“What about Jackson?” prodded David gently. “Has he been in touch?”
“No,” she spat out disdainfully. “He’s too busy fetching coffee for everyone and hanging out with his girlfriend. He’s just as bad as my father, you know. Now that they conned me into helping Hannah, I’m no longer useful. You know,” she confessed, her eyes glittering mischievously, “when I was standing there staring into the waiting room, watching all of them, it was really tempting to walk inside and just oh so casually announce who I was and what I’d done to save their precious Hannah. My father would have stroked out on the spot.”
David smiled in spite of himself at the image that particular scenario conjured up. “Not that I would have ever approved or encouraged you making a scene like that, but what stopped you from doing just that?”
Scarlett gazed down at her lap, plucking at the bed covers in agitation. “Chickened out, I guess,” she murmured. “Didn’t feel up to a confrontation as bad as I was hurting at that point.”
“I’m going to take a guess and say the real reason you didn’t march in there and announce to the entire room that you were Neil’s other daughter was because it would have pissed Jackson off,” observed David. “And despite how angry you are at him right now - deservedly so, by the way - I don’t think you wanted to make him mad in return. Am I right?”
She gave a tiny lift of her shoulders, trying for all the world to look and sound indifferent, but David knew better. He’d suspected for a couple of days now that Scarlett had a crush on the youngest Gilmore son, and that one of the reasons she had agreed to the bone marrow donation had been to please Jackson. His suspicions were only stronger now after hearing her sad tale, and he had rarely felt as angry as he did right now - anger that was directed at both Jackson and Neil.
David stood, giving his patient a comforting pat on the shoulder. “On second thought, I wouldn’t have blamed you in the least for blurting out the truth to the family. Your father - and Jackson - would have deserved it. Now, I’m fresh out of balloons and stuffed pink ponies, but what if I ran out and grabbed us some real food instead of this hospital stuff? I just realized I missed lunch today, and I’m craving a greasy burger and some fries. And a milkshake. Any interest?”
Scarlett eyed him warily. “Maybe. Depends on what the catch is.”
He grinned. “No catch. Well, not exactly. More like a win-win situation for you. If you eat most of what I bring back, and then go for another little walk - not up two floors to the ICU this time - and I think you’re recovering reasonably well, then I’ll strongly consider discharging you tomorrow.”
She instantly sat up a little straighter. “Make it a double cheeseburger with grilled onions, the wavy fries if they have them, and a chocolate shake. With whipped cream on top.”
David laughed. “You got it. I’ll be back in a little while, okay? Got to make a quick phone call first, then food. See you in less than an hour.”
He paused at the doorway for a moment, relieved when she propped herself up against the pillows and turned the TV on. He gave Sergio a thumbs up as he headed towards the elevator, his stride quicker and more forceful than usual due to the anger he was doing his best to keep under control.
It wasn’t until he was seated inside his car with the air conditioning on and the windows rolled up that he pulled his phone out, scrolling through his contacts until he found the number he was looking for. He scowled when it kept ringing, vowing that if the call went to voice mail, he would go looking in person for him instead. But the caller finally picked up, his voice low and sounding equal parts confused and concerned.
“Hey, what’s up?” inquired Jackson in a low voice. “Something going on with Hannah?”
“Not with Hannah, no,” bit out David tersely. “For once I’m not calling you about your niece. But I do need to talk to you about the other daughter. The one all of you selfish bastards have been ignoring for more than a week. Meet me in my office in an hour and a half, Jackson. I don’t give a damn what sort of excuse you need to give your family. And needless to say, come alone. Scarlett’s in a bad way, and you’re sure as hell going to find a way to make things right for her.”
Chapter Thirteen
“Sergio? What the hell happened to my clothes? Because these are definitely not the ones I was wearing when I checked into this place on Monday morning.”
The male nurse shrugged as he glanced at the white jeans, cobalt blue cotton shirt, and dark blue ballet flats. “You were wearing a hospital gown the first time I saw you, so I have no idea what you had on during check-in. You’d have to ask Natalia, since she was the one who laid your stuff out while you were taking a shower.”
Scarlett held up a pair of lacy white bikini panties, scowling as she spied the matching bra next to the shirt. “And these aren’t mine either. Not even close. Not to overshare, but my undies all have holes in them. And while they may have been white at one time, they’re more of a grayish shade now.”
Sergio shuddered. “Too late. That was definitely too much information for me.” He opened the small closet and glanced inside before closing the door. “And there’s nothing else in here, so unless you want to walk out of this place in a hospital gown, you’ll need to wear that stuff. What’s the problem with those clothes anyway? They look brand new. And expensive. Not that I know much about women’s clothes, that is.”
She scowled darkly. “They are new. And while there aren’t any price tags attached - hmm, not suspicious at all, right? - these are definitely nicer than any of the crap I own.” She picked up one of the shoes and gasped. “Holy crap, these are Rothy’s. They cost something like a hundred and fifty bucks or close to it. And the only reason I know that is because Rothy’s uses recycled water bottles to make their products, and I’m a big proponent of repurposing and zero waste. When I heard about their stuff I checked out their website, but while it’s a great idea no way I could ever afford it.”
“Well, apparently you can now,” commented Sergio. “Or at least whoever left this stuff for you can. Look, stop worrying about it, hmm? Why don’t you get dressed, since Doctor Parks is supposed to stop by in a few minutes to sign your discharge papers.” He grinned evilly. “Unless, of course, you’ve decided you’ll miss me way too much and want to stay here a couple more nights.”
Scarlett stuck her tongue out at him and pointed towards the door. “Out. And shut the door behind you.”
He complied, chuckling in amusement as he did, which only elicited another scowl from her. Her scowl deepened as she once again inspected each article of clothing, from the flimsy undies to the summer weight white jeans, recognizing the quality of the garments even if the brand names themselves were unfamiliar. Still skeptical, she checked inside the closet, the drawers of the bedside table, the bathroom, and even under the bed itself, with no sign of the ratty clothes she’d arrived in a few days ago.
Sighing in resignation, she wiggled into the barely there lacy panties and then fastened the bra. She pulled on the jeans next, grimacing to realize that even a size zero was a little loose on her right now. Little wonder, she supposed, considering that for almost forty eight hours she’d subsisted on liquids and an IV drip. And while the burgers, fries, and shake Doctor Parks had smuggled in yesterday had been delicious, she had barely been able to consume half of her meal. She had ordered pancakes and bacon for her breakfast this morning, but the pancakes had been on the dry side and the bacon too crisp for her liking, so she’d merely picked at the food.