Healing Waters Read Online Free Page B

shut them all down and poked into the smoke-drenched pocket of my tunic. I withdrew two cracked M&Ms and looked at them. I wished they could erase everything, the way I always counted on them to do.

CHAPTER FOUR
    C hip had only been gone a few minutes when a tiny Asian woman with a walk like a farmer stalked into the waiting room and dragged an upholstered chair over to face me.
    â€œYou’re Lucia Coffey,” she said as she propped herself on its arm. She pronounced it Loo-CHI-a. I shook my head.
    â€œLOO-sha,” I told her.
    She gave me a miniature hand to shake. “No one can ever say my name either.”
    She pulled at her top so I could get a close look at the tag pinned to it. KIM AHN NGUYEN. PMHNP-BC .
    â€œI see your point,” I said. I also saw from the letters that she was a psychiatric nurse practitioner.
    â€œDo not even try to say it,” she said. “Just call me Kim. I am your liaison with the medical team. Think of me like a concierge. And punching bag, if necessary.”
    â€œOh,” I said. “I don’t feel like punching anybody at the moment.”
    â€œYou will.”
    I shifted in the chair. The stench of my clothes was now beyond nauseating, and the aftertaste of smoke lined my mouth like bitter cotton. I didn’t want to be around anyone.
    â€œI understand that you are one of us.”
    I glanced at her, probably too sharply.
    â€œSince you are an RN, we can let you stay closer to your sister than we usually do.” She moved her head side to side. “It is what you are comfortable with.”
    I couldn’t imagine being comfortable with any of it.
    â€œI’m sure her entire staff is going to show up here pretty soon,” I said. “She’s a Christian, uh, I guess you’d call her a celebrity. She has a whole entourage of people who probably know her better than I do.”
    â€œBut you are her family. She will want you, believe me.”
    I didn’t, but I let it go.
    â€œSo.” She looked at me earnestly. “What do you need?”
    â€œMe?”
    â€œWe are a holistic burn care center. You are my patient too. And whatever other family.”
    â€œI’m it, basically.” I churned again in my seat.
    â€œTell me. You mind? I need to know about her.”
    I did mind, but it seemed useless to argue. “We’re the only two.” My voice flattened. “Our mother died several years ago. Our father is—not in the picture.”
    She didn’t chase that—fortunately, since there was nowhere to go with it.
    â€œDoes she have a husband?” she said.
    â€œMy sister’s a widow.”
    A fine eyebrow went up. “A young widow.”
    â€œBlake died six years ago. They’d only been married a short time.”
    â€œChildren?”
    I nodded. “A daughter. She’s six.”
    A sympathetic sound escaped from Nurse Kim. Sonia’s tragic life could drag compassion out of a stone.
    â€œYou are close to your niece?” she said.
    â€œBethany? I haven’t seen her in two years. She doesn’t really know me.”
    I wanted her to go and take her questions and her charming little accent with her. I looked into my lap and noticed that my fingers were sooty. Something similar probably smeared my face as well.
    â€œMy husband went to get me some coffee,” I said. “And I don’t need anything else right now.”
    â€œExcept a shower.”
    I blinked.
    â€œWe have facilities for family members. Many people come in covered in ash and do not even know it.”
    â€œI don’t have clean clothes.”
    She stood up. “We have scrubs. You are no stranger to those.”
    What were the chances they’d have any in Size Tent? How humiliating would it be to have her scamper off promising a wardrobe, only to come back apologizing because they seemed to be running low?
    Then I felt small hearted for even thinking about that while my