Someone to Love (28 page)

We passed the main corridor without any difficulty, reaching the department without arousing suspicion. Roberta peered through the glass door, to make sure no one was in the room. “Go ahead,” she whispered. We entered, turning round one last time, fearful that someone might notice us, but the corridor was empty. The room was shrouded in semi-darkness and smelt of disinfectant and medicines. Martina was lying motionless on the bed, clutching a pillow to her chest. A needle was sticking out of her with a drip and she was attached to a machine.

Martina didn't seem to be that happy and carefree being she had been during our afternoons outdoors. Her chest rose and fell slowly with a mechanical movement. Her hair was sticky and covered her sweaty face. I wanted to give her my heart, just to relieve her.

Her mother knelt down, exhausted, and put her hands on the steel bars of the bed.

“Martina, look at me…” she begged her, sobbing.

She stroked the little girl's hand with her fingers and Martina tried to lift her eyelids with difficulty. “There you are, my love. Good girl, wake up. Look who's come to see you”. She turned to look at me. “Mummy kept her promise.”

Martina licked her dry and chapped lips.

“Here, drink, darling,” said her mother, handing her a glass of water. “Let's sit up,” she added, raising the backrest.

Roberta offered to help and arranged the pillows behind the child's back. “Didn't you want to see Casper? Try calling him.”

Martina scanned the room. When they met mine she let out a faint smile.

“Call him,” I urged her gently.

She whispered his name. A faint and weary sound that only a non-human ear could perceive.

Casper jumped from his shelf under the cart and trotted towards her. A large sheet, from which protruded only the part of his nose turned up to sniff the air, covered him.

The girl laughed with difficulty. From the minute she saw him, her look changed. She had changed.

“You're so beautiful,” she said, trying to lean over the edge of the bed to admire him.

Roberta was near the door and peered out occasionally to be sure that we weren't running any risks.

“Mum…” muttered Martina.

“Tell me, honey.”

She swallowed hard. “Open my bag,” she whispered, pointing to the next cabinet.

Casper stood on his hind legs trying to get closer and her hand slipped onto his head, stroking him gently.

“Mum, get the biscuits. I want to give him a treat.”

I found myself doing something unexpected, I put Casper carefully on the bed. I stepped back a few steps and leaned on the wall, admiring the scene before me in all its splendour.

Casper licked Martina's face and she wriggled for the tickling.

“Thank you,” she murmured, hugging him. “Now that I've seen him, I promise not to cry any more. Only, now I'm very tired…”

Roberta came up to one of the machines placed near the bed and checked her heartbeat. “You'd better go now,” she apologized, pointing to Casper and I.

“What's happening?” asked Martina's mother with a worried tone.

“The doctor will come to visit soon,” said the nurse, regulating the flow of liquid in Martina's drip. “I'll walk you out, maybe it's better.”

I nodded and urged Casper to climb on the cart. When I asked him to get off the bed, he stared at me with eyes full of sadness.

“Casper, I love you,” whispered Martina, turning to him.

I left at once, almost running, without thinking of the possible consequences of what I had done for I had just broken the rules by bringing an animal into her room.

I drove for hours in no particular direction and the annoying ring tone of the phone gave me no peace. I left it ringing in the hope that sooner or later the battery would run out. I pulled into a side street and concentrated on my breathing in a vain attempt to regain control. My eyes were burning and I had an upset stomach. What was I supposed to do? I just wanted to get an answer.

“Granny!” I cried desperately, gripping the steering wheel so tightly that my knuckles turned white. Time had stopped and I was suspended in a dimension created in my mind, a slave to my emotions. An unexpected noise tore me from my trance-like state. I blinked my eyelids several times, unable to figure out where I was.

I reached into the bag to retrieve my cell phone and put an end to its constant ringing. I took a breath and spoke.

“Hello?” I asked, confused.

First I heard some commotion, followed by her voice. “You were right, we did a miracle!” she exclaimed, full of enthusiasm.

