Heaven Sent Read Online Free Page A

heaven. He soared higher and higher, then fell headlong toward the earth in a dizzying tailspin. He opened his mouth to scream. However, nothing came out. The ground rose up quickly to meet him, but instead of crashing he was lifted up again.
    This time he felt a pair of comforting arms holding him gently and the voice of an angel telling him that he was going to be all right. She was going to take care of him. Something unknown whispered that he had died and gone to heaven.
    Serena realized the man in her arms had quieted, retreating to a world of darkness and forgetfulness once again. She eased his head onto another pillow, noting that the flow of blood had slowed. Covering his body with a sheet, she turned and left the room. She needed to change her clothes before the doctor arrived.
    It wasn’t until she was in her bedroom that she wondered about the man, wanting to know who he was, what had happened to him so that he’d sustained such a serious injury, and what he was doing at
La Montaña.
    She quickly exchanged her bathrobe and nightgown for a pair of jeans and an oversized T-shirt. At the last minute she brushed and secured her curly hair off herface with an elastic headband, displaying her round face to its most attractive advantage.
    It had taken her less than ten minutes to change her clothes, but in that time the doctor had arrived and begun an extensive examination of the injuries of the man in the bed at Interior Minister Raul Cordero-Vega’s country residence.
    Standing in a far corner of the bedroom next to her father, Serena stared at the incredibly young looking doctor as he checked his patient’s vital signs.
    “Who is he, Poppa?” she asked Raul quietly.
    “Dr. Rivera.”
    “Not the doctor.”
    Raul hesitated. He had to tell Serena the truth—or most of it. She would find out eventually. “His name is David Cole. He’s an American businessman.”
    “What is he doing in Costa Rica?”
    “He came to meet with me.”
    Serena shifted a delicately arched eyebrow. “What happened to him?”
    “Rodrigo found him in an abandoned van several kilometers from the house. He recognized him and brought him here.”
    Her next question died on her lips as the doctor stood up and motioned for Raul.
    “Señor Vega. I’d like to talk to you.” He put up a hand as Serena followed closely behind her father. “Please, Señorita, do not come any closer.”
    “It’s all right, Dr. Rivera. My daughter is a nurse,” Raul explained.
    Leandro Rivera’s eyes widened as he took in the petite figure beside one of Costa Rica’s most reveredgovernment officials. He knew Vega had a son, but he hadn’t known of a daughter.
    He smiled easily. “Will you assist me, Señorita Vega?”
    “It’s Morris, not Vega,” she corrected quickly. “And yes, I will assist you.”
    Raul missed the obvious interest in Leandro Rivera’s gaze as the young doctor stared openly at Serena. “How is he, Doctor?”
    Leandro jerked his attention back to Raul. “He’s suffered a severe concussion. There’s been some trauma to the orbit opening and sphenoid bone. His right ankle is also severely bruised. I won’t know if there’s a break unless it is X-rayed. But it’s his head injury that concerns me.”
    “My daughter said that he’s going to need to be sutured.”
    Leandro nodded. “She’s correct. The laceration is too deep to close on its own.”
    “What are his chances for surviving?”
    “I wish I could be more optimistic, Señor Vega, but we’ll have to wait.”
    “How long?” Raul snapped in frustration.
    “We’ll have to wait to see whether he regains consciousness, and if the medication I give him will counteract the infections in his body. Even if we can break his fever, there still is the risk that he may have sustained some brain damage.”
    Serena placed a hand on her father’s shoulder. “Poppa, Dr. Rivera and I will take over now. Please go and wait in your study for us to do what we have to do