5. Daniela

Valentina and Alexis are together in a room, with a privacy screen between them. Mia is with them, as is one of Alexis’s guards. I want to go straight to Valentina, but Alexis is in the bed closest to the door, and a doctor is with her. I go to her first, putting my hand on her arm and kissing the top of her head. “It’s so good to see you, sweetheart.”

I turn to the doctor. “How is she?”

“So far, everything looks great.”

“I’ve been on a sailboat that’s capsized,” Alexis says, “so I was prepared. My father is probably popping an aneurysm, though.”

Probably more than one.“They’ll be here soon. I’m sure it helps him to know that you’re okay.”

“I doubt it.” She grins as I make my way around the screen to my child.

“Lala,” Valentina says softly. Like Alexis, she’s wearing a hospital gown. Her hair is wet, and she looks a bit washed-out, but otherwise, she’s perfect.

“Querida.” Somehow, I manage to keep the sob in my throat. I squeeze Mia’s hand in gratitude, as I make my way around a nurse to the head of the bed, where I wrap my arms around my girl.

I press my lips to the top of her damp head. As I inhale the lingering stank of the river, it hits me like a wrecking ball. I squeeze my eyes tight. I could have lost her—lost them both. If not for some quick thinking and a little luck—I would have lost everything. It all came down to seconds.

This is not helpful, Daniela. Pull yourself together. Now.

“We’re just about finished,” the doctor announces, as I regain my composure. “Let’s get rid of this screen so the girls can see each other while they chat.”

“How is Valentina?” I ask with bated breath.

“We’ll do a few blood tests and take some chest x-rays. Then we’ll move the girls down the hall into a more comfortable room while we wait for the results. We’ll monitor them for a few hours and if nothing changes, they can go home.”

Chest x-rays? “Why a chest x-ray?”

“Just to be sure that water isn’t anywhere it shouldn’t be.”

I nod, while I think about how to ask about water, and lungs, and amoebas in a way that won’t alarm the girls.

“There’s nothing to worry about,” the doctor assures me. “Ordinarily I would recommend a watch-and-wait approach before ordering the x-ray, but Senhor Antonio isn’t a big fan of watch and wait.”

No surprise there.

“It’s a non-invasive test,” she continues, “and unlike in a hospital, cost isn’t a consideration.”

“Santi held onto me the whole time I was in the water,” Valentina says, pulling my attention away from the matter of the x-ray. “And Mia told me what to do while we were swimming. She talked to me the whole time.”

I smile at Mia, who hasn’t changed out of her wet clothes.

“Then Antonio came, and the boats,” Valentina adds. “As soon as I saw Antonio, I knew everything would be okay.”

As soon as I saw Antonio, I knew everything would be okay. I find myself thinking that way sometimes, too—and I don’t like it. Not for me, and not for her, and not for Antonio. It’s unhealthy. Antonio’s not our savior. He doesn’t need that responsibility. And Valentina needs to believe that she can save herself. No man required.

“Mia, I’m here now, if you want to go change into dry clothes.”

She shakes her head. “Santi is changing. When he gets back, I’ll go. But thank you.”

Mia is a woman in an overwhelmingly male profession. My father had no female soldiers, and Antonio has very few. Mia is the only one who is actually a guard. She’s a good role model for Valentina.

“Rafael said that there was some type of malfunction with the sailboat,” Alexis says, watching me with keen eyes. “It must have had a backup motor.”

It seems like more than idle curiosity. She’s suspicious. Alexis has been sheltered to some degree, but she’s more worldly and sophisticated than Valentina.

“They haven’t gotten to the bottom of it yet,” I explain. “But they’re working on it.”

There’s a quick rap on the door, and then it swings open to Rafael Huntsman dressed in blue scrubs. No hospital gown for him. Valentina’s face lights up, and he has Alexis’s attention, too.

When he enters the room, he holds out his arms. “What, a party, and you didn’t invite me?”

The girls practically squeal in unison.

The doctor has both hands on her hips. “Have you been examined, senhor?”

She has Rafael’s number.

“I’m good to go,” he quips.

“We’re not finished here, so you actually will have to go.” The doctor turns to me. “If you don’t mind, it would be easier if you waited outside, too. We put both girls in here so they could stay together, but it’s awfully crowded, and we need to get blood and x-rays.”

When I don’t respond, she keeps talking. “There’s a waiting room down the hall. Someone will get you some coffee or tea. We’ll set the girls up for a shower, and then get them to a homier room where they can watch a movie and have something to eat. As soon as they’re settled, we’ll come and get you. It won’t be long.”

I’m not ready to leave them just yet, but I don’t want to make the staff’s life any more difficult. I glance from Valentina to Alexis. “Will you girls be okay without me for a little while?”

“Yes,” they say, like they’re sixteen and I’m cramping their style.

I glance at Valentina.

“I’m not a baby, Daniela,” she says dismissively. “You worry too much.”

You have no idea.

“I’ll walk you to the waiting room,” Rafael murmurs, taking my elbow.

By the time we reach the doorway, the girls are giggling about something.

Maybe I’ll take my worrying self down the hall to check on Antonio’s shoulder.