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“Stop it,” Dario shouted, rising from his seat. “You’re all bad-mouthing Delaney, and none of you know what you’re talking about. None of you know her.”
“I met her,” Maria Sofia chimed in. “I think she’s nice. Her son is sick. Dayo needs to take a test of some kind for him.”
“A paternity test, I hope,” Vicente said.
Dario glowered. “I’m not a fool. That’s one thing I insisted on. All of you are no more shocked than I was. I thought it was impossible at first, but I need to know the truth. I’m going to do this,” he finished, clutching the back of his chair.
“I took down her phone number,” Maria Sofia said, holding up her cell phone. She scrolled through a list of numbers, stopped on one and offered the phone to Dario. “I can go along as your chaperone,” she said cheekily. “To stop you in case you’re tempted to take up where you two left off.”
“Maria Sofia, you must start acting like a lady!” Arturo thundered.
Glaring at her, Dario snatched the phone out of her hand and turned away, pressing the send icon, ignoring his brothers and father telling him to ignore Delaney.
* * *
BY TEN THAT NIGHT, Delaney gave up hope that she might hear from Dario.
While she’d waited, she had phoned Nickolas. He was such a perceptive kid. One of the first things he’d asked was, “Why are you sad, Mommy?” She’d tried to cover, telling him she was happy that she was coming home early and would see him the next day. She hadn’t talked long after that, because of course she felt sad and her voice conveyed it.
She decided to pack so she’d be ready to check out at first light. She was half in the closet with clothes draped over her arm when her phone rang. Panic raced through her at the late hour, and her first thought was that something had happened to Nick. She dropped the clothes and raced to the bedside table. The number on her phone display wasn’t from Texas, thank heaven. But her speeding heart didn’t slow. Maybe it was the airline calling to say there was a change or worse, a cancellation of her flight.
“He...llo,” she managed. Her hand shook so much she was in danger of dropping the phone.
“Did I wake you?” a deep male voice inquired.
Delaney heard an explosion of other men talking in the background, some in Spanish, some English. “Excuse me?”
“Delaney? Don’t hang up. It’s Dayo.”
She gripped the phone more tightly, listening more closely to the background comments. Dario was catching heck from his family. She flinched when one man’s derisive tone rose above the others in clear English, saying, “Dayo, you are a fool to drop everything and dance to the tune of a woman who didn’t have the decency to tell you before this that you might be a father.”
Delaney thought it sounded like Vicente, the man who’d answered the intercom.
A gruffer man broke in angrily in mixed language. “I’m ordering you to stay here, Dario. That woman hurt our family. Can’t you see she’s la maliciosa?”
Delaney didn’t know the term, but she was willing to bet it wasn’t good.
Dario shouted, masking the others. “I need a few days to wind down projects on the estancia, then I’ll fly to Texas. You mentioned Lubbock. Is that where you’re living now?”
“I’m staying near the hospital there. Nick is waiting for a slot to open up in a study in San Antonio. So you’re really going to be tested?”
“First, I want DNA checked. Tell your doctor to order that. The next step depends on the results.”
“It’s an extra step, but okay, if that’s what it takes,” she said—but, what did he mean by seeing where to go from there? “DNA results take a week or more. A second cheek swab done at the same time would get you on the national registry. Why not do both?”
“Don’t push me, Delaney. I’m getting enough flak from my family.”
“I can hear that. But my concern is for Nickolas.” She sighed. “Do you want to call me after you land, so I can come to the airport and pick you up?”
He hesitated several seconds, and Delaney thought he was going to hang up without answering. But he finally said a bit less curtly, “I’ll arrange for a hotel cab at the airport. Give me the name of the hospital.”
Tired and a bit sick at heart for the changes five years had wrought in the man she still had feelings for, Delaney gave Dario the information he had requested. He didn’t say goodbye. She held her phone for quite a while, a range of emotions battering her. Some anger, yes, but more sorrow. When at last she put down the phone, her most fervent prayer was that he’d follow through on his travel plans.
It wasn’t until she’d finished packing and had crawled into bed that Delaney began to suffer a new set of worries. While it stood to reason that Dario would be curious about Nickolas and would want to see him, how on earth would she introduce them? She had put off mentioning Dario to Nick. She couldn’t very well say, “Hey, Nick, my little cowboy, this stranger barging into your room is your father.” No, she couldn’t say that. Even after DNA proved paternity, even if Dario went ahead with the blood screenings, even if luck was on their side—and that was a big if—when all was said and done Dario would return to his life in Argentina. She and Nickolas would go home to La Mesa. She couldn’t risk letting Nick get his heart broken if he got attached.
