Finding Her Family

by Syndi Powell

  Ruby nodded vigorously as Page watched her. “I think we should proceed with caution. Not only with Thomas Burns, but with Sheilah as well. Ruby is the one we need to be thinking about first.”

  “I agree.”

  He sat watching Page, her color so pale. “Do you need anything?”

  “Nope. Ruby’s been taking good care of me.”

  At the mention of her name, the girl stood. “I’m going to take the food in the kitchen and eat, so you two can talk.”

  After she left, Page smirked at Mateo. “I think that was her subtle way of giving us some privacy.”

  “It worked.” He settled farther into the rocking chair. “How are you really feeling?”

  “Mateo, I know about your history with your mom, so you don’t have to do this.”

  “We’re friends, right? And friends help each other out. What can I do?”

  She sighed and closed her eyes, lying back on the pillow. “Nothing. I just need to rest.”

  “I can make sure meals are brought over.”

  “April is taking care of that.”

  “I can drive you to your doctor’s appointments.”

  “Again, April.”

  “There must be something I can do.”

  “You can go home.” She opened her eyes. “I don’t want you to see me like this, Mateo. I don’t want this to be your image of me.”

  He knew what she meant. Otherwise, he might focus on the cancer, and not her. He took the legal pad from the coffee table and stood. “I’ll go so you can sleep. I’ll keep up with my search and give you both an update when I’ve found out anything more.”

  Page started to sit up, but he waved her back down. “You don’t need to see me out. I’ll talk to you later.”

  “Thanks for letting us know where we stand.”

  “Take care of yourself.”

  He walked to the door, followed by Ruby. He turned to the girl. “If she needs anything, can you let me know? She has my number.”

  Ruby nodded and opened the front door for him. “Are you gonna really find my dad?”

  “I think we’ve got a great start.” He put a hand on her shoulder. “Don’t give up, kiddo.”

  She tried to smile, but it didn’t quite reach her eyes. Instead, she seemed more worried about finding her father than she had before. He tried not to read too much into that. He hoped he was doing the right thing, not just for Ruby, but for Page, too.

  CHAPTER SEVEN

  THE ROOM WOULDN’T stop spinning. Page hung on to the dresser as she tried to make it across the bedroom to the bathroom. It looked so far away, and a wave of heat swept over her. It was still dark out, and the bedside digital clock read that it wasn’t quite dawn. She took a step, but the floor shifted and she stumbled closer to the bed.

  Something was wrong.

  Rivulets of sweat seemed to be starting behind her ears and flowing down her neck. She’d had hot flashes in the past due to the treatment of her breast cancer, but this was not one of those. This was something else.

  Slowly, she made it to the door to her bedroom. She gripped the door frame and tried to peek across the hall into Ruby’s room. “Ruby,” she called out, but she couldn’t speak much above a whisper.

  She fell to her knees, feeling as if something was pushing her to the floor. She called Ruby’s name again, then closed her eyes, unable to keep them open any longer.

  When she woke, she found a familiar paramedic taking her vitals. She blinked at him and tried to turn her head to where Ruby stood watching them, her hand covering her mouth. “I’m okay.”

  The paramedic frowned at her and pointed to his partner, who was carrying a stretcher. “You have a temperature approaching one-oh-five. You’re anything but okay. Miss, we’re going to take Page to the hospital. Are you coming with us?”

  Ruby nodded, but Page tried to sit up. “I don’t need to go to the hospital, Gary.”

  “You’re a nurse. If one of your patients had collapsed with a dangerously high temperature, what would you recommend?”

  She sighed and closed her eyes. “Fine. But I can walk.” She tried to move, but lacked the energy and fell back to the floor.

  “Not on my watch.”

  Gary and his partner carried her to the ambulance. Ruby followed behind them and got in the back of the vehicle with Page. The girl looked ashen, as if she might pass out, too. Page held out her hand and Ruby moved forward to grasp it. “I was so scared when I found you in the hallway. I didn’t know what to do, so I called 911.”

