“Not you! No! What are you doing here? I don’t want to see you!”
Daisy instinctively took a step back. The nurse, a tall woman in her forties with short dark hair, smiled at her.
“Hi. I’m Nita. I’ll be Cassidy’s main day nurse. I flew back with her. She’s on some serious medication for the trip, so she’s pretty out of it.”
Daisy introduced herself, then Esmerelda. She avoided looking at Cassidy, not wanting to endure another outburst.
The men wheeled Cassidy inside. Daisy took them up via the elevator and led the way to the guest suite. The hospital bed and other equipment had been delivered the previous day. Now Daisy hurried ahead to pull back the covers.
“We’re going to have to get you into bed,” Nita told Cassidy. “It might be a bit uncomfortable, but then you’ll get to rest.”
Esmerelda, Nita and the two men carefully moved her from the gurney. Cassidy cried out several times, then quieted when she was settled on the bed. Nita examined the controls and began to work the adjustments.
“Tell me what’s the most comfortable,” she told Cassidy. “I’d like to keep you upright for a little bit.”
Cassidy clutched the front of her shirt. “Is she still here?”
Nita looked confused.
“I think she means me,” Daisy told her. “She and I weren’t especially close when we were younger.”
“Sage,” Cassidy called. “Sage, where are you? Sage?”
As if summoned from the great beyond, Sage stepped through the sunlight streaming into the room and was briefly in silhouette—her long blond hair flowing around her, her well-fitting dress fluttering at her knees. Daisy half expected a cadre of woodland creatures to scamper at her feet.
“I’m here,” Sage said, hurrying to her sister’s side.
When Sage was close enough to actually see her, she came to a stop and covered her mouth with her hand. Her shock and distress were visible. Unable to help herself, Daisy moved closer.
“She’s actually in better shape than I expected,” Daisy said quickly. “The bruising on her face will fade and she’s recovering from her concussion. The breaks are healing. The ribs are the most painful but she’s young and healthy. She’s going to be fine.”
Sage nodded, then moved close to Cassidy. “Hey, little girl. I’m here.”
Cassidy opened her eyes. “Is it really you?”
“It is.”
Cassidy glanced around wildly. “She’s here. Daisy’s here. Make her go away. Please? Don’t leave me with her.”
Daisy felt herself flush. The two EMTs busied themselves with the gurney while Nita glanced between Cassidy and Daisy, no doubt wondering what the story was.
Not knowing what else to do, Daisy turned and walked out of the room. When she was in the hallway, she leaned against the wall and tried to tell herself everything was going to be fine. Cassidy was on a lot of medication and she’d just endured a long flight. She was tired and overwrought. Tomorrow would be better.
Which sounded fabulous but was, of course, a total lie. When it came to her sisters—step and half—it was never better. It was only ever worse.
six
Sage watched Daisy rush out of the room. As much as she hated to feel bad for her, this time she couldn’t help herself. It was never fun to be the least liked person around.
“Don’t be a pill,” she told Cassidy. “Daisy’s letting you stay in her house. You have to be nice to her.”
Cassidy clutched her hand tightly. “She’s horrible. She was always telling me to do my homework and making me put my dirty clothes in the laundry. What was Dad thinking, sending me here?”
Sage remembered being on Cassidy’s side all those years ago, but now hearing her sister’s list of complaints, they sounded pretty pathetic and immature.
“I’m so glad you’re here,” Cassidy continued, sounding desperate. “I didn’t want to come here, but I didn’t have anywhere else to go. I thought maybe Dad would fly me to Hawaii, but he said he doesn’t have the room and he’s busy with work.” Tears filled her blue eyes. “I know Mom wouldn’t want me around.”
“Of course she’d want you,” Sage lied. “But you know how small the house is. The only place your hospital bed would fit is on the patio. That would be really uncomfortable when the sprinklers came on.”
That got her a slight smile, but Cassidy continued to cling to her hand.
“It’s just awful. She’s awful. I hate her.”
“You don’t hate her. Cass, you’ve been out of the house for ten years. We’ve all changed. Give Daisy a chance.”
“Since when did you take her side? You always hated her, too.”
Sage didn’t want to admit to that.
She tugged free of Cassidy’s grip and pulled a desk chair close to the bed. The nurse wasn’t in the room, but Sage assumed she was giving them privacy while staying close.
“What happened?” she asked, taking her sister’s good hand again. “You really fell off a mountain?”
Cassidy closed her eyes. “I didn’t mean to. I was backing up and suddenly there wasn’t any ground under my feet.”
“Backing up from what?”
“I don’t want to talk about it.”
Which meant the “it” was bad or possibly embarrassing.
“I didn’t know you were in LA,” Cassidy said earnestly. “But I’m so glad you’re here.”
“I moved back a few weeks ago, when Mom had her cancer scare. She wanted company and I’d just found out I was getting a divorce, so it seemed like a good time to come back.”
Cassidy turned her head toward Sage, then winced at the movement. “What do you mean, ‘back’?”
“I’m staying in the States. I’m done with Europe and it appears to be done with me.” She deliberately kept her tone light.
“Are you okay?”
Sage smiled. “Better than you, kid.”
“I think everyone is.”
Sage heard the sound of rapid footsteps, then Krissa and a boy a few years older appeared at the open door to the bedroom. Ben, Sage thought. Daisy’s oldest. Krissa seemed more cautious than curious, but Ben was obviously eager to come in.
“Ready for visitors?” Sage asked, then quickly added. “It’s Daisy’s kids. You’ve met them, right?”