Easter's Lilly (25 page)

“
Come with me, sir.” She led us down the hall.

We went to his room and he was lying in a bed with an oxygen mask on. “Hey, bro,” Max started. “We’ll be waiting for you, so hold on for me.”

“
Listen up, Hector,” I said. “You can’t take a bullet for me and not let me pay you back.”

He lifted up his oxygen mask and said, “I want you to care for me when I am well.”

“
I will, I promise,” I told him. Max looked at us uncomfortably. “Reach down inside, Hector. Max would be lost without you.”

“
And I without him,” he assured me. They wheeled him off and Max hugged me as tears fell from his eyes.

“
He’ll be okay, Max, I promise,” I said, hoping I could keep that promise. Hector looked bad. We sat in the waiting room for what felt like forever. “Mr. Montiago?” A nurse came to us from down the hall.

“
Yes,” he answered.

“
I have the DNA results.” She handed the file to Max. He looked up at me. “How is this possible?”

“
What? Who’s the father?”

“
I can’t believe it,” he continued. “How did he sleep with her and keep you so busy?” he asked. “What a damn pig!”

“
No!” I said. “Diego is the father?”

“
I’m going to start calling him superman,” he said. “How is this possible?”

I sat down in shock. “I think I hate him even more.”

“
It may have been a one time thing,” he suggested. “But there is no doubt… he’s the dad.” He handed her back the file and thanked her. She flirted with him a bit and walked off. He grabbed me and pulled me close. “I’m sorry, baby girl.”

“
For what?” I asked.

“
That this business has swallowed you up,” he continued. “My brother cheated on you while keeping you from me.”

“
I guess so,” I answered. I was still trying to wrap my mind around the whole thing.

“
I am forever yours,” he said. “Forever.” He hugged me tightly. “I think he loved you as much as he was capable of loving anyone.”

“
I wouldn’t call that love,” I replied. “Definitely not love.”

A nurse came out of the operating room, “Maxwell Montiago?”

“
That’s me,” he answered. “Hector?”

“
He is a strong man,” she told him. “No complications, he will be fine.” Max let out a sigh and hugged me. “Oh thank God!” He started talking in Spanish and looking up at the ceiling. “When can I see him?”

“
He’ll be in recovery for about two hours,” she answered. “Why don’t you go home and I’ll call you.”

“
I can’t leave,” he answered. “We’ll be in the hospital.” He wrote his cell phone number down on the file. “Please call me when I can see him.” She smiled and agreed.

“
It’s funny how you are acting with Hector right now.”

“
What about it?” He looked surprised.

“
Diego did just the same with you.” He looked away.

“
Maybe he just had a good day. I was laying in bed with holes in my chest, after all.”

“
It wasn’t like that.” I walked around him so that he was looking at me. “He was reading a Bible.”

“
He was not!” he said in disbelief.

“
I’m not kidding, a Bible.”

“
He must have misplaced it,” he said. He looked down at his watch.

“
You are all strong,” I said, trying to be reassuring. “He’ll be fine.”

“
Thank God,” he replied. “I don’t know what I’d do without him.” Then his face changed and I could see worry in his expression. “Although not happy about the closeness you two seem to have.”

“
You’re not serious.”

“
I know he wouldn’t pursue you on purpose,” he added. “But what if he falls in love with you, like I did?”

“
Max…” I grabbed his hand and put it on my stomach. “We’re having a baby. He smiled. “Hector is totally not attracted to me. He’s just being silly like you are and milking the fact that I…” I paused. “That I may have noticed the eight pack on his stomach.”

“
See,” Max said. “You even remember it was an eight pack.”

“
You’ve got one too,” I reminded him. “A
better
one.” He smiled and kissed me.

“
Mine is only a six,” he said in a sad, silly voice. “I’m being stupid, aren’t I?”

“
A little,” I answered. “He’s just trying to embarrass me. He seems to get a kick out of that.”

“
I know,” he added. “It’s part of our charm.”

“
Let him have fun with it,” I said. “His girl was just murdered and he is about to find out that Diego slept with her. I promise, Max, I saved the best for last.”

“
So, you don’t wonder about him?” he asked.

“
I wonder about how his mind works sometimes, but never his body,” I lied. I felt a little guilty saying that to him. There were many times when I had admired him from afar. There was even that one time when he wasn’t too far at all.

“
It’s just that…” He took a deep breath. “When we kid like that, we are putting it out there.”

“
Putting it out there?” I repeated. I really wasn’t sure what he meant.

“
Testing the waters.” He looked pensive for a moment. “Sometimes I think he just wants to see how you will react.”

“
I am absolutely sure you are misreading him,” I answered. “There is no sexual attraction there. We are brother and sister in the purest sense.”

He seemed satisfied with my answer. We waited for Hector as the news played in the background about the disappearance of the Montiagos and my dad. The whole hospital staff was eying us. Finally the nurse came and said, “He hasn’t awakened from the anesthesia yet.”

“
What does that mean?” Max asked.

“
He needs to wake up within the next 24 hours.” Her face looked grave.

“
Or what?” Max asked again. He was beginning to get impatient.

“
Or he may slip into a comma.” She paused. “He had serious internal injuries but he is strong.”

