My Lost Daughter (41 page)

Once they reached the dance floor, Shana snuggled up against Norman, thrilled that he appeared to be having such a good time. “When you leave the hospital,” she said, “promise me you'll take your wife out dancing.”

Her eyes scanned the room but Alex had vanished. She had no idea what was wrong with him, and her arm still smarted from where he'd grabbed her. He hadn't hurt her by accident. She was almost certain he'd done it intentionally.

After she finished dancing with Norman, Shana saw Milton and pulled him onto the dance floor. Milton danced like a crazy teenager, so in this respect, his boundless energy served him well. Next she danced with David and even the priest. Her feet were killing her but she couldn't stop dancing. As soon as one dance was finished, someone else would approach her and she felt obligated to go back onto the floor.

Seeing Alex again, she returned and took a seat beside him. “Whew,” she said, feeling perspiration soaking through her dress. “That's it for me.”

“You mean your dance card is full.”

“No, my toes are crushed. I appreciate these nice shoes you gave me. I'm not certain they're my size, though.” She removed one of the white satin pumps and massaged her aching foot. “Everyone's having a wonderful time, thanks to you, Alex. You're a generous man.” She looked down and saw the inflamed area on her arm. “You almost twisted my arm off earlier. What was that about?”

Ignoring her question, Alex handed her a cold glass of punch. “I got you a fresh drink. You looked like you needed it.”

“You're always so considerate, Alex. That's why I—”

“We can go now. Because Morrow raised your level, you can leave anytime you want.”

Shana stifled a yawn. The extra dose of Valium, coupled with the physical activity, had made her feel woozy. “Shouldn't we wait for the others?”

An awkward silence ensued. “I didn't mean to hurt you, Shana. I just wanted to get out of here. The music is giving me a headache.”

Shana forgot about her arm as he obviously hadn't meant to harm her. He was a big man, and men were always doing things like that to her. She'd gone out with a football player once, and he'd almost broken her back when he had hugged her. Men didn't realize how strong they were. She was ready to leave the dance anyway. She wanted to find a way to get Alex alone.

George unlocked the doors and they both waved good-bye to the other patients, still dancing and mingling about in the gym. She swung her shoes back and forth in her hand as she walked barefoot on the sidewalk.

Suddenly Alex stepped in front of her. “I'm in love with you,” he told her. “I can make all your dreams come true if you'll only give me a chance. We don't have to stay here in San Francisco. We can live in Bora-Bora if you want.”

Shana grabbed him by his lapels and pulled him into the shadows. “I'm falling in love with you, too, Alex.”

He led her to an alcove where no one could see them. Without speaking, he kissed her forehead and then grabbed her cheeks in
his hands and kissed her passionately on the mouth. “I want you so bad, Shana. I've wanted you since the day I saw you.”

Before she could stop him, he dropped to his knees on the concrete and buried his head between her legs, moving her panties aside with his tongue. She wanted to resist but she couldn't. Her state of arousal was so intense, the probing of his tongue so delicious and exciting, she experienced a powerful orgasm. “Oh, Alex,” she said, panting, trying to unzip him, wanting him more than she'd ever wanted a man before. Just as she reached into his pants and pulled out his erect penis, she heard laughter and talking.

Alex moaned and then said, “The others must be coming back from the dance, damn it.”

Shana was completely obsessed with him now. She wanted to make love to him until the sun came up. “They can't see us, can they? I mean, it looks like we're pretty well hidden.”

He quickly repaired his clothing. “If we don't go back, George will come looking for us. I don't want the memory of the first time we're together to involve George, do you?”

She laughed and then grabbed his hand and placed it between her legs. How could she be aroused again? She'd just had an orgasm. “George can watch for all I care. I don't want to stop. I can't believe I want you so much. You're a fantastic lover.”

He was speaking fast now as the footsteps became louder. “I think they discharged your roommate. After bed check, I'll come to your room.”

