Finding Her Family
Finding Her Family
Syndi Powell
Is her dream finally within reach?Delivery nurse Page Kosinski has conquered a deadly disease—twice! Now she’s gearing up for a battle she needs Mateo Lopez to help her win.Adopting a baby will give her the family she’s always wanted. The handsome crusading attorney could fulfill her other dream, too. But will Mateo be brave enough to open his heart to hope…and love?
Is her dream finally within reach?
Her heart’s saying yes
Delivery nurse Page Kosinski has conquered a deadly disease—twice! Now she’s gearing up for a battle she needs Mateo Lopez to help her win. Adopting a baby will give her the family she’s always wanted. The handsome crusading attorney could fulfill her other dream, too. But will Mateo be brave enough to open his heart to hope...and love?
SYNDI POWELL started writing stories when she was young and has made it a lifelong pursuit. She’s been reading Mills & Boon romance novels since she was in her teens and is thrilled to be on the Mills & Boon team. She loves to connect with readers on Twitter, @syndipowell, or on her Facebook author page, Facebook.com/syndipowellauthor (http://Facebook.com/syndipowellauthor).
Also by Syndi Powell (#ulink_2a75a595-3666-5dd9-9c85-555ad6d56205)
Healing Hearts
Afraid to Lose Her
The Sweetheart Deal
Two-Part Harmony
Risk of Falling
The Reluctant Bachelor
Discover more at millsandboon.co.uk (http://www.millsandboon.co.uk)
Finding Her Family
Syndi Powell
www.millsandboon.co.uk (http://www.millsandboon.co.uk)
ISBN: 978-1-474-07816-0
FINDING HER FAMILY
© 2018 Cynthia Powell
Published in Great Britain 2018
by Mills & Boon, an imprint of HarperCollinsPublishers 1 London Bridge Street, London, SE1 9GF
All rights reserved including the right of reproduction in whole or in part in any form. This edition is published by arrangement with Harlequin Books S.A.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, locations and incidents are purely fictional and bear no relationship to any real life individuals, living or dead, or to any actual places, business establishments, locations, events or incidents. Any resemblance is entirely coincidental.
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www.millsandboon.co.uk (http://www.millsandboon.co.uk)
This book is dedicated to my Groban Girls:
Laurie Peplinski, Debbie Greathouse and Angela
Chisholm. We’ve known each other for more than
half of our lives and have seen each other through
boyfriends, heartbreaks, marriages, kids, divorces
and sicknesses. I know that all I need to do is pick up
my phone and call if I need something, and you’d be
there for me. And also to Lindsay Kosinski, with whom
I can spend three hours sharing a meal and it feels like
only minutes because there’s so much to talk about.
These friendships have been such blessings to me.
Now when’s the next Girls’ Night Out???
Contents
Cover (#ud3d7d0dd-fb03-5254-88ff-f7faa7de4d1f)
Back Cover Text (#uf4155a5d-a5b0-517c-af4c-36a549136730)
About the Author (#u459917e4-39fa-515d-a7d1-aa00f36dbdc7)
Booklist (#ulink_9e7e992e-904c-5139-93c5-2f7fddff9cf4)
Title Page (#ua2724b60-6f79-5254-9456-b5900815fea3)
Copyright (#ua7b22858-a29c-59f6-a85e-14cf8636b51f)
Dedication (#ud8a4417e-6036-5f63-abf2-5624a043cfc0)
CHAPTER ONE (#u037843bb-6385-5f91-86f7-10ead47fa832)
CHAPTER TWO (#u4e1bc4bf-db74-5158-ac4e-89173e78e4b0)
CHAPTER THREE (#ud959d278-8b80-5e28-a56e-3a47a3276333)
CHAPTER FOUR (#u0d67058e-2f9c-5fd7-b091-9e0b0bd8de36)
CHAPTER FIVE (#litres_trial_promo)
CHAPTER SIX (#litres_trial_promo)
CHAPTER SEVEN (#litres_trial_promo)
CHAPTER EIGHT (#litres_trial_promo)
CHAPTER NINE (#litres_trial_promo)
CHAPTER TEN (#litres_trial_promo)
CHAPTER ELEVEN (#litres_trial_promo)
CHAPTER TWELVE (#litres_trial_promo)
CHAPTER THIRTEEN (#litres_trial_promo)
EPILOGUE (#litres_trial_promo)
Extract (#litres_trial_promo)
About the Publisher (#litres_trial_promo)
CHAPTER ONE (#ua9e4af90-5d66-5641-a76d-f6b5304ca10b)
ON A HUMID late July day in Detroit, Page Kosinski paused at the intersection and waited for the light to turn so she could cross the street. The coffee shop where she had agreed to meet her ex-husband, Chad, was up ahead. He’d called and said he had something to tell her. Begged her to meet him at their once favorite place. She wondered what he was about to tell her. Did he want to get back together?
She had to admit that she’d thought about it herself every once in a while, but then she reminded herself that she didn’t need him to mess with her life or her heart anymore. The thing she really missed was being part of a couple. Her pride would never let her admit it to anyone, especially her best friend, April, but she liked having someone to come home to. She liked waking up with him every morning and going to bed with him every night. She liked knowing she had a standing date on New Year’s Eve and Valentine’s Day. She reveled in being one half of a group of two. Her marriage to Chad had hardly been the stuff of fairy tales, but at least he had been there. For a while anyway.
The light turned and she hurried to cross the street. She didn’t want to seem too anxious, but she was running late as usual. She opened the door to the coffee shop and groaned at the sight of him waiting at a table. With his perfectly coiffed blond hair and chiseled features, Chad didn’t have the right to look so handsome, although the scruffy chin was new. He stood and moved the chair opposite his out for her. He kissed her cheek. “You look...different, Page.”
She reached up and touched her bald head. She knew exactly how she looked—like someone fighting cancer. She’d beaten it twice, but it had come back a third time in her ovaries. She only had a few months of chemo left, and then she’d find out if it was gone for good. “You look like you always do.”
She took a seat, and he left to order their coffees. He didn’t need to ask what she wanted since she always ordered the same thing. She didn’t like surprises.
He returned with their drinks, and she put her hands around the mug in order to give them something to do. “How are you, Chad?”
“Good. Really good.” He looked her over. “Should I even ask how you’re doing?”
“Why would you? You never liked hearing about all the icky details of my cancer when we were married. That was an inconvenience to your precious life.” He winced at her sharp tone, and she regretted the words after they were out. They might be true, but he clearly wanted some kind of truce. She swallowed her bitterness by taking a sip of her coffee. “On the phone you said you had some news.”
He shifted in his seat and looked out the window before turning to face her. “I wanted to be the first to tell you before you heard it from anyone else.”
Oh. She gripped the mug tighter. “Are you getting married to her?” Her being the anti-Page: blonde, bubbly and buxom. She couldn’t even say her name.
Chad ducked his head. “Nikki and I are getting married next month.”
“So soon? What is she, pregnant?” She smirked at the thought of Chad with kids when he was little more than a child himself. He blushed and was unable to meet her gaze. The bottom fell out of Page’s stomach. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. “Get out.”
His perfect features hardened into a familiar scowl. “I knew you’d take it wrong.”
“How should I take it? You cheated on me with her while I was going through chemo. You divorced me when I was still sick so that you could move in with her. And now you tell me you’re having a baby?”
“It just happened.”
“I’m a labor-and-delivery nurse, so I know exactly how it happens.” She pursed her lips. The words she wanted to say fought to come out. The emotions that she kept buried deep inside bubbled up, but she kept quiet and took a long sip of her coffee.
He reached across the table to touch her hand, but she snatched it away. “Please be happy for us. You know how much I always wanted to have kids.”
The urge to punch him grew stronger. “Really? The way I remember it I was the one who wanted kids, but you told me we needed to wait. First, until we had more money. Then it was a bigger house. And we waited and waited until I was sick and then it was too late. But you didn’t wait very long for her, did you?” She put a hand to her flat belly. “Get. Out.”
Chad rose from his chair and put a hand on the table near hers. “Page, you don’t want to end up like your mother, do you? Mean? Spiteful?”
Page summoned all the anger inside her and glared at him. He almost tripped over his own feet hurrying away from her. Once he was gone, she put her hands around the still warm mug. She glanced at the other patrons. They looked as if their lives were continuing as normal, while hers had crumbled a little more.
She finished her coffee and left the shop, vowing never to set foot in there again.
* * *
THE KID SITTING opposite him had his head down on the table, and his long dark hair covered his face. He hadn’t looked up since Mateo Lopez had entered the interrogation room of the Detroit Police Department, and Mateo tried to squelch the desire to leave Scotty to deal with the consequences of his actions alone. But he’d been hired by the kid’s mother to represent him in front of a judge, who wouldn’t likely turn a blind eye to a repeat shoplifter.
Mateo asked a question that he already knew the answer to. “What was it this time, Scotty? What was it that you had to have and didn’t care that you’d end up in juvie for? Again?”
Scotty kept his gaze on the table as he shrugged. “Don’t matter.”
“Really? Because we seem to end up at the police station too often for it to mean nothing.” He sat quietly, waiting for the kid to say something, anything. After five minutes, he took out a legal pad and pen. “This is your third strike, so you’re looking at a year of lockup.”
Scotty raised his panicked eyes to meet Mateo’s. “A year?”
“Minimum. The judge isn’t going to give you a slap on your wrist since you’re a repeat offender.” Mateo leaned closer. “Why did you do it?”
“I don’t know.”
Mateo doubted that. The kid knew more than what he said. “How about I tell you what I know? I know that your group of so-called friends dared you to take the cell phones. That when you got caught, they all ran off with the merchandise and left you to take the blame. Then you told the cops that you were alone and wouldn’t give any names. And now they’re all free while you’re in here and looking at a year in juvie. Those don’t sound like very good friends.”
The kid’s eyes lowered, and he once more concentrated on the table. “You don’t know nothing.”
“The truth is, I know the law. Which is good for you, since I can try to get a reduced sentence if you’ll give me the names of those friends.”
“No.”
Mateo might have admired the loyalty to friends in different circumstances, but not when his client was staring at the full brunt of the law if he didn’t give up those names. “Scotty, I’ve seen you hanging out with that gang in your neighborhood. I live there, too, so I expect that both the Four Aces and the Spanish Quarters have been trying to recruit you. And today was a tryout.”
Scotty frowned. “Like I said. You don’t know nothing.”
Mateo sighed and rubbed the bridge of his nose. He grew tired of defending kids who knew better but longed to find a place to fit in. The street gangs were an attractive brotherhood to a kid who had an overworked single mother and no male role models aside from the ones he saw in the neighborhood. Didn’t seem that long ago that Mateo had been the one on the other side of the table talking to a lawyer. He wanted to give Scotty the chance he’d been given. To find a way out of the endless cycle of poverty and violence.
He stood and left the room without another word. He found Mrs. Rodriguez wringing her hands as she paced the hallway. She rushed over to him. “What did he say?”
Mateo shook his head. “He won’t give up the names of the gang members that were there with him. And I can’t help him if he’s not willing to divulge that information to me or the judge.” He put a hand on her shoulder as she started to cry. “He’s looking at about a year in juvenile hall.”
She grasped his hand in both of hers. “He can’t go back to that place. Last time, he had nightmares for a month after getting out. I can’t let them put my baby in there again.”
“This is his third offense, Mrs. Rodriguez. The judge won’t be lenient. Even if Scotty does tell us the names of his friends, he’s still going to jail.”
He opened the door to the interrogation room and ushered her in. Scotty sprinted into his mother’s arms. Mateo shut the door behind him and walked away, feeling tired of seeing the same story play out time and again.
He walked to the end of the hallway and stared out the window and rested his hands on the sill. After a few minutes, he heard a door open, and he turned to find Mrs. Rodriguez wiping her eyes with a tissue. She looked up as he approached. “What’s next?”
“We meet with the judge in the morning, and Scotty will stay in lockup here until then.”
She nodded and glanced at the door. “Thank you, Mr. Lopez. I know you will do your best for my son.”
He feared that his best wouldn’t keep Scotty out of jail, though.
Despondent, he left the police station and drove to visit with friends, hoping that he could find some cheer. He parked in front of Dez and Sherri’s house and walked up to the front door. His cousin Sherri answered his knock and smiled at him. “Hey, you’re just in time for dinner. You must have some kind of sixth sense about these things.” She gave him her cheek to kiss then let him pass, shutting the screen door behind him.
“More like you always eat at seven during the week.”
“We’re eating out on the deck since it’s such a nice night.”
Mateo followed her through the living room to the kitchen, noticing how her hair was slowly returning after a recent bout of chemotherapy and radiation for breast cancer. She looked well. Last he’d heard she was beating the disease, unlike his mom, who had lost her own battle years ago.
He swallowed at the memory and brightened as he found Sherri’s husband, Dez, singing along with the radio as he dressed a green salad. He raised his eyes to Mateo’s and grinned. They clasped hands and bumped chests. “What brings you by?”
He shrugged and glanced around the homey kitchen. Wasn’t too long ago that Dez had been a bachelor like him. Now his friend had married and adopted a teenager. He looked good in his role as husband and father. Mateo ignored the sharp stirring of jealousy. “It’s been a rough day. Was hoping to hang out for a bit with you guys.”
“Sure, sure.” Dez took a platter of raw meat and then pointed at the bowl of salad. “Come out on the deck while I grill these burgers. And bring that with you.”
Mateo retrieved the salad bowl and followed Dez. Out on the paved patio, Dez put the burgers on the steaming grill and took a seat at the table under the neon green umbrella. He pushed out a chair with his foot. “Tell me what’s going on that has you so troubled.”
Mateo placed the bowl on the table and sighed as he dropped into the chair. “A client. Too young, too full of himself.”
“You’re not going to ask me to mentor him, too, are you?”
Over the years, Mateo had reached out to male friends like Dez who had come out of impossible situations to make a better life for themselves. Dez had mentored several young men—one was currently thriving in the military and serving in Afghanistan at the moment. Marcus, Dez and Sherri’s adopted son, had also avoided a life in a gang and had finished the past year at school on the honor roll.
Mateo replied, “No.” And put his head in his hands. “There’s too many who need help. I feel like I’m trying to shore up a dam that’s already burst. Why do I even try to help them?”
Dez leaned over and put a hand on his shoulder. “You do it because you love it. And you care about them.”
“I’m not sure how much longer I can. Disillusionment is my constant companion.”
Dez chuckled at his comment and stood to check on the burgers. “Well, if you leave your law career, you can give poetry a try.”
“Funny.”
The sliding door opened, and Sherri appeared with two longneck bottles of beer. She handed one to Mateo. “You looked like you might appreciate a drink.”
“Thanks.”
She turned and handed the other bottle to Dez, then kissed his cheek before returning inside the house.
“You’re a lucky man,” he said.
“You could be, too.” Dez pointed to Mateo with his beer bottle. “And I know just the woman. One of Sherri’s friends is interested in you.”
Mateo waved off any suggestion of romance. “I’m married to my job, futile as it seems to be.”
“She’d be a nice distraction. If nothing else, you could try those poetic words on her.”
Sherri returned with a stack of plates and silverware rolled into cloth napkins. She handed them to Mateo, who stood and set the table. As he finished, Marcus stepped outside and his face lit up at Mateo’s presence. “Uncle Matty, what’s up?” asked Marcus.
The boy gave him a hug and took a seat next to him. “Sherri...I mean, Mom didn’t say you were coming to dinner.”
“Last-minute invite.”
Dez served the burgers and they chatted as they passed dishes around the table, filling their plates. Mateo took a huge bite of salad when Dez asked Sherri, “What’s the name of that friend who likes Mateo?”
Sherri punched him in the shoulder. “I told you that in confidence. And it’s just an impression I got by some things she’s said.”
Dez rubbed where her fist had made contact. “I didn’t know it was a secret.”
Mateo lowered his fork. “You guys, I appreciate that you’re thinking of me but I’m not looking to date right now. I’ve got too much going on.”
“When have you ever had time to date?” Sherri scowled at him as she motioned to Marcus to wipe his mouth. “Seems to me, you went straight from studying in school, on to the bar and now you’re trying to save every kid on the street. One date wouldn’t hurt you.”
Her phone buzzed, and she took it from her pocket and glanced at it. “Speaking of which, she’s here to drop something off.” She pointed at Mateo. “Be nice to her.”
Mateo glanced at Dez. “Sherri invited her over?”
“She didn’t say anything to me about it.” Dez stood as Sherri ushered a thin, bald woman out on to the patio. He snapped his fingers. “That’s it. Her name’s Page.”
Page glanced at Mateo and blushed. “I didn’t know you had company, Sherri. I just wanted to drop off that book we talked about at the meeting the other night.” She handed it to his cousin and paused, looking between them. “Well, enjoy your dinner.”
Sherri put her arm around Page’s shoulders. “Don’t rush off. Join us. We have plenty of food.”
“I appreciate the offer, but I haven’t been able to eat much lately.” She gave Sherri a quick hug and left.
Dez pointed in the direction Page had gone. “That’s her. You’d like her, Mateo. She’s funny and smart. And you know that’s a deadly combination for guys like us.”
He remembered dancing with her at a party a couple of months ago. She’d been standing alone, watching the others, so he’d invited her to dance with him. It had been one song and then they’d parted ways. To be honest, she was just his type of woman. Dez had been right when he said that funny and smart was an irresistible combination. But he couldn’t do it. “No offense, but I’m not looking to date someone dying from cancer.”
The patio door opened and Page was standing there. Mateo felt like groaning, and he hoped she hadn’t heard him, but her expression told him she had. She handed a pair of sunglasses to Sherri. “You forgot these in my car.” She turned to Mateo. “And I’m fighting cancer, not dying from it. Goodbye, again.”
Sherri winced and then ran after Page, while Dez shook his head. “Not cool, man.”
“I didn’t know she was right there.” He’d come off as a jerk and he knew it. “But I meant what I said. I don’t want to get involved with anyone fighting cancer. You know my history.”
His mom had died from breast cancer when he was a teenager. He’d watched her fade away day after day. When Sherri had been diagnosed last year, he’d feared the same fate would befall her. Instead, she’d fought and won. He only wished his mother had won her fight, too.
Dez nodded toward the door. “Still, you should apologize to her before she leaves.”
He knew it was the right thing to do. He found Sherri and Page talking in the living room. Sherri gave him a smile before she excused herself, touching his arm as she walked past him. He came forward to face the other woman. “Page, I apologize for what I said out there.”
