To Catch A Thief. Nan Dixon

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.