Forever Love (Arabesque) by Celeste O. Norfleet Page B

earlier. Your grandmother’s sleeping right now. There was an accident earlier and we’re instructed to call a contact person if there’s an incident. Ms. Banks stumbled and fell a few hours ago. She was attended to by our staff physician and then was taken to the emergency ward for precautionary treatment.”
    Gia’s heart fell. “Did she have another stroke?”
    “I can’t say. The doctors had several tests done, including X-rays. They didn’t find any broken or fractured bones. However, she did suffer a slight wrist sprain. It’s wrapped and she’s wearing a sling. She was returned to her room and is resting quietly.”
    Gia’s heart quickened and beat like a snare drum. “Thank you. I’ll be right there,” she said, then ended the call and began gathering her things. She hurried out of her office, seeing that Bonnie and Danny were the only ones left in the front office. They had their coats on and were obviously leaving when she approached.
    “Perfect timing, we were just on our way out,” Bonnie said. “Oh, my God, I still can’t believe Keith Washington just showed up like that. Can you believe it?”
    “He was obviously sizing us up,” Danny said suspiciously. “What did you two talk about?” he asked, expecting an answer.
    Gia looked at Bonnie, ignoring Danny’s comment. “I have to go.”
    “Everything okay?” Bonnie asked.
    “I don’t know yet. The nursing home called. There was an incident. I’m on my way there now. I’ll call you in the morning,” Gia said as she turned the lights off and followed Danny and Bonnie out the front door. Everyone disbursed to their separate cars. Gia hurried to her car and quickly drove off.
    Keith, a few blocks away, slowed at a traffic light and then stopped at the intersection. Traffic was relatively light for this time of night. He hit the button on the steering wheel to turn on his music. Seconds later the mellow vocals of an old Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terell song played. He smiled and then chuckled to himself, remembering his mother and father performing the same selection at a family barbecue a few months earlier.
    He glanced up in the rearview mirror, because he saw the brightness of two headlights rapidly coming up behind him. The car quickly veered to the right, pulling up beside him, and then stopped short. He glanced over to see Gia behind the wheel. She looked anxious, tapping her hands on the steering wheel and intently focused on the traffic light. He frowned. He knew her anxious behavior had something to do with the phone message she’d gotten. She’d been acting nervous since she glanced at her cell phone.
    A few seconds later the light changed and she quickly turned the corner and sped off. Keith looked straight ahead and then at the corner Gia had just turned. He knew following her wasn’t a good idea. It was intrusive and he knew it would look bad if she found out, but he also knew he didn’t have much choice. He needed to know her deal. Curiously, he followed.
    She didn’t break any traffic laws, but she certainly bent a few as she drove with definite intent. He lost her briefly a couple of times, and then he saw her as she quickly turned a corner a block ahead. He turned to follow, but then her car was nowhere in sight. He slowly drove down the narrow cobblestone street, then stopped, seeing a well-lit sign on the corner. It read Crestar Medical Center.
    He turned in, driving up the path, then caught a quick glimpse of her car driving around the side of the building. There was another sign, the Crestar Nursing and Rehab Center. He continued up a secluded driveway, then stopped upon seeing Gia get out of her car and hurry into the main building.
    He parked and followed her inside.

Chapter 5
    A n hour and a half later, Gia paused just outside her grandmother’s door. She leaned back against the whitewashed wall and looked down the empty hallway. It was late and certainly most of the patients were already asleep. A dim light from