“Which part? Where you said you wouldn’t date me? Or when you said I was dying?”
He cocked his head to the side and studied her. She looked rail-thin, and the hollows in her cheeks were deep, like those he remembered seeing in his mom’s face. But Page’s eyes snapped with vitality and anger. She was even cute in her black T-shirt that had a lace edge along the bottom and hot pink nail polish on her toes that peeked out of her black sandals. He looked at her directly. “Both?”
She rolled her eyes. “Goodbye, Mateo.”
She turned on her heel and he followed her outside to her car. “Page, wait! I didn’t mean to hurt your feelings.”
She stared at him, and he felt as if she was trying to read him. “When you look at me, all you see is cancer. But that’s just something that I have. You don’t really see me, and I wish you would.”
She got into her car and drove off. He watched her leave and then returned to the backyard. When he took his seat, Sherri cocked an eyebrow, and he gave her a shrug. “I apologized.”
Dez took a swig from his beer bottle and pointed at him with it. “You’d be lucky to date that woman, cancer or not. I speak from experience when I say that loving a woman who has survived the worst, only makes life more precious.”
Sherri smiled and put a hand on Dez’s forearm. “It makes you appreciate what you have for as long as you can.”
Mateo sighed and put his napkin back on his lap. “I’m not interested in anyone right now. That’s the truth.”
Sherri stared at him for a minute before reaching out and grabbing his hand. “Okay. We won’t push.” A smile played around her mouth. “We’ll leave that to the aunties.”
Mateo groaned in mock horror but then returned her smile with one of his own. Truth was, Page intrigued him. And though she’d left, the memory of her lingered in his mind.
* * *
PAGE LOOKED DOWN at the speedometer and eased her foot off the accelerator. She’d been driving at forty miles an hour in a 25-mile-per-hour zone. Breathe in, breathe out, she reminded herself, trying to calm her racing heart.
Mateo’s words still echoed in her brain. He didn’t date someone who was dying. She tried to shake off the disappointment, but what he’d said still stuck. She’d always thought he was hot, after having seen him at Sherri’s party last year and then again at April’s a couple of months ago. She’d nearly swooned when he’d asked her to dance. Had reveled in the feeling of his strong arms around her, his hand at her waist. Then the song had been over and he’d moved on. But she’d dreamed of that dance ever since.
She pulled up in front of April’s house and let her car idle for a moment before shutting it off. She got out, walked up to the front door and entered without knocking. “Okay, I’m here. The party can begin.”
April glanced up from the box she’d been packing and squinted. “Have you been crying?”
“What? No. I don’t cry.” She peered at her reflection in the mirror on the wall behind her. She appeared a little sad maybe, but no tears. “Where do you want me to start?”
“Knowing your organizational skills, I left the kitchen for you.” They entered the room together and surveyed the empty boxes waiting to be filled. April sighed. “I can’t believe I’m leaving this place. I’m going to miss it.”
“You’re only moving two blocks over. It isn’t the ends of the earth.”
April had recently gotten engaged to Zach Harrison and would be marrying her fiancé in less than a month. Her friend picked up a box and took it to the nearest counter. “He wants to keep his dishes because he grew up using them. Fine, we can donate mine. But I want my coffeemaker and mug collection. Other than that, I’m not sure what else to bring with me.”
“What did he say?”
“He told me to bring whatever makes me happy.” She looked around the kitchen. “But it all makes me happy.”
Page pointed at a spoon that had a slightly bent handle. “Even that old thing?”
April clutched the spoon to her chest. “I eat my morning cereal with it. It’s my favorite.” She chuckled. “Can you believe I’m getting married? Me? Last year at this time I had just finished chemo and was counting down the days to my reconstruction surgery.”
Page put her arm around April’s shoulders. “You deserve all this happiness and more.”
“I am happy with him.” Her eyes got a dreamy look, then she sighed. “Have you decided who you’re bringing to the wedding?”
Page snorted. If there was anything she hadn’t thought about it was a date for the upcoming nuptials. “What’s wrong with coming alone? Besides, as maid of honor, I’ll be too busy taking care of you to think about a date.”
“What about Mateo?” April waggled her eyebrows. “Have you thought about asking him? I’m sure he’d say yes.”
And Page was just as sure he’d refuse. He didn’t date someone dying from cancer. Okay, she had to let that go. But like it or not, the words had hit their mark. “He wouldn’t be interested.”
April crossed her arms over her chest. “I don’t know. I saw the way the two of you were dancing at my party.”
“Just drop it, okay? Me and Mateo are never going to happen.” She opened a cupboard and started to pull out plates.
“But I thought you liked him.”
She paused from wrapping a plate in newspaper and considered her friend’s words. “I think he’s good-looking.”
“And that’s all there is? You just think he’s hot?”
Page put the wrapped plate in a box and leaned against the counter. “No. I think he’s smart. He’s a great lawyer, according to Sherri. And I like him.” She picked up another plate. “But nothing’s going to happen. He doesn’t like me.”
Maybe if she kept repeating that, she’d believe it. And give up the dream of pursuing something with Mateo. She was dying, after all.
CHAPTER TWO (#ua9e4af90-5d66-5641-a76d-f6b5304ca10b)
THERE WAS NOTHING like helping bring a baby into the world. Despite the blood and mess and chaos, no moment felt better to Page. She carefully took the newborn from Dr. Angela Achatz and carried her to the new mom, who wept as Page placed the baby on her chest. “Congratulations,” she whispered, as the mom turned her head to share the moment with her husband.
She watched as the couple had eyes only for their infant girl and each other. Page banished the bitter thought of never having that moment herself and returned to aiding the doctor with the afterbirth. Ever since she’d heard about Chad and his girlfriend expecting a baby, the elation Page usually felt at each birth had dimmed a little. She had started to feel hollow, rather than filled with the usual happiness she’d experienced before.
Dr. Achatz peered at her. “Are you okay, nurse? You look a little pale.”
Page tried to smile and nodded. “Yep. I’ll take the mother and baby to postnatal. Then I’ll check on the status of the mom’s room.”
“Tiffany can do that.” Dr. Achatz motioned to one of the other nurses, who nodded and walked over to the couple to let them know the next steps. “I was hoping you and I could have a chat.”
Page hated to hear what the OB-GYN doctor would need to talk to her about. She knew Dr. Achatz didn’t like that she’d reduced her working hours, but the chemotherapy left her tired and in a brain fog. She’d spoken to her supervisor, Joann, about her fears that her fatigue and weakness would result in her making a mistake or miss a doctor’s orders. She refused to put her patients in harm’s way when she knew the risks involved for herself. She rearranged the instruments that the doctor had used for the labor on the surgical tray.
Her stalling tactic didn’t work. Dr. Achatz crooked her finger at Page and pointed at the sinks, where she started to remove her gloves and wash her hands. “How are you really feeling, Page?”
She got really bored of hearing that same question from well-meaning friends. And was even more tired of repeating the same answer. “Better than the last few days.”
“When is your next infusion?”
Page counted the days to her next chemo appointment. “Next week. What did you want to talk to me about, Dr. Achatz?” No point in chitchat if the doctor had something important to discuss with her.
Angela removed the surgical cap from her head and shook out her hair. “I have a case coming up that I’d like you to assist with.”
If she had any hair left, her eyebrows would have raised. “Assist?” Nurses may help the doctor in a delivery, but they didn’t assist. Page frowned and tried to figure out what Angela was up to.
The doctor nodded and untied the yellow surgical dress from around her neck and placed the garment in the laundry bag. “I’m going to need a lot more assistance on it than the typical L-and-D nurse. I need someone like you, with more advanced training. You’re still interested in pursuing the midwife program at the college?”
Oh. Before cancer had returned for the third time, Page had talked about taking midwife courses and adding to her nursing skills. She’d even toyed with the idea of going back to medical school for her degree once she was in remission, but she hadn’t had a chance to look at the application before cancer had shown up once more. “Things being what they are right now, I’m not doing anything but concentrating on getting better.”
Angela studied her as if Page was under a microscope. “Has Dr. Frazier mentioned anything about your prognosis?”
Her oncologist had hopes that the particular chemo cocktail she was on would knock the cancer out of her body long-term. But being a three-time loser with the disease didn’t make Page believe in fairy tales of remission. “I’m just trying to get through chemo and eventually make it to the five-year mark of being cancer-free.”
“But what if you could get to that five years with your midwife certification?” She put a hand on Page’s shoulder. “Think about it. You’re a wonderful nurse, but someone with your skills could really advance further. My clinic needs more people like you.”
Dr. Achatz walked out of the delivery room, leaving Page where she stood. She took a deep breath and glanced at her reflection in the window above the sinks. She couldn’t think about anything right now apart from taking care of her body. Improving her skills could wait.
* * *
PAGE SAT ON the empty hospital bed and let her legs dangle. “Can you believe she asked me to apply for the program?”
April stopped filling out paperwork and looked up at her. “And why shouldn’t you? You’d be a great asset to her and the patients.”
“Hey, I don’t want to hear that I need to visualize my future after cancer, or that life continues with or without healing.” She groaned and laid back on the hospital bed, her arm over her eyes. “I must be crazy for even considering it.”
“You’re not crazy. You’re looking ahead with a glimmer of hope.”
She shot upright and April gave her a wide grin and waggled her eyebrows. “You knew I couldn’t resist saying something woo woo.”
“You wouldn’t be you if you didn’t.” Page glanced at her watch. “I’ve got about twenty minutes left on my break. Want to get something to eat?”
“You’re hungry? That’s a good sign.”
“Don’t read too much into it.” She slid off the bed and followed April from the trauma room.
The doors to the emergency room opened suddenly and a gurney being pushed by a paramedic—with a girl on it—sped toward them. April dumped her paperwork by the intake nurse and followed the girl into the just vacated trauma room.
Page continued walking to the cafeteria when she heard April call her name. She turned and April waved her back over to the trauma room. “I could really use your help on this one.”
“I’m an L-and-D nurse, remember?” But Page followed her inside anyway.
April motioned to the girl. “This is Ruby and she’s in labor.”
Page froze, taken aback at how young the patient seemed. “Sweetie, how far along are you?”
Ruby groaned as she grasped her rounded belly. “I don’t know. Six or seven months? What’s happening?”
Either one was too early for the baby. Page glanced at April. “Has her water broken yet? We might be able to stop labor.”
April put the stirrups into an upright position and Page helped move Ruby, so that the doctor could get a better look. She pushed the dark, kinky hair off the girl’s forehead. “Dr. Sprader is going to examine you to see if the placental sac is still intact. If it is, we can probably get the labor pains to stop. How long have you been having them?”
“Since early this morning, but I thought it was a tummy ache from something I ate.” Ruby’s face withered. “I didn’t think he was coming now.”
“The sac is fine,” April told them. “You’re only dilated to about a three, Ruby, so we can try to reverse this and give the baby more time to grow and develop.”
She glanced at Page, who nodded at the unspoken request and left the room. She retrieved a fetal monitor and returned to the room. “We’re going to get you hooked up to this so we can watch the baby and the contractions.”
April wrote her orders on a small pad and gave it to the other ER nurse, who left to retrieve the meds. She turned back to the girl. “We’re going to give you something to relax your body, which will hopefully stop the labor. Meanwhile...did someone come in with you, Ruby? Your mom or dad?”
Ruby shook her head. “No, it’s just me.”
Page finished hooking up the cords for the fetal monitor and switched it on. The baby’s heartbeat was strong and steady, a good sign. “Who is your OB-GYN?”
“My what?” Ruby moaned again and clutched her belly.
April exchanged a worried look with Page, then focused on the teen. “You haven’t had any prenatal care?”
Ruby laid back on the bed and Page put her hand on the girl’s. “How old are you, sweetie?”
“Nineteen.”
Page would eat April’s stethoscope if the girl was more than fifteen. She narrowed her eyes. “Try again. How old are you?”
The girl sighed. “Okay, I’m eighteen.”
Page looked over at April, who hid her smile. From one of the drawers, she pulled out an IV kit and held it up for Ruby to see. “I’m going to start an IV on you. That means a long needle. So while I’m doing that, I’ll let you think back on when your birthday really is.”
“Why’s it matter how old I am?” Ruby grunted as Page inserted the needle into her vein. “I take care of myself. That’s what matters.”
“I don’t doubt that, but we need to get your parents’ consent after a certain point if you’re under seventeen.” Page taped the needle into place on top of Ruby’s hand then took the saline bag the other nurse handed her. “This is a life-threatening situation, so we can treat you now. But when you’re stabilized, we’re going to need to get that consent.”
Ruby frowned at Page as she hung the saline bag on to the IV stand next to her. “I consent.”
April’s amusement faded. “Do you have any parents?”
Another contraction hit and Ruby doubled over, ending any further questioning. They worked to get the medication injected into the IV so that they could stem labor before it got too far along. Page’s beeper went off and she made a face. “I’ve got to get back upstairs, April. Do you want me to send Dr. Achatz for a consultation?”
“I’ll call her if labor progresses. Thanks for your help.”
“Nursing never really stops.” Page addressed Ruby, “I’ll check on you later. After my shift.”
“Why?”
So much for trying to be nice. “In case you need someone to talk to. That’s why.”
The girl waved her off. “I told you. I take care of myself. I don’t need anybody.”
Page gave a short nod and left the room, but she felt what had just happened would stay with her for the rest of the day.
* * *
THE JUDGE ENTERED the courtroom and Mateo stood, tugging on the shoulder of the young man beside him to do the same. Scotty still refused to name names and the assistant district attorney had refused to make a deal. So here they were, facing a judge.
The Honorable Jeffrey S. Gorges sat, and everyone in the courtroom followed his example. The bailiff called their case, and Judge Gorges opened the file and perused it, even though Mateo knew he’d be prepared already. “Counselors, approach the bench for a moment.”
Well, this was something new. Mateo stood and straightened his suit jacket before walking up to the bench along with ADA Pam Everett. Judge Gorges peered down his long nose at them. “I thought a deal was going to be negotiated in this case.”
Pam glared at Mateo. “Talk to Mr. Lopez. His client won’t divulge the information, so there is no plea bargain, Your Honor.”
“I’ve told my client what he’s facing, but he won’t talk.” Mateo gave a halfhearted shrug. Whether Scotty tried to save his own neck or not, Mateo wouldn’t lose any sleep if the kid did time. Whoa. When had he become so cynical? He cleared his throat. “He wants to go right to sentencing, Your Honor.”
Judge Gorges let out a big sigh. “Third strike, counselor. You know what that means.”
“Yes, sir, and so does my client.” Mateo looked at Scotty, who stared defiantly back at them. “He’s willing to plead guilty and face the consequences.”
“He’s too young to be put in a system that will chew him up and spit him out.” More than a hint of resignation tinged Judge Gorges’s words. “We’ll proceed then.”
Pam smirked at Mateo. He tried to ignore the sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach and walked the few feet to the defendants table. He sat next to Scotty and leaned in to the boy. “Last chance to change your mind about what happens next. The judge is willing to listen if you have some names. Otherwise, we go right to sentencing.”
Scotty faced the judge. “Whatever. Let’s just get this over with.”
“Your friends will forget you while you’re in prison. You know that, right? Once you’re gone, you’re no use to them. They also won’t remember how you kept quiet.” He hoped that the kid would listen to reason and save his own skin, if nothing else.
“But they’ll remember if I squeal. No thanks.”
The judge glared down at them. “Will the defendant please rise?”
Mateo stood and brought Scotty to his feet.
Judge Gorges, his facial features somber, his hands folded before him, spoke with the authority he’d been given. “Scott Arthur Rodriguez, with respect to the six counts of larceny, how do you plead?”
Scotty stared straight ahead, but didn’t say a word. Mateo muttered to him, “It’s either guilty or not guilty, kid.”
The bravado from before seemed to be fading. Scotty took a deep breath, then another. “Guilty.”
“Your Honor.”
“Guilty, Your Honor.”
The kid’s voice cracked on the last word, and Mateo felt his anger and disillusionment melt slightly. Scotty hadn’t even finished going through puberty, yet he faced incarceration for at least a year. It hadn’t been that long ago that Mateo had faced the same pressure of a gang and succumbed to it before getting out. But he had gotten out, while Scotty seemed resigned to a future of courtroom sentences and jail stints.
Judge Gorges closed the file in front of him. “Mr. Rodriguez, you understand that since this is your third conviction and because of your refusal to assist the police that there will be no leniency?”
Scotty nodded until Mateo nudged him. “Yes, Your Honor.”
“Then I see no other choice. Scott Arthur Rodriguez, you are to be remanded to the authorities at the Wayne County jail until a bed is open in the Wayne County juvenile delinquent facility for a term no longer than eighteen months.”
Mrs. Rodriguez shouted and rose to her feet.
Judge Gorges pounded his gavel. “Order, please.” He switched his attention back to Scotty. “You’ll be jailed with the adult male population, men who are hardened criminals. Is that what you want, Mr. Rodriguez?”
Gorges couldn’t be serious about this. Scotty had shoplifted, not hurt or killed anyone. It was a minor crime. Mateo said, “Your Honor, the defendant is only thirteen. There must be another location, another option—”
“With overcrowding in the juvenile facilities, this is our only option. So let me ask again, how do you plead, Scotty?”
The kid seemed on the verge of tears. “Guilty.”
Judge Gorges stood and motioned for the deputy who stood on the edge of the courtroom. “He’s all yours then.”
The deputy approached the defendant’s table with cuffs in his hands. Scotty turned to Mateo, the panic in his eyes evident. “He’s really sending me to the adult jail?”
“He is.”
“I didn’t think...”
Mateo put a hand on Scotty’s shoulder and thrust the kid toward his mother, who wept and clung to her boy.
Eventually the deputy stepped forward to put the cuffs on Scotty’s wrists, even though they hung loosely on him. This wasn’t fair, but the judge was right. There weren’t many options for this to play out.
After Scotty left the courtroom, Mateo tried speaking to Mrs. Rodriguez. “A court officer will contact you with information about his transfer to the jail. You’ll be able to visit him there shortly, and he’s going to need to see you.”
“They’re going to eat him alive.”
Mateo tried to think of something comforting to say, but he had nothing. There wasn’t anything good to say about this entire situation. “I’ll work on getting him transferred to a juvenile facility as quickly as possible.”
