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“Good night, Mr. Roth,” Lund said.
“Hey, can I talk to Suki real quick?”
“Sure.”
Lund switched the speaker off and handed the phone to Suki.
“Hi, Dad.”
“Hey. I just . . . I wanted to say how proud I am of you. You saved us in the arena. And you’re saving the family again. Keep listening to your instincts, okay? The warnings you keep getting. You were right to leave the hospital.”
“Thanks,” Suki said, her throat suddenly clenching with emotion. Her dad didn’t dole out praise all that often, so it felt more meaningful when he did.
“Keep your eye on Mom. She has insulin in her, which is good. But she doesn’t have much more, so she may allow her sugar to run high to make it last longer. I’ll work with Monica to get her a new pump and supplies for when you arrive, but make sure she’s drinking enough and eating healthy. No waffles and syrup from the hotel for breakfast, okay?”
“Got it,” Suki said. She was hoping there would be waffles, although she suspected Lund would be choosing their breakfast and wearing a disguise when he picked it up. They certainly couldn’t go down there as a group. “Take care of the twins, okay? Don’t let them watch too many gamers on YouTube.”
Her dad’s laughter made her smile. “I think they’re watching SpongeBob with Jordan right now. We’re good. I love you, Suki. Can I say good night to Mom?”
“Sure. Love you too, Dad.”
Suki wasn’t that keen on showing her emotions. But after all they’d been through, she realized how important it was to say the words. You never knew when another chance would come—or not.
Her mom had fallen asleep, so Suki gently shook her shoulder to wake her. She smiled and took the phone back. “Jonny.”
As her parents spoke, Suki sat on the bed and wrapped her arms around her knees. Her gaze kept returning to her mom. She still couldn’t believe she had her back, that she was herself again, really and truly. Ix Chel had a power greater even than Aztlán, which had made Jacob Calakmul younger. They didn’t know much about the magic that had made this work, but they were all grateful for it.
“I love you,” Sarina whispered. “So much. I hope you understand why I stayed. Ix Chel needed me, and I knew the kids had you. Jane Louise had no one. I felt . . . I couldn’t bear to leave her. And I sensed that Suki was coming. I knew I had to be there to get them both out.”
Suki felt tears prick her eyes. She loved her mom. Her selflessness, her willingness to sacrifice herself to help others. She respected her mom’s decision not to try to escape.
“I love you too, Jonny. Good night. We’ll see you tomorrow.”
The hotel door beeped and unlocked, and Lund entered carrying a tray of food from the breakfast buffet. Scrambled eggs, sketchy bacon, some waffles and syrup cartons, fresh fruit. The TV was blaring the morning news and traffic report as he set the tray down on the worktable.
“I’m going to get the drinks,” Lund said. “Apple juice, orange juice, milk? What do you want?”
“Apple juice,” Jane Louise said.
“Milk is good,” Suki said.
“I’ll have water,” her mom said. She looked tired but rested. Lund looked like he had indeed been up all night. It was eight o’clock in the morning.
“You going to get some sleep before we go?” Suki asked him.
“I’ve had some coffee,” Lund answered. “It’ll kick in soon. And I need to make some phone calls. I’ll be back.”
He left, and the door clicked shut. They all shared the breakfast food, but Jane Louise didn’t have much of an appetite and went over to the couch by the window.
Suki watched TV for a while, thinking about how awkward it would be to be a weather forecaster. Then she noticed motion from the corner of her eye. Turning her head, she saw Jane Louise had opened the curtain and was waving to someone outside.
Suki’s stomach did an uncomfortable twist. She got off the bed, set her plate down, and went to the window. There was a car parked out there, and a family was getting into a GMC Yukon that had bug guts splattered on the grille and hood and windshield. There was a little girl outside, waving back to Jane Louise. The dad was staring through the window with a concerned look. Suki met his gaze, and his eyebrows lifted. Suki gently pulled Jane Louise away from the window and let the gauzy curtain fall back into place.
“Go sit on the bed,” Suki suggested. The door beeped again, and Lund returned with a tray of glasses with different drinks, as well as another mug of coffee.
Suki gestured for Lund to come to the window. He set the tray down by the breakfast spread. Sarina reached for the water, and Jane Louise took the apple juice.
Lund gave Suki a questioning look when he reached her.
