"Well, guess what, doll? I need you. Two more nurses called off tonight, and we"re getting slammed. Two moms in labor, a bar fight and two new cases of pneumonia from this d.a.m.ned flu. If you come in tonight, I can probably cover most of tomorrow."
Molly glanced toward Alejandro, torn. But she really couldn"t say no. "Sure," she said.
"I"d like to have the morning off to get some sleep, but I can work the rest of my normal shift in the afternoon."
"Thanks, kid. You might be able to get out of here aftermidnightsometime."
"See you in a little bit, then."
Molly went to the living room. "The hospital called," she said. "I have to go to work tonight. Will you be okay?"
"Sure." He held up the remote control. "Movies. TV." Spread his hands, a faint smile on his face. "Couch and pillow. I"m very okay."
"Okay. There"s food, too. Help yourself." She started to walk to her room and turned back. "And don"t get any brave ideas of striking out on your own. I"ll be very worried about you."
He touched his chest, a promise. "I will stay until the morning, Saint Molly."
It was indeed very busy at the hospital. Molly hit the floor running and didn"t stop till nearly eleven when the second baby was delivered. By then, after her long night and day, she wasyawning so hard her jaw cracked, and her boss sent her to get a cup of coffee. Stirring sugar into the thin brew, she thought of the luscious mixture Alejandro had made was that only this afternoon? and made a mental note to have him leave the recipe.
When he moved on. As he would.
She sat in the break room with the door open, and heard the shouts when a new patient came in the emergency exit. With a sigh, she poured out her unfinished cup, wondering
if it was the full moon or something, and jogged out into the hall to see what had happened now.
When she saw who it was, she halted abruptly, and it seemed all the systems in her body stopped for a moment, too. It was Wiley, and in his arms, he carried a small bundle of child wrapped in a blanket a blanket, Molly saw with a tight clutch offear, that was stained with blood.
She looked at Wiley urgently, and he gave her a slight, small nod.
Her body switched from dead stop to humming overdrive in a flash, and she rushed forward. "Josefina?" she said, pulling back the blanket to see the child"s face. "Oh, G.o.d!" Blood smeared over one cheek. "Take her in there quickly." She followed, her stethoscope banging against her b.r.e.a.s.t.s. "What happened? Where did you find her?"
The farmer settled the child on the bed with more gentleness than she would have expected. "d.a.m.nedest thing. A yappy little dog showed up on my back porch just as I was getting ready to go to bed. I opened it to shoo him away, but he backed off, barking his fool head off."
Molly listened as she stripped the blanket away, revealing a very slim child with long black hair, her angled face pale but unmistakably related to Alejandro. She appeared to be unconscious.
"The dog wouldn"t be quiet, so I followed him, thinking about what you said." He lifted one gnarled brown hand. "I found her under a tree, just like this. Blood all over her face."
"Has she spoken?"
"Nah. Not really. Just some moaning."
The girl twisted and started to cough, her body pulling into a fetal position as if in protection. It was a violent, spine-wracking cough, and Molly realized where the blood was coming from. Automatically, she grabbed a face mask and tied it around her mouth and nose, handing another to Wiley. "I"ll get the doctor in here, and then you can go, but you say that Josefina went to Health Services?"
"Yeah. Don"t know what for."
The girl started to shiver, and she twisted again, crying out a name, "Tio!" in a pitifully weak voice. It started a new coughing fit.
The doctor, a tall woman in scrubs, appeared, and started her examination, barking out questions none of them could answer. The child was dehydrated and feverish, but when the doctor listened to her chest, she exchanged a look with Molly this was not bronchitis or pneumonia, though the girl"s condition might have been complicated by one or both. "Let"s get an X ray. Now."
"TB?" Molly said quietly.
"Sure looks like it. Let"s run the tests, get her blood gases, and get her into isolation." She peered at Wiley. "Where are her people?"
"No idea," he said gruffly, pulling at his mustache. "Might call the sheriff to see if they got him down at the station. Her uncle was a big tall fella, not too old. Name that was familiar somehow oh, I know, it was Sosa, like that baseball player."
"Thank you." The doctor glanced at Molly. "Get the kid settled, then let"s get Annie to call the sheriffs office and see what we can find out."
Wiley hesitated at the door. "What"sgonna happen to her?"
Molly tugged the blanket over the child and made preparations to move her. "Probably Social Services will decide. I"ll let you know."
"Thanks."
The little girl bolted straight up all at once, her eyes wild."Pequena!" she cried. "My dog!" She gripped Molly"s arm almost painfully."Dondeestamiperro ?"
"I"ll take care of him, sugar. Don"t youworry. " Wiley said, and Molly was oddly moved by his gentleness. "Put him in a bed all by himself, with some bones. How"s that?"
She looked disbelieving and unbearably sad. Molly stroked her head. "Do you
understand?"
"I speak English," she said bleakly.
"You can trust him, sweetie."
The grip eased. She nodded. Molly soothed her back down, and Wiley tipped his hat and left.
Glancing over her shoulder to make sure she was alone, Molly, then bent over the child, and took the tiny, frail hand in her own. "Josefina," she said, "I need to tell you something important. It"s very secret, and I can only say it once, so listen carefully,comprende? "
"Yes." Luminous eyes, fever bright, showed no fear now. She even patted Molly"s hand, as if to rea.s.sure her. "I speak English verywell ."
Molly smiled. "Good. You"ve been looking for your uncle, right?"
A nod.
"I know where he is." The thin fingers tightened convulsively and didn"t ease. "He was hurt, just a little, in the raid, and he is not far away." She paused. "No one must know, or he might go to jail. I need you to pretend you know me, okay?"
"My uncle is okay?"
"Yes. He is very worried about you."
"Can he come to me here?"
"I don"t know. I"ll try."
Another soft nod. "That"s your name?" She pointed to the name tag. "Molly?"
"Yeah."
"Thank you,Senora Molly," she said very gravely.