  “You did the right thing.” Page closed her eyes and willed away the waves of nausea that threatened. “Do you have my phone still?” Ruby nodded. “Good. When we get to the hospital, call April.”

  “I already did that. When I was waiting for the ambulance to arrive. She said she’d meet us at the emergency room.”

  Page closed her eyes, unable to keep them open a moment longer. She felt so tired. Tired and scared. She knew there was something wrong, different than what she’d experienced before. And knowing that she was making Ruby go through it with her made her feel even more terrified about what was happening. “I’m sorry I scared you.”

  “It’s not your fault.”

  Page gave a wry grin. “I guess we’ll blame the cancer.” She lost the grin and squeezed Ruby’s hand. “I’m glad you were there. If you hadn’t, I don’t know how long I might have been there.”

  Ruby nodded and wiped away her tears with her free hand. “Me, too.”

  The ambulance arrived at Detroit General and Ruby sat back as they moved the stretcher with Page. The placed it on a gurney and wheeled her into the ER. They were met by Kenny, the overnight ER doctor, as well as April. Page knew she was in good hands, so she closed her eyes once again.

  Voices floated around her as well as bright lights. She could feel her body being moved from the gurney to a hospital bed. A prick in her arm told her that an IV had been inserted. Cool cloths on her head, chest, arms and legs. More voices.

  She wanted to tell them that she was fine. She was a little warm, but she didn’t need such attention. She felt as if she was lying in a warm bath, her ears underwater so that sounds were distorted and muffled. Her body felt heavy, her limbs unable to lift or move.

  The need to sleep grew until it became the only thing she wanted in the whole world. She tuned out what was going on around her and accepted oblivion.

  * * *

  MATEO HADN’T ARRIVED at the office yet, but his cell phone was buzzing. He pulled over and glanced at the caller ID. Sherri’s name popped up. “Hey, cuz.”

  “Where are you?”

  An odd question on a Friday morning. “On my way to work. Where are you?”

  “At Detroit General.”

  Okay, that wasn’t the answer he’d been expecting. “Are you all right?”

  “I’m fine. It’s Page.”

  His heart stopped for a few seconds. “What’s—”

  “She’s really sick, Mateo.”

  He froze. Wasn’t sure what to say. Didn’t know what to do. He had just seen her, and she’d been fine. Nauseous and tired, but not needing a hospital.

  “Mateo?”

  “I’m still here.” He gripped the phone tighter. “What do you want me to do?”

  His cousin sighed loudly and said some things in Spanish that would have made their parents blush. “Know what? Don’t do anything. But I thought you actually cared for her.”

  He did, maybe too much. “Sherri, I don’t know what you expect from me. She was okay yesterday. What happened?”

  “Complications from an infection. You know how the treatment affects the immune system.”

  He certainly did. “Thank you for letting me know.”

  “I’m more than calling to just tell you. You need to come up here.”

 
; “What can I do besides sit in a waiting room?”

  “If she’s in the hospital, how does that affect her foster-care situation? You can be so dense sometimes.”

  He started to protest, but realized that she’d hung up already. He pulled his car back onto the road and eased into traffic. He spotted his office up ahead, but passed it. It wouldn’t hurt for him to check in on Page and see if Ruby had somewhere to go if they admitted Page. Sherri had been right. He needed to be the lawyer, at least.

  He arrived at the hospital, parked and went inside. “I’m here for Page Kosinski,” he said to the receptionist.

  “They took her upstairs. Check in with the intake nurse for her room number.” She looked past him to someone standing behind him.

  Mateo stepped back into her line of vision. “Is she okay?”

  “I can’t give you that information since you’re not family. Now step aside.”

  He apologized to the person waiting behind him and left the emergency room. He entered the atrium, where windows and tall ceilings spilled light into the corridor. A desk manned by two women had a line of about four people. When he reached the front, he asked for Page’s room number. One of them typed her name into the computer then frowned at the screen. “She’s on the sixth floor in ICU.” She pointed to the elevators behind her. “Go up to six, turn left and follow the red arrows. The nurse at the ward desk will direct you further.”