She barely slept. Once she got on the plane, however, she convinced herself that all she could do was to face each hurdle as it came up. She needed to place all her hopes on Dario Sanchez being the perfect match.
Chapter Three (#ulink_c37a5f8e-19be-527f-af34-9c792e2f6122)
Delaney’s flight home wasn’t a nonstop. When she landed in Miami, she checked her messages and found she had a voice mail from Dr. Avery. Her body went icy, then hot, then icy again. Her steps faltered as she searched for a semiquiet spot to listen.
“I’m sorry to bother you on your trip, Delaney,” the message started off. “Nickolas told me you would be home tonight. I have some information that will undoubtedly affect some of your plans. Dr. Von Claus contacted me with good news. His expansion grant was accepted. He wants Nickolas admitted in San Antonio, and he’s arranged for a bed as soon as we can fly Nickolas down. We spoke at length, and I agree it’s the best option for Nick. I took the liberty of lining up a medical flight for the two of you tomorrow afternoon. Of course it hinges on your approval.”
In spite of the butterflies in her stomach, Delaney quickly called him back. “This is Delaney,” she said when Dr. Avery answered.
“Goodness, are you back in town already?” he asked.
“No, I have a layover in Miami. Does this mean Nickolas won’t need a marrow transplant after all?”
“No, no. He must have a marrow donor. But Dr. Von Claus’s program has been successful in stimulating the patient’s energy, which lets his team lower the frequency of radiation. All of that will hopefully give you more time to find a marrow donor.”
“His father has reluctantly agreed to fly to Texas for blood tests.”
“That’s wonderful! I hadn’t received any test requests. So, he’s coming here, rather than being tested in Buenos Aires?”
“Yes, he wants DNA tests done first. It’s infuriating and humiliating.”
“I’m sorry, Delaney. Some men find it difficult to face hard truths.”
“That’s a nice way of saying he’s being a jerk.”
“Ah...well, it’s a matter of opinion, I suppose. And you’re entitled to your feelings. When is he arriving?”
“Dario needs a few days to wind up his business before he leaves Argentina. I’m not totally sure when he plans to get here.”
“I’ll alert Dr. Von Claus to prepare documents needed for all the tests. One thing in your favor, Delaney, with the larger facility in San Antonio, they have much greater access to labs. DNA results shouldn’t take long.”
“I guess that’s something. You know I’m for anything that has a shred of promise to help Nick get better. Please, arrange the transfer, Dr. Avery. I’ll sign authorizations tonight. It will be midnight or later, but I’ll come straight to the hospital from the airport.”
“I’ll leave the necessary release forms with the ward clerk on Nick’s floor.” He gave her a bit more information about the receiving hospital, then said, “Delaney, don’t be too hard on Nick’s father. Remember we want his cooperation. The old saying is you catch more flies with honey than with vinegar.”
“I know. I really do know that.” It was just so disappointing that he didn’t believe her. Didn’t trust her. After she hung up, Delaney took several deep breaths. Then she scrolled to Maria Sofia’s number. She should have gotten a number from Dario when he contacted her at the hotel, but she’d been so irritated by his attitude that she’d forgotten to ask.
The girl answered on the second ring, but their connection had static. “Maria Sofia, this is Delaney Blair.”
“Are you still in Argentina?”
“No, I left Buenos Aires early this morning. I’m awaiting my connection in Miami. Could you give Dario a message? Nickolas’s doctors will be moving him to San Antonio tomorrow.” She gave the girl the name of the facility. “I hope Dario hasn’t already booked a flight to Lubbock.”
The connection was bad, but Delaney caught Maria Sofia’s promise to let Dario know right away. “Our call is breaking up,” Delaney said, plugging one ear and moving nearer to a window. “I’ll be in Lubbock around midnight, Texas time, should Dario want to check anything else with me. Otherwise it’s the same plan, just a different hospital in a different city. Adios.”
She still had time to call Nickolas.
“Mommy, where are you? Last night you said you’d see me today.” He sounded fretful. Delaney was racked with guilt for leaving him in the first place to go on a wild-goose chase. Although, if Dario turned out to be a match, it would be worth every minute of her time.
“I’m at the airport, honey. I’ll be boarding a plane soon, and that will bring me closer to you. Remember I told you last night I didn’t get to only fly on one plane to get home. I’ll see you tonight, but don’t try to stay up, because you need your rest, and it’ll be very late when I land. I’ll wake you up and let you know I’m there. I promise.”
“Did you buy me a present? Henry’s daddy came to see him today and brought him a Dallas Cowboys shirt. I want one.”
Delaney had been walking toward her gate, and it so happened there were gift shops galore. She checked her watch to make sure she had enough spare time to stop at one. “How about a Miami Dolphins shirt instead?” she asked, finding a table of kids’ shirts on sale right inside the door.
