Shadow Of Misgivings, Nora Kane [great novels .txt] 📗

“You know, maybe I’ll do that.”

“Can I make another suggestion while you’re drugged up and still weak?”

“Are you going to say something a stronger, less drugged up, me might punch you for?”

“It’s very possible.”

“You’ve got my curiosity up now. Go ahead and say it. I won’t do anything now, but I’m not making any promises for later.”

“Your sister has been here a lot. Unfortunately, you were asleep for most of it, but she’s coming back tonight. She’s going to ask you about seeing your dad.”

“Did she tell you why I don’t want to see him?”

“She did. It sounds valid to me, but I agree with her.”

“You think I should forgive too?”

“Nope, just see him. If she’s right, there won’t be another chance.”

“What if I’m fine with that?”

“Well, if you decide you’re not fine with it later, there won’t be anything you can do about it. Even if you just want to tell him to go to hell, you’re running out of chances.”

“You’re right.”

“I am?”

“Yeah, a healthier me might have punched you, but maybe you have a point. If he’s still breathing when I get out of here, I’ll consider it.”

Chapter 8

2 days later

“I’m really glad you’re doing this,” Melanie said as Margot slid into the passenger seat of her SUV. Since her car was trashed beyond repair, Margot had agreed she would ride with her sister up to visit her dad.

Margot didn’t want to fight, so she let her sister be glad. She wasn’t going to pretend she was happy about it. She managed to shrug, which was a good enough response for Melanie. Margot hoped this would mean they could avoid any heavy conversation on the way. Margot hadn’t even known her dad had been moved to the Norco California Rehabilitation Center up in Riverside County. It had hospital facilities other prisons didn’t. He was in the minimum security area of the hospital since he’d become sick enough they didn’t consider him a flight risk.

Margot and Melanie made the trip there in silence. When they arrived, Melanie parked in the visitor’s lot, but she didn’t turn off the car.

“You coming in?”

“They won’t let both of us see him at once, I already checked. I’ve already been here, so it’s your turn.”

Margot nodded and took her driver's license out of her purse. Since the purse was full of weapons, she left it in the car with Melanie.

Margot had interviewed people in this very facility when she was a cop, but none of them had been dying of cancer. She wasn’t expecting to find her dad in bed in a private room hooked up to several different machines. The shriveled up old man was hardly recognizable as her dad. He appeared to be sleeping, but he opened his eyes as soon as she entered the room.

“Margot,” he told her as he tried to sit up, “I’m glad you came.”

“Melanie said you wanted to see me.”

“Yeah, I did, I do.”

“If you’re expecting forgiveness, you’re going to be disappointed.”

He managed to smile. “I’m not. I don’t deserve it anyway. I just wanted to see you. I just wanted to tell you I was sorry one more time.”

Margot didn’t say anything.

“It’s fine if you don’t believe me. I just want to be able to say it.”

“Then say it.”

“I’m sorry, Margot, for everything. I did all of you wrong.”

Margot nodded. She didn’t want to cry; she especially didn’t want to cry for him, but the tears came down anyway.

“Can you sit down? You don’t have to talk to me. I’ll be honest, just talking hurts these days. Listening doesn’t, but if you don’t want to talk, just having you here is enough.”

Margot wanted to tell him no, but she found herself sitting down.

“Thank you,” he told her.

Margot wasn’t sure how long she sat there, but eventually, he fell asleep. A nurse came into the room after a bit and checked the numbers on the machine to which he was hooked up. Margot couldn’t tell if what she saw was good or bad. Seeing the way he looked, she figured he couldn’t be good, so she didn’t ask.

“If it’s like the last couple of days,” the nurse said to her, “he won’t wake up until well after visiting hours, if you want to go home. If not, you can sit there as long as you want.”

Margot considered staying, but she stood up instead.

“If you want, I can tell him you stayed the whole time.”

“It doesn’t matter.”

“Are you Margot?”

“Yes.”

“He talks about you a lot. He said a lot of good things.”

“Really?”

“He also said you hated him more than you hated anything in the world.”

“I don’t know if that’s true.”

“Either way, I’m glad you came. I’m not the only one either.”

“What do you mean?”

“A couple of the O.G.’s in here were always asking him when you were coming. It was like they wanted to see him and you reconcile.”

“That doesn’t sound like the O.G.’s I used to know.”

“People will surprise you sometimes.”

The nurse moved on, but something about some incarcerated old gangster taking a big interest in a dying prisoner who never had anything to do with any gangs struck Margot as odd. She hurried out of there. She wasn’t sure what it meant, but her gut told her it was something bad.

Chapter 9

Her sister wasn’t in the car. Margot couldn’t figure out where she would have gone. It wasn’t like there was anything around but the prison. She tried the door and found it was unlocked. After opening it, she found a cheap phone sitting on her seat. A quick look around showed her purse and the weapons it contained were gone as well.