Listen to Your Heart - Fern Michaels [41]
“Get a piece of paper so you can write this down. I want you to say exactly what I tell you. Can you do that?”
“Absolutely, sir. I’ll be back in a minute.”
The candy striper, who said her name was Jennifer, sat down primly, a pad and pencil poised on her lap. “I’m ready, sir.”
“You’re calling André Hoffauir at Brouillette Enterprises. I’ll give you the number when we’re finished. Tell him Paul asked you to call. Something came up, and I won’t be back in the office for some time. Tell him he’s totally in charge and to do whatever he sees fit. Tell him he answers to no one but me, not even my mother. Is that clear?”
“Yes, sir, very clear.”
“Do not tell André I’m in the hospital. If he asks, tell him you don’t know where I am or where I’m going. Just say you’re delivering a message and that I will be in touch at some point.”
“Very good, sir. I can do this. Do you want me to report back and tell you what he said?”
“Yes. Can you do it now?”
“Right away, sir.”
The pink dress swished by again and so did the light flowery scent. Paul blinked and then rubbed his eyes with his knuckles when the pretty woman smiled and offered a lazy wink. Double vision, imaginary vision, mirages, flower-scented people. Paul closed his eyes and then opened them immediately. He didn’t want the candy striper to think he was sleeping.
“Sir, I delivered your message. Mr. Hoffauir said I should tell you, if I spoke to you again, to have a hell of a good time. He said he’ll man the ship just the way you did and not to worry about a thing. He said he will also handle the business with Marie. He said you would know what that meant. He said he will make you proud of him, and you are not to worry about a thing. He really didn’t ask any questions about you, so I didn’t have to fib.”
“Thank you very much, Jennifer. Do you know who the lady is in the pink dress? She keeps going past this room. She’s pretty, and she wears nice perfume.”
Jennifer frowned. “Do you mean a visitor or maybe a volunteer?”
“I don’t know. She was here yesterday, too. I remember the perfume.”
“It’s too early for visitors. All the volunteers wear blue smocks. There are only two patients at the end of this hall, Mr. O’Brien and Mr. Stevens. Their wives come at night because they work during the day. As far as I know neither one has had other visitors. Both Mr. O’Brien and Mr. Stevens have been in the physical-therapy room since breakfast. I guess that doesn’t help you much, does it?”
“Maybe I was dreaming or half-asleep or something,” Paul mumbled. “Then again, maybe it’s my concussion. Thank you. I appreciate you making the call for me. Later on, I need you to make a few more once I get my thoughts straight. Can you come back?”
“Just press the call button on the rail, and I’ll be back. It’s a light day. Most of the patients are leaving this morning.”
Two hours later, Paul woke slowly. He stretched his legs and groaned. He was stiff and sore, but his pounding headache was almost gone. He heaved a sigh of relief. He tried a smile when the young candy striper poked her head in the door. “You’re awake, Mr. Brouillette. Do you want me to make those calls for you now? I have my pad and pencil. I’m also supposed to tell you lunch will be here in fifteen minutes.” She wrinkled her nose to show what she thought of the lunch that was about to be served.
“I’m ready. The first call is to Miss Josie Dupré. The second is to Paul Emery. Tell Miss Dupré that I’ve been unavoidably detained. Tell her I’ll make it up to her. Don’t give any details. When you call Mr. Emery, just tell him I’m counting on him to take care of Zip and to guard him with his life. Tell him, too, that I’ll be in touch in a few days. This is Miss Dupré’s phone number . . .”
“Okay, I got it all. I’ll bring your lunch on my way back. By the way, the charge nurse said no one wearing a pink dress has been on the floor this morning. She really has an eagle eye, so she would know.”
“I guess I was dreaming.”
“Guess so,” the candy striper said, tripping out of the room. “Is there anything else