“Okay, I guess. Mommy...Henry asked where my daddy works. I told him I don’t got a daddy. He laughed and said everybody’s got one.”
Delaney’s heart seized for a moment as she waited in line to pay. Was it Murphy’s Law? Up to now she’d never needed to have this conversation with Nickolas. Henry was older than Nick, so it was understandable he might ask such questions.
“Nick, honey, Mama has to go board her plane. You be a good boy for the nurses, and I’ll see you in a few hours, okay?”
“Okay. Bye.”
She pocketed the phone, and paid for the shirt and tucked it into her carry-on. She’d never lied to Nick about the absence of his father. She had put off getting into it with him—waiting, she supposed, for when he went to school. Nick knew Zoey Bannerman had a dad, and yet he’d never asked her why he didn’t have one. The subject had never come up before. Now it had. Boy, howdy, just what she didn’t need—another problem to deal with.
More anxious than ever to get home, she forced her mind to things other than Nick’s absentee father.
San Antonio would provide a whole new block of prospective Latino donors. If things didn’t work out with Dario, she would need help arranging a recruitment event. She’d also need someone to drive her car to San Antonio, since she would fly with Nickolas. Maybe Jill Bannerman and Amanda Evers, her friends from La Mesa, would do that, and help her organize a campaign to register a new batch of prospective donors.
Her flight was called, temporarily stopping her planning. Delaney stood and gathered her things. Once boarded and settled, she got lost in thought again. It took a while, but she finally admitted she needed to feel as if she was doing something productive while she waited for Dario to be tested. Or with luck, maybe a stranger-donor would magically show up if she cast a wide enough net around San Antonio.
She tried to read one of her veterinary journals, but her mind skipped back to Dario, back to how good he had looked, back to how cold he had been. So, wouldn’t it be the perfect retribution to find a stranger donor and be able to tell Dario she no longer needed him?
Or not.
Deep down Delaney couldn’t help wishing he’d been someone she could lean on. Yes, she had done her best after he’d pulled his vanishing act to put him out of her mind. Of course he’d always lurked there. And now that he was back in the flesh, gosh darn it, he was stuck there. Her heart had a far more charitable opinion of him than her head did.
A few hours later when her flight landed in Lubbock, she was bone weary and champing at the bit to see Nickolas. Delaney retrieved her bags and rummaged in her suitcase for a sweater to ward off a nip of fall in the air. Nick had taken ill in late May, and here it was almost October. Oh, how she hoped he wouldn’t have to spend Halloween in the hospital. But that, too, was probably wishful thinking.
She arrived at the hospital after midnight. Per the hospital rules, she stopped at the main desk to check in. The night registrar knew her well, since she’d been there through Nick’s first bout with cancer, too. “Is everything all right with your son, Dr. Blair?” the woman asked. “Or did you go out for a breath of air before I came on shift?”
“I’ve been out of town for a couple of days, Marge. I know Nick will be asleep, but I promised him I’d come in when my flight arrived. I’ll probably spend the night at his bedside. Tomorrow he’s being transferred to San Antonio.”
The sympathetic clerk shot Delaney a look of concern.
“Nick’s doctor says it’s a positive move,” she assured the woman. At this small hospital, staff became like family.
“Then, that’s good,” the woman said. “Would you like me to have an orderly prepare you a cot?”
“Thanks, but the chair reclines. I don’t want to disturb his roommate.”
A harried-looking man entered the hospital and approached the desk, so Delaney waved and headed for the elevators. She rode up with a couple of tired-looking interns. They got off on the surgical floor. Delaney went up two more floors to the pediatric area, which split off into a variety of wings. She was all too familiar with the cancer ward.
At the nursing station she was again greeted like an old friend. One of Nick’s favorite nurses, a young, dark-haired and cherry-cheeked woman, smiled and handed Delaney a folder. “Dr. Avery said you’d be by quite late. After you check on Nickolas, if you’d like to go to the waiting room, look these over and sign where the doctor put red x’s, we should be able to get his transfer scheduled for tomorrow afternoon. I hate to see him go, but professionally speaking, I hope they can help him make a full recovery.”
“You and me both, Jessie.” Delaney took the folder and tucked it under her arm. Glancing back, she said, “I’ll probably spend what’s left of the night. I’d appreciate it if someone can drop off a blanket.”
The nurse nodded, and Delaney went down the hall. She peeked in, then entered Nick’s room. She was always struck by how small he looked in the bed. One arm was hooked up to a hydration drip, and the other was curled tightly around his stuffed cow. She set the folder and her purse on the chair and riffled her fingers through his dark hair. Last time, chemo had left him nearly bald. This time they were using only radiation. It had other devastating effects, but he hadn’t lost his hair.
