Witching For Kismet: Premonition Pointe, Book 6, page 8
Jeremiah glanced at Carly but quickly looked away as if it was too hard to look at her. “Uh, well, I guess I will always think of her as Zane’s best friend instead of some elusive movie star who hangs out at fancy parties and flies off to Rome at a moment’s notice.”
“I’ve never once flown off anywhere on a moment’s notice,” Carly said rolling her eyes. “Everyone knows I’m a planner when it comes to travel.”
“Did you know that?” Marion asked Jeremiah.
“Yes,” he said firmly. “Even when we were kids, Carly always planned everything ahead. She’s not great with spontaneity.”
“Hey, I resent that. Who doesn’t love a little spontaneity? I can be flexible… just not when it comes to flying out of the country. There’s nothing wrong with being prepared,” Carly insisted.
“Absolutely,” he said with a teasing grin. “Remember that time we decided to take an impromptu trip up the coast? You wouldn’t let us leave until you not only got hotel reservations for all four nights in different towns but also planned out our dinners. I mean, back then, I’m sure it was completely normal to have an entire book of restaurants to choose from.”
Carly snorted with laughter. “It wasn’t a book. It was a magazine. And fine. Maybe spontaneity isn’t my thing. But when it comes to exploring new places, no one is better than me at finding the best spots.”
“I won’t argue with that,” he said.
Marion cleared her throat. “Well, that was fun to watch.”
“What was?” they both asked in unison.
“That bit of mating-ritual theater. If you two don’t end up together, it will be a tragedy. I’ve never met two people so perfect for each other.”
“Marion,” Carly warned. “Stop. It’s not like that.”
“Not yet.” She grinned at both of them. “But there’s time.” She glanced at her watch and grimaced. “Speaking of time, I need to get going. My aunt is waiting for me. Poor thing had heart surgery two days ago and while she’s doing just fine, she hates being here. Hospitals aren’t her thing. So I’m spending as much time with her as possible to keep her entertained.” She paused and eyed Carly. “Who are you here for? It’s not Harlow, is it?”
“Oh, no. Harlow is doing great. We’re here for… uh…” Carly looked at Jeremiah helplessly. She trusted Marion, but she wasn’t sure Jeremiah would want her to broadcast that they thought Zane might be alive.
“A man was shot in front of Carly’s house,” Jeremiah explained. “We’ve been waiting for him to wake up so we can find out what happened that night. Unfortunately, someone who is claiming to be his brother was here and has barred us from seeing him. But I’ve met him briefly before, and I’m pretty sure he doesn’t have a brother, so now we think he’s still in danger. We’re trying to figure out a way to get in to see him before the shooter finishes the job.”
Carly nodded when Marion glanced at her. “Yeah. That just about covers it. As you can imagine, I’m pretty upset about this. That poor man. After seeing him nearly bleeding out in the middle of my street, I just feel… connected to him somehow.”
“Of course, you do,” Marion said sympathetically. “You’ve always been a bit of an empath. It’s not surprising that you’ve formed a bond with him after all that trauma.”
“What?” Carly asked as if she hadn’t just clearly heard what Marion had said.
Marion frowned. “Didn’t you realize that empaths form connections when emotions are high? You’ll likely forever be linked now.”
Carly shook her head. “No… I mean, yes. I knew that. I just didn’t realize you knew I had empath abilities.”
“I think they’re stronger now than they used to be,” Marion mused. “But I’m pretty sure you always had that gift.” She slipped her arm through Carly’s and added, “Now come on. You’re going in to see my aunt. And if you happen to need to excuse yourself to use the restroom or something, it’s no problem. I’ll wait until you’re done before leaving so we’ll be seen walking in and out together. The nurses never need to know if you get turned around and end up in another patient’s room, now do they?”
“Marion,” Carly said, clutching her arm. “You’re brilliant. Thank you. You have no idea how much we appreciate this.”
“Oh, I think I have an idea.” She turned her head and gave Jeremiah a knowing smile before she said, “Do me a favor and don’t let this one get away, will you? She deserves the kind of love you have brewing inside of you.”
