Page 20 of The Doctor

But I couldn’t say no to this girl, not when she looked so damn broken and hopeful at the same time.

“Sure.” I had to force the word from my tongue, because every-fucking-thing inside of me knew this wasn’t a good idea.

Clara gave me the saddest smile. “Thank you. And thank you for coming to get me tonight.”

“Of course,” I told her, taking my hand from her grip as she curled around her pillow and snuggled into her mattress. I grabbed the throw blanket from the foot of the bed, draping it over her and tucking her in. I pressed a kiss to her temple, breathing in that rare showing of innocence. “Sweet dreams.”

“Sleep well,” she murmured, eyes closed and half asleep. I rose from her side and reached for the door. “And Zee?”

Taking a small step back into her room, I asked, “Yeah?”

“I love you.”

My heart twisted and pulsed, feeling full and broken and like it was taking a ride on a rollercoaster in my chest. “Love you too, kid.”

7

Zeno

Clara’s incessant moaning about my lack of an espresso maker last fall had driven me to purchase one, if for no other reason than to get her to shut up. Now, nearly a year later, it was that morning shot of espresso that got me moving each day. Putting my cell phone on speaker on the counter, I fiddled with the damn machine, trying to get it right the first time. Espresso, steamed milk, add a pump of caramel syrup.

Add another after checking to make sure no one was watching.

A year of her practically living with me had me constantly looking over my shoulder.

That’s what frustrated me about last night. I was supposed to get a three-week reprieve. She was supposed to use the time between the summer and fall semesters to go out and act like a twenty-year-old, rather than hanging around my place, pestering me anytime she wasn’t studying.

I took a sip from my latte and let out a sigh, trying to get back to the topic at hand. “If he doesn’t want to be a doctor, why are they trying to force him to be?”

When Mario Provenza responded a long moment later, it sounded like he was talking from the other side of the world, instead of on the other side of the Atlantic. “Prestige. They want him to follow in his father’s footsteps.” He sighed, then hissed across the line, “They seem to get off on controlling people’s lives.”

The hairs on my neck rose, and I glanced toward the kitchen door.

“It’s a power trip, Zeno. Father can throw his weight around, either back home in New York or here in Italy, and the family will listen.”

A pained breath left me. “Except for those two.”

“Nadia never fell in line. That’s why Father forced her to marry Damiano. To keep her under control.”

“And now Damiano’s gone, and Michele is stepping out of line.”

“The apple doesn’t fall far from the tree.”

I took a sip from my latte, staring out the little window above the sink. It looked like a beautiful day. Not a cloud in the sky. Nothing to stop Clara from getting out of my house and having some fun somewhere far away from me.

“I think we should bring them home.”

Blinking away the sunny skies, I asked, “We?”

“You’re the only one who listens to reason. The only one who agrees that Mic shouldn’t be forced to become a doctor when he so clearly wants something else. Maybe you can talk some sense into Father after Nadia and Mic are home safe.”

“Safe?” I nearly sputtered my drink all over the window. “You think she’s in danger?”

“I think the family will not stop until Mic’s life is secured the way they want it. The only way either of them will be able to make their own decisions is if we get them out of here.”

My pulse thudded out a heavy beat in my throat, the sound of my blood sloshing in my ears throwing off the roll of the timpani in the symphony coming out of the speakers in the other room. I had the sudden urge to run, hop on a plane and fly to Italy to rescue the very first patient I’d ever had.

“What do you need?” I finally asked, forcing myself to put my mug on the counter so I didn’t spill my drink down the front of my shirt.