She nodded and left the courtroom. The assistant DA gathered her files and walked to the defendants table. “Tough break for the kid.”
Mateo gathered his belongings and placed them in his leather briefcase. “Come over here to gloat?”
“Not at all. If you ever get tired of being on that side of the courtroom, let me know. You’re a terrific lawyer, Mateo, even if you do get stuck with guilty clients.”
“Right.” He didn’t look at her as he brushed past her and out of the courtroom. He didn’t stop until he got to his car. He sat inside for a moment, debating where to go. It was Monday, which meant he needed to put in some hours at the office, preparing for his next client’s trial. Another kid caught in the system. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. He couldn’t do this anymore. Couldn’t look into a kid’s eyes and wonder how someone so young and innocent could do such horrible things.
He started the car and drove to the office, keeping himself on autopilot so he wouldn’t have to think, to feel. It was hopeless. All of it.
* * *
PAGE PLACED HER dirty scrubs in the bin, took her purse from her locker and punched out. It had been a long day, and her feet ached despite wearing shoes that were made to be comfortable. She slumped onto the nearest bench and debated her options. She felt pretty good, so she supposed that she should do something productive. Her next round of chemo would take the wind out of her sails for a few days, so she could get groceries while she still had an appetite.
Her thoughts turned to Ruby as they had ever since she’d met the girl. Dr. Achatz had been called in to assist with stopping labor, and Page wondered if they had been successful. It wasn’t fair that a girl so young should face this alone, but it seemed like Ruby was determined to do just that.
She pushed off the bench and stood for a moment until the locker room stopped spinning. She should know better than to get up so quickly, but there were times she forgot she had cancer. She caught the elevator to the first floor and found herself at the intake counter. “Hey, Janet, is April around?”
The older woman looked up at her and glanced around the bustling room. “She’s somewhere in this madness.”
“Did they discharge Ruby?”
Janet’s jaw tightened. “You know I can’t disclose that information.”
“C’mon, Jan. We used to be pals when we worked together.”
“Until you left us for upstairs.” She wagged a finger at her. “I don’t think so.”
Page admitted her colleague was right, but still, she needed to know if Ruby was okay. She walked toward the trauma area, but she didn’t find Ruby. She was able to track down April as she left a curtained area. “Your shift over already?”
Page shook off the question. “Where’s Ruby? The girl who came in earlier?”
April gave orders to a nurse, then turned back to Page. “Why are you asking?”
“Because she’s been on my mind all afternoon for some reason. I want to make sure she’s okay.”
April gave a nod. “She was sent upstairs about an hour ago. Dr. Achatz is keeping her overnight just to be safe.” She leaned in close. “I don’t think the girl has anywhere else to go, to be honest. And at least while she’s here, we can monitor her and take care of her and the baby.”
“Good.” Page should have felt relief, but the knowledge left her antsy. “I guess I’ll go home.” The way April watched her made her even more anxious. “What?”
“You should go see her. She was asking about you.”
Really? That didn’t seem possible, since the girl had made it obvious that she wasn’t interested in anything Page had to offer. “What can I do?”
“Talk to her. Maybe get some information that can help her.” April gave a shrug. “Maybe you could reach her where we couldn’t.”
“I don’t see how.”
“Try.” April turned away when another doctor called her name.
After several stops and peeks into patient rooms, she found Ruby sitting up in bed watching a reality court show in the maternity wing. “Hey, Ruby. How are you feeling?”
The girl turned and peered at her. “What are you doing here?”
“I got off work and thought I’d check in on you.” Page entered the room and took a seat, placing her purse in her lap. “So they were able to stop labor for now.”
“Yeah.” Ruby picked up the remote and started to flip through the channels.
Page would need to do more to get the girl to open up. “Are you sure there’s no one we can call for you?” When Ruby didn’t answer, Page stood and walked closer to the bed. “Where’s your mom?”
Ruby paused on a channel. “Dead.”
Oh. “And your dad?”
“Don’t know. My mom told me his name and that he was from Detroit, but I’ve never met him.”
Page watched as the girl scanned more channels, although she didn’t seem interested in any one in particular. “There’s gotta be someone who’s worried about you.”
Ruby turned her attention away from the TV screen and glared at Page. “There’s no one who looks out for me but me. Got it?”
Page sure did. She had been about Ruby’s age when she realized her parents were more concerned with themselves than they were about their only daughter. They may have been living in the same house, but neglect was neglect. She’d been ignored unless it was convenient for them to use her in their continual war against each other. She’d learned to take care of herself because no one else was going to.
“Did you run away?”
Ruby laughed, but the sound was anything but cheerful. “You gotta have a home to run from.” She returned to flipping through the channels. “Are you done with the questions?”
“Nope.” She took a step closer. “Where are you going to go when they release you from here?”
“Why do you care?”
Page gave a one-shoulder shrug. “Because maybe everyone needs someone who worries about them.”
“I don’t need you.”
“Well, it seems I’m the best you’ve got right now.”
Ruby turned off the television and placed the remote on the bedside table. “You serious?”
The strange thing was Page had never been more serious. The idea of taking care of this girl had been planted hours before, as she’d mulled over Ruby’s circumstances, and it had taken root, watered by her worry and concern. This girl claimed to have no family, and the thought of offering her a home had bloomed. Maybe it was because she wished someone had helped her when she was Ruby’s age. That an adult might have seen her circumstances and gotten her out of a bad situation. Who knows what might have happened if someone had stepped in. What pain and loss she might have avoided. “You know I’m a nurse, so who better to take care of you?”
“I told you. I take care of myself.”
Page well remembered what that was like. Making her own meals. Buying her own clothes with what little money she had. Taking care of her own needs because her parents had checked out of her life early on. She took a seat in the chair beside Ruby’s hospital bed. “How long have you been doing that?”
Ruby looked down at her hands. “Almost a year. My mom died, and they put me in this horrible foster home back in Oklahoma. I ran away as soon as I could.” She sat up straighter in the bed. “You’re not going to send me back there, are you?”
“No.” She hoped she wouldn’t have to.
She wilted back into the pillows. “I won’t go. I’ll run away before that happens.”
“What happened after you left the home?”
“I started to make my way here. My mom told me stories about when she met my dad here. It wasn’t like I had anything keeping me in Oklahoma.” She sniffed and seemed to be holding back tears. “My boyfriend took off when I told him about the baby.”
“Have you decided what you want to do about the baby?”
“I don’t know. I keep changing my mind.”
“That’s okay.”
Ruby looked her over. “What happens if I agree to live with you?”
“You take care of the baby you’re carrying, and I’ll watch over you. At least for now.”
Ruby shrugged. “Maybe that could work.”
Page patted her bald head. “You should know that I’m fighting cancer.”
Ruby glanced up at her head. “Figured that was what it is. So do you get sick a lot?”
“Sometimes. But I’m still able to take care of us. They wouldn’t let me keep working here if I couldn’t.” She moved and sat on the edge of her seat. “So what do you think?”
Ruby nodded. “I guess.”
It wasn’t a lot, but it was better than a refusal.
* * *
WITH THE FILE saved on his office computer, Mateo turned off the machine and prepared to leave. He wasn’t due in court until Wednesday, so he still had plenty of time to prepare his opening argument. His client, a twelve-year-old accused of tagging graffiti on a freeway bridge, was at least willing to work with him on his defense. The memory of Scotty made him stop and reflect, but he shook it off as he picked up his briefcase.
Outside, he pressed the button on the key fob to unlock his car door just as his phone chirped. He brought the phone up to his ear without glancing at the screen. “Mateo Lopez.”
“Do you always answer your phone so professionally?” his sister, Lulu, asked with a giggle. “Or are you always working?”
“More like the second one. What’s up?”
A pause. “I’ve got some news, and I don’t know how you’re going to take it.”
A bunch of alternatives bounced through his brain. “Your husband got a promotion, and you’re moving out of state?”
“Don’t even joke about that.” His sister sighed. “Dad’s dating somebody.”
Mateo missed the step down from the curb and almost fell onto his car. “Dad is what?”
“Dating. Some lady from church. Tia Laurie called and asked me if I knew, but I swear I didn’t. He hasn’t said a word to me. You?”
He’d had dinner with his dad last night, but he hadn’t mentioned anything like dating someone. Hadn’t said anything about forgetting his wife and Mateo’s mother. “No. Is Tia Laurie sure about this? That doesn’t sound like something Dad would do. He still loves Mom.”
“He can love Mom and still date other women. She’s been dead for thirteen years, Mateo. He’s probably lonely.”
Lulu made it sound like it was a foregone conclusion that their father would make such a ludicrous decision. “Or she’s a gold digger.”
“Then she’s looking in the wrong place, isn’t she?” Lulu took a deep breath and then let it out. “Can you call and ask him?”
Why did he have to be the one to call him? Lulu was just as capable of talking to their father, even if Mateo had a closer relationship with him. “Why don’t you do it?”
“Because you’re his son, and he tells you things that he doesn’t share with me.”
“You’re his princess and have him wrapped around your finger.”
“Please, Mateo. I think we need to know, don’t you?”
No, he didn’t need to know. Frankly, Mateo would rather stay blissfully ignorant. His phone beeped from another incoming call. “I gotta go. It’s a client.”
“Call him.”
“Maybe.” He’d mull this over for a few days, or a week, before talking to their father. “Love you.” He hung up with his sister. “Mateo Lopez.”
“Good, you answered. I need some advice.”
He frowned, trying to place the familiar voice. “I’m sorry. Who is this?”
“Oh, it’s Page. I need a lawyer. Stat.”
He smirked at the thought of her contacting him when it wasn’t too long ago that she wouldn’t give him the time of day. Or the time to apologize properly. “Are you in jail? Do you need to be bailed out?”
“It’s not for me. Uh, it is a little. I need a family lawyer.”
He opened his car and got inside. “Page, what have you gotten yourself into?”
“That’s the thing. I’m not sure what I’m about to do. All I know is that this girl needs somebody, and I want that somebody to be me.”
“You’re talking in code and I’m not following. What do you need me for exactly?”
It was several seconds before she finally answered. “I have a patient who’s a minor that I’d like released into my care, but I don’t have the first clue about how to go about it.”
Did this woman know what she was asking? Did she realize what she was about to take on? “Released into your care?”
“Yes, I want to be her foster mother. Can you help me?”
“I can. But let me ask you a question—why did you call me?”
A pause on the other end, then her voice was soft, hesitant. “Because Sherri says you’re the best lawyer, and that’s what I need. The best.”
“And the personal stuff?”
“We can keep this professional, can’t we?”
He could. But even as they made plans to meet, he couldn’t help but wonder why she’d even considered him in the first place.
CHAPTER THREE (#ua9e4af90-5d66-5641-a76d-f6b5304ca10b)
PAGE PACED HER living room, pausing every few minutes to glance out the front window for Mateo’s car. She checked her watch. He said he’d been close to her neighborhood. Was she crazy to think she could do this? To foster a pregnant teenager while she struggled with her own health issues? Would a judge even sign off on this?
A car pulled to the curb, and she sprinted to the front door and pulled it open.
Mateo strode up the walk and the two steps to her home. He gave her a nod and entered the house. “Thanks for agreeing to meet with me.”
His scent of spice tickled her nose. She took a deep breath and let it out. She had to get her awareness of him under control.
“Page, do you realize what you’re asking?”
She didn’t need to think about her answer. “Yes.”
He shook his head as if she was clueless. “You’re talking about accepting responsibility for the welfare of an adolescent that you barely know.”
“If you knew a child needed you, would you step in and do something or would you let her get lost in the system?” She stared at him hard. “Sherri’s told me about all the work you’ve done with the youth in the community, so I know what you’d say. Now I’m in the position to help this girl, so please show me how.”
He sighed and put his briefcase on the sofa next to him. “You’d be on the hook for her physical, financial and emotional well-being. Why would you put that on your shoulders when you have so much else to deal with?”
She couldn’t help but start to take this personally. “Did you ask Dez the same questions when Marcus needed a foster home? I’m just as capable.”
“I’m questioning you because a judge will be asking you these same things when we get to court.”
“You said when we get to court, not if. Does that mean you’ll help me?” She gave him a smile, relief settling her nervous belly.
“Yes, I’ll take your case, but you shouldn’t get too confident in our chances.” He flipped open his briefcase, pulled out a thin stack of paper and handed it to her. It was an application for emergency foster-care placement. He nodded toward it. “Fill in as much as you can now, and I’ll reach out to a contact I have in Child and Family Services. Brittney will make sure we get this fast-tracked. When will Ruby be released from the hospital?”
She wondered if the contact was a girlfriend, then dismissed the thought. “They’re keeping her overnight, but because of her youth, maybe two days to be safe. We have about a day to make this happen.” She got a pen from a mug that sat on her kitchen counter. Taking a seat on a stool, she started to complete the form. Name. Address. References. She brought up her head. “References?”
Mateo walked over to her. “People who will vouch for you. April, I’m assuming. My cousin, Sherri. Do you have any family?”
Page thought of her parents. The last thing she needed was her mother trying to talk her out of this. And her father had no contact with her. “None that I want involved in this. You’d agree if you knew my mom. That won’t hurt my chances, will it?”
“It would look better if she could be included, but it’s not crucial.”
She perused the rest of the application. “I fill this out, you call your friend, then what?”
“I can get a home study done pretty quickly. We’ll get you fingerprinted and a criminal background check completed tonight, I hope. After that, it’s in the social worker’s hands.” He brought out his phone and made a call. “Hey, Britt. Mind if I ask a favor?”
He walked out of earshot, so she returned to the application. It asked her about her financial details and medical history. She paused before writing cancer in the appropriate section. That wouldn’t keep her from being able to care for Ruby, would it? It had already claimed so much from her, that she didn’t need this to be stripped away, too.
* * *
MATEO ENDED HIS phone call and found Page working on the application. Her bald head bent over the form, she scribbled answers and didn’t seem aware of him watching her. What was she thinking? She had bigger problems to worry about than some pregnant teenager. She needed to stay focused on fighting cancer, not look after some girl she didn’t really know.
And yet, he admired her for it. How many able-bodied and healthy people turned and looked the other way rather than make a difference in a needy child’s life?
She glanced up at him—big hazel-green eyes in a thin, pale face. She handed him the form. “Can you check it over to make sure I’ve filled in everything?”
He took the paper and examined it, reading it over with a critical eye. She’d given more than enough information, and he had a feeling that it would get approved despite her health issues if he got the case in front of the right judge. “You’re sure you want to do this?”
Page nodded. “I haven’t changed my mind. I’m even more determined to help her.”
“You haven’t answered why.”
She took a deep breath and let it out slowly. “I was just like her at that age. Alone. Terrified. I ran away from home several times and lived on the streets until a cop found me and took me back. Maybe if an adult had seen my living situation, things might have turned out differently. I might not have married the first man who I thought could rescue me.”
He looked at her for a long moment, seeing the grief in her eyes. There was so much more to her than he’d realized before. She didn’t need to be rescued because she took matters into her own hands. Did she not see that? He glanced at his watch. “I have a few friends at the police department who can take your fingerprints and run the criminal background check now. Do you have any plans tonight?”
She gasped and stood up quickly. Too quickly. “I have to call April to let her know I won’t be making it to dinner. How long do you think this will take?”
“After we get you fingerprinted, you should ready a room for Ruby. The more prepared you are for her to enter your home, the better.”
She nodded. “I’ll fix up the guest room. Not that I have many guests, but you know.”
“That would be a good idea. We want to show the social worker that you’ve considered everything, including opening your home, as well as your life, for this girl.” He put away his cell phone. “I can help you out with that.”
He put a hand at the small of her back to nudge her out of the house. The contact, as light as it was, sent a bolt of awareness through him. What was happening to him? First, he’d been questioning what he always wanted to do with his life professionally, and now this. This was Page. He had no interest in her romantically.
And yet, as he drove her to the police station, he couldn’t stop thinking about her. About everything she’d said back at the house. Sympathy for her story had opened his eyes to seeing her differently. Maybe he could see her like she’d asked him to.
As they entered the precinct, he gave a wave to Sergeant Shelby Novakowski, who met him at the front desk and looked Page up and down. “What brings you by, counselor? Another client?”
“Yes, but not in the way you’re thinking. Page needs to get fingerprinted, but for a criminal background check for her foster-care application.”
Shelby turned to Page. “Foster care, huh? That’s a tough gig. Are you sure you can handle it?”
Page bristled and gave a short nod. “I’m tougher than I look.”
“Good. You’ll need to be.” She winked at Mateo and motioned to an empty interrogation room. “Go ahead and take a seat. I’ll see to this myself.”
“Don’t you have staff for this kind of thing?” Page asked.
Shelby laughed and pointed again to the room. “Consider this a favor. Now, go. Sit. I’ll be right there.”
As Page had her fingerprints taken and the data entered into the system, and filled out the necessary paperwork, he joked with one of the cops on duty. It felt good to be at the station for a different reason than bailing a client out. He was relaxed and could chat with the officers, most of whom he knew by name.
Once everything was taken care of at the station, Mateo escorted her back to his car. Page fastened her seat belt and turned to look at him. “Do you know all the cops?”
“I know quite a few, but then that’s part of my job.”
He drove them back to her house and volunteered to make up the guest bed with fresh linens. As he watched her prepare her place for her new charge, he had to admit Page was an interesting mix of strength and vulnerability, and he was drawn to her.
So, there he was, tucking the ends of a cotton blanket underneath a mattress because he couldn’t leave her to do it alone.
Page put her hands on her hips and surveyed the room. “This will do for now. Ruby and I can always go shopping if we want to later.”
“You realize that you have a lot of big hoops to jump through first, right? This isn’t a guaranteed placement. There’s a chance that she’ll have to stay in another home before she can come here while we get everything approved.”
Page paused in smoothing the surface of the blanket and looked up at him. “I thought you said we could get this fast-tracked so she could come here.”
“That doesn’t mean it’s overnight.”
Her optimism seemed to fade a little, and she sagged onto the edge of the bed. “Oh. I guess I figured you could make it happen that way.”
“I’m a criminal lawyer, not a miracle worker.” She looked up at him with those big eyes, and he felt a punch in his belly. He knew he’d do everything he could to make this happen for her. He sighed. “I’ll do the best I can.”
“Ruby is alone and pregnant, and I feel for her. No one should ever be alone in the world. I want to be sure she’s safe.”
