Page 14 of Vain (Tempest #2)

Chapter Fourteen

MATILDA

I lean back in the uncomfortable plastic chair and listen to my surroundings.

Cora might have stormed past me without saying a word, but I wouldn’t put it past her to come back and start something.

Women like that are all the same. They fuck up, but instead of owning it, they play the victim.

If the roles had been reserved and she’d come home to find Aiden fucking some girl in their house, I have no doubt she’d have blasted that to anyone who’d listen, likely turning the town against him.

“She’s breaking my heart,” one of the two nurses chatting in the corner says, catching my attention.

“I know. We’ve seen dozens of tragedies come through here, but this one hits a little harder than most.”

“How can it not? That little girl has lost everything. I don’t know how you come back from that.”

“She deserves somewhere better than a residential placement. She’s such a sweet kid. I wish someone local would step up and foster her. Hell, I thought about it myself, but I live in a studio apartment with a ton of student loans. Her medical expenses alone are enough to put many people off.”

I open my eyes and sit up straighter.

“I get it. I just worry. The scarring will make her a target. Kids can be cruel.”

“So can fate.”

The word scarring rattles around in my head on a loop. I watch them as they separate, one heading back to the nurse’s station, the other heading toward me.

I jump up and stop her as she is about to walk past. “Sorry to bother you, but I overheard you talking just now.” Her eyes widen as she looks around to see if anyone else is listening. “I’m not trying to get you into trouble or anything, I promise. I was just curious about the little girl.”

Her face softens as her shoulders drop. “I’m sorry, I can’t tell you anything about Zoe’s condition. You’re not family, are you?”

There is something in her eyes that makes me pause, something that’s urging me to take a risk. “I’m not family, but I’m here to surprise a little girl called Zoe. I was sent up here and have not been given any more information. I’ve come to sit with her for a little while.”

“I’m sorry.” She frowns. “I don’t understand.”

Yeah, that’s because I’m winging this. I steal my shoulders, thinking of the little girl all alone. I slide the glasses from my face and pull my hat off my head, keeping my back to the rest of the room so nobody else can see my face.

She looks at me for a moment before recognition dawns. Her mouth drops open, and her face pales as she sways on her feet. “You’re…”

I slip the hat and the glasses back on. “Matilda Carson.”

“Oh my god.” Her breath rushes out of her in one long swoop.

I press my fingers to my lips so she doesn’t start drawing attention to us. “Can I sit with Zoe? Would that be okay?”

“Sure. I mean, of course. Absolutely. Can I say I’m a huge fan? Anyone but You is one of my favorite movies,” she whispers. I grin and squeeze her arm.

“You’re sweet. If you give me your address, I can send you some signed things, as a thank you for keeping my presence here on the down low.”

She sways again, so I steady her, wondering if she has low blood sugar or something.

“Are you okay?” I whisper. “Do you need a Coke or something?”

“Matilda Carson just offered to get me a Coke,” she murmurs before pinching herself.

I wait her out, wondering if this is gonna get weirder or if she’ll shake it off.

Thankfully, she does the latter. “I’m so sorry. I always thought I’d be cool if I met someone famous. Instead, I totally fangirled, and now I feel like a boob.”

I can’t help but chuckle. “I met Denzel Washington at a movie premiere once and forgot how to use the English language completely. I’m pretty sure I just grunted for a few minutes before running away. It’s like my whole brain shut down. Trust me, you have nothing to worry about.”

She smiles. It’s shaky, but I can see she’s finding her feet again.

“Come on, I’ll sneak you in.”

“Thanks.” I look back toward the room where Aiden is. “I know I’m being a pain, but would you be able to let the man in that room know where I am? He’s my bodyguard. His friend was hurt, so I wanted him to visit him while we were here.”

“You know Kellen?”

I shake my head. “No. I know Aiden.”

“Ah, gotcha. So, um…you might want to avoid a nurse named Cora. He might only be your bodyguard, but Cora won’t care.”

“Already had the pleasure of meeting her.”