  He nodded. Getting an elevator to take him up the sixth floor seemed to take forever.

  By the time the elevator reached the sixth floor, his patience had evaporated. He found the red arrows painted on the walls to the left and followed them. He spotted Sherri. He walked up to her and hugged her, not knowing what else to do. She hugged him back and then smacked him upside the head. “About time you got here.”

  “I drove here as soon as I hung up with you.”

  Sherri narrowed her eyes at him. “Okay.”

  She stepped back, and he saw that April and Ruby sat in chairs behind her. He rushed forward and took turns hugging them both. “Have you heard anything?”

  “The infection is attacking her organs, and her immune system is too weak to fight it,” April said. “Thank goodness Ruby was there to find her and call for an ambulance.”

  Mateo noticed the girl looked shaken. “But the ICU?”

  “Any infection with cancer elevates the risk, so they’re not playing around. Right now, they’re trying to bring her body temp down and determine the cause to treat it.” April winced. “If the infection is viral, it could get tricky.”

  Mateo remembered the infection that his mother had fought and lost to. It was in the ICU that she had finally let go of her family and her life. He tried to shake the memory, but was failing. “How long do they think she’ll be here?”

  “A few days, maybe a week. Depends on how well she responds to treatment.”

  “I know it’s probably not what we want to talk about right now, but what about Ruby?”

  April glanced at the girl. “She can stay with me until Page is better.”

  Sherri shook her head. “You’re about to get married. You don’t have time. Dez and I have space for her.”

  Mateo agreed. “Sherri makes a good point.”

  April crossed her arms over her chest. “I’m not getting married if Page can’t be there, so that’s a moot point. Ruby’s staying with me.”

  “What about what I want?”

  They turned to look at the girl. Mateo gestured to her. “Right. What do you want to do, Ruby?”

  The girl bit her lip. “I want to stay here with Page. I can sleep in the waiting room and eat in the cafeteria.”

  April went over to Ruby and put an arm around her shoulder. “Sweetie, I know you care about Page, but you also have to think about your baby. Would that be what’s best for all of you?”

  “I want to be close if she needs me.”

  Mateo considered her words, amazed at how much the girl had grown to care for Page in such a short time. “I’m with April. Any one of us would be willing to bring you up here to stay with Page during the day, but you should go home at night with someone, either April or Sherri.” He glanced at his cousin, who nodded.

  April said, “Mateo’s right. Page wouldn’t want anything to happen to you, Ruby, or the baby. And maybe the best place right now is with Sherri.”

  Ruby looked as if she wanted to argue, but then nodded. “Fine.” She removed herself from April’s grip and went to sit in a chair.

  Mateo glanced at Sherri. “Since you’re already approved to be a foster parent, I’ll file a temporary change of custody of Ruby to you.”

  April grimaced. “This is going to hurt Page and her chances of adopting Ruby’s baby, isn’t it?”

  “It certainly won’t help, but I’ll worry about that later. Right now, my priority is Ruby.” He put a hand on Sherri’s shoulder. “I’ll get the paperwork to you as soon as I can.” He glanced at the ward nurse, who was guarding the ICU entrance. “Is there any way I can get in to see Page?”

  April gave a soft nod. “I’ll see what I can do. But she might not be awake.” She left the waiting room.

  Sherri nudged him. “I’m glad you decided to come.”

  “You know how hard it is for me to be back here.” The memories threatened to choke him. “But you were right. I’m her lawyer, and she needs me to act on her behalf right now.”

  “You’re a lot more than just her lawyer, so when are you going to admit it?”

  April returned to them. “I can take you back to see her, Mateo, but you can only stay for ten minutes.”

  Ruby popped up. “Can I come?”

  April looked between them. “Okay.”