Mateo knew the feeling. Despite his own reservations regarding her health and her ability to care for herself, much less someone else, he wanted to help Page in this quest to provide a home for a homeless teenager.
* * *
PAGE HAD THE following day off, but she arrived at the hospital early and waved at her coworkers before walking down the hall to Ruby’s room. She found the teen dozing with the television on, so Page picked up the remote control from the bedside table and turned the TV off. Ruby opened one eye to glare at her. “Hey, I was watching that.”
She highly doubted that. “How are you feeling today?”
Ruby rubbed her rounded belly and shrugged. “Okay, I guess. The pains haven’t started again, so that’s a good thing, right?”
“Very good.” Page looked up and peered into Ruby’s eyes. “Your color looks better. Have you seen the doctor this morning?”
“She stopped by an hour or so ago.” Ruby shifted in the hospital bed and reached behind her for a pillow. Page stepped forward and helped her get more comfortable. “She thinks I can get out of here later today or tomorrow morning, but they’re waiting on some test.”
“Sounds about right.” She sat in the chair next to the bed. “I’ve been working all night to get a place ready for you at my house. Do you still want to do that?”
Ruby looked at her. “I guess.”
Page doubted she could have gotten anything more enthusiastic from her. Ruby appeared to be jaded and cynical no matter what, albeit for good reason. “We’re just waiting on social services to sign off on my application, but my friend Mateo, he’s a lawyer, is hoping to get that finalized by tomorrow.”
Ruby’s brow furrowed. “What happens if it isn’t, and they kick me out of here?”
“You could end up in another foster home.”
Ruby started to shift as if she was going to get out of the bed. “Oh, no. I’m not doing that again.”
Page put a hand on her shoulder, wanting to reassure the girl, but she realized it was a feeble attempt. If Ruby wanted to leave, she could. “It would only be a night or two until you can stay with me.”
Ruby grasped Page’s hand. “Don’t make me go to a foster home, please.”
The fear in the girl’s eyes made Page even more determined to bring this girl home with her. “I’m doing my best.”
Ruby nodded.
Page took a seat on the hospital bed. “Can you tell me anything more about your family?”
She kept her gaze on the window across the room. “What family?”
Page was losing patience with the girl. How would she ever help someone who didn’t meet her halfway? “They’re going to check out your story, so be sure you’re telling us everything. No grandparents? Aunts or uncles?”
Ruby folded her hands in her lap and kept her gaze on them. “It was just my mom and me until she died. If there were any relatives, she didn’t tell me one word about them.”
“How did she die?”
Ruby raised her eyes to Page. “Don’t matter now. She’s just dead.”
“Did she know about your baby?”
“I found out just before she died. I didn’t know how to tell her. I didn’t want her to be disappointed in me.”
“I’m sure she would have loved you anyway.” When Ruby nodded, Page could tell that the bond between the two had been strong. “I don’t want you to think that I’d be taking your mom’s place if you come and stay with me. Maybe you could think of me as a friend, though.” She pulled a notebook and pen from her purse. “And I thought you could write a letter for the judge telling him where you want to live.”
Ruby took the notebook and opened to a clean page. “You mean with you.”
“I thought it would help our case.”
Ruby peered at her. “You really want this?”
“I do.”
“What about when the baby comes?”
Page already knew the answer. “We’ll figure it out together, no matter your decision.”
Ruby gave a short nod then started to write.
A nurse entered the room to check Ruby’s vitals, ending the conversation. Page stepped back so that Tiffany could check over Ruby. She gave her a nod before leaving the room. Ruby raised an eyebrow at the exchange. “Friend of yours?”
Hardly. “I think she’s after my job.”
“There’s always someone who wants what you got.” Ruby nodded as if she was the older and wiser one.
“You’ve got that right.”
* * *
MATEO HUNG UP from his phone call with Brittney and pumped his fist in the air. Together, they had been able to work a miracle. He scrolled through his contacts and found Page’s name. He pressed his finger on it and waited for the call to connect. “It’s Mateo. Where are you?”
“With Ruby at the hospital.”
“Do you think you can meet me at your house ASAP? Judge Bond has agreed to hear our case at three this afternoon, but the social worker wants to complete a home inspection before that.” He glanced at his watch. “She can meet us at your house within the hour. Does that work?”
“Yes, of course.” She muffled the phone and relayed the news to the girl. “Thank you, Mateo. Ruby thanks you, too.”
“Let’s take this one step at a time before you get too excited. We still have a ways to go.”
Mateo just hoped that the judge would agree that Page was Ruby’s best option.
* * *
HE ARRIVED AT Page’s house and saw Brittney’s car parked in the driveway. He walked up to the front door, found it open and stepped inside. “Hello?”
Page popped her head from around the corner and waved him down the hallway to the guest room. He entered and greeted Brittney. “Thanks for being on the ball with this, Britt.”
“Don’t thank me yet. We still have to convince the judge.” She turned and gave a bright smile to Page. “But I think we’ll get what we want.”
Page sighed and placed a hand to her chest. “I want to do everything I can for Ruby.”
Brittney left to inspect the rest of the house. Mateo stepped closer to Page. “Has she opened up more about her family?”
“According to her, there isn’t any. None she knows of anyway. It was always her and her mom until the mom died. She did say she knows her father’s name. Thomas Burns.” She rubbed her bare arms and looked down at her T-shirt and shorts. “Guess I should get changed for court.”
“The judge is going to be more interested in what you have in your heart than what clothes you have on your body.” He scanned her from head to toe. “On the other hand, it wouldn’t hurt to put on something a little more dressy.”
She nodded and went to change. Mateo walked back to the living room, where he found Brittney making notes on her tablet. She clutched the tablet to her chest. “No peeking. You know the rules.”
He knew very well what they were up against, but that didn’t mean he wouldn’t try to get an advantage. “Do you think she’s got a chance?”
“More than a chance if I have anything to say about it. Have you seen how clean and organized this place is? I’m tempted to hire her to come and take a stab at my apartment.” Brittney walked into the kitchen and opened a cupboard. “The spices are organized alphabetically. And the cans by food group. Don’t even get me started on the color-coded closets and linens.”
“It takes more than organization to convince a judge.”
“She’s got stellar references from her friends to provide emotional support, although I wish she had stronger family ties.” She typed in more notes. “But then maybe she can identify with coming from a broken family like Ruby does.”
“And the cancer?”
Brittney stopped typing and looked at him. “That’s the wild card in this. She’s in midtreatment, but I have a letter from her doctor that states she is physically able to care for a child. So that’s got to stand for something.”
Impressed that Page had thought to get the letter before he had, he gave a nod. “Let’s hope the judge sees it the same way.”
Mateo stared as Page entered the living room. She had put on a simple black sleeveless dress and tied a silk floral scarf around her head. She frowned and looked down at her outfit. “What’s wrong? Is the scarf too much? I don’t usually wear one, but I thought it might not hurt.”
Brittney made an amused noise next to him and moved on to check the basement. He took a few steps closer to Page. “Nothing. You’re fine.”
She kept the frown on her face and put a hand on her hip. “The look on your face said otherwise.”
He took a deep breath and reminded himself she was a client. He shouldn’t be thinking that the dark color of her dress made her eyes look like emeralds. Or that the scarf made those eyes look huge. He cleared his throat and adjusted his tie. Was it hot in here?
“Did Brittney say anything about my case?”
“We both agree that it looks promising. Do you have a statement prepared?”
She shook her head. “Sort of, but I figured I’d speak from the heart when the time comes. Do you think I should write something?”
“That’s usually best.” His phone chimed, and he took it out of his pocket to check the display. Lulu was texting to remind him about calling his dad. It would have to wait. “We won’t be in a courtroom but rather the judge’s chambers. It will be less intimidating, hopefully.”
“She’s dead set against going into a foster home.”
“We’ll do our best.”
Brittney returned to the living room and approached them. “I’ve finished my report, so I’ll see you later at the courthouse.” She put her tablet in her purse then put a hand on Page’s arm. “Good luck. This girl will be lucky to have you.”
Page thanked her and Brittney departed. He noticed Page sat down quickly on the sofa and doubled over. “I don’t think I’ve ever been this nervous. Not even when I got married.”
Mateo sat next to her and put an arm around her shoulders. “It’ll be okay. I’ll be with you through this. You won’t do it on your own.”
She nodded against his shoulder. “Thank you.”
He dropped his arm, and they sat in an uncomfortable silence. They had a few hours before they had to appear in the judge’s chambers. “Page, about what you said last week. About how I don’t see you.”
She reached up and removed the scarf from her head. “Yes?”
“You were right.” He looked deep into her eyes. “I haven’t seen you as a person. Not really. And I’m sorry for that.”
She swallowed. “Thank you.”
“But all of this the last couple of days has opened my eyes.”
“And?”
He wasn’t sure what to say at first. She looked so hopeful, but he couldn’t give her false expectations. “I’d like for us to be friends.”
The light dimmed in her eyes. “Friends. Sure.” The smile on her face looked forced. “Who couldn’t use more friends?”
* * *
MATEO DROVE THEM both to the courthouse since Page hadn’t been able to concentrate on anything beyond what the judge’s decision might be. She had to convince the judge that she could take care of Ruby. Had to show him that it was in the girl’s best interest for her to stay with Page. She tried to think of what she would say when the time came, but words didn’t seem to stick in her brain. All that filled it was the image of Ruby alone in that hospital bed.
They pulled into a garage and Mateo parked. He turned off the engine and glanced over at her. He’d been so helpful through this process. Had it really been twenty-four hours since she’d met Ruby and set all of this in motion? She’d never been impulsive, but this certainly qualified. Mateo put a hand over hers and squeezed. “No matter what, it’s going to be okay.”
The feel of his strong hand on hers made the butterflies in her belly slow their flight. “What if the judge doesn’t see it my way?”
“Then we go to plan B.”
She raised an eyebrow at this. “Do we have a plan B?”
Mateo grinned. “We’ll think of something.”
He got out of the car, and Page opened the passenger-side door. And then he was there with a hand to help her out. She took it and didn’t let go as they walked out of the garage and crossed the street toward the courthouse.
Once inside, they waited a few moments until the steel elevator doors opened. They entered, along with several other people, and Mateo pressed the button. Crowded in, Page found herself squished to his side. She kept her gaze forward, but was aware of how his breath caught as the elevator started its ascent. She could smell the aftershave he wore, a spicy citrus scent. His presence alone lent her courage and strength.
He was right. If this didn’t work, they would figure out a plan B. Ruby didn’t have anyone else to be her advocate. To make the decisions that would help her and her unborn baby. Page wanted desperately to be able to help her.
She’d wrestled with the question of why the previous night. As the first rays of dawn appeared, she realized that she’d hoped for someone to step into her life as a teenager and care for her. That she’d dreamed of an adult who would see the neglect in her situation at home and stand up for her, and provide a home where she didn’t have to worry about the next meal, or having clean clothes to wear to school. It hadn’t happened for her, but she could do that for Ruby. She couldn’t lose this chance.
The elevator doors opened, and Mateo ushered her forward. They walked down a long hallway to an unmarked door. Mateo rapped on it and took a step back. An older man with graying hair and a beard answered. He extended a hand to Mateo, who shook it. “Mr. Lopez, on time as always.”
The man turned to her. “Ms. Kosinski. I’m Judge Frederick Bond, welcome.”
She put her hand in his.
With a broad sweep of his arm, he stepped back and allowed them to enter his chambers. They found Brittney sitting in a chair in front of a massive desk. The judge moved behind it and indicated the other empty chair. Page took a seat while Mateo stood behind her. Judge Bond opened a manila folder and perused the paperwork. He glanced up to peer at her. She folded her hands in her lap and prayed that she looked trustworthy. After reading through the file, he closed it and spoke to Brittney. “Has the state reached a recommendation on Ms. Kosinski’s application for emergency foster-care placement?”
“The state has, Your Honor.” Brittney perched on the edge of her chair. “We believe that she is an excellent candidate to receive the minor, Ruby Wilson, into her care. As you can see from her application, she is employed as a nurse at Detroit General and can provide for the physical and emotional needs of the child. She has prepared her home for this placement. We believe she also has a strong support network of friends who will help her if she needs it.” Brittney pointed to the file. “Ruby has written her own statement as well, indicating her desire to live with Ms. Kosinski.”
The judge perused more of the file. “I understand the minor is pregnant and two months from delivery. Are you prepared to take on the responsibility of an infant as well?”
Page nodded. “Yes, Your Honor. Although she hasn’t decided what she plans to do once the baby arrives.”
The judge looked at Page. “And how are you feeling?”
Mateo cleared his throat. “Dr. Frazier is prepared to testify that Ms. Kosinski is in good physical condition to care for a minor.”
The judge put a finger on his upper lip and rubbed it. “I was asking your client.”
They all turned to face her. She gave a nod. “Today is a good day for me, Your Honor.”
“And how much longer will you be receiving chemotherapy treatments?”
“Hopefully another month or two, and then the doctor will assess how well I’m doing.” She took a deep breath. “I understand you may have reservations regarding my cancer, but please let me state that it won’t interfere with being able to take care of Ruby or her baby.”
“Good. And why are you applying to be her foster mother?”
“In my application—”
Judge Bond held up his hand. “I read what you wrote there, but I want to hear it from your own mouth. Why are you pursuing this, Ms. Kosinski? Is it the monthly stipend you’d receive from the state? Or are you one of those do-gooders with their hearts on their sleeves trying to save the world?”
“I’m only trying to save one girl. Ruby.” Page took a deep breath, trying to sort out what she should say to convince him. She decided on the truth and pulled out the sheet of paper where she’d written her thoughts earlier. “Given different circumstances, I might have been her when I was her age. I know what it’s like to have no one and to wish that someone would see me. I’ve gone hungry and lived on the streets a time or two. I don’t want that life for her. I want her to feel loved and cared for. Her and her baby.”
Mateo put a hand on her shoulder and gripped it lightly. “Your Honor, Ms. Kosinski has a job that provides more than she needs. The stipend has no consideration on her decision to be a foster parent for Ruby.”
“And there is no family member who can step forward and take care of the girl?”
Page shook her head. “None she knows of. She’s quite alone.”
Judge Bond gave a short nod. “I’ve decided to grant you temporary custody of Ruby Wilson.” When Page smiled and clapped her hands together, he held up a finger. “Temporary only at this point, Ms. Kosinski. As it is, this is an emergency situation and the girl needs a home. In the meantime, I want a full investigation into her background to determine if there is no family member responsible for her. Until that time, Ms. Kosinski, you are granted full guardianship over her. If no relative is found, then we can discuss permanent placement.”
“Thank you, Your Honor.”
“Good luck, Ms. Kosinski. I have a feeling you’re going to need it.”
Page tamped down her excitement until they left the judge’s chambers, then she threw her arms around Mateo and hugged him. “Thank you.”
He tightened his arms around her. “I’m glad this went our way.”
She missed the closeness when he let go of her, but she turned to Brittney. “Thank you as well. I can’t tell you how grateful I am that you jumped on this so fast.”
“I’ll be reaching out to you once Ruby is released from the hospital. We’ll set up a time to interview her about her family. Also, I’ll be checking in randomly to be sure the placement is going well.”
Brittney nodded to Mateo and was soon out of sight.
Page couldn’t hold back her next question any longer. “Do you think we could go and tell Ruby now?”
Mateo’s smile was warm and wide. She was sure it mirrored her own. He drove them to the hospital and accompanied her to Ruby’s room. But when she pushed open the door, the room was empty. Page frowned and went to the nurse’s station. “Tiffany, where’s Ruby?”
The nurse shrugged. “She was released and left. The doctor didn’t see a reason to keep her any longer.”
Page turned to Mateo. “Where could she have gone?”
CHAPTER FOUR (#ua9e4af90-5d66-5641-a76d-f6b5304ca10b)
PAGE TRIED TO figure out where a girl with nowhere to go would flee. She sighed. “She couldn’t have gone far.” She sprinted for the hospital exit, Mateo on her heels.
“Page, let’s take a moment and think about this.”
She kept her pace quick. “No. The longer we wait, the farther she gets.” She was almost to the sliding glass doors. “I have to find her.”
“Maybe she doesn’t want to be found.”
“We all want to be found.” Page knew something about trying to hide but wishing someone would truly see her, to save her. Not that she had any illusions about saving Ruby. She only wanted to give the girl a chance.
Outside, she stopped and put her hands on her hips, surveying the area around them. Parking lot, cars, grassy quad and concrete sidewalks. Everything open. “If I wanted to get away and think, presumably, where would I go?”
“A park. A mall, maybe. Any place I wouldn’t stand out. I’d want to blend in, go unnoticed.”
Page turned to Mateo. “You’re full of surprises, Mateo.”
“Hey, I was an angry, troubled teenager once. Weren’t you?”
“I figured you would be the perfect kid, all A student and chores done on time. Don’t tell me I have to take you down from that pedestal.”
Mateo put a hand on her arm and stopped her. “Are you sure that you want to do this, Page? Why has she suddenly changed her mind about living with you? You could be asking for more trouble than it’s worth.”
She pushed away his hand. “She needs me. And maybe I need her a little, too.”
She walked through the parking lot and kept walking. Ruby had to be nearby, she kept reminding herself. Mateo followed, pointing out a sign for a community garden just a few blocks north. They found Ruby on a rickety chair behind a large shed, eyes closed, a protective hand on her rounded belly.
Page approached and touched Ruby’s hand. The teenager’s eyes flew open, and she sprang forward.
“I’m not going to hurt you, Ruby.” Page edged a little closer. “Why didn’t you wait for me? Did you think I’d forgotten about you? That I wasn’t coming?” Page took a deep breath and released it, needing to reestablish trust between them. “When I make a promise, I keep it. You have to know that about me. The two of us aren’t going to work very well together if we don’t believe in each other.”
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Syndi Powell
Is her dream finally within reach?Delivery nurse Page Kosinski has conquered a deadly disease—twice! Now she’s gearing up for a battle she needs Mateo Lopez to help her win.Adopting a baby will give her the family she’s always wanted. The handsome crusading attorney could fulfill her other dream, too. But will Mateo be brave enough to open his heart to hope…and love?
Is her dream finally within reach?
Her heart’s saying yes
Delivery nurse Page Kosinski has conquered a deadly disease—twice! Now she’s gearing up for a battle she needs Mateo Lopez to help her win. Adopting a baby will give her the family she’s always wanted. The handsome crusading attorney could fulfill her other dream, too. But will Mateo be brave enough to open his heart to hope...and love?
