Lori Avocato - Nip, Tuck, Dead

I took out a tissue, wrapped the swatch in it and tucked it into my pants pocket to give to the police. If they looked at me as if I were nuts, so what?

Certainly they already had my number since Jagger was in touch with them.

My jog back was uneventful and I made it to Highcliff Manor in record time and luckily fast enough to see Miles about to get into his car. “Hey! Miles?” I ran across the parking lot and grabbed him by the shoulders. “Seems like so long!”

We hugged, kissed cheeks and hugged again.

“How was your weekend?” he asked.

I rolled my eyes, and he hugged me again.

“Yours?” I replied.

Even through his Foster Grants I could see tears forming. “Take good care of him, Pauline.”

I kissed him on the cheek again and gave him a wink. Miles got into the car and drove off. I turned toward the front door to see Goldie standing in the window-I’m sure sniffling.

Ain’t love grand, was my first thought, and then I told myself that at the rate I was going, I wouldn’t know. But I was happy for my two roommates nonetheless.

I headed inside to give Goldie a much needed hug and told him about the material. As a matter of fact, I said, you probably might recognize it.

Goldie leaned near when I unwrapped the tissue with the “evidence” inside.

“Hmm,” he said and kept looking.

“Expensive?”

He nodded.

Whoa boy. So whoever killed Ian, in my humble opinion, was rich.

Then again, so was half of Newport.

After listening to Goldie’s detailed explanation of his fab weekend with Miles, and grunting and groaning about my weekend with the Sokol family and Jagger, I reviewed the surgery with Goldie. He seemed to understand, reiterated that he did not want to change his mind and seemed to have a real grip on his post-op care.

“So, by this time tomorrow you’ll be sleeping off the beauty sleep of your life, Gold.”

We both howled.

Then it dawned on me. Monday. Neal. Geez. “Oh, shoot.”

Goldie flopped on his bed and hugged a mauve silk pillow. “What? What is wrong? Something about my surgery?”

“Oh. No. Oh, no, hon. No,” I said to reassure him.

“Okay, I buy that. Then why the look of confusion?”

“Neal and I had made plans to go out tomorrow night. At the time, I didn’t know it would be your first night post-op. I’ll cancel.”

Goldie sprung up and grabbed my arm. “The hell you will. Some hottie like that asks you out, could be a help to your case, and is cutting me tomorrow, and you’re gonna break his heart tonight? Uh-uh. No way.”

“But Gold-”

He waved a hand at me. I could tell his French manicured nails were recently done. Beautiful and sexy in a vixen sort of way. “Look. You yourself just said I’ll be asleep most of the night. There are nurses here enough to staff an entire hospital. I’ve met a few already. Kerie Cetin and Jackie Wisherd. If they can take care of the real nasty-rich patients here, they can watch me for a few hours.” He leaned forward and looked in my eyes. “No cancelling.”

I saluted him, said, “Yes, sir,” and kissed his cheek. “I’ll make sure you’re medicated and comfortable before I leave.”

“Drugs. Yum. Sounds perfect.”

I smacked his shoulder and got up to leave. “Call my cell if you want or need anything. Promise?”

He saluted me back, and I knew having Miles come visit had been the perfect medicine for our Gold.

Tomorrow would be a piece of cake.

Goldie’s death grip had my hand turning white. Make that made my hand as white as his pale face. “Suga, Suga, Suga,” he moaned.

I leaned forward and kissed his forehead. “I’m going to tell Neal that all bets are off on your surgery for today. You changed your mind.”

“Noooooooooo!” Despite the fact I thought it impossible, his grip tightened. “No, Suga. I’m just being melodramatic-”

“So what’s new?” a male said from behind me.

I swung around to see Miles, holding a bouquet of red roses.

“I thought that voice sounded familiar, but had no idea that you’d plan to come today. Then again-” I looked at Goldie, who was now smiling. My numb hand had been released. “-I should have known.”

“He knew,” Miles said, walking into the room and setting the roses on the bed next to Goldie.

I swung back to Gold. “What?”

He shrugged. “I didn’t want the guy who’d be cutting me to pieces to be thinking his date might cancel tonight.”

“So you called Miles to come all this way.”

“Like I could have stayed home,” Miles said, kissing Goldie on the forehead. “Who better to replace you tonight than an O.R. nurse-”

“Who I know will take the world’s best care of my patient. Group hug, guys.”

We all leaned in to hug each other, and I felt as if a weight had been lifted off my head. Goldie swore he really didn’t want to change his mind yet again. I bought his story, and Miles settled into the room since he’d spend the night.

While I was “touring” Newport with the doc.

One could only hope he knew his way around…everyplace.

“I’m going to ask if they can give you a little something to calm you down, Gold. A pre-op cocktail of sorts. They usually don’t like to give too much prior to surgery, so you wake up faster, but no one should be too worried and uncomfortable.” I touched his hand. How I hated seeing my friend like this. We’d been waiting for what seemed like hours for them to take him to the O.R.

Goldie, snuggled under the duvet in the fetal position, merely looked at me and blinked as if he’d forgotten how to talk.

I felt horrible putting him through this, so I told Miles to stay there-as if he’d leave-and headed out to find the anesthesia people.

When I came up to the front desk, my eyes grew teary. Ian should have been working, but instead the evening receptionist had filled in, I guessed until they found a permanent replacement.

“Excuse me.” I looked at her name tag. “Kimberly.”

“Kim.” She stuffed a few papers into a folder. “Damnedest filing system I’ve even seen. I can’t work like this.”

I wanted to say that since Ian was dead, she probably could do what she wanted, but before I could, she said, “Thank the good Lord I’m not going to be here much longer.”

Hm. “Oh? Have they found a permanent replacement?”

“Yeah, Pauline. Me.”

I looked toward the door behind the reception desk to see Lydia standing there. In her black slacks and white blouse she looked a few years older, but not any happier.

“Hey. Great, Lydia. You’re taking over…that’s great.”

“Yeah. Ian’s job. Will wonders never cease?” With that she walked past me and said, “Kim will help you. I’m officially in orientation, and it’s my tea break. See ya.”

Interesting.

If her aunt owned this place and was so wealthy, why would poor Lydia have to work here as a receptionist-when obviously gigolo husband Devin didn’t punch a clock for anyone.

“Kim, I need to talk to whoever is doing the anesthesia for Mr. Goldie Perlman’s eleven o’clock rhinoplasty.”

She looked as if my just standing there annoyed her, and now that I had a question that needed answering she was even more pissed. Geez. Folks around here were very complicated.

Maybe that’s what money did to people.

Me, I wouldn’t know.

“Okay, Gold, I’m going to give you a little sedative that will ease your anxiety.” I lifted the IV tubing, wiped the rubber stopper part with an alcohol pad and stuck the needle in.

“Shouldn’t I count or something?”

Miles and I chuckled. “Sure. Count if you want, but this may not knock you out, merely relax you.” I pushed the medication in slowly.