In Your Dreams (26 page)
“She
and Contel will remain in the Afterlife for now. They have...
issues
...they
need to work out. But it’s because of you they have the opportunity to do so.”
Issues.
Yeah, he knew first-hand about some of those issues, issues he’d overcome,
thanks to Isabelle. “You planned all this, didn’t you?” he accused Verity. “My
working with Isabelle, the unusual communication link between us, even the
birth of our daughter. This was all you and the Board meddling, right?”
The
Elder’s perfect aquiline nose crinkled, quirking one side of her smile. “Yes
and no. We cannot foresee the future or force anyone to do our bidding. We
offer our charges opportunities. How each of you uses the opportunities you’re
given is your choice. You and Isabelle made the choices we hoped you would. In
doing so, you’ve arrived at this moment. I’m proud of you, Sean. We all are.”
“Does
that mean I won’t be going to the Chasm?”
She
laughed. “No. There’ll be no Chasm for you. Your willingness to sacrifice for
others, including Isabelle and your daughter, showed us that you were worth
fighting for. Something I’ve known for a long time. To reward you, the Board
has decided to allow you and Isabelle to walk this life path together—as a family.
What you requested from the Board will come to pass: Isabelle’s tumor will no
longer threaten her life, her friends will acquire a child of their own, and
you, Sean Martino, shall know the blessings in life that all good men deserve.”
She wagged a finger, and her expression grew cross. “Don’t fuck it up this
time, Sean.”
One
arm wrapped around Isabelle, the other holding their daughter, Sean understood
all too well the magnificence of the gifts he’d received. “I won’t. Thank you.”
“Farewell,
my darlings.” Verity’s last words as she spun away carried them off into their
future with a promise. “May you know only joy for the rest of eternity.”
Turn
the page for a sneak peek at Book III of the Afterlife Series: Waiting in the
Wings...
Coming Soon from Gina Ardito:
Waiting in the Wings
Book III of the Afterlife Series
Chapter
1
“I’m
scared, Puff.”
Through
the stuffed bunny’s plastic black eyes, Morgan Cavanaugh watched the little
girl cower in the doctor’s waiting room. Her skinny legs, freckled with
mosquito bites around the ankles, swung to and fro as she stared at the door
and back to her favorite toy.
A
longtime employee of the Afterlife’s Children’s Services Department, Morgan had
watched over his charges as customary pets like dogs, cats, hamsters, and even
once, as a python. Stuffed animals were a little trickier, but if a dying or
scared child didn’t have a pet—as often happened—Morgan would become a favorite
toy or security blanket. The real idea was to give a child someone—or
something
—to
confide in. That explained why animals were a better choice. A dog or cat could
ease a child’s worries with a quick lick or an affectionate rub, though the
hamster and the python severely handicapped his ability to show compassion. As
did blankets and toys.
He’d
just been assigned Nichola Kendall after his final service for his last child,
a ten-year-old boy with the rare diagnosis of Alexander disease, a fatal
nervous system disorder. This was his first meeting with Nichola—in the
pediatrician’s waiting room where the pretty little girl clutched him, in his
role of Puff the pink bunny, with the strength of a vise.
“What if I’m really sick?” she whispered
into his fuzzy, satin-lined ear. “I can’t leave Daddy all alone...”
~~~~
Travis
Kendall paced the pediatrician’s office with leaden feet. Each step pounded a
message from his heart to his head:
It’s not true, it’s not true, it’s not
true
…
Someone
screwed up. That was the only logical explanation. An overworked technician
mixed Nichola’s medical records with another patient’s.
“I’m
afraid the tumor is malignant and very aggressive,” the pediatrician’s verbal
diagnosis penetrated the hazy fog of pain.
Guts
churning, Travis stared at the man in the white lab coat. Why did Dr. Shaw
insist on calling Nichola’s simple bump a tumor?
He’s
made a mistake. Doctors make mistakes, don’t they? She just has a swelling on
her upper cheek, an allergic reaction to a bug bite or bee sting. That’s all
. His baby couldn’t have cancer. She was
only eight years old.
In
confusion, he watched Dr. Shaw pull a life-sized model of a human face,
cross-sectioned on the right side, from a bookshelf behind his head. The doctor
placed it on the mahogany desktop and picked up a gold Waterman pen.