SYNDI POWELL started writing stories when she was young and has made it a lifelong pursuit. She’s been reading Mills & Boon romance novels since she was in her teens and is thrilled to be on the Mills & Boon team. She loves to connect with readers on Twitter, @syndipowell, or on her Facebook author page, Facebook.com/syndipowellauthor (http://Facebook.com/syndipowellauthor).
Also by Syndi Powell (#ulink_2a75a595-3666-5dd9-9c85-555ad6d56205)
Healing Hearts
Afraid to Lose Her
The Sweetheart Deal
Two-Part Harmony
Risk of Falling
The Reluctant Bachelor
Discover more at millsandboon.co.uk (http://www.millsandboon.co.uk)
Finding Her Family
Syndi Powell
www.millsandboon.co.uk (http://www.millsandboon.co.uk)
ISBN: 978-1-474-07816-0
FINDING HER FAMILY
© 2018 Cynthia Powell
Published in Great Britain 2018
by Mills & Boon, an imprint of HarperCollinsPublishers 1 London Bridge Street, London, SE1 9GF
All rights reserved including the right of reproduction in whole or in part in any form. This edition is published by arrangement with Harlequin Books S.A.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, locations and incidents are purely fictional and bear no relationship to any real life individuals, living or dead, or to any actual places, business establishments, locations, events or incidents. Any resemblance is entirely coincidental.
By payment of the required fees, you are granted the non-exclusive, non-transferable right and licence to download and install this e-book on your personal computer, tablet computer, smart phone or other electronic reading device only (each a “Licensed Device”) and to access, display and read the text of this e-book on-screen on your Licensed Device. Except to the extent any of these acts shall be permitted pursuant to any mandatory provision of applicable law but no further, no part of this e-book or its text or images may be reproduced, transmitted, distributed, translated, converted or adapted for use on another file format, communicated to the public, downloaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of publisher.
® and ™ are trademarks owned and used by the trademark owner and/or its licensee. Trademarks marked with ® are registered with the United Kingdom Patent Office and/or the Office for Harmonisation in the Internal Market and in other countries.
www.millsandboon.co.uk (http://www.millsandboon.co.uk)
This book is dedicated to my Groban Girls:
Laurie Peplinski, Debbie Greathouse and Angela
Chisholm. We’ve known each other for more than
half of our lives and have seen each other through
boyfriends, heartbreaks, marriages, kids, divorces
and sicknesses. I know that all I need to do is pick up
my phone and call if I need something, and you’d be
there for me. And also to Lindsay Kosinski, with whom
I can spend three hours sharing a meal and it feels like
only minutes because there’s so much to talk about.
These friendships have been such blessings to me.
Now when’s the next Girls’ Night Out???
Contents
Cover (#ud3d7d0dd-fb03-5254-88ff-f7faa7de4d1f)
Back Cover Text (#uf4155a5d-a5b0-517c-af4c-36a549136730)
About the Author (#u459917e4-39fa-515d-a7d1-aa00f36dbdc7)
Booklist (#ulink_9e7e992e-904c-5139-93c5-2f7fddff9cf4)
Title Page (#ua2724b60-6f79-5254-9456-b5900815fea3)
Copyright (#ua7b22858-a29c-59f6-a85e-14cf8636b51f)
Dedication (#ud8a4417e-6036-5f63-abf2-5624a043cfc0)
CHAPTER ONE (#u037843bb-6385-5f91-86f7-10ead47fa832)
CHAPTER TWO (#u4e1bc4bf-db74-5158-ac4e-89173e78e4b0)
CHAPTER THREE (#ud959d278-8b80-5e28-a56e-3a47a3276333)
CHAPTER FOUR (#u0d67058e-2f9c-5fd7-b091-9e0b0bd8de36)
CHAPTER FIVE (#litres_trial_promo)
CHAPTER SIX (#litres_trial_promo)
CHAPTER SEVEN (#litres_trial_promo)
CHAPTER EIGHT (#litres_trial_promo)
CHAPTER NINE (#litres_trial_promo)
CHAPTER TEN (#litres_trial_promo)
CHAPTER ELEVEN (#litres_trial_promo)
CHAPTER TWELVE (#litres_trial_promo)
CHAPTER THIRTEEN (#litres_trial_promo)
EPILOGUE (#litres_trial_promo)
Extract (#litres_trial_promo)
About the Publisher (#litres_trial_promo)
CHAPTER ONE (#ua9e4af90-5d66-5641-a76d-f6b5304ca10b)
ON A HUMID late July day in Detroit, Page Kosinski paused at the intersection and waited for the light to turn so she could cross the street. The coffee shop where she had agreed to meet her ex-husband, Chad, was up ahead. He’d called and said he had something to tell her. Begged her to meet him at their once favorite place. She wondered what he was about to tell her. Did he want to get back together?
She had to admit that she’d thought about it herself every once in a while, but then she reminded herself that she didn’t need him to mess with her life or her heart anymore. The thing she really missed was being part of a couple. Her pride would never let her admit it to anyone, especially her best friend, April, but she liked having someone to come home to. She liked waking up with him every morning and going to bed with him every night. She liked knowing she had a standing date on New Year’s Eve and Valentine’s Day. She reveled in being one half of a group of two. Her marriage to Chad had hardly been the stuff of fairy tales, but at least he had been there. For a while anyway.
The light turned and she hurried to cross the street. She didn’t want to seem too anxious, but she was running late as usual. She opened the door to the coffee shop and groaned at the sight of him waiting at a table. With his perfectly coiffed blond hair and chiseled features, Chad didn’t have the right to look so handsome, although the scruffy chin was new. He stood and moved the chair opposite his out for her. He kissed her cheek. “You look...different, Page.”
She reached up and touched her bald head. She knew exactly how she looked—like someone fighting cancer. She’d beaten it twice, but it had come back a third time in her ovaries. She only had a few months of chemo left, and then she’d find out if it was gone for good. “You look like you always do.”
She took a seat, and he left to order their coffees. He didn’t need to ask what she wanted since she always ordered the same thing. She didn’t like surprises.
He returned with their drinks, and she put her hands around the mug in order to give them something to do. “How are you, Chad?”
“Good. Really good.” He looked her over. “Should I even ask how you’re doing?”
“Why would you? You never liked hearing about all the icky details of my cancer when we were married. That was an inconvenience to your precious life.” He winced at her sharp tone, and she regretted the words after they were out. They might be true, but he clearly wanted some kind of truce. She swallowed her bitterness by taking a sip of her coffee. “On the phone you said you had some news.”
He shifted in his seat and looked out the window before turning to face her. “I wanted to be the first to tell you before you heard it from anyone else.”
Oh. She gripped the mug tighter. “Are you getting married to her?” Her being the anti-Page: blonde, bubbly and buxom. She couldn’t even say her name.
Chad ducked his head. “Nikki and I are getting married next month.”
“So soon? What is she, pregnant?” She smirked at the thought of Chad with kids when he was little more than a child himself. He blushed and was unable to meet her gaze. The bottom fell out of Page’s stomach. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. “Get out.”
His perfect features hardened into a familiar scowl. “I knew you’d take it wrong.”
“How should I take it? You cheated on me with her while I was going through chemo. You divorced me when I was still sick so that you could move in with her. And now you tell me you’re having a baby?”
“It just happened.”
“I’m a labor-and-delivery nurse, so I know exactly how it happens.” She pursed her lips. The words she wanted to say fought to come out. The emotions that she kept buried deep inside bubbled up, but she kept quiet and took a long sip of her coffee.
He reached across the table to touch her hand, but she snatched it away. “Please be happy for us. You know how much I always wanted to have kids.”
The urge to punch him grew stronger. “Really? The way I remember it I was the one who wanted kids, but you told me we needed to wait. First, until we had more money. Then it was a bigger house. And we waited and waited until I was sick and then it was too late. But you didn’t wait very long for her, did you?” She put a hand to her flat belly. “Get. Out.”
Chad rose from his chair and put a hand on the table near hers. “Page, you don’t want to end up like your mother, do you? Mean? Spiteful?”
Page summoned all the anger inside her and glared at him. He almost tripped over his own feet hurrying away from her. Once he was gone, she put her hands around the still warm mug. She glanced at the other patrons. They looked as if their lives were continuing as normal, while hers had crumbled a little more.
She finished her coffee and left the shop, vowing never to set foot in there again.
* * *
THE KID SITTING opposite him had his head down on the table, and his long dark hair covered his face. He hadn’t looked up since Mateo Lopez had entered the interrogation room of the Detroit Police Department, and Mateo tried to squelch the desire to leave Scotty to deal with the consequences of his actions alone. But he’d been hired by the kid’s mother to represent him in front of a judge, who wouldn’t likely turn a blind eye to a repeat shoplifter.
Mateo asked a question that he already knew the answer to. “What was it this time, Scotty? What was it that you had to have and didn’t care that you’d end up in juvie for? Again?”
Scotty kept his gaze on the table as he shrugged. “Don’t matter.”
“Really? Because we seem to end up at the police station too often for it to mean nothing.” He sat quietly, waiting for the kid to say something, anything. After five minutes, he took out a legal pad and pen. “This is your third strike, so you’re looking at a year of lockup.”
Scotty raised his panicked eyes to meet Mateo’s. “A year?”
“Minimum. The judge isn’t going to give you a slap on your wrist since you’re a repeat offender.” Mateo leaned closer. “Why did you do it?”
“I don’t know.”
Mateo doubted that. The kid knew more than what he said. “How about I tell you what I know? I know that your group of so-called friends dared you to take the cell phones. That when you got caught, they all ran off with the merchandise and left you to take the blame. Then you told the cops that you were alone and wouldn’t give any names. And now they’re all free while you’re in here and looking at a year in juvie. Those don’t sound like very good friends.”
The kid’s eyes lowered, and he once more concentrated on the table. “You don’t know nothing.”
“The truth is, I know the law. Which is good for you, since I can try to get a reduced sentence if you’ll give me the names of those friends.”
“No.”
Mateo might have admired the loyalty to friends in different circumstances, but not when his client was staring at the full brunt of the law if he didn’t give up those names. “Scotty, I’ve seen you hanging out with that gang in your neighborhood. I live there, too, so I expect that both the Four Aces and the Spanish Quarters have been trying to recruit you. And today was a tryout.”
Scotty frowned. “Like I said. You don’t know nothing.”
Mateo sighed and rubbed the bridge of his nose. He grew tired of defending kids who knew better but longed to find a place to fit in. The street gangs were an attractive brotherhood to a kid who had an overworked single mother and no male role models aside from the ones he saw in the neighborhood. Didn’t seem that long ago that Mateo had been the one on the other side of the table talking to a lawyer. He wanted to give Scotty the chance he’d been given. To find a way out of the endless cycle of poverty and violence.
He stood and left the room without another word. He found Mrs. Rodriguez wringing her hands as she paced the hallway. She rushed over to him. “What did he say?”
Mateo shook his head. “He won’t give up the names of the gang members that were there with him. And I can’t help him if he’s not willing to divulge that information to me or the judge.” He put a hand on her shoulder as she started to cry. “He’s looking at about a year in juvenile hall.”
She grasped his hand in both of hers. “He can’t go back to that place. Last time, he had nightmares for a month after getting out. I can’t let them put my baby in there again.”
“This is his third offense, Mrs. Rodriguez. The judge won’t be lenient. Even if Scotty does tell us the names of his friends, he’s still going to jail.”
He opened the door to the interrogation room and ushered her in. Scotty sprinted into his mother’s arms. Mateo shut the door behind him and walked away, feeling tired of seeing the same story play out time and again.
He walked to the end of the hallway and stared out the window and rested his hands on the sill. After a few minutes, he heard a door open, and he turned to find Mrs. Rodriguez wiping her eyes with a tissue. She looked up as he approached. “What’s next?”
“We meet with the judge in the morning, and Scotty will stay in lockup here until then.”
She nodded and glanced at the door. “Thank you, Mr. Lopez. I know you will do your best for my son.”
He feared that his best wouldn’t keep Scotty out of jail, though.
Despondent, he left the police station and drove to visit with friends, hoping that he could find some cheer. He parked in front of Dez and Sherri’s house and walked up to the front door. His cousin Sherri answered his knock and smiled at him. “Hey, you’re just in time for dinner. You must have some kind of sixth sense about these things.” She gave him her cheek to kiss then let him pass, shutting the screen door behind him.
“More like you always eat at seven during the week.”
“We’re eating out on the deck since it’s such a nice night.”
Mateo followed her through the living room to the kitchen, noticing how her hair was slowly returning after a recent bout of chemotherapy and radiation for breast cancer. She looked well. Last he’d heard she was beating the disease, unlike his mom, who had lost her own battle years ago.
He swallowed at the memory and brightened as he found Sherri’s husband, Dez, singing along with the radio as he dressed a green salad. He raised his eyes to Mateo’s and grinned. They clasped hands and bumped chests. “What brings you by?”
He shrugged and glanced around the homey kitchen. Wasn’t too long ago that Dez had been a bachelor like him. Now his friend had married and adopted a teenager. He looked good in his role as husband and father. Mateo ignored the sharp stirring of jealousy. “It’s been a rough day. Was hoping to hang out for a bit with you guys.”
“Sure, sure.” Dez took a platter of raw meat and then pointed at the bowl of salad. “Come out on the deck while I grill these burgers. And bring that with you.”
Mateo retrieved the salad bowl and followed Dez. Out on the paved patio, Dez put the burgers on the steaming grill and took a seat at the table under the neon green umbrella. He pushed out a chair with his foot. “Tell me what’s going on that has you so troubled.”
Mateo placed the bowl on the table and sighed as he dropped into the chair. “A client. Too young, too full of himself.”
“You’re not going to ask me to mentor him, too, are you?”
Over the years, Mateo had reached out to male friends like Dez who had come out of impossible situations to make a better life for themselves. Dez had mentored several young men—one was currently thriving in the military and serving in Afghanistan at the moment. Marcus, Dez and Sherri’s adopted son, had also avoided a life in a gang and had finished the past year at school on the honor roll.
Mateo replied, “No.” And put his head in his hands. “There’s too many who need help. I feel like I’m trying to shore up a dam that’s already burst. Why do I even try to help them?”
Dez leaned over and put a hand on his shoulder. “You do it because you love it. And you care about them.”
“I’m not sure how much longer I can. Disillusionment is my constant companion.”
Dez chuckled at his comment and stood to check on the burgers. “Well, if you leave your law career, you can give poetry a try.”
“Funny.”
The sliding door opened, and Sherri appeared with two longneck bottles of beer. She handed one to Mateo. “You looked like you might appreciate a drink.”
“Thanks.”
She turned and handed the other bottle to Dez, then kissed his cheek before returning inside the house.
“You’re a lucky man,” he said.
“You could be, too.” Dez pointed to Mateo with his beer bottle. “And I know just the woman. One of Sherri’s friends is interested in you.”
Mateo waved off any suggestion of romance. “I’m married to my job, futile as it seems to be.”
“She’d be a nice distraction. If nothing else, you could try those poetic words on her.”
Sherri returned with a stack of plates and silverware rolled into cloth napkins. She handed them to Mateo, who stood and set the table. As he finished, Marcus stepped outside and his face lit up at Mateo’s presence. “Uncle Matty, what’s up?” asked Marcus.
The boy gave him a hug and took a seat next to him. “Sherri...I mean, Mom didn’t say you were coming to dinner.”
“Last-minute invite.”
Dez served the burgers and they chatted as they passed dishes around the table, filling their plates. Mateo took a huge bite of salad when Dez asked Sherri, “What’s the name of that friend who likes Mateo?”
Sherri punched him in the shoulder. “I told you that in confidence. And it’s just an impression I got by some things she’s said.”
Dez rubbed where her fist had made contact. “I didn’t know it was a secret.”
Mateo lowered his fork. “You guys, I appreciate that you’re thinking of me but I’m not looking to date right now. I’ve got too much going on.”
“When have you ever had time to date?” Sherri scowled at him as she motioned to Marcus to wipe his mouth. “Seems to me, you went straight from studying in school, on to the bar and now you’re trying to save every kid on the street. One date wouldn’t hurt you.”
Her phone buzzed, and she took it from her pocket and glanced at it. “Speaking of which, she’s here to drop something off.” She pointed at Mateo. “Be nice to her.”
Mateo glanced at Dez. “Sherri invited her over?”
“She didn’t say anything to me about it.” Dez stood as Sherri ushered a thin, bald woman out on to the patio. He snapped his fingers. “That’s it. Her name’s Page.”
Page glanced at Mateo and blushed. “I didn’t know you had company, Sherri. I just wanted to drop off that book we talked about at the meeting the other night.” She handed it to his cousin and paused, looking between them. “Well, enjoy your dinner.”
Sherri put her arm around Page’s shoulders. “Don’t rush off. Join us. We have plenty of food.”
“I appreciate the offer, but I haven’t been able to eat much lately.” She gave Sherri a quick hug and left.
Dez pointed in the direction Page had gone. “That’s her. You’d like her, Mateo. She’s funny and smart. And you know that’s a deadly combination for guys like us.”
He remembered dancing with her at a party a couple of months ago. She’d been standing alone, watching the others, so he’d invited her to dance with him. It had been one song and then they’d parted ways. To be honest, she was just his type of woman. Dez had been right when he said that funny and smart was an irresistible combination. But he couldn’t do it. “No offense, but I’m not looking to date someone dying from cancer.”
The patio door opened and Page was standing there. Mateo felt like groaning, and he hoped she hadn’t heard him, but her expression told him she had. She handed a pair of sunglasses to Sherri. “You forgot these in my car.” She turned to Mateo. “And I’m fighting cancer, not dying from it. Goodbye, again.”
Sherri winced and then ran after Page, while Dez shook his head. “Not cool, man.”
“I didn’t know she was right there.” He’d come off as a jerk and he knew it. “But I meant what I said. I don’t want to get involved with anyone fighting cancer. You know my history.”
His mom had died from breast cancer when he was a teenager. He’d watched her fade away day after day. When Sherri had been diagnosed last year, he’d feared the same fate would befall her. Instead, she’d fought and won. He only wished his mother had won her fight, too.
Dez nodded toward the door. “Still, you should apologize to her before she leaves.”
