Chapter 4
4
“Mom!”
Lenore's heart soared the moment she glimpsed her daughter. Though they had only been apart for a mere two hours, it felt like an eternity. Each second away from Evie during her tests was a lifetime of worry and longing. But unlike so many times during the active treatments, Evie now looked like an average five-year-old. The dark circles under her eyes revealed a restless night she'd endured as she always did before a day of tests. But her complexion glowed with vitality underneath the halo of her dark brown pixie haircut.
Evie had taken great delight in her visits to the hairdresser when her hair started growing back. Lenore cherished the woman who skillfully transformed Evie's hair into a style that made her feel adorable and confident.
Matching her daughter's smile, she crouched to place herself at her daughter's level. “Hey, baby,” she greeted. Wrapping her arms around Evie, she hugged her tightly, releasing some of the pent-up anxiety that had driven her to make unusual decisions.
Normally, while Evie was being tested, she would sit in the hospital waiting room and read on her phone. Today, she'd ventured to the cafeteria, although she'd barely eaten. Then she'd blabbed her business, confiding in a complete stranger, even allowing him to meet her daughter. Leaning back, she basked in the glow of Evie's bright smile.
Evie looked over Lenore's shoulder, and her mouth dropped open as her head tilted back. Her eyes widened, and her mouth formed a perfect “O.” “Whoa… Mom, there's a big man in here!”
Lenore blushed as she twisted her head around to see Sisco standing, his thick, dark beard framing a huge, warm smile, making him even more striking than when they'd first met. Standing, she held Evie's hand. “Evie, I'd like you to meet a new… um… friend. This is Mr. Aguilar, and he kept me company while you were out of your room.”
“You had a friend, so you weren't alone!” Evie chirped, her delight evident.
“That's right. And he wanted to meet you.”
“Hi, Mr. Agula,” Evie greeted.
Lenore started to correct her pronunciation, but Sisco stopped her with a gentle hand on her shoulder.
“Hello,” he said, squatting down to offer his hand. “It's nice to meet you, Evie. You can call me Sisco.”
“Sisco? I like your name.”
He chuckled, his laughter a deep, comforting rumble. “I think you have a beautiful name to go along with the beautiful little girl.”
He stood, and Lenore felt the warmth of his presence close to her back. It was an unfamiliar sensation since, other than her mom, she couldn't remember having anyone else so close when she was talking to Evie. Certainly not William. He hated being in the hospital, and whenever he thought the news would not be positive, he distanced himself from them.
Yet it wasn't unusual for her to find support from strangers, drawn together by the shared experience of having ill children in the hospital. Other parents seemed to have an innate ability to know when a kindred spirit was in need, and hugs from strangers weren’t uncommon. Evie giggled, and Lenore’s attention snapped back to her daughter.
“Is Sisco going to come home with us?” Evie asked.
Startled, Lenore shook her head quickly. “No, baby. He's just a new friend I made today while waiting for you. As soon as the doctor comes in and says we can go, you and I will head home, and Sisco will go back to his home.”
Evie's face scrunched up, and Lenore feared she would protest loudly. As much as she had enjoyed spending time with Sisco, she knew life would be easier to say goodbye now as acquaintances. The last thing she needed was for Evie to build something up in her mind, only to have Sisco disappoint her in the end.
Before saying anything else, she looked up as the doctor came in. She liked him but had to admit she could never tell from his expression whether the news was good or not. Nervous, she turned to ask Sisco to please step outside. She hated feeling vulnerable in front of anyone, especially someone she just met.
As though he understood her thoughts before she spoke, he leaned down and whispered, “I'll step outside and will be in the hall.”
Filled with gratitude, she nodded. Glancing at her daughter, she could see that Evie was suddenly nervous. She fiddled in the wheelchair, glancing anywhere but at the doctor. Lenore knew what her daughter was thinking—if the news wasn't good, she might have to spend another night in the hospital.
Holding her daughter's hand, giving and drawing strength at the same time, she looked at the doctor and said, “Well?”
Then he smiled broadly. “Everything looks good. Blood work, MRI, X-rays. Little Miss Evie is still in remission.”
Evie's hands darted up over her head as her little voice erupted in a squealed, “Yay!” Though the medical jargon was over her head, she'd learned that the word remission meant she was better.
As ecstatic as her daughter was, Lenore felt a surge of elation rush through her. Her knees nearly buckled, but a steadying hand was at her back. She glanced over her shoulder to see Sisco had reappeared, no doubt easily hearing Evie's joyful shout. He pushed a chair to the back of her legs and gently pressed on her shoulder, guiding her to sit. As she sank into the chair, she was once again struck by the thought that other than her mom, she'd never had someone notice how deeply everything with Evie affected her.
She started to thank him when a gentle shake of his head let her know it wasn't necessary. His eyes conveyed the understanding that all the attention needed to be on Evie.
Taking hold of Evie's hand again, she leaned over to hug her daughter tightly and breathed in her sweet scent, ignoring the overlying scent of the hospital. “You got that right, baby! That's a big yay!”
“Can we get ice cream on the way home?”
Laughing, Lenore nodded. “Evie, we can get anything you want!” Looking at the doctor, she asked, “You'll send all the reports to her patient chart and our pediatrician?”
“Yes, of course. Your pediatrician in Valier can go over anything with you. Plus, you'll get everything in the online chart to view, and you can certainly ask them any questions you have. I still want to see her back in three months. We will continue three-month visits for follow-up testing for the next year. After that, we'll go to four months and then reach six months between visits.”
