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I saw him smiling down at me when Mom and Dad died.
Ana shuddered. That vile image matched the monster she knew all too well. The guard had taken sick pleasure in taunting both her and Gabi, relishing in their fear. The old Don’s assassination may have been logical and planned, part of Robert’s assigned task. But the harassment of both women, she suspected, was spontaneous. Born from his twisted mind.
Bzz.
Bzz.
Hoping it was Gio calling, she saw, deflated, that it was an unknown number.
Silencing it, she flipped to her last text.
Ana: On our way. Will let you know once I reach.
It was sent just fifteen minutes ago, but she couldn’t resist following up.
Ana: Are you ok?
Another agonizing ten minutes passed. Grandfather continued muttering under his breath every time the driver made the slightest wrong move.
Gio: Don’t worry about me. We’ll catch up once you’re back.
That didn’t give her much reassurance, with either his mental state or the plans he was devising. But he clearly wouldn’t share anything more over text.
Rubbing a finger over her throbbing temple, Ana let out a breath. She switched over to her email and began replying to all the unread items there in an effort to calm her mind.
“What do you mean? I have the appointment confirmation!”
“Sir, like I said–”
“Where is the manager?”
“Sir–”
“Listen here.” Rap, rap, rap. The cane smacked the desk as the nurse jumped back in alarm. “We came from an hour away. We are getting what we paid for!”
She was fairly sure that wasn’t how hospitals worked, but Ana held her tongue as her grandfather launched into a lengthy rant on the healthcare system. His frail arms quivered as he waved his cane about.
What a mess.
Ana couldn’t understand how the mix-up had happened. Her aunt had printed out the appointment confirmation and reviewed the details thoroughly. But the nurse was refusing to take him in, saying it had been canceled.
She didn’t know what to do now. Her client meeting was in an hour, and she couldn’t push it off any longer. Grandfather also had a follow-up with the Neurologist next week and needed the MRI results before then.
Ana interceded with an apologetic smile. “Could you just check your records again? We didn’t get any cancellation notice.”
The nurse eyed her beadily, vexed. “That’s because the cancellation wasn’t from our end, ma’am. Our notes show that Mr. Francisco Mancini called to cancel two weeks ago.”
“Lies! I never–”
“Grandfather.” Ana gripped his arm firmly, imploring him to stay quiet. But he wrenched his arm free.
“Why the hell would I cancel and then show up here, Ana?” he demanded.
She was quiet, unsure of what to say. The nurse gave her a pointed look from behind the desk. They both knew the reason for Grandfather’s scans: early signs of dementia. Whether he remembered it was another story.
“I guess there was a misunderstanding…” Ana finally said with a pacifying smile, ignoring Grandfather’s disgruntled protest. “Is there any way you could squeeze us in today? We can wait.”
“Let me check,” the nurse groused.