Was it her imagination or were his eyelids more translucent and bruised-looking? He seemed thinner, if possible, from when she’d left him. The radiation gave him stomachaches, and on the days he had the treatments, he didn’t eat. Was he wasting away before her eyes? Could Dario reverse it?
“Mommy?” Nickolas barely uttered the word, but his eyes, open now, looked large and dark in the soft glow of light that was always on behind the bed.
She leaned down and pressed a kiss to his forehead. “Shh. It’s very late, and we don’t want to disturb Henry.”
Nodding, he touched her face. “Did you bring my football shirt?”
“I have it. You can see it in the morning when there’s better light.”
“Okay. Will you stay?”
“Yes. I have to go sign some papers for Dr. Avery, but I’ll stay right here until after you go back to sleep. And I’ll be here when you wake up in the morning.”
He didn’t respond but grasped her hand, forcing her to perch awkwardly on the edge of the recliner. She watched his incredibly long eyelashes as his eyes slowly drifted shut. She loved him so much. Her heart was a lump of lead in her chest. Nick was incredibly trusting, as if he believed her very presence could make him better. If only that were true.
Sitting in the semidarkness amid the clicks, hums and beeps of the equipment monitoring her child’s vital signs, Delaney found herself praying that Dario would show up in San Antonio and his blood would be near enough a match to Nick’s to give their son a chance for a full recovery. So many times of late she had bargained with God for Nick’s life. She didn’t know what she had to give in exchange, but she’d put everything on the table.
Delaney brushed his warm little fingers with her thumb until his hand relaxed and dropped away from hers. Only then did she take the folder and go down to the empty waiting area. As a rule there were always anxious parents or other family members there, sitting in quiet groups, drinking coffee from the large industrial pot. Tonight she didn’t want coffee. But after reading the same paragraph several times without making sense of it, she rose and poured herself a cup. The aroma alone helped her digest the complicated content. She read to the end of the document, then sat and stared into space.
Her signature would permit Dr. Von Claus to place Nick in an experimental program where limited data suggested promise of beefing up his energy. As always there were risks. He might be allergic to the experimental cocktail of meds, for example.
Rising, she went to the sink and dumped what remained of her coffee. She remembered back to the boy her son had been after he’d gone into remission, before the fevers had returned with a vengeance. He’d been a normal, happy-go-lucky kid whose curiosity had seemed boundless. Now he was pale and wan, and intermittent fevers sapped his will to get out of bed.
Yawning, she paced around the table and massaged tight knots in her shoulders. If only she had family with whom to bat around the pros and cons of this offer. She hesitated to call it an opportunity, because all results from the study weren’t rosy.
Did she trust Dr. Von Claus and Dr. Avery? Without answering her own question, she picked up a pen and scribbled her name beside the red x’s. As a veterinarian there were times she’d given advice based on her gut instinct and sketchy evidence. Closing the folder, she took it back to Nurse Jessie. Then she took the thin blanket the nurse had scrounged up and hurried back to Nick’s room where she relaxed as best she could in the recliner.
* * *
A CRESCENT MOON and a few stars still adorned the lavender early morning sky when Dario exited the hacienda and tossed two suitcases into the back of his Range Rover. He was flying off to Texas, and he hadn’t slept much over the past several nights. His ears still rang from the daily battles with his father and his older brother, who also thought he ruled the roost now. Lorenzo had bowed out of the squabbles shortly after Delaney’s visit.
Dario thought about how much he disliked arguments, unlike the other hotheaded men in the Sanchez family. He’d tried to reason with them, then cajole them. He’d appealed to their sense of duty. Nothing swayed the old man or Vicente. During last night’s fracas at dinner, his father had threatened to have Benito Molina, the estancia attorney, strike Dario’s share in the hacienda and the business. Then Maria Sofia had waded in, demanding to know why she didn’t get an equal share of the family holdings, which opened a whole other debate. The three sons knew, of course, that su padre believed women should be taken care of by their father, brothers or husbands. Their little sister had her own strong views on that.
Hoping he could put the whole mess behind him while in Texas, Dario fastened his seat belt and thrust the key into the ignition. All at once the rear passenger door opened, and he saw a bag or two tossed in before the door slammed and he was plunged into darkness. Then the front passenger door opened, and Maria Sofia climbed in.
“What in the devil are you doing?” Dario roared.
“Going to Texas with you,” she said, settling into her seat. “We’d better hurry, or we could miss the flight.”
“We are not going anywhere. You, Maria Sofia, are staying here.”
She shook her head.
