Making a Comeback. Kristina Mathews

      “I’m your next-door neighbor,” he whispered back.

      “Oh.” She closed her eye and sank into the pillow. After a slight shake of her head, she opened her eye and swept her gaze over him. “Are we, uh…”

      “We’re friends.” He figured a little white lie was necessary here. Especially since he had her children with him.

      “Friends.” She sighed. “Okay, that’s good.”

      “Is there someone you want me to call? Your… husband?”

      “No. Not him. He’s…” She brought her right hand up to her forehead, as if pressing on it could stimulate her memory. “We’re no longer married.”

      “Still, he might want to know you’ve been in an accident.” Not that Cooper wanted to be the one to tell him.

      “No. He wouldn’t. That I’m sure of.” She shook her head hard enough to make her wince.

      He leaned even closer, so there was no way the girls, who were giggling and squealing, could overhear. “Is there a reason you don’t want your ex-husband to know what’s happened to you? Is he violent? Abusive?”

      His stomach clenched at the thought of that man hurting her or her daughters.

      “No. No, that’s not…” She exhaled, briefly closing her eyes. “He’s not around. He’s…”

      Her face contorted in pain…or confusion.

      “Do you want me to get the nurse? Do you need something for the pain?”

      “No. It’s just…foggy.” She rubbed her forehead. “Foggy…like San Francisco. No, he’s not there. He’s…oh, what’s that place? The sun sets on the wrong side of the beach.”

      She drew a shape on the sheet, like a long finger.

      “Florida? Is your ex-husband in Florida?” Of course he was. The hearing. Her ex-husband was testifying in the biggest steroid scandal in recent history. He’d been an investor, a silent partner who was now willing to spill his guts in an attempt to keep from losing his fortune.

      “Yes. Florida.” She gave him a weak smile. “That’s the word I was looking for. It was there…but out of my reach. Like so many things. Just. Out. Of. Reach.”

      She sank back against the pillow, exhausted by the effort. Annabelle had been in a serious car accident. She’d suffered a concussion and simple tasks were difficult for her. He’d had a concussion once, after being hit by a line drive. It had scared the crap out of him. One minute he felt fine, sitting in the clubhouse after the game, and the next, he couldn’t tie his shoe. The weirdest part was that he’d managed to tie one of them, but couldn’t for the life of him remember how he’d done it.

      “Thank you for bringing the girls here. I’m sure you had much better things to do than hang out in a hospital with your neighbor.”

      “Hopefully, they’ll release you soon.” He wondered if he should try to get some information. Maybe he could use his persuasive skills at the nurses’ station. Once upon a time, he’d been pretty charming. But that was before he’d become a disgrace. Now he wasn’t sure that his status as a Major League ballplayer would get him an advantage, or get him kicked out of the hospital.

      “I’m sorry to keep you waiting.” She closed her eyes, wincing once again. “But thank you for coming.”

      “No problem.”

      A quick knock on the door and the doctor entered the room.

      “Ms. Jones, I’m Doctor De Rosa.” She gave a professional smile to Annabelle, but Cooper got the feeling he wasn’t welcome.

      “Why don’t I take Sophie and Olivia to get something to eat?” That would give Annabelle privacy and give him something to do. Besides, he was hungry.

      “There’s a cafeteria on this floor. Just go down the hall and to your left,” Dr. De Rosa said.

      “Great. Thanks.” He turned to the girls. “Should we go check out the cafeteria?”

      “Sure.” Sophie hopped off the sofa and was ready to go.

      “Okay.” Olivia glanced at her mother as if she needed assurance it was okay to go off with him.

      “Be good, girls.” Annabelle smiled and nodded her approval.

      “Do you think they gave Mommy weird drugs to make her talk funny?” Sophie asked once they sat down in the nearly deserted cafeteria. The twins each ordered a slice of cheese pizza and Cooper grabbed a large salad with a grilled chicken breast.

      “If they did give her medicine, it was to help her body heal.” Cooper wasn’t sure how to explain the difference between healing medicine and drugs that could wreck your life. “Sometimes medicine can have side effects. But it’s important to take them when the doctor tells you to. Only when the doctor tells you to.”

      “Yeah. One time we had ear affections, and we had to take this disgusting medicine.” Sophie chattered away. “It tasted like pink poop.”

      “Sophie!” Olivia was apparently offended by her sister’s strong language.

      “So you’ve tasted pink poop?” He couldn’t help it. The kid was a hoot.

      “No. Of course not, silly.” Sophie laughed, and the sound went straight to his chest. “Miss Ramirez tells us to write juicy sentences. Not boring I like cats, I don’t like medicine sentences.”

      “Miss Ramirez?”

      “She’s our teacher.” Olivia added with a starstruck note in her voice. “But I don’t think she’s really a teacher.”

      “Oh really?” He suspected he was getting in over his head.

      “I think she’s really a princess.” Olivia was breathless with awe. “She’s just pretending to be a teacher until her Prince Charming comes along.”

      “And then she’ll go back to being a teacher when she gets a divorce.” Sophie joined in the conversation, but instead of romantic ideals, she had a more jaded take on things. “That’s why Mommy had to get a job. ’Cause she got divorced.”

      Yep. Definitely in over his head.

      “How come girls have to give up their job when they get married?” Sophie asked thoughtfully.

      “They don’t. Some women choose to stay home with their babies. Maybe that’s why your mom quit modeling, so she could look after the two of you.” He really had no idea what motivated Annabelle to quit at the height of her career. For a guy who couldn’t figure out his own motivations at times, he wasn’t in any position to judge others.

      “So now we’re big girls, she can be a model again?” Olivia asked.

      “Sure, why not?” He shrugged. “Your mom can be anything she wants to be.”

      “I want to be a princess when I grow up,” Olivia announced. “Or a teacher.”

      “I don’t want to be a princess. I want to be a baseball player.” Sophie said with confidence. “Or maybe I’ll be an owner like Auntie Hunter.”

      “Or like Daddy.” Olivia had a note of sadness in her voice. “Before he moved to Florida.”

      Where the sun sets on the wrong side of the beach.

      * * * *

      “So how are you feeling?” Dr. De Rosa asked as she took Annabelle’s vitals.

      “I want to go home.” She hated feeling trapped, dependent on others. “I just want to sleep in my own bed.”

      “You’ve had a serious head injury.” The doctor didn’t need to remind her of that. She felt the dull thud every time she moved her head.