Say Goodbye (Romantic Suspense #25) - Karen Rose Page 0,212

so we continue to hope.”

“That’s good,” Liza said, relieved for the child’s sake.

“You don’t speak to her about her mother or their home,” Innes said. They’d turned a corner and were approaching a set of double doors over which was a sign that read PEDIATRICS. “Don’t ask her questions about anything personal. Her mother has privacy concerns. Am I clear?”

“Yes, ma’am,” Liza said. “I understand.”

“See that you do. Her mother’s travel schedule is busy. She isn’t here often and Brooklyn gets lonely. Please accommodate her play requests whenever she makes them. Your supervisor is Nurse Williams. Come. I’ll introduce you.”

Liza entered the pediatrics ward, immediately charmed with the colors. Most of the rooms were empty, but all were very nice. This was not a normal hospital. Every room was a suite. Nurse Innes stopped at the third room from the end.

An older woman sat in a reclining chair, a book in her hand. She stood as soon as Liza and Nurse Innes entered.

“Good morning! You must be the new nursing assistant. I’m Nurse Williams.”

“My name is Liza.” She turned her gaze to the bed, where a tiny little girl sat up, a tray of oatmeal in front of her. The child was bald and did not smile. Until she saw Liza’s glasses.

“Oh wow!” she exclaimed. “I like your glasses. I’m Brooklyn. Hi, Liza.”

Liza looked to Nurse Williams. “May I?” she asked, gesturing to the chair next to the bed.

“Of course.”

Liza sat next to the little girl and stuck out her hand. “It is very nice to meet you, Brooklyn.”

Brooklyn smiled, showing a missing front tooth. Liza’s heart cracked. She didn’t bother telling herself not to get attached, because of course she would. She was already on her way.

“I hear you have treatments starting up soon, so let’s get some play in beforehand. What would you like to do? We can read, play a game, watch a movie, whatever you’d like.”

Brooklyn’s eyes widened in surprise that Liza had been so up front about her treatments. Then the little girl’s smile grew. “You’ll play with me? And read to me?”

“Absolutely.”

“Can you do voices?”

“You mean when I read to you?” Liza asked. “I’ll do my best.”

“Then I want you to read to me first. I have a Harry Potter book. And then we’ll play with my dolls. And then Play-Doh. And . . .” She gasped. “Did you BeDazzle your glasses?”

Liza chuckled. “No. But if there’s a BeDazzle kit anywhere in this hospital, we can BeDazzle some of your stuff and make you the sparkliest girl here.” She looked over her shoulder to Nurse Innes. “Do we? Have a BeDazzle kit, I mean.”

Nurse Innes smiled. “I’ll send someone out for one.”

“Yay!” Brooklyn cried, clapping her hands.

Yay indeed, Liza thought. If I’m only here for a short time, I’m going to make sure I use it to help this little girl have some fun. “I’ll have to do chores in between play, like changing your bedding and stuff like that. But let’s start this morning right. Where is your book?”

SACRAMENTO, CALIFORNIA

TUESDAY, MAY 30, 9:30 A.M.

“She’s good with the kid,” the surveillance tech said with a sad smile.

“She is,” Tom agreed.

It was hotter than hell in the van, but he didn’t want to be anywhere else. Watching Liza make a seriously sick kid smile was a beautiful thing. She’d read several chapters from the first Harry Potter book, doing “all the voices,” and little Brooklyn had been delighted.

Then they’d taken a break to take the child’s vitals and change her bedding. Now they were looking at photos of the stars and planets on the child’s tablet.

Tom and the surveillance techs hadn’t seen much of the inside of Sunnyside Oaks yet. They’d taken the tour along with Liza and Nurse Innes, who, according to what Irina had told Liza, was someone to watch.

After the tour, Liza had stayed in the child’s room except for the few minutes she’d taken to deliver the soiled bedding to the facility’s laundry. She’d walked slowly on the way back, making sure the cameras in her glasses and the pendant caught every nook and cranny.

He’d hacked the facility’s cameras that were connected to Wi-Fi, and that had made him feel a bit better about her being alone inside. He’d thought they might see armed guards everywhere, but they hadn’t. The only armed person seemed to be Saltrick, the security chief.

One was enough, though. Unfortunately, if there were cameras in the patient rooms, they were hardwired, because he hadn’t been able to