Page 3 of Lake's Legacy

Glancing at my watch, I’m surprised Olivia hasn’t sought me out. She must be home from her shift by now. I scan the common room but don’t see her. A feeling of dread fills me as I seek out Levi.

“Have you spoken to Olivia?” I ask him.

“Yeah, earlier. I told her when you guys were due back. She was planning on being here when you arrived. Is she not here?”

“I can’t reach her, and she’s late. Was she going somewhere after work instead of back here?”

Levi glances around the room as he pulls out his phone. He calls her mobile but gets her voicemail. He dials again, and I hear him ask for Olivia. However, before they reply, I hear a noise behind me. Turning, I see a pale Delphine.

“Olivia,” she whispers, leaning into Dixie. “She’s in danger.”

CHAPTER TWO: OLIVIA

“Here you go, mama,” I coo before placing the tiny, wriggling bundle in his mother's hands. The new mama shows all the signs of exhaustion one would expect after twelve hours of labor, but she smiles wide as she cuddles her newborn son.

“He’s perfect, isn’t he?” Abigail asks as she strokes her son’s cheek. “Hello, Max.”

“He is perfect. You do good work,” I say with a grin. “You both do,” I add when the muscular man beside her leans over and covers the baby’s tiny head with his large hand.

“He’s not the biological father. That asshole left me when I told him I was pregnant,” Abigail says, her eyes on the man bent over her. “Steve is my hero. Our hero.”

The man grins at her and softly kisses her temple. He shakes his head as he strokes Max’s head.

“You both saved me,” he says. His voice is rough with emotion and gravelly as if he doesn’t use it often. “I’m just glad I was there when you needed me.”

“What happened?” I ask, unable to stop myself.

“About two months ago, my car broke down on the way home from work. I was searching for my phone to call a tow truck when a white van pulled behind me. Two guys got out. They opened my door before I knew what was happening and pulledme out of the car. Steve came out of nowhere and took them both on. The men jumped back into their van and took off. I don’t know what would have happened to us if he hadn’t been there.” She cups his cheek and stares into his eyes. He wraps his fingers around her wrist and lays his forehead against hers. Taking out my phone, I snap a picture.

“It’s a good thing you were there,” I say before showing them the picture I took. “You three make a good-looking family.”

“Oh, I love it,” Abigail says. “Can you send that to me?” She rattles off her phone number.

I send them the picture before helping the new mama breastfeed. Once Max has had his fill, I put him in the bassinet so Mama can rest.

“So, how has your first week been?” Sylvia asks me when I step up to the nurse’s station. She’s a few years older than me, with light brown hair and eyes that are the color of dark chocolate. Sylvia is a little on the pudgy side, but she’s incredibly sweet.

I moved from Omega Hospital to Tulane five days ago. At Omega, I mainly worked with older patients who too often left our care to go into hospice. Dealing with those at the end of their lives had taken a toll on me, and I wanted something different. Besides, I needed to add to my experience as I worked toward my nurse practitioner certification. So, when the obstetrics position at Tulane came up, I applied for it and got it.

“I love it. Watching new life coming into the world has been uplifting, especially after my last position.”

“That’s what Talia said when she transferred over,” Sylvia says. “She loved it here, which is why I don’t get why she would just leave.”

“You think she left?” I ask her. “I thought the police were investigating her disappearance as a kidnapping.”

“Are they?” Joyce, who sits next to Sylvia, asks. Where Sylvia is sweet and approachable, Joyce is prickly. “A detective questioned us but said nothing about her being a kidnap victim. How do you know?”

“They questioned me, too, since we worked together for over a year.” I lie. The cops did question me, but they never mentioned kidnapping. No, I’m the one who thinks Talia’s disappearance was not her doing. I’m the one who suggested it to them.

“You guys worked together at Omega Hospital, right?” Sylvia asks.

I nod. “We did. I didn’t know Talia was missing until I tried calling her to tell her about a patient we shared passing away.”

“I thought you said you talked to the cops about her disappearance,” Joyce says, narrowing her eyes.

“I did. I’m the one who suggested Talia’s disappearance might be connected to Dr. Carver’s,” I explain.

“You think their disappearances are connected? Why?” Sylvia asks.

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