my condition. One thing led to another and I was forced to drop out of school.”
A shadow crossed over his handsome features before he found her hand again and kissed the fingertips one by one. His touch melted her like a serving of gelato left in the hot sun. “I’m going to let you rest. Before I leave, is there anything I can do for you?”
She knew it. Now that he’d learned about her condition, he was going to start treating her like all the others. In a matter of seconds she’d gone from being his fun-loving friend to invalid. He’d never held her hand and kissed it before. She couldn’t bear it now. Not from him.
“Yes,” she said brightly, removing it. “Will you open my purse and bring me the book I brought to read? It’s on that table.”
Within seconds the task was accomplished. He glanced at the title. “I’ve heard this is good.”
“I hope so.” She took it from his hand. “Thank you.”
Before he left, taking all the excitement with him, he put on his sunglasses and tied the scarf around his head. “Think I’ll still fool the paparazzi?” He flashed her a dazzling white smile, reminding her of the French fictional character Marius who went to sea in the story from Pagnol’s Fanny.
At the time, she could see that Valentino totally related to the young man who dreamed of seeing the world. Clara, on the other hand, could totally relate to Fanny, who loved him, but knew she had to let him go in order for him to be happy. It was one of their favorite books in lit class. “But of course! Au revoir, Marius!”
Marius?
Valentino forced a grin, not having thought about that story or their involved discussions of the characters in a long time. Her humor in spite of her condition humbled him, but inside he was dying.
She looked so damned beautiful and helpless lying there, he couldn’t take his eyes off her. The urge to do many things for her was so great, he needed to get out of the room in order to hold onto his sanity.
“A presto,” he whispered, kissing her forehead.
Once he left her room, he saw Serena and headed in her direction. “Can we talk for a moment?”
“By all means.”
“I lied to you before.”
She smiled. “I know. If I hadn’t recognized you as Valentino Casali, you would never have made it in to see Clara. The way you two were laughing in there, I knew I’d done the right thing. It’s the best medicine for her.”
He nodded. “Thank you for allowing me in. Would you do me one more favor and give me the name and number of her specialist?”
“Come over to the desk and I’ll write it down. Dr. Arno’s office is in Rome, but he’s overseeing Clara’s case.”
Once Valentino had it in hand, he thanked her again. After leaving the clinic, he quickly found the secret alleyways through the upper region of the town, not stopping until he reached the villa.
When he checked his watch, he realized Dr. Arno would be in his office for hours yet, that was if it were a normal day for him. No matter what, Valentino needed to talk to him.
The receptionist at his office in Rome answered. When Valentino explained the nature of his emergency, she said the doctor was on vacation and wouldn’t be returning for a few more days. But she’d make certain he got back to Valentino ASAP.
Wild with pain, he needed a lot of information pronto! After hanging up, he put in a call to Dr. Rimbaud, his own doctor in Monaco, asking him to phone him back. While he waited for the call, he showered and changed into chinos and a sport shirt. He was drinking some coffee when his phone rang. Valentino grabbed for it.
“Dr. Rimbaud—thanks for getting back to me so fast.”
“I thought I’d better in case you’ve been in another crash,” he kidded him.
“Not this time.”
“You sound serious, not like yourself. What’s wrong?”
“Will you tell me what you can about kidney failure?”
“Uh oh. Anyone I know?”
“No. It’s a close friend of mine.”
“I’m sorry to hear that. Give me a few particulars.”
Once Valentino had unloaded about Clara, the doctor told him what he could. “Those treatments take between four and five hours. Afterward she’ll be weak and need rest. Sometimes the patient suffers a sudden loss in blood pressure or gets muscle cramps. One or all of those reasons was why she’d been in a hurry to get on the bus the other day.”
“Of course.” Valentino had read all the signs wrong. She’d run from him because she wasn’t well, and because she had her pride. The Rossettis possessed that in abundance. Clara wouldn’t even let her family drive her to the clinic and back.
“Depending on her individual health, she probably needs to eat more animal protein. If necessary she might have to cut milk, cheese, salt and soft drinks. She’ll do better on the day after each dialysis treatment. That explains her ability to work at her family’s fruit stand.”
“How long can she go on like this?”
“Most patients live longer on dialysis these days, but her End Stage Renal Disorder might be more severe. Perhaps she’s been diagnosed with anemia. There could be other problems, too, like bone disease, nerve damage or high blood pressure. These are complications you’ll have to discuss with her specialist. Naturally the most desired thing would be to find a compatible donor for a transplant as soon as possible.”
He closed his eyes tightly. Dr. Arno couldn’t call him back fast enough. In the meantime, Valentino intended to be there for her in every conceivable way.
“Thank you, Dr. Rimbaud. What you’ve told me helps a lot.”
“Call me anytime.”
As soon as he hung up, he phoned for a taxi to take him to the local market. Once there he did some shopping, satisfied that the paparazzi would be looking in vain for his Ferrari. Until further notice it would stay in the garage. He would wait outside the doors to the clinic in the taxi until she emerged, then offer her a ride home.
“Signore?” the chauffeur called to him. “We’ve arrived.”
“So we have.”
He instructed him to wait in the loading zone. His pulse picked up speed when he finally saw Clara start out the clinic doors. She looked good, not as pale as she’d been last evening. He stepped out of the taxi into her path so she had to stop.
“How come you keep following me?” he baited her gently.
She lifted her beautiful head so he could see the green flecks in her eyes.
“Tino—”she cried in shock, but her eyes lit up. This was a bonus he hadn’t expected after barging in on her treatment.
“Come