The moment was shattered; Shana patted her puffy skirt down. “What makes you think they discharged Michaela? If anyone needs to be here, she does. I'm terrified she's going to suffocate me with a pillow.”

“We both have the same doctor and I'm sure he mentioned discharging her.”

“But all her things are still in the room.”

“Did she have anything of value?”

“Not really, just a stinky gown and a pair of slippers.”

“Just come to my room, then. I don't have a roommate.”

As soon as the group of patients walked past them, Alex pulled Shana from their hiding spot and they slipped in with the others. May saw them and smiled. Alex had lipstick smeared all over his face and one side of his shirt was sticking out of his pants.

“We don't have to go in yet,” he whispered. “All we have to do is let George see us.”

“But I'd like to take a shower so I'll be perfect for you.”

“You're already perfect.” The others went inside and Alex picked a flower for her, a gardenia. “This is what you smell like.” He nuzzled her neck. “And you taste like honey.”

They were standing next to the gardenia bush and the delightful fragrance filled the air. “Can I see your scar?” he blurted out. “The one on your leg.”

Her leg had been broken in a ski accident. The doctors had implanted a plate and five screws. She wondered how he knew about it and then decided he must have felt it when they were fooling around. “Why do you want to see my scar? I've had plenty of guys who wanted to see my tits, but no one has ever asked to see my scar.”

“When I was twenty-four, they found a malignant tumor on my leg. They removed it, but I was certain it would come back and they'd have to amputate my leg.” He stepped to one side of the door where he couldn't be seen, unfastening his belt and unzipping his pants, then slipping them down to his thighs. He took Shana's hand and placed it on his left leg, wanting her to feel the abraded scar tissue. As soon as she did, he quickly repaired his clothing.

Shana was flabbergasted. Alex's scar felt exactly like hers. It was on the same leg, about eight inches above his knee, and appeared to be the same width. “My ski accident happened when I was seventeen.” She thought Alex was the same age as she was, if not several years younger, but she had never asked him. “How old are you?”

“Thirty-five.”

“Really?” Shana said, shocked. “But you look so young. When I first saw you, I thought you were in your early twenties. I thought my accident might have happened around the same year you were
diagnosed with cancer. That can't be true because I'm only twenty-eight.”

“But it did happen the same year, exactly eleven years ago.”

She did the math and realized he was right. When she had been seventeen, Alex had been twenty-four. “Amazing.”

“What month?” he asked, excited.

“December.”

“They removed my tumor in December.”

“What are the chances of something like this happening?”

“Astronomical,” he said. “Don't you understand, Shana?”

“Not really,” she said, brushing her hair behind one ear. What point was he attempting to drive home? It was nothing more than a coincidence, although she had to admit it was a strange one. Were their matching scars supposed to be proof that they were soul mates? “Just because we both have scars doesn't mean anything. A lot of people have scars.”

Alex kissed her on the mouth. “We're destined to be together. What are the chances of two people such as us ending up in a place like this at the same time in history? Maybe these things happened to us because God was trying to move us in another direction. He wanted us to be together, don't you see? That's why we both had to come to Whitehall.”

Shana's face glowed. He believed in God. Most people laughed at her, especially when she told them she was a Catholic. She could count on her fingers the number of people she had met at Stanford who believed in God and weren't embarrassed to admit it. It was one of the reasons she didn't fit in.

She had to admit that some of what Alex said made sense. When she was close to him, she felt intoxicated, almost mesmerized. This must be what it felt like to fall in love. Maybe they were meant to step off the edge of the world together. She visualized them falling, their hands linked together like skydivers, their matching scars touching in the air. They were twins, cosmic twins. Shana felt her finger on the buzzer and saw Betsy crossing the floor to the door. “Destiny, right?”

“Destiny,” Alex proclaimed, smiling.

She had fallen so hard for Alex it was difficult to leave him, even though she knew it was only for a short time. “I'll meet you in your room. How long should I wait after bed check?”

