Page 85 of Play With Me
The rise in my pitch has the nurse opening the door again. She must have been waiting just outside of it. “Alright, sir. It’s time to go,” she says politely but firmly.
Mick stares at me for a beat before standing. “I’ll be back to see you tomorrow.” He leans over and kisses me on the top of the head. “Get some rest.”
As he leaves, I can’t help but feel like he’s taking a small piece of me with him. But even so, I’d let him take a thousand more—because Anders is the liquid gold that put me back together, filling in my cracks to make me stronger than I was before.
And I’m ready to display our masterpiece.
Anders
“Idespisethat man, Geo.”
“I know you do, Lettie.”
“I don’t like him either if it makes you feel better,” Maya’s voice is tired as she responds to her grandmother. “He treats Mom like she’s a possession, not a person.”
Letitia looks at her granddaughter, her regard distracted. She opens her mouth to say something, but the words die in her throat as the door to Carmela’s hospital room opens, and Mick emerges, looking worse than when he went in. His eyes sweep the waiting area, roaming over the Cabreras and pausing on Maya, who glares at him, before finally settling on me. His jaw is set in a hard line, and his eyes are bright with anger.
I stand to confront him about not letting Carmela’s family in to see her first, but as I steptoward him, he turns and walks down the hall, heading for the exit without a word.
I watch him go as the nurse appears in the doorway. “She needs to rest. I’ll allow one more visitor.”
Letitia and Maya both make sounds of discontent as they rise to their feet. How are they supposed to figure out who gets to see her? It seems like an impossible decision for a mother who just reconnected with her daughter after a decade and a half of silence—and a daughter who almost lost her mother last night.
“Will you let her family go together, please?” I ask, disregarding my eagerness to see the woman I love. Family is important. It’s a principle Carmela and I both have in common. I’ve waited this long to tell her. I can wait a little longer if it means her daughter gets to see that she’s okay.
“Fine. But it will have to be quick. And then she needs to rest. You can come back later tonight.”
Letitia thanks me, and she and Geo head to the room. Maya hangs back, watching me with her sad, jewel-toned eyes that look exactly like her father's. “Thank you, Anders.”
A sense of sadness washes over me, but I’m content with my decision as she hugs me quickly before rushing to her mom’s room.
Knowing I won’t be able to see her anytime soon, I head for the exit—in desperate need of some fresh air. As I pass the nurse’s station, I ask, “Is there anyway to leave my number so you can call me if anything changes?”
I fish my wallet out, prepared to flash my badge to get what I want, when the nurse replies, “Sure thing. She’s already requested the othergentlemannot be allowed back in.”
I can’t help the smug smirk of satisfaction that pulls at my lips.
That’s my girl.
After spending the afternoon at Désirer combing through hours of security footage, I came up empty. There is no footage of anyone coming into the club besides Mick, Carmela, and me. All the cameras have been wiped clean of evidence, furthering my suspicion that Luca has something to do with all of this.
Who else would have that sway over the man running the surveillance? The only other people authorized to give orders like that are Mick, Jackson, Lenni, and Carmela. And all four would want the murderer brought to justice.
The hospital seems more active in the early evening. The waiting rooms are packed with patients waiting to be seen and family members waiting to hear news of their loved ones. I make my way to the private sector of the ICU, clutching brown bagscontaining sandwiches from Carmela’s favorite bagel shop.
Since I haven’t heard from anyone—besides Maya texting to tell me they are going home to get some rest before returning later—I assume everything is going well. And I hope Carmela is up for another visitor.
If she’s still too tired, I’ll wait.
I’ll wait as long as it takes.
The same nurse greets me as I pass her station, plopping one of the bags on the top of the desk. “Much better than hospital food.”
Her eyes light up as she peeks inside the bag. “Thank you,” she says earnestly. “I hate to say this, though. She can’t have that.” She points to the other bag in my hand.
“What, this?” I joke, holding it up. “This is for me. I swear.”
Giving me a stern look, she nods to Carmela’s room. “Go on then. She’s been asking for you all day.” At my confused look, she continues, “She needed rest. That’s why I didn’t call.”