He knew it was the right thing to do. He found Sherri and Page talking in the living room. Sherri gave him a smile before she excused herself, touching his arm as she walked past him. He came forward to face the other woman. “Page, I apologize for what I said out there.”
“Which part? Where you said you wouldn’t date me? Or when you said I was dying?”
He cocked his head to the side and studied her. She looked rail-thin, and the hollows in her cheeks were deep, like those he remembered seeing in his mom’s face. But Page’s eyes snapped with vitality and anger. She was even cute in her black T-shirt that had a lace edge along the bottom and hot pink nail polish on her toes that peeked out of her black sandals. He looked at her directly. “Both?”
She rolled her eyes. “Goodbye, Mateo.”
She turned on her heel and he followed her outside to her car. “Page, wait! I didn’t mean to hurt your feelings.”
She stared at him, and he felt as if she was trying to read him. “When you look at me, all you see is cancer. But that’s just something that I have. You don’t really see me, and I wish you would.”
She got into her car and drove off. He watched her leave and then returned to the backyard. When he took his seat, Sherri cocked an eyebrow, and he gave her a shrug. “I apologized.”
Dez took a swig from his beer bottle and pointed at him with it. “You’d be lucky to date that woman, cancer or not. I speak from experience when I say that loving a woman who has survived the worst, only makes life more precious.”
Sherri smiled and put a hand on Dez’s forearm. “It makes you appreciate what you have for as long as you can.”
Mateo sighed and put his napkin back on his lap. “I’m not interested in anyone right now. That’s the truth.”
Sherri stared at him for a minute before reaching out and grabbing his hand. “Okay. We won’t push.” A smile played around her mouth. “We’ll leave that to the aunties.”
Mateo groaned in mock horror but then returned her smile with one of his own. Truth was, Page intrigued him. And though she’d left, the memory of her lingered in his mind.
* * *
PAGE LOOKED DOWN at the speedometer and eased her foot off the accelerator. She’d been driving at forty miles an hour in a 25-mile-per-hour zone. Breathe in, breathe out, she reminded herself, trying to calm her racing heart.
Mateo’s words still echoed in her brain. He didn’t date someone who was dying. She tried to shake off the disappointment, but what he’d said still stuck. She’d always thought he was hot, after having seen him at Sherri’s party last year and then again at April’s a couple of months ago. She’d nearly swooned when he’d asked her to dance. Had reveled in the feeling of his strong arms around her, his hand at her waist. Then the song had been over and he’d moved on. But she’d dreamed of that dance ever since.
She pulled up in front of April’s house and let her car idle for a moment before shutting it off. She got out, walked up to the front door and entered without knocking. “Okay, I’m here. The party can begin.”
April glanced up from the box she’d been packing and squinted. “Have you been crying?”
“What? No. I don’t cry.” She peered at her reflection in the mirror on the wall behind her. She appeared a little sad maybe, but no tears. “Where do you want me to start?”
“Knowing your organizational skills, I left the kitchen for you.” They entered the room together and surveyed the empty boxes waiting to be filled. April sighed. “I can’t believe I’m leaving this place. I’m going to miss it.”
“You’re only moving two blocks over. It isn’t the ends of the earth.”
April had recently gotten engaged to Zach Harrison and would be marrying her fiancé in less than a month. Her friend picked up a box and took it to the nearest counter. “He wants to keep his dishes because he grew up using them. Fine, we can donate mine. But I want my coffeemaker and mug collection. Other than that, I’m not sure what else to bring with me.”
“What did he say?”
“He told me to bring whatever makes me happy.” She looked around the kitchen. “But it all makes me happy.”
Page pointed at a spoon that had a slightly bent handle. “Even that old thing?”
April clutched the spoon to her chest. “I eat my morning cereal with it. It’s my favorite.” She chuckled. “Can you believe I’m getting married? Me? Last year at this time I had just finished chemo and was counting down the days to my reconstruction surgery.”
Page put her arm around April’s shoulders. “You deserve all this happiness and more.”
“I am happy with him.” Her eyes got a dreamy look, then she sighed. “Have you decided who you’re bringing to the wedding?”
Page snorted. If there was anything she hadn’t thought about it was a date for the upcoming nuptials. “What’s wrong with coming alone? Besides, as maid of honor, I’ll be too busy taking care of you to think about a date.”
“What about Mateo?” April waggled her eyebrows. “Have you thought about asking him? I’m sure he’d say yes.”
And Page was just as sure he’d refuse. He didn’t date someone dying from cancer. Okay, she had to let that go. But like it or not, the words had hit their mark. “He wouldn’t be interested.”
April crossed her arms over her chest. “I don’t know. I saw the way the two of you were dancing at my party.”
“Just drop it, okay? Me and Mateo are never going to happen.” She opened a cupboard and started to pull out plates.
“But I thought you liked him.”
She paused from wrapping a plate in newspaper and considered her friend’s words. “I think he’s good-looking.”
“And that’s all there is? You just think he’s hot?”
Page put the wrapped plate in a box and leaned against the counter. “No. I think he’s smart. He’s a great lawyer, according to Sherri. And I like him.” She picked up another plate. “But nothing’s going to happen. He doesn’t like me.”
Maybe if she kept repeating that, she’d believe it. And give up the dream of pursuing something with Mateo. She was dying, after all.
CHAPTER TWO (#ua9e4af90-5d66-5641-a76d-f6b5304ca10b)
THERE WAS NOTHING like helping bring a baby into the world. Despite the blood and mess and chaos, no moment felt better to Page. She carefully took the newborn from Dr. Angela Achatz and carried her to the new mom, who wept as Page placed the baby on her chest. “Congratulations,” she whispered, as the mom turned her head to share the moment with her husband.
She watched as the couple had eyes only for their infant girl and each other. Page banished the bitter thought of never having that moment herself and returned to aiding the doctor with the afterbirth. Ever since she’d heard about Chad and his girlfriend expecting a baby, the elation Page usually felt at each birth had dimmed a little. She had started to feel hollow, rather than filled with the usual happiness she’d experienced before.
Dr. Achatz peered at her. “Are you okay, nurse? You look a little pale.”
Page tried to smile and nodded. “Yep. I’ll take the mother and baby to postnatal. Then I’ll check on the status of the mom’s room.”
“Tiffany can do that.” Dr. Achatz motioned to one of the other nurses, who nodded and walked over to the couple to let them know the next steps. “I was hoping you and I could have a chat.”
Page hated to hear what the OB-GYN doctor would need to talk to her about. She knew Dr. Achatz didn’t like that she’d reduced her working hours, but the chemotherapy left her tired and in a brain fog. She’d spoken to her supervisor, Joann, about her fears that her fatigue and weakness would result in her making a mistake or miss a doctor’s orders. She refused to put her patients in harm’s way when she knew the risks involved for herself. She rearranged the instruments that the doctor had used for the labor on the surgical tray.
Her stalling tactic didn’t work. Dr. Achatz crooked her finger at Page and pointed at the sinks, where she started to remove her gloves and wash her hands. “How are you really feeling, Page?”
She got really bored of hearing that same question from well-meaning friends. And was even more tired of repeating the same answer. “Better than the last few days.”
“When is your next infusion?”
Page counted the days to her next chemo appointment. “Next week. What did you want to talk to me about, Dr. Achatz?” No point in chitchat if the doctor had something important to discuss with her.
Angela removed the surgical cap from her head and shook out her hair. “I have a case coming up that I’d like you to assist with.”
If she had any hair left, her eyebrows would have raised. “Assist?” Nurses may help the doctor in a delivery, but they didn’t assist. Page frowned and tried to figure out what Angela was up to.
The doctor nodded and untied the yellow surgical dress from around her neck and placed the garment in the laundry bag. “I’m going to need a lot more assistance on it than the typical L-and-D nurse. I need someone like you, with more advanced training. You’re still interested in pursuing the midwife program at the college?”
Oh. Before cancer had returned for the third time, Page had talked about taking midwife courses and adding to her nursing skills. She’d even toyed with the idea of going back to medical school for her degree once she was in remission, but she hadn’t had a chance to look at the application before cancer had shown up once more. “Things being what they are right now, I’m not doing anything but concentrating on getting better.”
Angela studied her as if Page was under a microscope. “Has Dr. Frazier mentioned anything about your prognosis?”
Her oncologist had hopes that the particular chemo cocktail she was on would knock the cancer out of her body long-term. But being a three-time loser with the disease didn’t make Page believe in fairy tales of remission. “I’m just trying to get through chemo and eventually make it to the five-year mark of being cancer-free.”
“But what if you could get to that five years with your midwife certification?” She put a hand on Page’s shoulder. “Think about it. You’re a wonderful nurse, but someone with your skills could really advance further. My clinic needs more people like you.”
Dr. Achatz walked out of the delivery room, leaving Page where she stood. She took a deep breath and glanced at her reflection in the window above the sinks. She couldn’t think about anything right now apart from taking care of her body. Improving her skills could wait.
* * *
PAGE SAT ON the empty hospital bed and let her legs dangle. “Can you believe she asked me to apply for the program?”
April stopped filling out paperwork and looked up at her. “And why shouldn’t you? You’d be a great asset to her and the patients.”
“Hey, I don’t want to hear that I need to visualize my future after cancer, or that life continues with or without healing.” She groaned and laid back on the hospital bed, her arm over her eyes. “I must be crazy for even considering it.”
“You’re not crazy. You’re looking ahead with a glimmer of hope.”
She shot upright and April gave her a wide grin and waggled her eyebrows. “You knew I couldn’t resist saying something woo woo.”
“You wouldn’t be you if you didn’t.” Page glanced at her watch. “I’ve got about twenty minutes left on my break. Want to get something to eat?”
“You’re hungry? That’s a good sign.”
“Don’t read too much into it.” She slid off the bed and followed April from the trauma room.
The doors to the emergency room opened suddenly and a gurney being pushed by a paramedic—with a girl on it—sped toward them. April dumped her paperwork by the intake nurse and followed the girl into the just vacated trauma room.
Page continued walking to the cafeteria when she heard April call her name. She turned and April waved her back over to the trauma room. “I could really use your help on this one.”
“I’m an L-and-D nurse, remember?” But Page followed her inside anyway.
April motioned to the girl. “This is Ruby and she’s in labor.”
Page froze, taken aback at how young the patient seemed. “Sweetie, how far along are you?”
Ruby groaned as she grasped her rounded belly. “I don’t know. Six or seven months? What’s happening?”
Either one was too early for the baby. Page glanced at April. “Has her water broken yet? We might be able to stop labor.”
April put the stirrups into an upright position and Page helped move Ruby, so that the doctor could get a better look. She pushed the dark, kinky hair off the girl’s forehead. “Dr. Sprader is going to examine you to see if the placental sac is still intact. If it is, we can probably get the labor pains to stop. How long have you been having them?”
“Since early this morning, but I thought it was a tummy ache from something I ate.” Ruby’s face withered. “I didn’t think he was coming now.”
“The sac is fine,” April told them. “You’re only dilated to about a three, Ruby, so we can try to reverse this and give the baby more time to grow and develop.”
She glanced at Page, who nodded at the unspoken request and left the room. She retrieved a fetal monitor and returned to the room. “We’re going to get you hooked up to this so we can watch the baby and the contractions.”
April wrote her orders on a small pad and gave it to the other ER nurse, who left to retrieve the meds. She turned back to the girl. “We’re going to give you something to relax your body, which will hopefully stop the labor. Meanwhile...did someone come in with you, Ruby? Your mom or dad?”
Ruby shook her head. “No, it’s just me.”
Page finished hooking up the cords for the fetal monitor and switched it on. The baby’s heartbeat was strong and steady, a good sign. “Who is your OB-GYN?”
“My what?” Ruby moaned again and clutched her belly.
April exchanged a worried look with Page, then focused on the teen. “You haven’t had any prenatal care?”
Ruby laid back on the bed and Page put her hand on the girl’s. “How old are you, sweetie?”
“Nineteen.”
Page would eat April’s stethoscope if the girl was more than fifteen. She narrowed her eyes. “Try again. How old are you?”
The girl sighed. “Okay, I’m eighteen.”
Page looked over at April, who hid her smile. From one of the drawers, she pulled out an IV kit and held it up for Ruby to see. “I’m going to start an IV on you. That means a long needle. So while I’m doing that, I’ll let you think back on when your birthday really is.”
“Why’s it matter how old I am?” Ruby grunted as Page inserted the needle into her vein. “I take care of myself. That’s what matters.”
“I don’t doubt that, but we need to get your parents’ consent after a certain point if you’re under seventeen.” Page taped the needle into place on top of Ruby’s hand then took the saline bag the other nurse handed her. “This is a life-threatening situation, so we can treat you now. But when you’re stabilized, we’re going to need to get that consent.”
Ruby frowned at Page as she hung the saline bag on to the IV stand next to her. “I consent.”
April’s amusement faded. “Do you have any parents?”
Another contraction hit and Ruby doubled over, ending any further questioning. They worked to get the medication injected into the IV so that they could stem labor before it got too far along. Page’s beeper went off and she made a face. “I’ve got to get back upstairs, April. Do you want me to send Dr. Achatz for a consultation?”
“I’ll call her if labor progresses. Thanks for your help.”
“Nursing never really stops.” Page addressed Ruby, “I’ll check on you later. After my shift.”
“Why?”
So much for trying to be nice. “In case you need someone to talk to. That’s why.”
The girl waved her off. “I told you. I take care of myself. I don’t need anybody.”
Page gave a short nod and left the room, but she felt what had just happened would stay with her for the rest of the day.
* * *
THE JUDGE ENTERED the courtroom and Mateo stood, tugging on the shoulder of the young man beside him to do the same. Scotty still refused to name names and the assistant district attorney had refused to make a deal. So here they were, facing a judge.
The Honorable Jeffrey S. Gorges sat, and everyone in the courtroom followed his example. The bailiff called their case, and Judge Gorges opened the file and perused it, even though Mateo knew he’d be prepared already. “Counselors, approach the bench for a moment.”
Well, this was something new. Mateo stood and straightened his suit jacket before walking up to the bench along with ADA Pam Everett. Judge Gorges peered down his long nose at them. “I thought a deal was going to be negotiated in this case.”
Pam glared at Mateo. “Talk to Mr. Lopez. His client won’t divulge the information, so there is no plea bargain, Your Honor.”
“I’ve told my client what he’s facing, but he won’t talk.” Mateo gave a halfhearted shrug. Whether Scotty tried to save his own neck or not, Mateo wouldn’t lose any sleep if the kid did time. Whoa. When had he become so cynical? He cleared his throat. “He wants to go right to sentencing, Your Honor.”
Judge Gorges let out a big sigh. “Third strike, counselor. You know what that means.”
“Yes, sir, and so does my client.” Mateo looked at Scotty, who stared defiantly back at them. “He’s willing to plead guilty and face the consequences.”
“He’s too young to be put in a system that will chew him up and spit him out.” More than a hint of resignation tinged Judge Gorges’s words. “We’ll proceed then.”
Pam smirked at Mateo. He tried to ignore the sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach and walked the few feet to the defendants table. He sat next to Scotty and leaned in to the boy. “Last chance to change your mind about what happens next. The judge is willing to listen if you have some names. Otherwise, we go right to sentencing.”
Scotty faced the judge. “Whatever. Let’s just get this over with.”
“Your friends will forget you while you’re in prison. You know that, right? Once you’re gone, you’re no use to them. They also won’t remember how you kept quiet.” He hoped that the kid would listen to reason and save his own skin, if nothing else.
“But they’ll remember if I squeal. No thanks.”
The judge glared down at them. “Will the defendant please rise?”
Mateo stood and brought Scotty to his feet.
Judge Gorges, his facial features somber, his hands folded before him, spoke with the authority he’d been given. “Scott Arthur Rodriguez, with respect to the six counts of larceny, how do you plead?”
Scotty stared straight ahead, but didn’t say a word. Mateo muttered to him, “It’s either guilty or not guilty, kid.”
The bravado from before seemed to be fading. Scotty took a deep breath, then another. “Guilty.”
“Your Honor.”
“Guilty, Your Honor.”
The kid’s voice cracked on the last word, and Mateo felt his anger and disillusionment melt slightly. Scotty hadn’t even finished going through puberty, yet he faced incarceration for at least a year. It hadn’t been that long ago that Mateo had faced the same pressure of a gang and succumbed to it before getting out. But he had gotten out, while Scotty seemed resigned to a future of courtroom sentences and jail stints.
Judge Gorges closed the file in front of him. “Mr. Rodriguez, you understand that since this is your third conviction and because of your refusal to assist the police that there will be no leniency?”
Scotty nodded until Mateo nudged him. “Yes, Your Honor.”
“Then I see no other choice. Scott Arthur Rodriguez, you are to be remanded to the authorities at the Wayne County jail until a bed is open in the Wayne County juvenile delinquent facility for a term no longer than eighteen months.”
Mrs. Rodriguez shouted and rose to her feet.
Judge Gorges pounded his gavel. “Order, please.” He switched his attention back to Scotty. “You’ll be jailed with the adult male population, men who are hardened criminals. Is that what you want, Mr. Rodriguez?”
Gorges couldn’t be serious about this. Scotty had shoplifted, not hurt or killed anyone. It was a minor crime. Mateo said, “Your Honor, the defendant is only thirteen. There must be another location, another option—”
“With overcrowding in the juvenile facilities, this is our only option. So let me ask again, how do you plead, Scotty?”
The kid seemed on the verge of tears. “Guilty.”
Judge Gorges stood and motioned for the deputy who stood on the edge of the courtroom. “He’s all yours then.”
The deputy approached the defendant’s table with cuffs in his hands. Scotty turned to Mateo, the panic in his eyes evident. “He’s really sending me to the adult jail?”
“He is.”
“I didn’t think...”
Mateo put a hand on Scotty’s shoulder and thrust the kid toward his mother, who wept and clung to her boy.
Eventually the deputy stepped forward to put the cuffs on Scotty’s wrists, even though they hung loosely on him. This wasn’t fair, but the judge was right. There weren’t many options for this to play out.
After Scotty left the courtroom, Mateo tried speaking to Mrs. Rodriguez. “A court officer will contact you with information about his transfer to the jail. You’ll be able to visit him there shortly, and he’s going to need to see you.”
“They’re going to eat him alive.”
Mateo tried to think of something comforting to say, but he had nothing. There wasn’t anything good to say about this entire situation. “I’ll work on getting him transferred to a juvenile facility as quickly as possible.”
