Thessaloniki. But first, she and the baby must attend the wedding of two to whom they owed so much.

  As joyous as Rasha’s return was, Callie’s happiness brimmed over even more on Christmas Eve morning. She and Joe drove separate cars out to Ciampino Airport to pick up Kate and Dawn and their husbands. Joe wheeled the monster SUV. Callie drove a smaller and more manageable Fiat from Emilio’s fleet. They parked at the terminal that handled executive jets and were waiting when the sleek Gulfstream with the Ellis Aeronautical Systems logo on its tail swooped in for a landing. To their delight, the first person to exit when the stairs were let down was Tommy. He raced over to them with his usual energy and promptly announced he wasn’t worried about Santa finding him in Rome.

  “Dad says his radar is better than the one on the Gulfstream even, ’n’ he’ll leave presents for Buster back at home. Doggy treats ’n’ stuff. Grandma and Granddad are taking care of him. They’re gonna make sure he doesn’t eat poop. Dogs do that sometimes.”

  “Good to know,” Joe said solemnly, then shook hands with Travis and Brian. “Thanks for making the trip on such short notice.”

  “No way we could miss seeing the last of the Inseparables bite the dust,” Travis assured him. He nodded to the three women wrapped in a fierce group hug punctuated by sniffles and tears of joy. “How long has it been since they’ve seen each other? Three weeks?”

  “Closer to two,” Brian drawled.

  When they finally untangled, Callie gave all four males a quick kiss before sweeping Dawn and Kate toward the Fiat. “Six o’clock. Carlo’s palazzo. See you there.”