Free Deep Deception 2 by Tina Brooks McKinney Page A

much as, if not more than, he was watching me.
    Moses walked through the front door. “What’s going on?” Moses put down his briefcase and gave Verónica a kiss on the cheek.
    I shot Verónica another warning look, but she either completely missed my warning or I sucked at it and she ignored it.
    “Padre isn’t feeling well. He wants to go to the hospital, but I think he should lie down and take a nap,” Verónica insisted as she slung her purse over her shoulder.
    “I said I’m fine. Can we go now?” I didn’t want to get into a fight with Moses, but I would if I had to. I was going to the hospital either with Verónica or without her.
    Moses said, “How long has my little man been asleep?”
    If Moses felt the tension in the air, he obviously chose to ignore it.
    “About an hour. We shouldn’t be gone long. I’m taking my car just in case Padre wants to stay a little longer.”
    Perfect. I would have suggested the same thing because I didn’t want to have the discussion about my health with her right now.
    I was tense as we approached my youngest daughter’s hospital room. Never in a million years would I have believed that our lives would come down to this.
    “Brace yourself, she’s frail,” Verónica said before she pushed open the door to room 521.
    I paused for a few seconds while trying to gain the courage to enter her room. I knew Verónica tried to prepare me, but nothing could prepare me for the sight of my little girl lying in a hospital bed. Nothing. Everything else in the room disappeared as I looked at her. “Sweet Jesus.” I rushed forward and touched Victória’s arm.
    Verónica came up on the other side of me and placed her hand on my shoulder. I made no attempt to stop the tears that washed my face. I felt like God was punishing me for every mistake I’d ever made, and He was doing it all at once. I closed my eyes for a brief moment and when I opened them, Victória was staring back at me.
    “You’re awake,” I said as relief flooded through my body, but I was also scared.
    Victória didn’t know me and distrust showed in her eyes. She didn’t have old memories to fall back on. She was so young when they moved, four, maybe five, and I wasn’t around much. To her I was just a voice on the phone. She had no real memories of me. I wanted—no, scratch that—I needed to hear her voice.
    Victória gave me but a moment’s glance. This hurt my feelings but I tried not to let it show on my face. I gained solace when she didn’t flinch from my touch. My children had reason to hate me. I needed for them to give me another chance to make things right. Her eyes connected longer with Verónica’s than they did with mine. She never spoke; I was worried that she wouldn’t speak. Her eyes went back to Verónica. I felt like I shouldn’t even have been in the room. Her look said she didn’t want to see me.
    Verónica said, “Hey, sweetie, how are you feeling today?”
    Victória looked at me again. She didn’t seem to care one way or another about me.
    “Ramón? Where is he?” Her voice was hoarse and we could barely hear her.
    Verónica shook her head and sat down on the bed with Victória. I didn’t know what to do. I wasn’t sure if I should move closer to the bed or leave the room. Victória didn’t help me because she never acknowledged me. I tried not to take it personally.
    I said, “There’s something that I—no, we—need to tell you, and it’s not going to be easy.”
    Victória looked at me again. Her eyes became hard like two small pebbles. Verónica caught the exchange and helped me out.
    “I know you don’t remember him and I’m sure this is going to come as a surprise, but this is our real father.”
    If Victória was shocked by this bit of information, she didn’t let it show. She continued to stare at Verónica like she was the only person in the room.
    I said, “Hi, I ... uh—”
    Victória help up a hand in front of my face. “Where’s Ramón?” she