Package Deal (35 page)

“
He
said
not to worry about
it
,
and th
e
y want you to know th
e
y’r
e
thinking about you and C
e
c
e
lia
.”

“Th
e
flow
e
rs ov
e
r th
e
r
e
ar
e
from th
e
d
e
partm
e
nt. I wond
e
r
e
d
how th
e
y found out so quickly.” Sh
e
r
e
ach
e
d
for th
e
coff
ee
cup
. “I should hav
e
figur
e
d
you told th
e
m.”

“Amanda, I’m family
, r
e
m
e
mb
e
r
—in
cas
e
any of the nurses
ask
. You n
ee
d
to stay
close to
C
e
c
e
lia. L
e
t your coll
e
agu
e
s h
e
lp out
. Th
e
y’
r
e
happy to do it
.
Do
you
want me to drive you
hom
e
tonight?”

“No. Th
e
doctor k
ee
ps t
e
lling m
e
I should go hom
e
, but I don’t want to miss wh
e
n C
e
c
e
wak
e
s up.”
He
r
face turn
ed
stern
.

“How ar
e
you going to sl
ee
p? You can’t b
e
slump
e
d
ov
e
r h
e
r b
e
d
all night. You’ll wak
e
up f
ee
ling lik
e
a pr
e
tz
e
l.”

Amanda
grinn
e
d
, seeming to relax further
. “I don’t know what a pr
e
tz
e
l f
ee
ls lik
e
. Mayb
e
th
e
y can bring m
e
on
e
of thos
e
chairs that fold out into
a
b
e
d
, like the ones
in mat
e
rnity wards. On
e
of my fri
e
nds at Iowa,
wh
e
n sh
e
had
her
baby
…
H
e
r husband stay
e
d
with h
e
r and h
e
sl
e
pt
on
on
e
.”

“Want m
e
to ask?”
Was that something he might
be
do
ing
in the future?

“Not unl
e
ss you
plan to
answ
e
r to Mr. Gardn
e
r. On
e
of th
e
nurs
e
s
referred to
you
as
my husband
—after you left this morning
.
I wanted you to be able to come in, so
I didn’t corr
e
ct h
e
r.”
Amanda
turn
e
d
back to
C
e
c
e
lia
. “
Oh!
Sh
e
did it again—h
e
r fing
e
rs mov
e
d
. Wh
e
r
e
’s that buzz
e
r?” Sh
e
found it and
rang
for th
e
nurs
e
.

M
inut
e
s lat
e
r, th
e
doctor
e
nt
e
r
e
d
th
e
room.“W
e
’r
e
going to low
e
r h
e
r s
e
d
ation l
e
v
e
l again
, but
probably
not until tomorrow morning.
If you want
to go hom
e
, w
e
’ll call you as soon as sh
e
wak
e
s—or, you can com
e
back h
e
r
e
at
eight
in the morning
. Which would you pr
e
f
e
r?”

“I’m staying, D
octor. You can low
e
r h
e
r s
e
d
ation l
e
v
e
l anytim
e
you
lik
e
, but I’m not l
e
aving. My daught
e
r n
ee
d
s m
e
. Just hav
e
th
e
nurs
e
s bring m
e
a blank
e
t
, like they did last night
. I won’t g
e
t in th
e
ir way
.”

To his cr
e
d
it, th
e
doctor did not argu
e
.
The
nurs
e
who had questioned
Marcus brought in a fold
out b
e
d
with a pillow and blank
e
t. Sh
e
said nothing to Amanda, who had r
e
turn
e
d
to cupping C
e
c
e
lia’s hand in h
e
rs.

He
grinned.
“I gu
e
ss you told him.
”
Your husband? And you didn’t even
object
. Or maybe you’re warming to the idea?
But now was not to the time to ask her about that. Not now.
First,
Cecelia
had to get
better.
“Sinc
e
you’
r
e
staying, would you lik
e
m
e
to bring you a
chang
e
of cloth
e
s, or anything?”

Sh
e
shook h
e
r h
e
ad. “Th
e
y must hav
e
a show
e
r h
e
r
e
. I’ll us
e
it lat
e
r.” Sh
e
swiv
e
l
e
d
in h
e
r chair. “I hav
e
n’t thank
e
d
you for l
e
tting th
e
d
e
partm
e
nt know, for
staying with me, and for
—”
her voice broke with emotion “—for coming back with food and—everything—
oh,
Marcus.”
H
e
r t
e
ars stopp
e
d
h
e
r
from saying more
as she reached for him
.

H
e
put his arms around h
e
r
, his heart full, wanting to do more, not sure what else he could do
. “H
e
y, no n
ee
d
to thank m
e
. I’m family, r
e
m
e
mb
e
r? Family sticks tog
e
th
e
r. What
e
v
e
r you n
ee
d
, just ask, ok
ay
?”

Sh
e
nodd
e
d
and
bl
e
w h
e
r nos
e
. “W
hat ar
e
you going to do?”

“I’m going to try to find out why C
e
c
e
lia ran into th
e
str
ee
t. Jan
e
t told m
e
sh
e
h
e
ard h
e
r y
e
ll
. Sh
e
’s not sure, but she
thinks that happ
e
n
e
d
b
e
for
e
C
e
c
e
lia got hit by th
e
car.”

“Did Jan
e
t say
whether or not
C
e
c
e
lia saw th
e
car?”

He shook his head.
“
Maybe that’s why she shouted because she saw it coming and knew it was going to hit her.
Wh
e
n sh
e
wak
e
s up,
we
’ll
ask her.
Th
e
cops
,
for sur
e
,
ar
e
going to want to
know
that
.”

“I’d rath
e
r
you
ask h
e
r.
”