ENDING OF PREVIOUS POST:

A long silence continued before Tatiana said good bye to Alex and hung up the phone. "Soni, it's late. We'd better return to your room." She headed toward the door. Soni followed.

Jim spoke with Garrison, hung up, and said good night to Kuruk and Jackson before he followed the ladies.

"Hey, what was in the box?" Kuruk called out.


TODAY'S POST:

CHAPTER TWENTY


When Jim, Tatiana, and Soni arrived back at Soni's hospital room, her nurse tapped her watch. "Ms. Adler, at this time of night I expected to find you in bed asleep."

Soni hurried and crawled in bed. "I had to check on Grandfather."

The nurse took her vital signs. "Everything looks good. Unless something shows up during the night, the doctor plans to release you in the morning." After lowering the room lights, she stood at the door. "I hope you rest well. Try not to make any more midnight trips around the hospital. Good night." She grinned as she pulled the door shut.

"Here." Soni tossed Tatiana one of her extra pillows. "Are you warm enough?" She held the call button. "I can get more blankets." Soni watched Jim walk into the hall. I wonder where he's going.

Jim returned with two extra pillows and blankets. "These will come in handy." He moved two chairs together and helped Tatiana lay down. "You should be able to get some rest this way."

"Thank you, but what about you?" asked Tatiana. "There aren't any chairs left."

"I'm sleeping on the floor. It won't be the first time and probably won't be the last." Jim folded and laid down half the blanket and stretched out on it, then covered himself with the other half. "Good night, ladies."

"Tatiana should be in the bed." Soni sat up.

"You're the patient," said Jim. "Get some sleep, so we can."

*****
As the early morning sun shone in the window, Soni hurried into the bathroom, dressed, and sat on her bed. "The doctor should be here any minute to release me."

Tatiana arranged the chairs to their previous position and folded the blanket. "I'm sure it won't be until after breakfast and probably closer to lunch."

Jim rose from the floor and stretched his arms above his head. "I'm sure Tatiana's right. You might as well find something to occupy your time."

As Soni began to channel surf, a staff member brought in breakfast. She lifted the lid and said, "It's not one of your breakfasts, but it doesn't look half bad."

"I'll get us something to eat. Any suggestions?" Jim ran his fingers through this short hair?

"Coffee and breakfast burritos are my favorite, but I'll eat anything." Tatiana stopped braiding her hair and opened her purse.

"I got it." Jim motioned with his hand to put her money away as he left.

"He's such a nice man. Don't you think?" Tatiana's eyes met Soni's.

"I guess I'm in a minority. Grandfather seems to think he's nice too." Soni turned away from the woman who raised her.

"Alex told me he thinks a lot of Jim. Maybe you need to decide why you don't like him."

"It's not that I don't like him, I don't trust him. Since he's entered our lives, we've had nothing but trouble. We didn't have any trouble until he came." Soni punched her pillow.

"Maybe it's a coincidence."

"Grandfather taught me there's no such thing as a coincidence. If it looks like a skunk, smells like a skunk, and walks like a skunk, by-golly it's a skunk."

"I think you protest too much." Tatiana continued to braid her hair and then wrapped it around her head and replaced the hairpins.

Soni raised her eyebrows. "What do you mean by that?"

"I think you like Jim a lot, and it scares you, so you're searching for reasons not to like him."

"That's ridiculous."

"You never wear your hair down. Your beauty is hard to miss today. Could it be hoping Jim notices?"

"I just didn't feel like braiding it." Soni pulled her hair together in the back and then began to make one long braid. "Is that better?"

"Is what better?" Jim walked in.

"Nothing." Soni finished her braid. "That didn't take long."

"There was a donut shop around the corner." Jim lifted the cover from Soni's breakfast. "I see you didn't eat much."

"We were talking, and I needed to fix my hair."

"What were you talking about?" Jim winked at Tatiana as he handed her coffee and a burrito.

Tatiana opened her mouth to speak, but Soni interrupted, "Why are you keeping the contents of that box such a secret? I have a right to know." Soni glared at Jim.

"Actually, you don't have a right to know, but your grandfather does. It was given to him." Jim turned to leave. "I'll tell him right now."

Soni jumped from her bed and ran after Jim.

"Oh my!" Tatiana set her coffee and burrito on the table and followed.

In the hallway, Soni grabbed Jim's arm and faced him. They stared into each other's eyes and were silent, but each struggled to swallow.

Tatiana stood in the distance and smiled.