Before Jeremiah could answer, Marion whisked Carly away and through the doors to the ICU.
Chapter 11
“Hey! You’re not supposed to be back here,” Nurse Ratched called as she ran down the hallway toward Carly.
“Francine?” Marion said with a manufactured air of confusion. “Is there a problem? I was told visiting hours didn’t end until seven.”
“Yes, there is a problem,” Francine said, placing her hands on her hips and glaring at Carly. “I already told Ms. Preston that John Doe isn’t taking visitors. She can’t be here.”
“John Doe?” Marion glanced at Carly and then back to Francine. “Carly’s here to see my aunt. I ran into her in the waiting room, and because my aunt is such a huge fan, I practically begged her to come along with me. And even though she protested and said she had places to be this afternoon, I finally convinced her by bribing her with my famous coffee cake. There was no debate after that. Carly’s a sucker for my coffee cake. Always has been. Right, Car?”
Carly took a step closer to Marion, deciding that her friend deserved that best actress award sitting on her mantle at home more than Carly did. Because the show Marion was putting on was nothing short of brilliant. “Right. I’m just here to cheer up Marion’s aunt.”
Francine’s face turned a bright shade of red as her fists clenched. But then she blew out a breath and seemed to force herself to calm down. “All right, but if you visit anyone besides Ms. Matched, I’ll be forced to call security.”
Carly saluted her and had to hold back a smirk as the nurse spun around and rushed off to another room.
“She really doesn’t seem to like you much,” Marion said with a chuckle.
“She did until about a half hour ago,” Carly said with a sigh. “I wonder if she’s going to perch right outside Liam’s room just to make sure I don’t step out of line.”
“Okay, John Doe is Liam, right? I’m not confused about that?”
“Yes.” Carly waved her forward. “Nurse Ratched—er, Francine—accidentally used his first name in front of me. So while she’s still calling him John around me, I know his real name.”
Marion eyed her for a moment. “You do seem to know how to get into trouble, don’t you?”
“Me?” Carly asked, genuinely surprised. “No. I’m actually fairly boring. This is just—”
“Please. You solved the mystery of what happened to Harlow and helped save her. Your life is not boring.”
“That was…” Carly shrugged. “She’s my niece. I’d do anything for her.”
“Of course, you would.” Marion tugged her down another hallway. “Never mind. Let’s make this look good so you can go find Liam and do what you need to do.” She stopped in front of a door and said, “I wasn’t kidding when I said my auntie is a huge fan. In fact, I should warn her first before you just pop in.”
“Okay,” Carly said, amused. “What’s her name?”
“Lucy. Just give me a few seconds.” Marion disappeared through the door.
A few seconds later, a high-pitched squeal came from inside the room. Carly took it to mean that Marion had shared the news. She pushed the door open and poked her head in. “Lucy? Is it okay if I come in and say hi?”
The older woman had the back of her hand pressed to her forehead as if she were ready to faint. Only there weren’t any signs of that happening. No. Instead, her cheeks were flushed red and her eyes were dancing with delight. “Yes, my dear. Come in. Please. I can’t believe Marion made you wait outside. You must come sit by me and tell me absolutely everything you know about that hunky Ray Rochester. I hear he’s the best kisser in Hollywood. Well, and good at other things too, but I don’t want to presume you’d know about that.”
Carly couldn’t help giggling with Aunt Lucy. Her personality was far to infectious. Carly was happy to dish about her costar from a movie twenty years earlier, who’d turned out to actually be a terrible kisser and an even worse date. However, Carly kept that to herself and let the older woman have her fantasies.
Marion stood back, watching with a grin on her face.
“What?” Carly asked her when she met her eye.
“Nothing.” Marion shook her head. “Just enjoying that sparkle in Aunt Lucy’s eyes.”
“I always have a sparkle in my eyes,” Lucy huffed.
“I know. It’s just a little brighter today.” Marion moved to stand next to the bed and took Lucy’s hand in hers. “I’m glad you seem to be feeling better.”