  April ushered Mateo and Ruby to the ward nurse, who pressed a button. With a loud buzzing, the doors to the wing swung open. Ruby took Mateo’s hand as the nurse guided them back to Page’s room.

  Page was lying on a bed hooked up with wires and tubes connected to machines that beeped and clicked. Her body was covered by silver blankets. “They’re cooling blankets to lower her temperature,” the nurse told them.

  Ruby asked, “Is she awake?”

  “She might be. Go ahead and talk to her.”

  Ruby stepped forward, but didn’t let go of Mateo’s hand. She placed her other hand on the top of Page’s bald head. “You have to get better. April threatened to take me shopping for a dress for her wedding, and you know how I feel about that.” The girl tried to smile, but the corners of her mouth turned down. “Please don’t die, too.”

  Mateo heard the girl’s plea and felt his heart break. How he’d once asked the same of his mom.

  The girl started to cry and turned into Mateo’s arms. He comforted her, keeping his gaze on Page, reminding himself that it wasn’t his mother he saw lying in the bed. Instead, she had a flush in her cheeks that spoke of vitality. Not the pallor that he had expected.

  He rubbed Ruby’s back. “She’s not going to die. She has a lot to live for.”

  They all did.

  * * *

  MATEO HAD JUST finished filing the temporary change in foster placement for Ruby at the county courthouse, when someone called his name. He spotted Greg Novakowski, his friend Jack’s father, and another Detroit cop coming toward him. He waited for the older man to reach him then held out his hand. “Good to see you, Greg.”

  “Meeting a client?”

  “Dropping off paperwork. You here on a case?”

  “Had lunch with your buddy, Judge Gorges. Do you have a moment to talk over a cup of coffee?”

  Mateo glanced at his watch. He’d been hoping to stop by the hospital to check on Page. But Greg wouldn’t have stopped him if it hadn’t been important. “Sure. Lolly’s, around the corner?”

  At the diner, Greg held up two fingers to the waitress who greeted them. They
were seated in a booth by the window. Mateo glanced outside and wondered what this could be about. He knew Greg by reputation and through Jack, of course. He’d been a cop for more years than Mateo had been alive. Rumor had it that he was looking to retire. They ordered coffee and Mateo waited to hear what the older man had to say.

  Once the waitress placed two mugs of coffee in front of them, Greg added cream to his and stirred slowly. “You know that Judge Gorges and I have been friends since my rookie days?”

  “No, sir, I wasn’t aware.”

  “He’s concerned about you.”

  “No reason he should be.”

  The older man eyed him, and Mateo had the urge to squirm in his seat. “He’s said he hasn’t seen you in his courtroom for a while.”

  “Isn’t that a good thing?”

  “Only if that meant your neighborhood crime rates were down.” He took a sip. “So are they?”

  Mateo was aware that Greg knew very well that they weren’t. Especially since he lived only a few streets from where Mateo had grown up. “I’m not taking juvenile-crime cases any more. I’m focusing on family law. Divorce. Adoptions. Child-custody cases.”

  “Uh-huh.”

  What was he supposed to say? He felt like he was being reprimanded by his father rather than by a friend. “I can’t take juvie cases any longer.” The man must have been an excellent interrogator. He had the cold stare down pat and obviously knew how to use silence to motivate the suspect to speak. In this case, Mateo felt as guilty as sin. “What do you want me to say?”

  “Let me tell you how I see it. You’re burnt out. I get it. We all get that way from time to time. But the key is not to stay out of the game, but to get refreshed and go back in.” Greg leaned forward. “Did Jack ever tell you that I took a six-month leave from the force?”

  Mateo mentally reviewed the stories that Jack had told him over the years. “No, sir.”

  “Like you, I got sick of the gang violence. Young guys trapped in the unending cycle of poverty and crime. It never goes away entirely, though sometimes things do get better.”

  “Except my clients keep getting younger.”

  “Maybe. The point is, I didn’t give up. I went back to the force, determined to make a difference. And I hope that after all these years, I have.”