Page 83 of Her Passionate Hero

He thought about the teenager who had been lying on the dance floor last night. Lottie had called them from the hospital this morning to say she and the baby were doing fine. He needed one more player. Preferably someone who had been through the fire and wasn’t afraid to get his hands dirty. He knew just the man.

***

Aliana could hear Nat King Cole singing ‘Rambling Rose’ as they walked up the walkway to Shorinda’s modest house.

“Oh no,” her grandmother said.

Aliana ran to the door and pounded.

“What is it Cariña?” Hunter called from beside her grandmother.

She didn’t hear what Babička told him because Shorinda opened the door, her dark face, stricken.

“Come in, Girlfriend.” She looked over Aliana’s shoulder. “Oh, thank God, she’s been calling for her Maminka for hours. You haven’t been answering your cell phone.”

Sakra, she’d had it on Do Not Disturb. Hunter and Babička came up behind her. She could now hear her mother shouts.

“My baby,” her grandmother said in Czech. She pushed past Shorinda and headed down the hallway.

“What happened?” Aliana asked Shorinda.

“She woke up like this about four hours ago. Unfortunately, her blood pressure is too low to administer a sedative or Valium. I’ve been playing some of her favorite music. There are certain antipsychotics that could be administered, but I didn’t bring any. I’m sorry, I effed up.”

“Has this ever happened back at the facility?” Aliana asked the worried nurse.

“No.”

“Then how could you have predicted it?”

The music stopped, then the yelling stopped, and Aliana heard her grandmother singing. Shorinda sagged with relief. She sat down on the couch.

“Thank you, baby Jesus.”

Aliana smiled slightly when she saw Hunter’s smile.

“Have you eaten today?” Aliana asked Shorinda.

“No, neither has your mom.”

“Well, we certainly have dessert covered,” Hunter said. “Let me bring that in.”

“I’m going to see what you have in the kitchen. I can make us something for lunch.”

“I planned to make fried chicken.”

Aliana laughed at Hunter’s hopeful expression. “Shorinda, you just sit and rest. I’ve got that covered. Hunter why don’t you call Dalton and Zed and see if they want lunch.”

“It depends on how much chicken you have Shorinda because if you don’t have enough, I don’t want to share.”

“In my house, there is always enough. I have a big family who comes over every Sunday. You can be damn sure my kitchen is stocked.”

Aliana was excited at the idea of cooking a meal for Hunter. She needed to get a hold of herself. Shorinda winked at her. Dammit. Was she that obvious?

“There’s the fixins’ for green beans, mashed potatoes, and cornbread. Knock yourself out. I’m going to find something on Netflix. Want to join me, Hunter?”

“I think I’m going to annoy Aliana in the kitchen. I know how to peel potatoes.”

Aliana’s tummy did a flip. “First, I’m going to go check on Maminka.”