“Well, I couldn’t exactly act the curmudgeon with Carly Preston here, could I?” Lucy patted her hair as if just now realizing she might have bedhead.
“That was my plan.” Marion gave Carly a grateful smile. Then her tone turned teasing as she added, “Now give me and Lucy a minute. I need to scold her about torturing her nurses.”
“Don’t scold her too much. I think Nurse Ratched might deserve it.” Carly gave Lucy a thumbs up before she slipped out of the room. As soon as she found herself back in the hall, her heartrate sped up and her nerves started to take over. She had no doubt that Francine would be true to her word and call security if she found Carly in Liam’s room. And if the press got wind of that, it’d be one hell of a shitshow. Carly had to risk it, though. She just had to.
Striding down the hall, she spied the bathrooms off to her right but ignored them as she kept walking. There were charts outside of each room with last names stamped on the folders. Was Liam’s stamped with Doe or something else? Carly stifled a groan and continued to search.
Voices sounded behind her, making her want to duck into the nearest room. But her cover was that she was looking for the restroom if anyone asked. They didn’t. In fact, the doctor who passed her was talking to a colleague when he said, “Doe’s gunshot wound is healing nicely, but we still need to keep him a few days. His memory loss is concerning, considering he doesn’t have any obvious brain injury. It’s almost as if it’s psychological.”
Carly froze. They were talking about Liam. John Doe. Which room had they come from? She really had no idea. They’d just appeared behind her. She turned around and asked, “Excuse me?”
The doctor blinked at her as if he’d just noticed she was in the hallway. “Yes?”
“Can you tell me where Liam’s room is?” She held her breath, hoping she wasn’t making a huge mistake.
“Liam?” the doctor looked at his colleague. “Any idea who she’s talking about?”
He shook his head.
“The patient with the gunshot wound. He’s my cousin. You know him as John Doe.”
“Doe. Yes. He’s in 2D. Lucky man. If that bullet had been any farther to the right, he might have bled out.”
Carly winced. “Well, thank the goddess for bad aim, right?”
“Right.” The doctor’s pager went off. “Time to go. They need us in surgery.” Without taking another look at Carly, they rushed off.
Relieved they were gone, Carly hurried over to room 2D. After peeking in and finding Liam alone, she hurried inside and closed the door behind her.
Liam’s tired gaze landed on her, and he frowned. “Are you another nurse?”
Carly let out a nervous laugh. “No. You don’t remember me?”
He squinted and studied her as if trying to place her. “You look sort of familiar, but no. You’re not my mother or something, are you?”
That made her laugh out loud. “No. Definitely not. Do you remember why you’re in the hospital?”
He shook his head. “No. But they told me it’s because I was shot outside some actress’s house.” His brows pinched together. “Why would I have been outside an actress’s house?”
Carly moved over to the side of the bed. Liam’s skin was very pale, and he appeared even thinner than before. But his eyes were alert even if they were skeptical. “I’m that actress. Carly Preston. Does that name ring a bell?”
“No.” He stared up at her and then shook his head again. “No idea who you might be. Do we know each other?”
“We don’t. Or at least we didn’t until that night.”
“Is that why you’re here now? Out of some sort of moral obligation to make sure I don’t die?” Skepticism and distrust rolled off him. And why shouldn’t it? Carly had a feeling that whatever life he’d led over the years had trained him to not trust anyone.
“No moral obligation. A personal one.” She pulled out the picture that he’d given to Jeremiah. The one with the four of them in the photobooth. “Do you recognize this?”
His eyes widened, and he whispered, “Lazer.”
Carly’s heart nearly exploded in her chest. Even if he didn’t remember anything else, he knew Zane. “His real name is Zane. Did you know that?”
“Zane?” He said it as if he were feeling it out. Then he said, “No. Lazer.”
“Do you remember asking Jeremiah for help to find him?”
Liam narrowed his eyes at her. “Who’s Jeremiah?”
She tapped his image in the photo. “Zane’s brother.”
