with a nurse, who encourages him to take a few more steps as he grimaces in pain. I say a silent prayer for his full recovery.
On the seventh floor, I land in the pediatric ICU where I ask for Mateo Diaz at the nurses’ station. They direct me to room 718. I knock on the door, and Sofia jumps up to greet me with a hug. She speaks to me in Spanish, thanking me for coming by and singing the praises of Dr. Northrup, who saved her little boy’s life.
Mateo, dwarfed by the big hospital bed, is awake and alert.
“How’s he doing?” I ask her in Spanish.
“So much better. Thank God.”
“That’s wonderful news. And how are you?”
She hesitates before answering. “All that matters is that my baby is alive.”
“What do you need, Sofia? What can we do to help?”
With tears in her eyes, she leads me to the doorway so we won’t be overheard by her son. “I lost my job because I was absent, my rent is due and I have no idea what to do.”
I pull out my phone. “Give me your number. I’ll talk to some people and see what can be done to help.”
“You’ve already done so much. I heard you’re the one who arranged for Dr. Northrup to come to the clinic. Without him . . .” She glances at Mateo. “I don’t know what we would’ve done. He donated his services and paid for the hospital costs out of his own pocket. Did you know that?”
“I didn’t, but I’m not surprised.” If I hadn’t already been most of the way in love with Jason Northrup, I would be now.
“It’s enough, Carmen. I’ll figure out the rest.”
“Give me your number anyway. People will want to help.”
Reluctantly, she gives me her number, which I type into my contacts. “I’ll see what I can do.”
“God bless you.”
I hug her, and when I pull back, Jason is standing there. For a second, I’m confused because I thought he was going to the clinic this morning.
“How’s my friend Mateo doing?” he asks Sofia.
“He’s so much better.”
“I heard that. I’m so glad. I’ll be in to see him in just a minute. Carmen, may I have a word, please?”
“Sure.” I squeeze Sofia’s arm as I follow Jason into the hallway.
I want to hug him and kiss him and thank him for what he’s done for Mateo. I want to ask him if he’s heard that the Miami-Dade board has deferred to New York’s wishes to have their star pediatric neurosurgeon back. But I don’t do any of those things. Rather, I wait to hear what he has to say.
“I’ve got to go to New York.”
My heart drops like a lead sinker in a murky pond. “Okay.”
“They’ve got a three-year-old girl with the same tumor Mateo had. I’m flying up to operate on her, but I’ll be back as soon as I can.”
I bite my lip and nod, intent on getting through this without becoming emotional. “I hope it goes well.”
“I do, too. Her situation is a bit more complex than Mateo’s was.”
His golden eyes gleam with the anticipation of a complicated new case. He’s clearly in his element.
“Mr. Augustino offered me the PR director’s job this morning.”
“Seriously? Carmen, that’s amazing. Congratulations.” I can tell he wants to kiss me but restrains himself out of deference to where we are. “One week on the job and you’re already getting promoted.”
“I think it’s more because the director decided not to come back after her maternity leave.”
“That’s not why. It’s because Augustino knows what an asset you are to his team. He never would’ve offered it to you if he wasn’t pleased with your work.”
“I suppose that’s true.”
“It’s entirely true. I’m really happy for you and super proud.”
“Thanks.” I bask in the glow of his approval for a few final seconds while wondering if I’ll ever see him again. When he gets back to New York where his old job is waiting for him, what reason will he have to come back here? I can ship him the stuff he left at my place, I guess. “Good luck with the surgery.”
“Thanks. I’m going to leave Priscilla in the parking lot here and take an Uber to the airport. Just in case you see her out there.”
“Okay.”
“I’ll text you when I can.”
I nod and start to walk away, determined to hold my head up and soldier on even if my heart is breaking.
“Hey, Carmen?”
I turn back to him, raising a brow while drinking in