Nan Dixon - To Catch A Thief

He’d been thinking she was—incredible. He wanted to spend time with her. Find out what made her smile or cry. And he wanted to help her. Because sometimes she seemed lost.

It was after one in the afternoon. He shut his laptop. Even five minutes looking at the screen had his head pounding. The letters danced and doubled if he looked too long.

Picking up his phone, he scrolled to Carolina’s number. But her last words had been I’ll call you.

He tossed his phone on the coffee table. There had to be something he could do. Sitting around was driving him as crazy as a rattlesnake in a stampede.

Since reading intensified his headache, he pushed up from the sofa and headed to the window. For now, the sun glinting off the river didn’t shoot shards of glass into his brain. He slipped open the slider and stepped outside. The Savannah heat and humidity was a shock. His body kept expecting the dry Texas prairie winds.

Next week he had an appointment with his doctor. Maybe by then he’d be able to get back to work. Sitting around was more painful than his headaches.

Muffled laughter floated up to him from brave people sitting on restaurant patios along River Street. How could they stand the heat? A woman waved from the deck of a boat as it motored down the Savannah River.

This sucked. He went back for his phone. He would call Carolina. All she had to do was tell him she couldn’t be bothered. That the kiss they’d shared last night had been a fluke.

It hadn’t been a fluke for him. Finding Carolina was like finding a long-lost friend. ’Course when he touched her, he wasn’t thinking friendly thoughts. Not with all the gorgeous hair and those eyes that carried so much sadness. He wanted to wrap her up and tuck her away from the pain of her mother’s cancer.

He hit Dial.

“Sage?”

“I thought I would check on you.” He corrected himself. “Did you...have any trouble getting home?”

“Oh, shoot. I promised to call.” Carolina sounded upset.

He waited.

“My phone was dead when I got home. And I fell asleep before I could access your number.”

“No problem.” At least she hadn’t blown him off. “How’s your mother?”

“The hospital woke me early. She’s conscious, but she had two more seizures during the night.”

Now he felt like a heel. “Is she okay?”

“She wants to go home.” He heard her sigh over the phone. “We’re waiting on her oncologist for a family conference.”

That didn’t sound good. “Is there anything you need? Food? Clothes?”

“That’s so sweet.”

Sweet? He wanted heroic. He rolled his eyes. Pain made him regret the action.

“I think I’m good. Ever since they called, I’ve been on the run and haven’t looked at my phone.”

“If you’re there through dinner, I could bring you food.” What restaurants were near the hospital? Or there must be a cafeteria.

“I... I guess I’m hoping I can bring Mamá home today.”

“Of course you are.” Idiot.

“Could I call you after we meet with the doctor?” Was her voice trembling? “Would that be okay? Unless something else comes up for you.”

“That’s perfect.” The words flew out of his mouth. He didn’t want her changing her mind.

“I’ll do that. The doctor’s supposed to be here in the next half hour.”

He sure hoped she wasn’t putting him off. “I’ll wait for your call.”

* * *

CAROLINA COULDN’T KEEP the smile off her face. Sage was the one good thing that had happened since she’d arrived home. She was about to the tuck the phone back in her purse, but noticed the voice-mail icon. Shoot, it had come in last night.

She poured hot water over her tea bag. As long as she was in the waiting room, she’d listen to the call.

“Hi. This is Abby Fitzgerald. I’d like to offer you the job. Give me a call when you get a chance. I was hoping you could work a short shift on Thursday for training.”

Carolina stared at her phone. She’d gotten the job.

No! She didn’t want to work for Abby.

With Mamá ill, it was too long a drive between Savannah and Tybee. Her mother needed her.

She started to hit the call button but Dr. Laster entered the lounge.

“Hi,” Carolina said.

“Hey.” The doctor poured a cup of coffee. “Looks like we had the same idea. Shall we head to your mother’s room?”

“Sure.” She tucked her phone away. She would call Abby and turn down the job after she took Mamá home.

“How are you, Rosa?” Dr. Laster asked as they walked into the hospital room.

“I’m so tired.” Mamá pushed the button on the bed and sat up. “What happened?”

“You had seizures last night and this morning.”

“Seizures?” Her mother frowned.

Carolina’s chest tightened. She and Mamá had already talked about this.

“It’s okay if you don’t remember.” Dr. Laster patted her mother’s leg. “The neurologist has prescribed medication, but we’ll need to monitor you. I’d like to keep you in the hospital while we do that. We can begin your first treatments here.”

“In the hospital?” Rosa grabbed Carolina’s hand. “Can’t I go home?”

“You’re safer here. I’d rather you didn’t have to come back via ambulance.”

Carolina wanted her mother to be safe. “What if you fall or have a seizure and I’m not around?”

“But...” Rosa closed her eyes and inhaled. “I hate hospitals.”

“Who doesn’t?” Dr. Laster smiled.

“I’ll bring your pretty robe and whatever you need from home.” Carolina forced a cheerful tone into her voice. “We can make the room nice.”

“Nice?” Her mother snorted.

Yikes. Her mother didn’t snort.

“We can. Flowers will brighten up the room.” Carolina should have brought her mother flowers.

“I want my bird.” Her mother pointed her finger at Carolina. “Don’t forget my bird.”

Carolina would like to purge the bird from Mamá’s memory. She didn’t want stolen property sitting in her mother’s hospital room for all to see. Why was the bird the one thing Mamá wouldn’t forget? “Sure.”

“Staying here is best for you, Rosa,” Dr. Laster insisted.

“It won’t be for long, will it?” Rosa asked.

“A couple of weeks. Maybe more. I’d want to make sure the medication stops the seizures before you start the radiation treatments. Then...we’ll see how it goes.” The doctor glanced at Carolina.

A chill ran through Carolina’s body. We’ll see how it goes? She tucked her trembling hands under her thighs. With her mother listening, she couldn’t ask Dr. Laster whether Mamá would ever go home.

Dr. Laster talked about lab work, medication and getting her mother’s weight up before treatment started. Carolina should be taking notes.

Her mother nodded off.

“Can I ask you some questions?” Carolina asked as she and the doctor headed out of the room.

Dr. Laster nodded. “I know this is a lot to take in.”

“You didn’t sound certain that my mother would leave in a week or two.” Carolina stared into Dr. Laster’s kind blue eyes.

“Honey, I don’t know that she will get out very soon. We have to stop the seizures. Then we can start treatments.”

“And she has to gain weight.”

Dr. Laster nodded. “She’ll need reserves.”

“So this might be three or four weeks?”

The doctor nodded.

Her plan to turn down Abby’s job offer faded like the final note in a sad song. If she took the bartending job, she could spend the day with her mother and then head to work.

She didn’t have to like it. She just had to make money. Because a long hospital stay was going to hurt—financially.