“You’re here.” She smiles warmly at me.
“How are you feeling? Are you in pain?”
“I’m fine.” She pats my hand. Her eyes drift to the IV, and she studies it like she’s never seen one before. “Why am I here?”
“You had a fall, Anna. At breakfast. You hurt your hip, but they fixed it. You had surgery and it went well.”
“Surgery.” She repeats the word like she’s tasting it. “That doesn’t sound right.”
“It was just a small repair. You’re going to be fine.”
She looks at me for a moment. “You’re worried.”
“Of course I’m worried.”
“You always worry.” A faint smile. “Even when you were small. Always watching, always checking. Like a little nurse.”
The ache behind my ribs is so sharp I have to look away. I focus on the heart monitor’s steady beep until I can trust my voice.
A silence settles between us, not uncomfortable but tired. Anna squeezes my fingers lightly, eyes now moving over my face with surprising focus.
“You look different.”
My fingers find the hem of my shirt and twist. “Different how?”
She studies me another moment. “Softer,” she says at last. “Around the eyes.”
Heat rises into my cheeks. “That’s a very odd thing to say.”
“No, it isn’t.” Her thumb brushes over my knuckles. “Like something’s eased up in you.”
The words catch me so hard I have to look down.
Anna’s silent for a beat. Then her gaze sharpens with sudden mischief. “There’s someone, isn’t there? A good someone.”
I glance toward the door before I can stop myself.
Her smile widens, faint but knowing. “Ah,” she says softly.
I let out a breath that almost turns into a laugh. “He’s outside.”
“Well.” She shifts carefully against the pillows with a tiny wince. “Bring him in, then. I should like to see what sort of trouble you’ve found.”
I stand and smooth my shirt for no reason at all. “Only for a few minutes. You need to rest.”
“I’ve been resting all day,” she mutters. “It’s dull.”
When I step back into the hall, Luca comes to me immediately.
“How is she?”
“She knows me.” My voice shakes again, but this time from relief. “And she’s pretty good, all things considered.”
The tension in his face eases.
“She’s tired, and she’s confused, but she’s having a pretty good moment.” I swallow. “She wants to meet you.”
Saying it out loud feels oddly bigger than it should. Like I’m opening a door I hadn’t meant to open quite this far.
