Chapter 15

NICCO

I rushed back into the hotel, ignoring the curious glances from the porters and the concierge. The doctor met me at the elevator.

“Do you need me to accompany you?” he asked. “I hear we have a patient?”

I hesitated. I really wanted her ankle to be looked at, but I wanted to respect her feelings. I shook my head, deciding to be honest with him.

“She has a fear of doctors. I don’t know what it stems from, but it’s pretty intense. Let me get her settled. Perhaps come up in about twenty minutes?”

The doctor nodded, stepping back and allowing me to enter the elevator. A porter joined me, using his key to bypass all the other floors, getting to mine. I tipped him and stepped out, heading to the suite.

I let myself in. I could hear Vinnie talking soothingly to Hope in the bedroom. I stepped around the corner and stood in the doorframe.

She had changed, dressed in hotel pajamas. She was so tall that the pants didn’t come down to her ankles, instead sitting like high wa