She nodded and left the courtroom. The assistant DA gathered her files and walked to the defendants table. “Tough break for the kid.”
Mateo gathered his belongings and placed them in his leather briefcase. “Come over here to gloat?”
“Not at all. If you ever get tired of being on that side of the courtroom, let me know. You’re a terrific lawyer, Mateo, even if you do get stuck with guilty clients.”
“Right.” He didn’t look at her as he brushed past her and out of the courtroom. He didn’t stop until he got to his car. He sat inside for a moment, debating where to go. It was Monday, which meant he needed to put in some hours at the office, preparing for his next client’s trial. Another kid caught in the system. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. He couldn’t do this anymore. Couldn’t look into a kid’s eyes and wonder how someone so young and innocent could do such horrible things.
He started the car and drove to the office, keeping himself on autopilot so he wouldn’t have to think, to feel. It was hopeless. All of it.
* * *
PAGE PLACED HER dirty scrubs in the bin, took her purse from her locker and punched out. It had been a long day, and her feet ached despite wearing shoes that were made to be comfortable. She slumped onto the nearest bench and debated her options. She felt pretty good, so she supposed that she should do something productive. Her next round of chemo would take the wind out of her sails for a few days, so she could get groceries while she still had an appetite.
Her thoughts turned to Ruby as they had ever since she’d met the girl. Dr. Achatz had been called in to assist with stopping labor, and Page wondered if they had been successful. It wasn’t fair that a girl so young should face this alone, but it seemed like Ruby was determined to do just that.
She pushed off the bench and stood for a moment until the locker room stopped spinning. She should know better than to get up so quickly, but there were times she forgot she had cancer. She caught the elevator to the first floor and found herself at the intake counter. “Hey, Janet, is April around?”
The older woman looked up at her and glanced around the bustling room. “She’s somewhere in this madness.”
“Did they discharge Ruby?”
Janet’s jaw tightened. “You know I can’t disclose that information.”
“C’mon, Jan. We used to be pals when we worked together.”
“Until you left us for upstairs.” She wagged a finger at her. “I don’t think so.”
Page admitted her colleague was right, but still, she needed to know if Ruby was okay. She walked toward the trauma area, but she didn’t find Ruby. She was able to track down April as she left a curtained area. “Your shift over already?”
Page shook off the question. “Where’s Ruby? The girl who came in earlier?”
April gave orders to a nurse, then turned back to Page. “Why are you asking?”
“Because she’s been on my mind all afternoon for some reason. I want to make sure she’s okay.”
April gave a nod. “She was sent upstairs about an hour ago. Dr. Achatz is keeping her overnight just to be safe.” She leaned in close. “I don’t think the girl has anywhere else to go, to be honest. And at least while she’s here, we can monitor her and take care of her and the baby.”
“Good.” Page should have felt relief, but the knowledge left her antsy. “I guess I’ll go home.” The way April watched her made her even more anxious. “What?”
“You should go see her. She was asking about you.”
Really? That didn’t seem possible, since the girl had made it obvious that she wasn’t interested in anything Page had to offer. “What can I do?”
“Talk to her. Maybe get some information that can help her.” April gave a shrug. “Maybe you could reach her where we couldn’t.”
“I don’t see how.”
“Try.” April turned away when another doctor called her name.
After several stops and peeks into patient rooms, she found Ruby sitting up in bed watching a reality court show in the maternity wing. “Hey, Ruby. How are you feeling?”
The girl turned and peered at her. “What are you doing here?”
“I got off work and thought I’d check in on you.” Page entered the room and took a seat, placing her purse in her lap. “So they were able to stop labor for now.”
“Yeah.” Ruby picked up the remote and started to flip through the channels.
Page would need to do more to get the girl to open up. “Are you sure there’s no one we can call for you?” When Ruby didn’t answer, Page stood and walked closer to the bed. “Where’s your mom?”
Ruby paused on a channel. “Dead.”
Oh. “And your dad?”
“Don’t know. My mom told me his name and that he was from Detroit, but I’ve never met him.”
Page watched as the girl scanned more channels, although she didn’t seem interested in any one in particular. “There’s gotta be someone who’s worried about you.”
Ruby turned her attention away from the TV screen and glared at Page. “There’s no one who looks out for me but me. Got it?”
Page sure did. She had been about Ruby’s age when she realized her parents were more concerned with themselves than they were about their only daughter. They may have been living in the same house, but neglect was neglect. She’d been ignored unless it was convenient for them to use her in their continual war against each other. She’d learned to take care of herself because no one else was going to.
“Did you run away?”
Ruby laughed, but the sound was anything but cheerful. “You gotta have a home to run from.” She returned to flipping through the channels. “Are you done with the questions?”
“Nope.” She took a step closer. “Where are you going to go when they release you from here?”
“Why do you care?”
Page gave a one-shoulder shrug. “Because maybe everyone needs someone who worries about them.”
“I don’t need you.”
“Well, it seems I’m the best you’ve got right now.”
Ruby turned off the television and placed the remote on the bedside table. “You serious?”
The strange thing was Page had never been more serious. The idea of taking care of this girl had been planted hours before, as she’d mulled over Ruby’s circumstances, and it had taken root, watered by her worry and concern. This girl claimed to have no family, and the thought of offering her a home had bloomed. Maybe it was because she wished someone had helped her when she was Ruby’s age. That an adult might have seen her circumstances and gotten her out of a bad situation. Who knows what might have happened if someone had stepped in. What pain and loss she might have avoided. “You know I’m a nurse, so who better to take care of you?”
“I told you. I take care of myself.”
Page well remembered what that was like. Making her own meals. Buying her own clothes with what little money she had. Taking care of her own needs because her parents had checked out of her life early on. She took a seat in the chair beside Ruby’s hospital bed. “How long have you been doing that?”
Ruby looked down at her hands. “Almost a year. My mom died, and they put me in this horrible foster home back in Oklahoma. I ran away as soon as I could.” She sat up straighter in the bed. “You’re not going to send me back there, are you?”
“No.” She hoped she wouldn’t have to.
She wilted back into the pillows. “I won’t go. I’ll run away before that happens.”
“What happened after you left the home?”
“I started to make my way here. My mom told me stories about when she met my dad here. It wasn’t like I had anything keeping me in Oklahoma.” She sniffed and seemed to be holding back tears. “My boyfriend took off when I told him about the baby.”
“Have you decided what you want to do about the baby?”
“I don’t know. I keep changing my mind.”
“That’s okay.”
Ruby looked her over. “What happens if I agree to live with you?”
“You take care of the baby you’re carrying, and I’ll watch over you. At least for now.”
Ruby shrugged. “Maybe that could work.”
Page patted her bald head. “You should know that I’m fighting cancer.”
Ruby glanced up at her head. “Figured that was what it is. So do you get sick a lot?”
“Sometimes. But I’m still able to take care of us. They wouldn’t let me keep working here if I couldn’t.” She moved and sat on the edge of her seat. “So what do you think?”
Ruby nodded. “I guess.”
It wasn’t a lot, but it was better than a refusal.
* * *
WITH THE FILE saved on his office computer, Mateo turned off the machine and prepared to leave. He wasn’t due in court until Wednesday, so he still had plenty of time to prepare his opening argument. His client, a twelve-year-old accused of tagging graffiti on a freeway bridge, was at least willing to work with him on his defense. The memory of Scotty made him stop and reflect, but he shook it off as he picked up his briefcase.
Outside, he pressed the button on the key fob to unlock his car door just as his phone chirped. He brought the phone up to his ear without glancing at the screen. “Mateo Lopez.”
“Do you always answer your phone so professionally?” his sister, Lulu, asked with a giggle. “Or are you always working?”
“More like the second one. What’s up?”
A pause. “I’ve got some news, and I don’t know how you’re going to take it.”
A bunch of alternatives bounced through his brain. “Your husband got a promotion, and you’re moving out of state?”
“Don’t even joke about that.” His sister sighed. “Dad’s dating somebody.”
Mateo missed the step down from the curb and almost fell onto his car. “Dad is what?”
“Dating. Some lady from church. Tia Laurie called and asked me if I knew, but I swear I didn’t. He hasn’t said a word to me. You?”
He’d had dinner with his dad last night, but he hadn’t mentioned anything like dating someone. Hadn’t said anything about forgetting his wife and Mateo’s mother. “No. Is Tia Laurie sure about this? That doesn’t sound like something Dad would do. He still loves Mom.”
“He can love Mom and still date other women. She’s been dead for thirteen years, Mateo. He’s probably lonely.”
Lulu made it sound like it was a foregone conclusion that their father would make such a ludicrous decision. “Or she’s a gold digger.”
“Then she’s looking in the wrong place, isn’t she?” Lulu took a deep breath and then let it out. “Can you call and ask him?”
Why did he have to be the one to call him? Lulu was just as capable of talking to their father, even if Mateo had a closer relationship with him. “Why don’t you do it?”
“Because you’re his son, and he tells you things that he doesn’t share with me.”
“You’re his princess and have him wrapped around your finger.”
“Please, Mateo. I think we need to know, don’t you?”
No, he didn’t need to know. Frankly, Mateo would rather stay blissfully ignorant. His phone beeped from another incoming call. “I gotta go. It’s a client.”
“Call him.”
“Maybe.” He’d mull this over for a few days, or a week, before talking to their father. “Love you.” He hung up with his sister. “Mateo Lopez.”
“Good, you answered. I need some advice.”
He frowned, trying to place the familiar voice. “I’m sorry. Who is this?”
“Oh, it’s Page. I need a lawyer. Stat.”
He smirked at the thought of her contacting him when it wasn’t too long ago that she wouldn’t give him the time of day. Or the time to apologize properly. “Are you in jail? Do you need to be bailed out?”
“It’s not for me. Uh, it is a little. I need a family lawyer.”
He opened his car and got inside. “Page, what have you gotten yourself into?”
“That’s the thing. I’m not sure what I’m about to do. All I know is that this girl needs somebody, and I want that somebody to be me.”
“You’re talking in code and I’m not following. What do you need me for exactly?”
It was several seconds before she finally answered. “I have a patient who’s a minor that I’d like released into my care, but I don’t have the first clue about how to go about it.”
Did this woman know what she was asking? Did she realize what she was about to take on? “Released into your care?”
“Yes, I want to be her foster mother. Can you help me?”
“I can. But let me ask you a question—why did you call me?”
A pause on the other end, then her voice was soft, hesitant. “Because Sherri says you’re the best lawyer, and that’s what I need. The best.”
“And the personal stuff?”
“We can keep this professional, can’t we?”
He could. But even as they made plans to meet, he couldn’t help but wonder why she’d even considered him in the first place.
CHAPTER THREE (#ua9e4af90-5d66-5641-a76d-f6b5304ca10b)
PAGE PACED HER living room, pausing every few minutes to glance out the front window for Mateo’s car. She checked her watch. He said he’d been close to her neighborhood. Was she crazy to think she could do this? To foster a pregnant teenager while she struggled with her own health issues? Would a judge even sign off on this?
A car pulled to the curb, and she sprinted to the front door and pulled it open.
Mateo strode up the walk and the two steps to her home. He gave her a nod and entered the house. “Thanks for agreeing to meet with me.”
His scent of spice tickled her nose. She took a deep breath and let it out. She had to get her awareness of him under control.
“Page, do you realize what you’re asking?”
She didn’t need to think about her answer. “Yes.”
He shook his head as if she was clueless. “You’re talking about accepting responsibility for the welfare of an adolescent that you barely know.”
“If you knew a child needed you, would you step in and do something or would you let her get lost in the system?” She stared at him hard. “Sherri’s told me about all the work you’ve done with the youth in the community, so I know what you’d say. Now I’m in the position to help this girl, so please show me how.”
He sighed and put his briefcase on the sofa next to him. “You’d be on the hook for her physical, financial and emotional well-being. Why would you put that on your shoulders when you have so much else to deal with?”
She couldn’t help but start to take this personally. “Did you ask Dez the same questions when Marcus needed a foster home? I’m just as capable.”
“I’m questioning you because a judge will be asking you these same things when we get to court.”
“You said when we get to court, not if. Does that mean you’ll help me?” She gave him a smile, relief settling her nervous belly.
“Yes, I’ll take your case, but you shouldn’t get too confident in our chances.” He flipped open his briefcase, pulled out a thin stack of paper and handed it to her. It was an application for emergency foster-care placement. He nodded toward it. “Fill in as much as you can now, and I’ll reach out to a contact I have in Child and Family Services. Brittney will make sure we get this fast-tracked. When will Ruby be released from the hospital?”
She wondered if the contact was a girlfriend, then dismissed the thought. “They’re keeping her overnight, but because of her youth, maybe two days to be safe. We have about a day to make this happen.” She got a pen from a mug that sat on her kitchen counter. Taking a seat on a stool, she started to complete the form. Name. Address. References. She brought up her head. “References?”
Mateo walked over to her. “People who will vouch for you. April, I’m assuming. My cousin, Sherri. Do you have any family?”
Page thought of her parents. The last thing she needed was her mother trying to talk her out of this. And her father had no contact with her. “None that I want involved in this. You’d agree if you knew my mom. That won’t hurt my chances, will it?”
“It would look better if she could be included, but it’s not crucial.”
She perused the rest of the application. “I fill this out, you call your friend, then what?”
“I can get a home study done pretty quickly. We’ll get you fingerprinted and a criminal background check completed tonight, I hope. After that, it’s in the social worker’s hands.” He brought out his phone and made a call. “Hey, Britt. Mind if I ask a favor?”
He walked out of earshot, so she returned to the application. It asked her about her financial details and medical history. She paused before writing cancer in the appropriate section. That wouldn’t keep her from being able to care for Ruby, would it? It had already claimed so much from her, that she didn’t need this to be stripped away, too.
* * *
MATEO ENDED HIS phone call and found Page working on the application. Her bald head bent over the form, she scribbled answers and didn’t seem aware of him watching her. What was she thinking? She had bigger problems to worry about than some pregnant teenager. She needed to stay focused on fighting cancer, not look after some girl she didn’t really know.
And yet, he admired her for it. How many able-bodied and healthy people turned and looked the other way rather than make a difference in a needy child’s life?
She glanced up at him—big hazel-green eyes in a thin, pale face. She handed him the form. “Can you check it over to make sure I’ve filled in everything?”
He took the paper and examined it, reading it over with a critical eye. She’d given more than enough information, and he had a feeling that it would get approved despite her health issues if he got the case in front of the right judge. “You’re sure you want to do this?”
Page nodded. “I haven’t changed my mind. I’m even more determined to help her.”
“You haven’t answered why.”
She took a deep breath and let it out slowly. “I was just like her at that age. Alone. Terrified. I ran away from home several times and lived on the streets until a cop found me and took me back. Maybe if an adult had seen my living situation, things might have turned out differently. I might not have married the first man who I thought could rescue me.”
He looked at her for a long moment, seeing the grief in her eyes. There was so much more to her than he’d realized before. She didn’t need to be rescued because she took matters into her own hands. Did she not see that? He glanced at his watch. “I have a few friends at the police department who can take your fingerprints and run the criminal background check now. Do you have any plans tonight?”
She gasped and stood up quickly. Too quickly. “I have to call April to let her know I won’t be making it to dinner. How long do you think this will take?”
“After we get you fingerprinted, you should ready a room for Ruby. The more prepared you are for her to enter your home, the better.”
She nodded. “I’ll fix up the guest room. Not that I have many guests, but you know.”
“That would be a good idea. We want to show the social worker that you’ve considered everything, including opening your home, as well as your life, for this girl.” He put away his cell phone. “I can help you out with that.”
He put a hand at the small of her back to nudge her out of the house. The contact, as light as it was, sent a bolt of awareness through him. What was happening to him? First, he’d been questioning what he always wanted to do with his life professionally, and now this. This was Page. He had no interest in her romantically.
And yet, as he drove her to the police station, he couldn’t stop thinking about her. About everything she’d said back at the house. Sympathy for her story had opened his eyes to seeing her differently. Maybe he could see her like she’d asked him to.
As they entered the precinct, he gave a wave to Sergeant Shelby Novakowski, who met him at the front desk and looked Page up and down. “What brings you by, counselor? Another client?”
“Yes, but not in the way you’re thinking. Page needs to get fingerprinted, but for a criminal background check for her foster-care application.”
Shelby turned to Page. “Foster care, huh? That’s a tough gig. Are you sure you can handle it?”
Page bristled and gave a short nod. “I’m tougher than I look.”
“Good. You’ll need to be.” She winked at Mateo and motioned to an empty interrogation room. “Go ahead and take a seat. I’ll see to this myself.”
“Don’t you have staff for this kind of thing?” Page asked.
Shelby laughed and pointed again to the room. “Consider this a favor. Now, go. Sit. I’ll be right there.”
As Page had her fingerprints taken and the data entered into the system, and filled out the necessary paperwork, he joked with one of the cops on duty. It felt good to be at the station for a different reason than bailing a client out. He was relaxed and could chat with the officers, most of whom he knew by name.
Once everything was taken care of at the station, Mateo escorted her back to his car. Page fastened her seat belt and turned to look at him. “Do you know all the cops?”
“I know quite a few, but then that’s part of my job.”
He drove them back to her house and volunteered to make up the guest bed with fresh linens. As he watched her prepare her place for her new charge, he had to admit Page was an interesting mix of strength and vulnerability, and he was drawn to her.
So, there he was, tucking the ends of a cotton blanket underneath a mattress because he couldn’t leave her to do it alone.
Page put her hands on her hips and surveyed the room. “This will do for now. Ruby and I can always go shopping if we want to later.”
“You realize that you have a lot of big hoops to jump through first, right? This isn’t a guaranteed placement. There’s a chance that she’ll have to stay in another home before she can come here while we get everything approved.”
Page paused in smoothing the surface of the blanket and looked up at him. “I thought you said we could get this fast-tracked so she could come here.”
“That doesn’t mean it’s overnight.”
Her optimism seemed to fade a little, and she sagged onto the edge of the bed. “Oh. I guess I figured you could make it happen that way.”
“I’m a criminal lawyer, not a miracle worker.” She looked up at him with those big eyes, and he felt a punch in his belly. He knew he’d do everything he could to make this happen for her. He sighed. “I’ll do the best I can.”