She managed to get to her feet and move forward to shake the doctor's hands. “Dr. Markham, you have always been so kind to us and wonderful to Evie. I can't thank you enough.”
“It's a joy and a pleasure to see you and Evie, and I'll look forward to the day when I only have to see you to say hello and not for any more tests.”
“That sounds perfect. But until then, we'll see you in three months.”
“I'll see you later, Little Lady,” he said to Evie. Looking up, he added, “Rachel will get your paperwork, and you'll be on your way.”
Evie bounded from the wheelchair and threw her arms around her mom's waist. With a heartfelt hug in return, Lenore bent to kiss the top of Evie's head.
“Okay, guys,” Rachel said. “Give me about five minutes, and I'll be back with the discharge papers and your next appointment.” Leaning down to Evie, she whispered, “You ready for a jailbreak?”
“Yes!” she shouted, her smile still wide.
As soon as the discharge papers were in hand, Rachel walked alongside Evie. Lenore stepped into the hall and turned to say goodbye to Sisco.
Evie twisted around and said, “Can you walk me out?”
“Sure thing,” he replied without hesitation. “I'd be honored to escort the princess to her chariot.”
“Oh, you don't have to,” Lenore rushed to say, but Rachel had already stepped to the side, grinning while offering a wink to Evie, who was giggling as she held her tiny hand out to him.
His arm brushed Lenore's as he moved past her. Lenore felt the touch and reveled in the moment. It would end soon, and the kind, handsome stranger who no longer felt like a stranger would move on.
Saying goodbye to Rachel, she watched as Evie's hand was enveloped in his much larger one, and Lenore tried to ignore the tug at her heart. She needed to warn Evie that this was a onetime situation. I also needed to warn myself.
Once they were at the elevator, Sisco pushed the button. They waited, but it never arrived.
“This is strange. It was working earlier,” she muttered.
“We can take the stairs,” Evie offered. “I'm strong. Dr. Markham said I was.”
“How about I give you a ride?” Sisco asked. “Then we can make sure you make it down the stairs easily.” He turned to Lenore, a slight blush hitting his cheeks above his beard, and whispered, “I'm sorry. I should have asked you first.”
She waved away his concern. “It's three flights, though.”
Standing to his full height, he towered over her and lifted his brow. “Do I look like I can't carry her that far?”
“No.” She laughed, shaking her head. “I'm sure you carried far more in your backpacks in the Navy.”
“You have a backpack?” Evie asked, looking up at them both. “I have one. It's purple.”
He looked back down at her and grinned. “I'll bet it's pretty.” Angling his head back to Lenore, he asked, “So, the stairs?”
She nodded. “I guess it might be the only way to get out of here unless we go to the other end of this wing and take that elevator.”
“Then up you go, princess.” Sisco bent and easily lifted Evie into his arms, settling her on his hip. Her arms wrapped around his neck.
Lenore inhaled suddenly at the sight. She couldn't remember the last time Evie's father had held her like that, and Sisco did so without hesitation. Shaking her head, she forced the angry thoughts of William to the background where they needed to stay. “All right, let's go,” she said, making sure her voice was cheery.
They walked down the hall, and she stopped at the handwritten sign on the door to the stairs. Closed. Brows lowered, she looked at Sisco before pushing open the door and peering into the stairwell. “It looks fine to me.”
“Maybe that sign is for the elevator,” Evie said. “Someone goofed.”
Sisco chuckled. “I think you're right, sweetheart.”
He reached around Lenore and held the door so she could pass through, all while juggling Evie in his right arm to coax more giggles from her. Lenore couldn't help but smile at the sight of them. She was thrilled that anything in Evie's life would be fun and carefree, even a walk out of the hospital.
Lenore led the way down the stairs to the landing, then turned to watch Sisco smiling at a still-giggling Evie. They were halfway down the flight when the second-floor stairwell door flung open, and two men in scrubs rushed through. Medical masks covered the bottom of their faces, and each held a gun in their hands.
She grabbed the rail for support as she teetered to a halt, her eyes widening in shock. A growl emanated from behind, and she glanced back at Sisco. His arms had tightened around Evie, but the hard set of his jaw and narrow-eyed glare he bestowed on the two men pointing their weapons at the trio would have frozen hell.
Holding Evie to the side, he gently wrapped his hand around Lenore's upper arm, pulling her up a step. “Get behind me,” he ordered softly.
Terrified to move, she was equally terrified to stay in the same place. She saw Evie's wide eyes staring at the two men, her little arms tightly clinging to Sisco's neck. Like in so many action movies she'd watched, it struck her that a man like Sisco could probably snap those two men in half without breaking a sweat. But with Evie in his arms and Lenore closer to the men, she knew he'd never risk it.
“You don't want to do this,” he told them, each word low and measured.
“Shut the fuck up and get back up the stairs.”
Lenore felt the air rushing in and out of her body as she tried not to hyperventilate when they lowered the weapons to point directly at them. She felt, rather than saw, Sisco turn, and with Evie still in one arm and his other hand on Lenore's bicep, he led her back up the steps.
“Mommy,” Evie cried, stretching one arm out toward her while she clung to Sisco with the other.
She instinctively reached out to take her daughter, but one of the gunmen snapped, “Don't. The big guy won't fucking risk anything if he's got the kid in his arms. So just make sure you don't get any ideas, or the women will be the first to go.”
Lightheaded, Lenore tried to suck oxygen into her lungs. She had no idea what Sisco might be thinking, but at that moment, she just prayed his instinct was to protect Evie.