Page 43 of Together at Ruby's

“Yes,” Nikki said. “When I opened my eyes, I was sure I was dead. She is who I saw, and I thought she was an angel.”

Liza smiled. “I can see how that would affect a person,” she said. “But still… are you sure it’s not all the drugs you must be on?”

Again, Nikki tried to smile but with no luck. “Just you wait and see.”

“Let’s not talk crazy,” Tate said. “You’ve always said you’re not the marrying kind.” Nikki looked at Tate, and Liza could almost read the communication flowing between them. She didn’t know what it meant. but clearly Tate understood, and she gave a small nod. “But there’s a first time for everything.”

Liza watched Nikki’s eyes struggling to stay open. “You can go to sleep, Nikki,” she said. “We will arrange with the nurse to always have someone here with you.”

“Wait, there’s something I want to tell you before I fall back asleep,” Nikki said. “It’s why I woke up.”

“What is it?” Liza asked, and Nikki’s eyes continued to droop.

“You need to contact a woman named Danielle Salvador,” she mumbled. For a second, Liza was confused, until she understood what the woman was trying to tell them and leaned closer as Nikki’s voice weakened. “She’s the reason Aurora Price left Chicago.”

When Nikki madeeye contact with Tate, her friend’s subliminal message was not lost on her. In fact, it could not have been clearer if the woman shouted across the room. Nikki might have found someone new, but Tate had her own angel—Liza. Looking at her life, she had wasted enough time. Nothing would stop her from proposing when they got home. It would not be as romantic as she had envisioned, but tonight she needed Liza to know how much she loved her.How much I want to spend the future with her,she thought.How much I want to have a family and grow old together.

When Nikki followed with the name of someone who could help them with Aurora Price, Danielle Salvador, Tate was even more certain things were going to work out. If she could get ahold of the woman and talk to her about what was going on, it could make a huge difference. She felt confident getting Aurora out of their lives would allow things to go back to normal.

Wanting to thank Nikki for the information, Tate started to open her mouth when she realized Nikki’s eyes were closed again. Her battered and broken friend was asleep. “I think we should go,” Tate said to Liza, putting a hand on her lower back. “I will ask the nurse to let us know when she wakes up again. Let’s go text the others.”

Stepping out of the room, they walked to the nurse’s station. The young nurse they first met stood with two others, and she turned when she heard them approaching. “She’s asleep again,” Liza said. “We’re going to go out into the waiting area and text her friends.”

“That sounds perfect,” the nurse said. “I’ll check in on Nikki in a few minutes and make sure she’s resting comfortably.”

Tate nodded. “Thank you. I know she’ll be in good hands. But how soon until we can start sitting with her?”

The nurse tapped her chin with her finger thoughtfully. “I’d say a couple of hours,” she answered. “Believe it or not, she’s still heavily sedated.”

“Okay,” Tate said. “Please keep us posted.” She hesitated before walking away to the waiting area. “Nurse, what is your name?”

The nurse pointed to her badge clipped to her pocket displaying her smiling face above the name Lucy Madison. “I’m Lucy,” the woman said. “And I understand you’re Tate.” She pointed at Liza. “But I didn’t catch your name.”

“And I’m Liza.”

“Nice to meet you both. I imagine I’ll be seeing quite a bit of you while Nikki is in my ward recovering.”

With a smile, Tate put her arm around Liza. “Yes, you will,” she said, then looked the young nurse in the eye. “Watch yourself with Nikki. She is… complicated.”

“Is she now?” Lucy said with a tilt of her head. “Well, I feel confident I can handle the likes of her.” Tate considered her words, and there was something about the woman’s personality that made her think maybe Lucy was right.

29

In the kitchen, pouring her and Tate tall glasses of white wine, Liza could not believe how long the day had been. It seemed like days ago that she was hearing the bad news from Rey. Picking up the two glasses to join Tate in the living room, Liza could only hope that things would improve. “I’m so glad to be home,” she said, holding out a glass to Tate. “I know we have to go back to the hospital later to relieve Rey and Marty, but it still feels good to be alone with you for a few minutes.”

Nodding, Tate took the wine. “I agree,” she said, and Liza noticed the woman’s hand shaking.

“Are you all right?” Liza asked. “Why is your hand shaking?”

Tate hesitated as if unsure how to answer, and after a beat, she shrugged. “Just adrenaline, I guess. Left over from this evening and talking with Nikki,” she said. “There’s a lot to process.”

Accepting the answer, Liza joined Tate on the couch. “It is a lot,” she said. “I’m just glad that we got to talk to Nikki. She looks like hell, but this could have been so much worse.”

“Yes. It could have been,” Tate said sounding distracted.

Not sure what was wrong with Tate, Liza put a hand on her shoulder. “Seriously, Tate. What’s in your head?”

“My head?”

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