“Ruby is alone and pregnant, and I feel for her. No one should ever be alone in the world. I want to be sure she’s safe.”
Mateo knew the feeling. Despite his own reservations regarding her health and her ability to care for herself, much less someone else, he wanted to help Page in this quest to provide a home for a homeless teenager.
* * *
PAGE HAD THE following day off, but she arrived at the hospital early and waved at her coworkers before walking down the hall to Ruby’s room. She found the teen dozing with the television on, so Page picked up the remote control from the bedside table and turned the TV off. Ruby opened one eye to glare at her. “Hey, I was watching that.”
She highly doubted that. “How are you feeling today?”
Ruby rubbed her rounded belly and shrugged. “Okay, I guess. The pains haven’t started again, so that’s a good thing, right?”
“Very good.” Page looked up and peered into Ruby’s eyes. “Your color looks better. Have you seen the doctor this morning?”
“She stopped by an hour or so ago.” Ruby shifted in the hospital bed and reached behind her for a pillow. Page stepped forward and helped her get more comfortable. “She thinks I can get out of here later today or tomorrow morning, but they’re waiting on some test.”
“Sounds about right.” She sat in the chair next to the bed. “I’ve been working all night to get a place ready for you at my house. Do you still want to do that?”
Ruby looked at her. “I guess.”
Page doubted she could have gotten anything more enthusiastic from her. Ruby appeared to be jaded and cynical no matter what, albeit for good reason. “We’re just waiting on social services to sign off on my application, but my friend Mateo, he’s a lawyer, is hoping to get that finalized by tomorrow.”
Ruby’s brow furrowed. “What happens if it isn’t, and they kick me out of here?”
“You could end up in another foster home.”
Ruby started to shift as if she was going to get out of the bed. “Oh, no. I’m not doing that again.”
Page put a hand on her shoulder, wanting to reassure the girl, but she realized it was a feeble attempt. If Ruby wanted to leave, she could. “It would only be a night or two until you can stay with me.”
Ruby grasped Page’s hand. “Don’t make me go to a foster home, please.”
The fear in the girl’s eyes made Page even more determined to bring this girl home with her. “I’m doing my best.”
Ruby nodded.
Page took a seat on the hospital bed. “Can you tell me anything more about your family?”
She kept her gaze on the window across the room. “What family?”
Page was losing patience with the girl. How would she ever help someone who didn’t meet her halfway? “They’re going to check out your story, so be sure you’re telling us everything. No grandparents? Aunts or uncles?”
Ruby folded her hands in her lap and kept her gaze on them. “It was just my mom and me until she died. If there were any relatives, she didn’t tell me one word about them.”
“How did she die?”
Ruby raised her eyes to Page. “Don’t matter now. She’s just dead.”
“Did she know about your baby?”
“I found out just before she died. I didn’t know how to tell her. I didn’t want her to be disappointed in me.”
“I’m sure she would have loved you anyway.” When Ruby nodded, Page could tell that the bond between the two had been strong. “I don’t want you to think that I’d be taking your mom’s place if you come and stay with me. Maybe you could think of me as a friend, though.” She pulled a notebook and pen from her purse. “And I thought you could write a letter for the judge telling him where you want to live.”
Ruby took the notebook and opened to a clean page. “You mean with you.”
“I thought it would help our case.”
Ruby peered at her. “You really want this?”
“I do.”
“What about when the baby comes?”
Page already knew the answer. “We’ll figure it out together, no matter your decision.”
Ruby gave a short nod then started to write.
A nurse entered the room to check Ruby’s vitals, ending the conversation. Page stepped back so that Tiffany could check over Ruby. She gave her a nod before leaving the room. Ruby raised an eyebrow at the exchange. “Friend of yours?”
Hardly. “I think she’s after my job.”
“There’s always someone who wants what you got.” Ruby nodded as if she was the older and wiser one.
“You’ve got that right.”
* * *
MATEO HUNG UP from his phone call with Brittney and pumped his fist in the air. Together, they had been able to work a miracle. He scrolled through his contacts and found Page’s name. He pressed his finger on it and waited for the call to connect. “It’s Mateo. Where are you?”
“With Ruby at the hospital.”
“Do you think you can meet me at your house ASAP? Judge Bond has agreed to hear our case at three this afternoon, but the social worker wants to complete a home inspection before that.” He glanced at his watch. “She can meet us at your house within the hour. Does that work?”
“Yes, of course.” She muffled the phone and relayed the news to the girl. “Thank you, Mateo. Ruby thanks you, too.”
“Let’s take this one step at a time before you get too excited. We still have a ways to go.”
Mateo just hoped that the judge would agree that Page was Ruby’s best option.
* * *
HE ARRIVED AT Page’s house and saw Brittney’s car parked in the driveway. He walked up to the front door, found it open and stepped inside. “Hello?”
Page popped her head from around the corner and waved him down the hallway to the guest room. He entered and greeted Brittney. “Thanks for being on the ball with this, Britt.”
“Don’t thank me yet. We still have to convince the judge.” She turned and gave a bright smile to Page. “But I think we’ll get what we want.”
Page sighed and placed a hand to her chest. “I want to do everything I can for Ruby.”
Brittney left to inspect the rest of the house. Mateo stepped closer to Page. “Has she opened up more about her family?”
“According to her, there isn’t any. None she knows of anyway. It was always her and her mom until the mom died. She did say she knows her father’s name. Thomas Burns.” She rubbed her bare arms and looked down at her T-shirt and shorts. “Guess I should get changed for court.”
“The judge is going to be more interested in what you have in your heart than what clothes you have on your body.” He scanned her from head to toe. “On the other hand, it wouldn’t hurt to put on something a little more dressy.”
She nodded and went to change. Mateo walked back to the living room, where he found Brittney making notes on her tablet. She clutched the tablet to her chest. “No peeking. You know the rules.”
He knew very well what they were up against, but that didn’t mean he wouldn’t try to get an advantage. “Do you think she’s got a chance?”
“More than a chance if I have anything to say about it. Have you seen how clean and organized this place is? I’m tempted to hire her to come and take a stab at my apartment.” Brittney walked into the kitchen and opened a cupboard. “The spices are organized alphabetically. And the cans by food group. Don’t even get me started on the color-coded closets and linens.”
“It takes more than organization to convince a judge.”
“She’s got stellar references from her friends to provide emotional support, although I wish she had stronger family ties.” She typed in more notes. “But then maybe she can identify with coming from a broken family like Ruby does.”
“And the cancer?”
Brittney stopped typing and looked at him. “That’s the wild card in this. She’s in midtreatment, but I have a letter from her doctor that states she is physically able to care for a child. So that’s got to stand for something.”
Impressed that Page had thought to get the letter before he had, he gave a nod. “Let’s hope the judge sees it the same way.”
Mateo stared as Page entered the living room. She had put on a simple black sleeveless dress and tied a silk floral scarf around her head. She frowned and looked down at her outfit. “What’s wrong? Is the scarf too much? I don’t usually wear one, but I thought it might not hurt.”
Brittney made an amused noise next to him and moved on to check the basement. He took a few steps closer to Page. “Nothing. You’re fine.”
She kept the frown on her face and put a hand on her hip. “The look on your face said otherwise.”
He took a deep breath and reminded himself she was a client. He shouldn’t be thinking that the dark color of her dress made her eyes look like emeralds. Or that the scarf made those eyes look huge. He cleared his throat and adjusted his tie. Was it hot in here?
“Did Brittney say anything about my case?”
“We both agree that it looks promising. Do you have a statement prepared?”
She shook her head. “Sort of, but I figured I’d speak from the heart when the time comes. Do you think I should write something?”
“That’s usually best.” His phone chimed, and he took it out of his pocket to check the display. Lulu was texting to remind him about calling his dad. It would have to wait. “We won’t be in a courtroom but rather the judge’s chambers. It will be less intimidating, hopefully.”
“She’s dead set against going into a foster home.”
“We’ll do our best.”
Brittney returned to the living room and approached them. “I’ve finished my report, so I’ll see you later at the courthouse.” She put her tablet in her purse then put a hand on Page’s arm. “Good luck. This girl will be lucky to have you.”
Page thanked her and Brittney departed. He noticed Page sat down quickly on the sofa and doubled over. “I don’t think I’ve ever been this nervous. Not even when I got married.”
Mateo sat next to her and put an arm around her shoulders. “It’ll be okay. I’ll be with you through this. You won’t do it on your own.”
She nodded against his shoulder. “Thank you.”
He dropped his arm, and they sat in an uncomfortable silence. They had a few hours before they had to appear in the judge’s chambers. “Page, about what you said last week. About how I don’t see you.”
She reached up and removed the scarf from her head. “Yes?”
“You were right.” He looked deep into her eyes. “I haven’t seen you as a person. Not really. And I’m sorry for that.”
She swallowed. “Thank you.”
“But all of this the last couple of days has opened my eyes.”
“And?”
He wasn’t sure what to say at first. She looked so hopeful, but he couldn’t give her false expectations. “I’d like for us to be friends.”
The light dimmed in her eyes. “Friends. Sure.” The smile on her face looked forced. “Who couldn’t use more friends?”
* * *
MATEO DROVE THEM both to the courthouse since Page hadn’t been able to concentrate on anything beyond what the judge’s decision might be. She had to convince the judge that she could take care of Ruby. Had to show him that it was in the girl’s best interest for her to stay with Page. She tried to think of what she would say when the time came, but words didn’t seem to stick in her brain. All that filled it was the image of Ruby alone in that hospital bed.
They pulled into a garage and Mateo parked. He turned off the engine and glanced over at her. He’d been so helpful through this process. Had it really been twenty-four hours since she’d met Ruby and set all of this in motion? She’d never been impulsive, but this certainly qualified. Mateo put a hand over hers and squeezed. “No matter what, it’s going to be okay.”
The feel of his strong hand on hers made the butterflies in her belly slow their flight. “What if the judge doesn’t see it my way?”
“Then we go to plan B.”
She raised an eyebrow at this. “Do we have a plan B?”
Mateo grinned. “We’ll think of something.”
He got out of the car, and Page opened the passenger-side door. And then he was there with a hand to help her out. She took it and didn’t let go as they walked out of the garage and crossed the street toward the courthouse.
Once inside, they waited a few moments until the steel elevator doors opened. They entered, along with several other people, and Mateo pressed the button. Crowded in, Page found herself squished to his side. She kept her gaze forward, but was aware of how his breath caught as the elevator started its ascent. She could smell the aftershave he wore, a spicy citrus scent. His presence alone lent her courage and strength.
He was right. If this didn’t work, they would figure out a plan B. Ruby didn’t have anyone else to be her advocate. To make the decisions that would help her and her unborn baby. Page wanted desperately to be able to help her.
She’d wrestled with the question of why the previous night. As the first rays of dawn appeared, she realized that she’d hoped for someone to step into her life as a teenager and care for her. That she’d dreamed of an adult who would see the neglect in her situation at home and stand up for her, and provide a home where she didn’t have to worry about the next meal, or having clean clothes to wear to school. It hadn’t happened for her, but she could do that for Ruby. She couldn’t lose this chance.
The elevator doors opened, and Mateo ushered her forward. They walked down a long hallway to an unmarked door. Mateo rapped on it and took a step back. An older man with graying hair and a beard answered. He extended a hand to Mateo, who shook it. “Mr. Lopez, on time as always.”
The man turned to her. “Ms. Kosinski. I’m Judge Frederick Bond, welcome.”
She put her hand in his.
With a broad sweep of his arm, he stepped back and allowed them to enter his chambers. They found Brittney sitting in a chair in front of a massive desk. The judge moved behind it and indicated the other empty chair. Page took a seat while Mateo stood behind her. Judge Bond opened a manila folder and perused the paperwork. He glanced up to peer at her. She folded her hands in her lap and prayed that she looked trustworthy. After reading through the file, he closed it and spoke to Brittney. “Has the state reached a recommendation on Ms. Kosinski’s application for emergency foster-care placement?”
“The state has, Your Honor.” Brittney perched on the edge of her chair. “We believe that she is an excellent candidate to receive the minor, Ruby Wilson, into her care. As you can see from her application, she is employed as a nurse at Detroit General and can provide for the physical and emotional needs of the child. She has prepared her home for this placement. We believe she also has a strong support network of friends who will help her if she needs it.” Brittney pointed to the file. “Ruby has written her own statement as well, indicating her desire to live with Ms. Kosinski.”
The judge perused more of the file. “I understand the minor is pregnant and two months from delivery. Are you prepared to take on the responsibility of an infant as well?”
Page nodded. “Yes, Your Honor. Although she hasn’t decided what she plans to do once the baby arrives.”
The judge looked at Page. “And how are you feeling?”
Mateo cleared his throat. “Dr. Frazier is prepared to testify that Ms. Kosinski is in good physical condition to care for a minor.”
The judge put a finger on his upper lip and rubbed it. “I was asking your client.”
They all turned to face her. She gave a nod. “Today is a good day for me, Your Honor.”
“And how much longer will you be receiving chemotherapy treatments?”
“Hopefully another month or two, and then the doctor will assess how well I’m doing.” She took a deep breath. “I understand you may have reservations regarding my cancer, but please let me state that it won’t interfere with being able to take care of Ruby or her baby.”
“Good. And why are you applying to be her foster mother?”
“In my application—”
Judge Bond held up his hand. “I read what you wrote there, but I want to hear it from your own mouth. Why are you pursuing this, Ms. Kosinski? Is it the monthly stipend you’d receive from the state? Or are you one of those do-gooders with their hearts on their sleeves trying to save the world?”
“I’m only trying to save one girl. Ruby.” Page took a deep breath, trying to sort out what she should say to convince him. She decided on the truth and pulled out the sheet of paper where she’d written her thoughts earlier. “Given different circumstances, I might have been her when I was her age. I know what it’s like to have no one and to wish that someone would see me. I’ve gone hungry and lived on the streets a time or two. I don’t want that life for her. I want her to feel loved and cared for. Her and her baby.”
Mateo put a hand on her shoulder and gripped it lightly. “Your Honor, Ms. Kosinski has a job that provides more than she needs. The stipend has no consideration on her decision to be a foster parent for Ruby.”
“And there is no family member who can step forward and take care of the girl?”
Page shook her head. “None she knows of. She’s quite alone.”
Judge Bond gave a short nod. “I’ve decided to grant you temporary custody of Ruby Wilson.” When Page smiled and clapped her hands together, he held up a finger. “Temporary only at this point, Ms. Kosinski. As it is, this is an emergency situation and the girl needs a home. In the meantime, I want a full investigation into her background to determine if there is no family member responsible for her. Until that time, Ms. Kosinski, you are granted full guardianship over her. If no relative is found, then we can discuss permanent placement.”
“Thank you, Your Honor.”
“Good luck, Ms. Kosinski. I have a feeling you’re going to need it.”
Page tamped down her excitement until they left the judge’s chambers, then she threw her arms around Mateo and hugged him. “Thank you.”
He tightened his arms around her. “I’m glad this went our way.”
She missed the closeness when he let go of her, but she turned to Brittney. “Thank you as well. I can’t tell you how grateful I am that you jumped on this so fast.”
“I’ll be reaching out to you once Ruby is released from the hospital. We’ll set up a time to interview her about her family. Also, I’ll be checking in randomly to be sure the placement is going well.”
Brittney nodded to Mateo and was soon out of sight.
Page couldn’t hold back her next question any longer. “Do you think we could go and tell Ruby now?”
Mateo’s smile was warm and wide. She was sure it mirrored her own. He drove them to the hospital and accompanied her to Ruby’s room. But when she pushed open the door, the room was empty. Page frowned and went to the nurse’s station. “Tiffany, where’s Ruby?”
The nurse shrugged. “She was released and left. The doctor didn’t see a reason to keep her any longer.”
Page turned to Mateo. “Where could she have gone?”
CHAPTER FOUR (#ua9e4af90-5d66-5641-a76d-f6b5304ca10b)
PAGE TRIED TO figure out where a girl with nowhere to go would flee. She sighed. “She couldn’t have gone far.” She sprinted for the hospital exit, Mateo on her heels.
“Page, let’s take a moment and think about this.”
She kept her pace quick. “No. The longer we wait, the farther she gets.” She was almost to the sliding glass doors. “I have to find her.”
“Maybe she doesn’t want to be found.”
“We all want to be found.” Page knew something about trying to hide but wishing someone would truly see her, to save her. Not that she had any illusions about saving Ruby. She only wanted to give the girl a chance.
Outside, she stopped and put her hands on her hips, surveying the area around them. Parking lot, cars, grassy quad and concrete sidewalks. Everything open. “If I wanted to get away and think, presumably, where would I go?”
“A park. A mall, maybe. Any place I wouldn’t stand out. I’d want to blend in, go unnoticed.”
Page turned to Mateo. “You’re full of surprises, Mateo.”
“Hey, I was an angry, troubled teenager once. Weren’t you?”
“I figured you would be the perfect kid, all A student and chores done on time. Don’t tell me I have to take you down from that pedestal.”
Mateo put a hand on her arm and stopped her. “Are you sure that you want to do this, Page? Why has she suddenly changed her mind about living with you? You could be asking for more trouble than it’s worth.”
She pushed away his hand. “She needs me. And maybe I need her a little, too.”
She walked through the parking lot and kept walking. Ruby had to be nearby, she kept reminding herself. Mateo followed, pointing out a sign for a community garden just a few blocks north. They found Ruby on a rickety chair behind a large shed, eyes closed, a protective hand on her rounded belly.
Page approached and touched Ruby’s hand. The teenager’s eyes flew open, and she sprang forward.
“I’m not going to hurt you, Ruby.” Page edged a little closer. “Why didn’t you wait for me? Did you think I’d forgotten about you? That I wasn’t coming?” Page took a deep breath and released it, needing to reestablish trust between them. “When I make a promise, I keep it. You have to know that about me. The two of us aren’t going to work very well together if we don’t believe in each other.”
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Syndi Powell
Тип: электронная книга
Жанр: Современные любовные романы
Язык: на английском языке
Издательство: HarperCollins
Дата публикации: 16.04.2024
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О книге: Is her dream finally within reach?Delivery nurse Page Kosinski has conquered a deadly disease—twice! Now she’s gearing up for a battle she needs Mateo Lopez to help her win.Adopting a baby will give her the family she’s always wanted. The handsome crusading attorney could fulfill her other dream, too. But will Mateo be brave enough to open his heart to hope…and love?