“
Can we see him?” he asked.

“
Yes, but you can’t bring the little boy with you,” she told us.

“
I’ll watch him,” a young nurse said to us. “He looks just like you,” she said to Max. We smiled at each other.

“
Thanks,” he said, flirting with her a little. “You’re very kind.” We went to see him.

He looked very pale. We went to his bedside. Max sat in a chair by his bed and put his face in his hands. I was stroking Hector’s hair. His body felt warm.

“
I’m afraid visiting hours will be over in an hour.” The nurse was walking around Hector hooking fluids up to him. “You will have to leave soon.”

“
I’m not leaving,” he said. He opened his wallet and showed her his ID. “I have to stay with him and make sure someone doesn’t show up to finish the job.”

“
Is this your wife?” she asked.

“
Yes,” he answered. She did not believe him.

“
May I see your identification please?” I showed her my wallet. We had the same last name but she was still not convinced. “Wait a minute.” She looked me over carefully. “Aren’t you Diego Montiago’s wife?”

“
She’s
my
wife,” Max insisted. “She can sleep on the recliner and I will sleep in the chair. The little boy in the hall will have to stay with us.”

“
That will be fine,” she said, walking off in a huff.

Little Diego slept beside me all night and when we awoke, Max was sitting beside Hector again. The news was on, playing softly in the background. I carefully slipped little Diego off of me and left him on the chair as I headed for Hector and Max. I stroked his hair again and watched Max’s desperate face gradually lose hope. Before too long I noticed something different about Maxwell… he was… crying. I had never actually seen him lose control before. “Max,” I said soothingly. I put my arms around him from behind his chair and touched my cheek to his. “He’s going to be all right. It’s Hector we’re talking about.”

“
Now who looks like a girl…?” we heard a voice say. When we looked up it was Hector. “And Lilly, can you keep doing that thing you were doing with your hand? It really felt nice.”

Max went to hug him but stopped himself. “Can I hug you or are you too fragile?”

“
You’d better hug me after all those tears I saw.” Max hugged him and got up quickly. He turned his face away from us as he started drying his eyes. I pushed the “call nurse” button. Max turned back around. “How long were you awake, Hector?” I asked.

“
Your fingers on my hair just felt so good. So warm.” He smiled. I think he was serious.

“
Save your strength, Romeo,” I said. “The nurse will be here in a second.”

Two nurses came running in. “Hector, it seems that you have finally decided to grace us with your presence.”

“
I love this place,” he said to Max, who had finally sufficiently regained control of himself.

“
Mr. Montiago!” The younger, pretty nurse yelled. “I would appreciate it if you would keep your hands to yourself and concentrate on getting better.”

“
Hector, behave yourself!” Max said in disapproval.

“
I’m sorry,” he said. “But it’s been a really long time.”

“
I apologize for my brother’s behavior,” Max added.

“
Mrs. Montiago, are you going to be staying tonight too?”

“
Oh no,” Hector said. “She’s not
my
Mrs. Montiago. She belongs to him.” He pointed at Max and Max laughed as he hugged me.

“
Thank God,” I answered.

“
I’m very single,” he continued.

The pretty nurse looked at him and said sarcastically, “I can’t imagine why.”

“
Seriously,” Hector said. “I apologize for my behavior. I will be good.” Both nurses left the room.

“
Max, we need to talk.” His face got suddenly grave.

“
We’ll talk tomorrow, Hector, right now you need to heal for me.” Max pulled up a chair and motioned for me to sit down beside his bed.

“
Diego, and Jorge… the news,” he blurted, a little more seriously. “We have to go find them.”

“
NO!” I said. “Absolutely not!”

“
Hector, tomorrow,” Max repeated.

“
We’ll leave her with Johnny,” Hector said.

“
I don’t think so, Max,” I said. “We need to talk.”

“
We can find them,” Hector continued. “Before they get to her.”

Max took his hand. “I love you, hermano,” he said. “Get well and we will talk tomorrow, I promise.”

“
We can find them,” Hector repeated.

“
How do you feel?” I asked, desperately trying to change the subject. I stroked his hair back again trying to calm him. He closed his eyes in pleasure.

“
I feel great, now that you’re here.” He smiled and lifted his hand to my face. “I’ll try to keep my shirt on from now on.” I pulled my face away and Max laughed.

“
Don’t push your luck,” Max said.

“
Don’t worry, Hector,” I warned. “Max has already made me forget.” Max grabbed my hand and squeezed it. “We’ll sit with you for a while. Just rest for now.” He closed his eyes and Max and I sat on a small couch on the side of the room.

“
He’s right, you know,” Max reminded me. “We have to find them.”

“
No, you are
not
leaving me again.”

“
I will give John a call,” he said.

“
Are you forgetting that he tried to rape me the last time I saw him?” I asked.

“
He’s on a different page now,” Max answered. “Besides he is heavily monitored by FBI so he doesn’t mysteriously disappear.”

“
No, you can’t leave me with him,” I argued. “You’re worried about Hector but not Johnny?” I asked.

“
Nope, not Johnny,” he answered. I made a face. “Too late, baby girl, your secret about his… abilities is out.”

“
Aren’t you worried that
he
might fall back in love with me?” I asked.