“In
Nichola’s case, the mass is localized below her right eye. That’s why she has
the swelling there.” He indicated the red and blue veined plastic orb with his
pen’s nub. “Based on the size and location, her prognosis is very encouraging.
In patients with similar symptoms, seventy percent are in remission within five
years. Those are excellent odds.”
Yeah,
right. Tell that to the parents of the other thirty percent.
Travis
bit his tongue to keep the retort at bay, but reality slapped him like an icy
Atlantic tide. His little girl had some life-threatening illness with a name he
couldn’t pronounce, much less spell.
Knees
weakening, he sank into a burgundy leather chair across from the doctor and
avoided staring at the gruesome plastic face with exposed muscles and bone
segments. His breath escaped in a defeated sigh. “What do we do now?”
“Sloan-Kettering
in New York City has an excellent rhabdomyosarcoma program. I want Nichola
there as soon as possible. Those doctors perform miracles we can’t hope to
achieve here.” He clasped his hands on the desktop, gaze holding steady on
Travis’s face. “I won’t lie to you, Mr. Kendall. You and your daughter have an
uphill battle ahead of you. Treatment could take anywhere from six months to a
year. The expenses, including travel costs to New York City ten to twelve
times, will be exorbitant, and due to the experimental nature of the therapy,
are not covered by your health insurance.”
If
not for the overwhelming desolation sweeping his chest, Travis might have
lunged across the desk and choked this man with the bland expression. A man who
could tell someone his daughter had a fatal disease as if predicting rain in
the weather forecast.
A cold front moving in from the west
…
“Still,
I know you want what’s best for Nichola,” Dr. Shaw said in his weatherman dialect.
Of
course he wanted what was best for his daughter. Hell, he’d toss himself in
front of a speeding train to keep her safe. But that kind of sacrifice wouldn’t
do diddly for this rhabdo-whatever. No, what he needed now was cold hard cash,
something a little scarce in his line of work. Handling legal matters in rural
Virginia didn’t exactly enrich his bank accounts, even if it did soothe his
tortured conscience somewhat.
How
in hell would he scrape up enough money to pay for all this? Only one solution
came to mind and the mere thought made him queasy. He’d have to call Lisette.
Well,
he told himself, he’d have to call her anyway. Even if she hadn’t remembered a
birthday or Christmas since she’d married what’s-his-face, she paid the
court-ordered child support religiously. He could set his calendar by the
receipt of that lilac-scented blue envelope. Of course, every one of those
checks went into Nichola’s college savings account. From the moment he’d gained
custody, he’d vowed to raise his daughter with little or no financial support
from his ex-wife. He wouldn’t go back on that vow now. Nor would he dip his
fingers into the money set aside for Nichola’s future.
Would
Nichola have a future? The question exploded in his mind before he could tamp
it down.
Yes.
She damn well
would
have a future. If he had to sell a vital organ to
guarantee it.
Other Books by Gina Ardito
Nobody’s
Darling
(Book I of the
Nobody Series)
Nobody’s
Business
(Book II of the
Nobody Series)
Nobody’s
Perfect
(Book III of the
Nobody Series)
Eternally
Yours
(Book I of the
Afterlife Series)
The
Gift of the Magic
(Short
Story in Mistletoe and Magic, a holiday anthology)
Duping
Cupid
(a Valentine’s Day
Short Story)
Duet
in September
(Book I of
the Calendar Girls Series)
Charming
for Mother’s Day
(A
Calendar Girls Novella)
Books by Gina Ardito writing as Katherine
Brandon
Kismet’s
Angel
(Book I of the
Kismet Series)
Kismet’s
Revenge
(Book II of the
Kismet Series)
Kismet’s
Salvation
(Book III of
the Kismet Series)
About the
Author:
Gina Ardito is multi-published in contemporary and paranormal
romance and has published several historical romances under the pen name,
Katherine Brandon. A native of Long Island, she has become a popular workshop
hostess for writers around the country. In honor of her dedication to career,
community, and family, she was named a Woman of Outstanding Leadership in the
field of Publishing by the International Women’s Leadership Association (IWLA)
in 2012. That same year, she launched her freelance editing business,
Excellence in Editing. In 2013, the IWLA honored her as one of the
organization’s delegates.
Gina lives with her husband of more than a quarter century,
their two children, and the characters who are still waiting for their stories
to be told. For additional information, be sure to visit her website:
www.ginaardito.com