“Excuse me?”

“It's coming,” she cried, euphoric. “Martina's new heart is coming.”

I let out a squeal of joy. The phone slipped from my hand and bounced on the seat, finishing on the mat. It was true, it had really happened, although I struggled to believe it. Life was always full of surprises, after all.

I started the engine and accelerated towards the hospital.

“Miss Mia!” squealed a familiar voice behind me. It was Patty. How could one forget the intrusive sweet scent which saturated the air, giving me the impression I was suffocating?

From the day we met at the supermarket she hadn't showed up at the clinic and I had hoped with all of my heart never to see her again.

I turned, putting the papers that I was consulting back on the desk, and shook her hand firmly. “Good morning, Patty. White really suits you, it highlights your tan.”

“Yes, my husband and I treated ourselves to a small trip to celebrate our anniversary,” she said, fingering her pearl necklace. “You are in good shape too,” she replied, raising her eyebrows.

I looked at her nervously. “Thank you, work makes me happy.”

She stood still for a moment watching me with her big eyes.

“Work, you say?” she asked, using a suspicious tone.

“For how long are you going to feel resentment towards me?” I asked, tired of this situation.

She tilted her head. “You'll never find another man like my son.”

“How could you say otherwise, you're his mother…” I finished, sighing.

Patty pursed her lips. “No, it's not that. You're Roberto's daughter or have you forgotten?”

They were poisoned words. My father was a well-known man in the city. Patty knew that my family were wealthy. But I didn't feel I belonged in that environment, I was different from them and had never embodied the prototype of the rich and stylish woman like Lucy or my mother.

“I haven't done anything wrong. Alberto is a wealthy doctor, charming and intelligent, he will certainly find a woman who loves him. But I'm not that woman.”

“Remember that certain bonds are bonds of blood, everyone knows who you are,” she said sullenly. “People will talk and you can't stop them. You'll always have their eyes on you, they will finger you as the black sheep who has chosen to live with a cheap cop.”

I let out a laugh, which I stifled with my hand. “I made my choice many years ago, yet you still come to my clinic. There are others nearby, if the matter bothers you.”

Customers in the waiting room threw curious glances at us. Soon the news would spread, but I didn't care. Let everyone talk about the vet who fell into the arms of the seductive southern Italian policeman. Diego had certainly not chosen me for my last name.

Patty stiffened and chuckled. “I have no reason to change clinic. I have no problem admitting that yours is the best in the entire city. I just wanted you to know that my son is suffering… and I want you to think about my offer.”

“To think about what, sorry?” I asked, puzzled.

“To think about what I'm about to offer you,” she said, satisfied, pulling a green envelope out of her bag. “You should have received one yourself.”

I had found a notice in the mailbox, but I was distracted by other commitments, so I hadn't been to the post office to pick it up. I was really upset and didn't know what to expect. What did she want?

“Open it,” she ordered me, handing it over.

I hesitated a moment, then curiosity got the upper hand.

My hands trembled as I opened it. I read the first few lines and had to lean against the counter to keep my balance.

“What does it mean?” I stammered, in a panic.

Patty raised an eyebrow. “You have a few weeks to think about my proposal. That is a court summons. Your dog attacked me and I still carry the marks on my arm.” She raised her sleeve to show me the bandage. “And lately I've kept an eye on you in the hospital,” she added softly. “If you accept, it will remain between us and no one will know about it.”

I shook my head and stepped back a pace.

Fiamma made her entrance into the waiting area to call one of the clients and noticed my pale face immediately. “Can I do anything?” she asked, waving at Patty with a nod.

“No, I'll just go outside for a moment to settle this matter. I'll be right back,” I whispered with a lump in my throat. I pointed at her to follow me, and led her to the parking lot at the back. “Now we are far from prying ears. What does this document mean?” I cried, waving the paper in front of her eyes.

She took my hand and paralyzed me with a cold stare.

