Chapter One
Slowly, silently, the heavy fog began to rise.The brisk offshore breeze set the thick moisture stirring around the Golden Gate Bridge.Gradually the sun broke through the low-lying vapor to display the wonders of the beautiful city of St.Francis.
Releasing a sigh of appreciation for the natural beauty around her, Skye Garvin leisurely strolled toward the hospital.A freshness seemed to flow through her.Usually by the end of the day the demands of teaching a classroom full of enthusiastic kindergartners left her physically and mentally drained.But even knowing she would be volunteering several hours at the hospital this afternoon couldn’t dampen this new exuberance.The fresh air and brilliant sunlight brought a bounce to her step, and she hummed a catchy tune.
Once on the children’s ward she paused to resecure the thick, honey-colored chignon the brisk wind had ruffled about her oval face.Her bright blue eyes sparkled, and her cheeks were whipped a rosy hue.
“You’re here at last.”Sally Avery, the head pediatric nurse,smiled in greeting.“Billy’s been waiting impatiently all afternoon.I think he’s ready to collect on his bet.”
Skye pulled a wry face.“Oh, dear, I was afraid of that.”
The corners of Sally’s mouth curved upward.“You realize you’re hopeless, don’t you?Anyone crazy enough to race that child down the corridor in a wheelchair deserves what she gets.”
Skye disguised her own amusement.“Kindly remove that snicker, Sally Avery.How was I to know Billy would practice day and night?You’re the one who told me he wouldn’t even sit in the wheelchair, and then on the day of the race he takes off like Parnelli Jones.”
Sally laughed, but her eyes grew serious.“All kidding aside, thank you.I don’t know if Billy would ever have voluntarily accepted the wheelchair if it hadn’t been for you.”
“Oh, nonsense, he just needed a little subtle encouragement,” she said, refusing the credit.“I’d better go see the little rascal and discover my forfeit.”
“While you’re there, see if you can do anything to cheer up his new roommate.”
“I’ll do what I can.”Skye paused, thinking she’d detected a gleam of mischief in Sally’s expression.“I’ll be back with Billy in a few minutes.”She flashed a quick smile to the short brunette, who had been her good friend for several years.Skye and Sally were strikingly different in looks, but not temperament.Sally, with her short, stylish curls and slightly plump build, was perpetually dieting, while Skye, tall and slender, never needed to worry about her weight.But both were the impulsive, fun-loving type.
“Good afternoon, Sprout,” Skye greeted her favorite ten-year-old.
“Hello, Skye!”Billy’s young face lit up with eagerness.“You haven’t forgotten our bet, have you?”
“I doubt that you would let me,” Skye said a little drily.
“You said I could choose anything I wanted.”
“Within reason,” she added quickly, wondering how she could have been so rash.
“We’d better whisper,” Billy warned, and gestured to the hospital bed beside his.The heavy white curtain surrounding the area prevented her from looking at his new roommate.“He’s asleep, I think.”
“Then let’s go before we wake him,” Skye whispered.
“I know what I want for my prize,” Billy said loudly, forgetting his own advice in his enthusiasm.
An impatient oath came from the unknown occupant of the room.
“Oops, sorry, Mr.Kiley,” Billy apologized.
“Either be quiet or getoutof here.”The hard voice breathed heavily in irritation.
Involuntarily Skye moved closer to Billy.There was no need for the man to be so impatient and brusque.Billy was having a rough enough time.A tragic victim of a hit-and-run driver, he was facing the possibility of spending the rest of his life in a wheelchair.Billy was special, always offering others a ready smile, even when in considerable discomfort.Other children came and left the hospital with amazing briskness, but Billy had remained for two months, and Skye had become devoted to the courageous youth.
Gently she lifted him into the wheelchair and wheeled him from the room.
“Your new roommate is a man,” she said a bit incredulously.No wonder Sally had been so eager for her to meet him.From the beginning of their relationship Sally had assumed the role of matchmaker, intent on finding Skye a husband.Skye had resigned herself to Sally’s schemes but had never allowed any male relationship to develop beyond a light flirtation.Her lifewould have been so different if Glen had lived.She immediately cast the unpleasant memories from her mind.It did no good to brood over the might-have-beens in her life.
“Of course Mr.Kiley is a man,” Billy said, laughing.“Nurse Sally says he swears like a trooper, and she’s right.”
“What on earth is he doing on the children’s ward?”
“The hospital must be full.I heard someone say my room had the only available bed, but I think Nurse Sally is going to get rid of him fast.”His young mouth twisted into a lopsided grin.“Mr.Kiley knocked his lunch tray on the floor this afternoon.”
Skye shook her head disapprovingly.Sally and the other nurses on the children’s ward were gentle and patient.They certainly had enough to do without having to deal with an ill-tempered, oversized juvenile.
