The Tie That Binds. Laura Gale

had parked where indicated, then taken the elevator to the appropriate floor. At least, he hoped it was the right one. He certainly didn’t want to stop and ask for directions, but he didn’t relish the idea of wandering through the hospital hoping to eventually find his way.

      Stepping into the corridor as the elevator doors opened, Lucas felt a momentary rush of something close to…panic. He didn’t like hospitals, anyway. Who did, right? But he couldn’t control what went on in a hospital, he probably couldn’t even understand what went on in a hospital. And today’s visit wasn’t a social call.

      He was nervous about that, too. How should he present himself? Charming or aggressive? Aggressive or charming? He tried to decide on a plan of attack. Selecting a strategy might afford him some degree of control. He knew full well that his control was slipping, that he was about to teeter into the discomfort—okay, hysteria—that hospitals engendered in him. He had to find an advantage for dealing in this foreign place.

      As he moved down the corridor, toward a large reception desk, he was startled at the comfortable environment he encountered. Soft lighting kept the area bright, but not overbright. Flower arrangements and painted murals added subtle, cheerful color. Silently bubbling aquariums full of colorful, slow-moving fish served as focal points in the various seating areas. Seating areas, Lucas noted, where the chairs looked like something a person could actually sit in.

      Glass partitions marked off patients’ rooms, allowing for privacy without sacrificing the open feeling. Lucas could see that miniblinds would be pulled when full privacy was required. Yet somehow, despite the low-key and easy atmosphere, Lucas also felt the efficiency and sharp attention that permeated the air. He felt it keenly.

      Charming or aggressive? He smoothed imaginary wrinkles from his impeccably tailored clothing, forced the frown from his forehead. And his mouth. This time, to hide his discomfiture, he chose charm. Confident charm. That—and his professional aura—should do the trick.

      “Hello,” he said, flashing a smile of even white teeth at the nurse’s assistant sitting behind the reception counter. “I’m to see Evan Campbell at three. I’m early. I would like to look in on Michaela Neuman.” Saying the name was bizarre in its newness. Even Rachel hadn’t put the two names together. It shook him.

      “Well, sir,” the young woman sputtered, “Michaela…she’s…she’s not in her room right now. She’s with her mother.” She was clearly torn between her sense of duty to Lucas and that which she owed to Rachel and her daughter. She pointed toward a nearby corridor. “You could wait over there if you like, so you’ll see them when they get back.”

      Lucas glanced in the direction she’d indicated, feeling the annoyance rising. He didn’t find these answers acceptable. What the hell does she mean, Michaela is not in her room? How could she be off somewhere with her mother?

      “Where is Michaela? I thought she was too sick to go anywhere.” He injected sufficient sneer into his voice to suggest that he was questioning the young woman’s competence. Or honesty. Or someone else’s—like Rachel’s.

      “I’ve tried to explain, sir….” Her voice trailed off.

      “Excuse me, Kristen,” came another voice, “do you need some help?”

      “Thank you, Nurse Linda,” the assistant responded, her relief evident. “This gentleman has an appointment with Dr. Campbell, but he is asking to see Michaela Neuman as well. I’ve tried to explain.”

      “That’s all right. I’ll talk to him.”

      Lucas noticed he was being discussed as if he weren’t there, a treatment he found supremely insulting. Any effort at charm was abandoned.

      “Yes.” He directed himself toward this newly arrived woman, assuming she had some degree of authority. “I want to see Michaela Neuman, but I’m told she isn’t here. How can that be? Where would she go? If she really is so sick—”

      “Don’t doubt that for a second, Mr. Neuman,” the woman said sharply. That she used his name surprised Lucas; he knew he hadn’t yet revealed that bit of information.

      Seeing that he was taken aback, Nurse Linda continued, “Oh, yes, I know who you are. Furthermore, I know why you’re here. I’ll answer your questions. But make no mistake, Mr. Neuman—Michaela’s welfare is my first concern. I don’t know that you and I share that bond. Now, come with me.”

      Lucas struggled to maintain his stern exterior and prevent his genuine, warring emotions from taking over. He couldn’t swallow his sense that Rachel had played him for a fool—and yet, that didn’t seem like Rachel.

      Not seeing any other option, he did as he was told. He followed the nurse to a seating area off to the side of the reception counter.

      “Your explanation?” he prompted, aggression in full swing, rudeness fast approaching.

      She turned to face him. “I’m Linda Tafoya, head nurse during the day. I won’t say it’s a pleasure to meet you because that would be a lie. You see, Mr. Neuman, I really do know who you are.”

      Folding her arms across her body, she said, “I consider myself Rachel’s friend. And Michaela’s, too. I know how important your visit today is, no doubt better than you do. Of course Michaela is here, in the hospital. She hasn’t been anywhere else for longer than I care to consider. She is too sick to go very far and you need to realize that right now, before you stay one second longer. She isn’t in her room right now because, every afternoon, Rachel takes her from the ward—just down the hall—in order to spend some personal time with her. We support what she’s doing and we go out of our way to grant her that privacy, to respect that privacy.”

      “Oh, I see.”

      “No, I’m sure you don’t. But you will. She usually comes back by about two-thirty, which would be any minute now. Because I know they’re wrapping it up, anyway, and because I know why you’re here, I will let you in on their private retreat. Respect it for what it is.”

      Lucas was sure that Linda Tafoya was very nearly the same age as he, she was not particularly tall, she was attractive in a neat, organized way. Nothing about her was imposing, but he couldn’t ignore the note of command in her voice. She was in charge. “Okay.”

      She stared at him a moment longer, sizing him up, Lucas could tell. “Right,” she said, pointing toward another corridor. “There’s a lounge area, three doors down on the right. It’s a bit like an atrium—you can see into from the hallway. You’ll know it when you see it. Tell Rachel that Linda sent you.”

      She nodded in the designated direction and left him alone. He stood then, noticing a sign posted by the door next to him. It read, “Rachel Neuman, RN Head, Pediatric Nursing.”

      Lucas was stunned. His eyebrows returned to their frown position. Rachel had not explained what she did for a living and he hadn’t exactly explored the question deeply. Now he had the answer.

      Recovering from this revelation, he began to move down the corridor.

      He counted the doors, stopping when he reached a glass enclosure. The area was pleasantly lit—possibly by skylights. He could hear—and now see—birds playing in the fountain that sat outside the glass, in the enclosed courtyard. He pushed open the door, scanning the seats. He spotted Rachel immediately. She sat with her back to him, her mane of chocolate-colored hair still caught in that morning’s ponytail. He could hear her voice, murmuring softly, not able to distinguish the words but suspecting she was telling a story.

      She held a child on her lap—Michaela, he knew. He couldn’t see her from where he stood. He could only see part of a shoulder, a typical looking shoulder except for the IV pole positioned behind it. He could see that the pole was actually attached to what looked like a child’s stroller, rather than to a wheelchair. But the child was definitely on Rachel’s lap.

      He approached them quietly, almost reverently, finally understanding that he was violating something personal—something that, until now, had never