“You know, Mia,” she began, “in my life I had the good fortune to meet many people and to get everything I wanted. I thought I'd live a life free of difficulties, but that wasn't so. I have a cancer that is eating my body away, and I haven't got much time,” she explained, leaning against the wall to catch her breath. “I'm very tired. The disease makes me weak and I would like to close the circle of life seeing Alberto happy. I want him to have everything and to give me a grandson. I need that baby, do you understand? I want to die in peace, knowing that I haven't missed anything.”

I didn't know whether I felt pity or hatred for her almost insane behaviour.

“I can't help you, I'm sorry.”

“You can do a lot, actually. See, because of my illness, I often visited the hospital and I heard of a red haired girl who leads dogs in the garden for pet therapy. I looked out of a window and saw you. You were beautiful and smiling while you played with those children, and from that moment I felt something grow inside me,” she revealed. “It will be a blow for them.”

I was about to explode. “You're so full of resentment towards life that you'd do anything to hurt others. Lying to frame me with a personal injury lawsuit will not save you. I'm sorry,” I shouted with annoyance.

She shrugged. “Poor Mia. I have scratches from your dog and medical reports that can confirm it, only I'll say that you attacked me instead, so I ask you to think about the opportunity I'm giving you. Get back with Alberto and I promise you I'll do everything to get you what you want, and you will not have any obstacles in your work and pet therapy. Many people who work in the hospital owe me favours.”

“I can't believe it…” I whispered. I hit the wall with my fist, hurting my knuckles. “It wouldn't surprise me to imagine that you paid some doctor to collaborate with this charade. Stop playing the part of the victim because it doesn't suit you. So, let's hear it, what will you do if I don't accept?”

A satisfied smile grew on Patty's face. “No, it's not about paying someone, but knowing the right people. It amazes me that you just don't get it, because I know that many doctors are against having your dogs in the hospital,” she explained, as if the matter was obvious. “If you don't agree, you must stand in the court of justice and give your version of the facts, but I don't know how easy that will be. My witnesses are ready to defend me and you know very well that you shouldn't play with fire.”

Here it is, the truth. It burned while I tried to assimilate it.

I closed my eyes and re-opened them, praying to wake up from this nightmare. But it was reality and it was ruthless. I watched Patty's malignant expression.

“How dare you…” was all I managed to say, before Antonio called me.

“Mia, can you come? You're needed.”

I nodded, nauseous.

“I'll be right there,” I said quickly. Then I turned to Patty. “You're wrong. I may be the black sheep of the family, but in my veins flows the same blood as my father and my mother,” I said before disappearing, leaving her alone in the deserted parking lot.

I walked with clenched fists without taking my eyes off the ground, pushing my nails into the flesh.

“What did she want?” asked Antonio, worried. “I could hear your voice from here.”

“Patty is suing me for bodily injury,” I limited myself to, in reply.

“Tell me it's a very bad joke, because I can't believe it's true,” he muttered angrily. “Did you really attack her?”

“Come on, Antonio. Of course not!” I reproached him, rather irritated. “It's a long story that I thought was over, but I was wrong. Now I'm not in the mood to talk about it.”

“Everything will be fine. Discuss it with Diego, and everything will work out. It can't end like this—” he finished, his voice breaking.

I frowned, unable to reciprocate.

He gently took my cheeks in his hands. “ Fiamma and I will be by your side, we'll think of a solution.”

“Thanks,” I muttered, grabbing my hand bag and leaving quickly. The only thing I wanted to do was to run away, far away.

*

I pressed the intercom button and addressed the camera in front of me.

“Mia, what are you doing here?” It was Lucy's voice, as authoritarian and cold as ever.

“Is Federico at home?” I asked, without hesitation.

There was a moment of silence, as if she considered the possibility of not answering, then the gate opened. “Of course, come up.” There were three flights of stairs and I was still searching for the right words to justify my sudden appearance. It had been nearly two years since I last set foot in that house.