“Come as soon as you can, just be careful. Sex between patients is one of the worst offenses you can commit here.”

“Are we talking Quiet Room?”

“You better believe it.”

Shana tensed and then smiled. She was flying so high, nothing could bring her down tonight. “That makes it even more exciting. Besides, they only have one padded cell and I pretty much destroyed it, so they'd have to put us in there together.”

Alex arched an eyebrow. “There's always the straitjacket.”

“Thanks for reminding me.” She placed her palm in the center of his chest. “I love you, Alex.”

“I love you more, much more.”

“Why?”

“Because I loved you from the moment I saw you,” Alex told her. “You didn't know what to think or do about me until tonight.”

“Whatever,” Shana said, pecking him on the cheek before she depressed the buzzer again to go inside.

THURSDAY, JANUARY 21
SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA

George handled bed check that night because of the dance, checking the patients off as they left the gym since there was no way to get out of the courtyard. Most of the lights in the hospital were either off or dimmed. Betsy was on duty and had her back turned, probably busy filling out reports. Shana decided it was as safe as it would ever be and headed to Alex's room.

She crept along the walls. When she got there, she knew she couldn't knock so she merely opened the door and stepped inside. The room was so dark she couldn't tell if he was even there. She flipped on the lights and then quickly turned them back off. Alex was sitting up naked in his bed. “Hi, baby,” she whispered. “This is so exciting. Are you ready for me?”

“More than ready.”

Making love in a twin bed was awkward because they were both so tall. He stroked her breasts and took one of her nipples into his mouth, then scooted down her body to her navel, titillating her with his tongue.

He finally got out of the small bed and positioned her on the edge with her legs up in the air. Then he lifted her lower body up
until he could reach it with his mouth. She was thrashing and moaning, overwhelmed with pleasure. He stopped just as she was about to have her second orgasm of the night and placed a finger over his lips, reminding her that she had to be quiet, a difficult proposition for someone that intensely aroused. When her body began violently trembling, he thrust himself inside. He exploded a few moments later, tossing his head back and letting out a long whoosh of air.

They lay side by side in the tiny bed, their foreheads touching and their legs entwined. Their bodies were hot and slick with perspiration. “You better go back to your room,” Alex whispered. “I'm afraid we'll go to sleep and Betsy will come in and catch us.”

Shana pouted. “But I don't want to leave you.”

“We only have until Saturday. After that, we'll be together for the rest of our lives.”

“I want to ask you so many questions. I mean, we know each other but then again, we don't know each other. Where do you live?”

“I live here for the time being.”

“Don't you have a house or an apartment?”

“I gave it up.”

“That might pose a problem. My mother may not pay the rent on my apartment if I don't go back to school, and going back to school is another problem because I'm too far behind in my work.”

His eyelids were heavy. “I have money, Shana. I told you I'd take care of you. Pick a place and we'll live there. As long as you're with me, I'll be happy. We can buy a house and start making babies if that's what you want.” He captured her face in his hands. “You don't get it yet, do you? You can have anything you want, anything. I'm really, truly rich.”

“What about the IRS problem?”

“I don't have a problem with the IRS.”

Shana was confused. “But isn't that why you're here?”

“No,” he said. “I'm here because I amassed a fortune but I somehow lost my will to live. All I wanted was someone who
loved me for myself instead of the money. You've met my mother so you know. She drives me crazy. Here, she can't get to me unless I let her.”

“What will we do about her when we get out?”

“I won't tell her where I'm living. That's why I dumped my house in the city.” He gave her a nudge in the side. “We can talk about all this tomorrow. You need to get back to your room now.”

Shana got out of bed and then tripped into what appeared to be a table or a desk. “What is this?” she said, feeling something with her fingers. When she touched what she recognized as a keyboard, she blurted out, “You have a computer! Why didn't you tell me? I could have e-mailed some of my friends. They would have come and helped me get out. All this time and you had a damn computer. I can't believe it. I just can't believe it.”