“The nurse placed it over there.”

Caleb walked over to the desk looking for a piece of paper or a notepad.  Confused, he turned to face Ona.

“Where is it...the only thing that’s over here is an iPad.”

“When I asked for a piece of paper, they told me that this is a paperless facility.”

“Do you mean to say that there isn’t one scrap of paper in this building?”  he rephrased his question.  “Are you saying...that there aren’t any sticky notepads...looseleaf paper, legal pads--there isn’t anything like that in this trillion dollar facility?”

Ona smirked when she said...

“Not even blank paper for a copy machine; because they don’t have any copy machines.”

Caleb picked up the device, turning it from side to side.  He’d never owned one, and he was certain that Ona was just as dumbfounded when it came to how the thing worked.

“Did the nurse put the information on the device for you?”

Ona raised up her one hand, when she said...

“My nurse didn’t want me to get frustrated using one hand, so she offered to type the information on the pad for me.  She said that since I’m the only patient on the unit...she didn’t mind offering her help.  They say that except for my daily procedures, I’m one of the easiest patients they’ve ever cared for on this unit.  I’ve been told that the Delors are a very generous family and that Lucien...that man responsible for me being here--the nurses say that he’s interested in my recovery.”

Caleb didn’t doubt the truth of this statement--especially after meeting her benefactor.  He palmed the iPad in his hand, then he cleared his throat before changing the subject.

“Are your notes clear?  Will I have questions after I read this thing?”

Caleb knew exactly what to say, to redirect his sisters attention.

“The notes are very specific...and it’s exactly what I would have done--if I weren’t in the hospital.”

“Before I came...I got a call from Geff.  He wants to return to help with your project.  Actually, most days--after Noah and I finish our conversations--Geff get’s on the line.  I’ve kept him up to date on your progress from the very beginning.”

Caleb could see by her expression, that this wasn’t the news she’d been itching to hear.

“Ona...he wants to help.”

“No, Caleb...I don’t want that.  Geff--he wants to help but I don’t think accepting his offer is a good idea.”

Caleb had known for a while about Geff, and his intentions.  He’d not been a friend to him, like Noah...but he also thought that Geff would be a good husband for his sister.  On the other hand, Caleb respected Ona’s judgment of character.

“Don’t worry yourself over Geff.  I know what to say to dissuade him.”

Ona couldn’t think of anything good to add.  Caleb wasn’t anything like Noah and she didn’t fully understand the inner workings of his mind.  Also, when it came to Geff, she didn’t want to imagine her brother’s thoughts.

Caleb was heading out the door when he said...

“Can I bring you anything when I come back tomorrow?”

“No...  I have all that I need.”

He looked around the room, and he thought  ‘She has all that she needs and then some’; he kept this thought to himself because so few in the world had as much as the Delors and he still hadn’t come to terms with his sister being in this place.

**********

Lucien stepped off the elevator exactly one hour after Caleb Zelle had left.  After being asked to leave not long after Ona had been transferred to his family’s wing; Lucien had been receiving daily updates informing him about Ona's progress.  He had stayed away out of respect until the nurses informed him that their patient was nothing like her brother. In fact, when Ona had been well enough to hear about the accident, her doctor had credited Lucien's intervention for her being alive.

Lucien passed the nurses station, and he paused to greet her.

"Good morning Rachel."

"Good morning Mr. Delors.  Your timing is perfect.  Her massage therapy is in thirty-minutes."

"Did the flowers arrive?"

Rachel rocked her head to the rear.

"They arrived just as her brother was leaving her room.  He stopped at the desk for a crash course on the use of the iPad."

"Did he see the flowers?"

Rachel shook her head.

"Imagine what he would have said had he seen the flowers.  With only one patient on the floor, I couldn't say that the flowers are for someone else--and he probably wouldn’t have believed that the flowers had come for me."

Rachel was an attractive woman, small boned, and light brown complexioned.  As far as he could see, any man would be foolish not to consider her date worthy.

He said...

“Please don’t take this the wrong way...and I’m not encouraging you to lie but; what makes you think that her brother wouldn’t accept that the flowers had been sent to you?”

She smirked when she said...

“Every last one of those flowers was greenhouse grown, out of season and the arrangement probably cost more than I earn in one week.”  When he didn’t appear persuaded, she added...

“Even if I were dating...most of my pursuits could barely afford the vase.”

He didn’t agree, but he wouldn’t argue the point.  Some people didn’t realize their worth, and Rachel seemed to be one of those people.  The first time he’d met her, Lucien had thought that she was a dead-ringer for a young Vanessa Williams.  Even now, if it weren’t for the difference in their ages, he would swear that she was Vanessa’s doppelgänger but he couldn’t allow this to derail his thoughts.  Sending Ona Zelle a floral arrangement had been a gamble, and Lucien had considered this each passing hour.  In spite of his inner warnings, everyday he'd fought the urge prompting him to send her a truckload of flowers and when he'd decided to risk visiting her, he couldn’t fathom arriving empty handed.

Rachel waved away his cares saying....

"Don't worry Mr. Delors...I understand this situation.  Her brother is a Samaritan but he wasn't born into the Sect.  He was adopted and he has a huge chip on his shoulder."

"Unless his chip concerns Ona’s care, or something that we’ve failed to do...his general annoyance isn’t our concern and I don’t want my staff involved in any acrimonious disputes.  Treat him like a guest.  Whatever he wants...see to it that he get's it.  We don't want to make this ordeal anymore stressful that it already is for her family."

"I agree sir...and don't worry.  I even told him that I’d sent out for a notepad because neither he nor his sister feels comfortable using the iPad."

"That's good Rachel."  He looked at the time, when he said...

"I should probably head down to her room.  I don't want to delay any of her treatments "

"I'll bring down the flowers...and we'll have to think of something to say when her brother arrives.  I can promise you...when he see’s that vase, and then the flowers...Caleb Zelle will have questions and he won’t leave until his curiosity has been satisfied "

"How about we just tell him the truth.  If he’s as stubborn as you nurses have reported, we don’t want to do anything that might lead to dissension."

In this case, Lucien thought that honesty was the best course of action.  He didn't want his staff getting caught in a lie and he didn't want Ona Zelle getting the wrong impression, especially since they hadn't been formally introduced.

Lucien walked the length of the hall, stopping midway.

The door to her room had been left ajar, and he could hear what sounded like the TV news.  He knocked, tapping with his knuckle, and his world changed when he heard her serene voice.

"Come in Rachel...you really needn't knock."

Lucien cleared his throat, creating a masculine gruff sound.  The pitch in tenor established his sex and Ona promptly apologized, correcting herself, not giving her guest one-second to reply