Free Harvest Moon by Rochelle Alers Page A

alternated staring at a clock and counting off the minuteswith pacing. Two hours had passed before a middle-aged doctor approached her. His somber expression told her what she loathed hearing.
    He extended his hand. “I’m Dr. Rutherford.”
    Rising to her feet, she shook the proffered hand. “Regina Simmons.” She had decided to use her mother’s maiden name. “How’s my grandfather?”
    The doctor pointed to the chair she had just vacated. “I think you’d better sit down, Miss Simmons.” She complied, and he sat down beside her. “Your grandfather’s condition is grave.”
    Her eyes widened behind the dark lenses. “How grave?”
    “A CAT scan detected a large mass on his right lung. We’re going to need you to sign some papers so we can remove it.”
    Closing her eyes, she swayed slightly as she bit down hard on her lower lip. How could she sign? She wasn’t a relative. And besides, she was only seventeen. What did she know about giving permission for an operation?
    Oscar had a son. A son who was a doctor. A son who hadn’t seen or spoken to his father in more than two years. She studied the doctor’s angular, patrician face. The green scrubs were not flattering to his sallow complexion.
    “If…if he doesn’t have the operation…” She couldn’t continue.
    “Without the operation I doubt whether he’ll survive the year if the tumor spreads to the other lung.”
    “And with it?”
    “We won’t know if the mass is benign until it’s biopsied. If it isn’t, then the worse case scenario will be that he’ll probably have to undergo radiation or chemotherapy to save the other lung, or keep the cancer from spreading. These procedures could possibly prolong his life by several years.”
    A wry smile curved her mouth. Oscar Spencer had promised to protect her, while the responsibility for his very existence wassuddenly thrust upon her because she had elected to masquerade as his granddaughter.
    She did not have a choice. That was taken out of her hands the moment he led her out of Harold Jordan’s house.
    “Where do I sign?” she asked in a firm voice.
    The doctor patted her hand in a comforting gesture. “You’ve made the right decision, Miss Simmons. The clerk in the admitting office will have everything ready for you.”
    After signing the necessary documents for Oscar’s surgery Regina lost track of time. She waited in a small, sunny room filled with large potted plants and colorful prints on the cool, beige walls. She made three trips to the hospital’s coffee shop, each time purchasing large containers of the strong brew.
    Becoming a Californian had changed her. She now drank coffee though she had never consumed it before, while eating less meat and more vegetables. She wasn’t quite a vegetarian, but there were weeks when she did not eat fish, chicken, pork, or beef. The result was a loss of nearly ten pounds; ten pounds she could not afford to lose. Standing five-ten in her bare feet, she now tipped the scales at one hundred twelve pounds.
    When her parents had come to Los Angeles to see her they hadn’t been able to hide their shock at her weight loss. Her father promptly made a reservation at a restaurant and ordered every high calorie selection on the menu. Meanwhile, her mother had stared at her with tear-filled eyes before asking whether she was feeling well. She had spent more than two hours reassuring them she felt wonderful and that she was healthy. The elder Coles’ fears were allayed once they saw her image on the screen. Their daughter was sensually entrancing.
    She thought of her parents, brother, and sister as she sat sipping coffee, realizing how much she missed them. She missed five-year-old Arianna following her around and imitating her every motion, and seven-year-old Tyler. Her brother was quiet,reflective, appearing mature beyond his young years. He rarely smiled, and if he did it was a shy, attractive one. Everyone teased him and called him “old man.” Tyler