He didn’t say anything at first as his face was scrunched in concentration. Then he blew out a breath. “I don’t know. Everything is fuzzy. Like I’m waking up from a crazy, disjointed dream.”
“I understand.” Carly glanced at the door, wondering exactly how much time she had. Probably not much. So she pressed on, needing to get as much information out of him as possible. “Do you have a brother?”
“Not that I know of. Why?” He started to raise his bed so that he was in a sitting position. The movement made him wince, but he didn’t let the pain stop him. By the time he was sitting fully upright, he was panting and looked flushed as if he’d just worked out.
“A man came to the hospital and claimed to be your brother. He says your name is Liam.”
“No, I’m not Hun—” His eyes widened, and his breath caught as he added, “That’s what Lazer called me.” Tears shone in his dark eyes as he was overcome with emotion.
“Oh, honey.” Carly instinctively took his hand in hers. “I know. I love Zane—I mean Lazer, too. We were best friends for a very long time. The reason I’m here is that Jeremiah and I want desperately to help you find him.”
Liam’s eyes snapped to hers. “Are you serious?”
“Very serious. We thought he died in an accident many years ago, or we’d have been looking for him this entire time.” She sat down on the edge of the bed. “If there’s anything you can remember about where he is, that would be really helpful.”
He pulled his hand from her grip and turned to stare at the wall. When he turned back, he just shook his head. “I don’t remember anything. I didn’t even remember him until you showed me this picture.” He ran a finger over Zane’s face.
“It’s all right. I’m sure we can work on it.” She paused because there was something she needed to say but didn’t know how, considering they’d just met and she barely knew him. “I think you’re still in danger. The man who claims to be your brother… Well, I think he might work for the people who shot you.”
Liam nodded once and then let his head fall back against the pillow. Then he threw his covers off and swung his legs over the side of the bed. “Looks like it’s time to leave then.”
“What?” Carly asked, putting a hand out to stop him. “You can’t leave yet. You just had surgery. You need—”
“I need to be someplace where this man who calls himself my brother can’t get to me. Do you think this is that place?”
Carly shook her head. Hell, she’d managed to get herself in with very little effort.
“Right. Bullet wound or not, I need to ditch this hell hole.” He nearly doubled over when he pushed himself off the bed.
“Hold on. I’ve got you!” Carly called as she rushed around to help him.
“Thanks,” he said, through his shortened breath. “Any idea of where my clothes might be?”
“Clothes?” Carly asked stupidly. Then she recovered. “I doubt there’s anything left of them. Everything was covered in blood from that night, and the EMTs probably cut them off of you.”
“Right.” He pushed a hand through his dark, shaggy hair. “Well, it’s going to be awkward leaving in this hospital gown, but there seems to be no choice.”
Carly was about to offer to run out and pick some things up for him, but the door swung open, and Nurse Ratched stormed in.
“Carly Preston!” She wagged her index finger in Carly’s direction as she picked up the phone receiver on the wall. “I told you I’d have to call security if you came into Liam’s room.”
“I want her here,” Liam insisted. “Don’t you know movie stars cheer up the infirm?”
Carly raised an eyebrow at him. He sure was quick-witted for someone who could barely remember details of his own life.
He shrugged. “It’s true.” Then he turned his attention back to the nurse. “Besides, it doesn’t matter. I’m leaving anyway.”
“You can’t leave!” she cried, her eyes wide with disbelief. “You’re still on an IV for the goddess’s sake.”
He reached over and pulled the needle out of his wrist. “Not anymore. Now I’m just a broke son of a bitch who’s leaving the hospital against medical advice.”
“But—” She stared again. “Where will you go?”
He shrugged. “I’ll find somewhere. I always do.”
Carly felt the lie as it passed his lips. This man had nowhere to go, but staying in the hospital could be potentially deadly. “He’s staying with me,” Carly blurted before she could talk herself out of it. Hell, she barely knew this man. He could be any sort of criminal. He could sell information about her to the press, or he could be lying about everything just to scam her out of money.