She winces. “She’s not a bad person. Okay…she’s a little high-strung. I think she’s mad primarily because she threw something amazing away, and she knows it’s her fault, but she tries to blame everyone else to make herself feel better.”

“She’s not doing herself any favors, but it’s really none of my business.”

“She doesn’t know you’re Matilda Carson, I’m guessing, or we’d all know by now. She’s so used to being the prettiest person in the room that she’d hate you on sight if you weren’t wearing the disguise.”

“I have a feeling she’d hate me on sight because I have boobs, and I was holding hands with her ex.

” Shit, I didn’t mean to add that part, so I push on, hoping she doesn’t focus on that.

“Also, I’m not denying Cora’s pretty, but you’re stunning.

So I’m not sure how she can always be the prettiest person in the room. ”

She pauses, her mouth opening and closing like a goldfish.

“I’m not going to have to resuscitate you or anything, am I?” I ask warily, making her snort.

“Sorry, I glitched there for a minute. It’s not every day your girl crush tells you you’re stunning.”

I can’t help but laugh at how candid she is. As we turn down another corridor, I sense her mood slipping into a more professional one. “Okay, what do you know about Zoe?”

“Nothing,” I admit, feeling like an idiot, but I’m not sure I could explain to her how I feel the need to see her.

She blows out a wary breath. “Zoe is nine years old. Her mom, Claudia, was born and raised here in Tempest. She left for college, met the love of her life, and settled in Seattle, where she got married and had four children. Three boys and one girl—Zoe, was second to youngest.”

She stops and braces herself against the wall. “About eighteen months ago, a serial arsonist was targeting family homes in Seattle.”

“I think I might have seen something about it on the news.” I have a vague recollection, though my mind had been mostly on my recovery.

“He barricaded the exits and set fire to their home. Zoe was the only one who survived.” My hands fly up to cover my mouth in horror.

“I won’t sugarcoat it. She got burned. She has a lot of scarring, and the smoke inhalation did some damage to her lungs. She was admitted here with pneumonia, which, thankfully, is mostly out of her system. She’s due to head down to the children’s ward later tomorrow.”

”I heard you mention residential care. She doesn’t have any other family?”

“None that will take her. She came here to live with her maternal grandmother, Caroline, but I think the grief of losing most of her family like that took its toll. Caroline died from a heart attack two months ago.”

“Jesus Christ.”

“Yeah. It’s more than anyone should have to bear, let alone a child.”

We stop outside the door, and I’m grateful for it because it gives me a second to regroup.

“Ready?”

I nod. She opens the door and shows me in. A little girl with the biggest blue eyes I’ve ever seen turns to look at us.

“Hey Zoe, I have someone here who really wants to meet you.”

I swallow and step forward, my eyes briefly trailing over her exposed arms, which are as badly scarred as her neck and right cheek. Her hair is short and patchy, so I can only assume that got burned up in the fire, too.

I tug my glasses off and hook them in the front of my top before removing my hat.

Like the nurse standing next to me, it only takes her a brief moment to recognize me, though I’m guessing she knows me from the Isadora and the Wonder Pig movies.

Playing a witch in a kids’ movie was much more fun than half the other projects I was getting offered before the attack.

“Isadora?” she whispers.

I grin, moving to sit on the bed next to her. I take her scarred hand in mine and fight back tears when she flinches. I know it’s not from pain but from embarrassment. I rub my thumb over the back of her hand gently, not knowing how sensitive her skin is.

“It’s so good to meet you.” I turn to look at the nurse, who has a little bit of hero worship in her expression once more, making me want to squirm. “Could you let Aiden know where I am now before he loses his mind?”

“Oh, of course. I’ll come check on you in a little while,” she tells Zoe, who doesn’t take her eyes off me as she whispers.

“Okay.”

I wait for the nurse to leave and close the door before I let go of Zoe’s hand. “Hospitals suck, huh?”

She laughs, clearly not expecting me to say that. “Yeah. I get bored a lot.”

“Ugh, that’s the worst.”

“Have you been in the hospital before?”

I bite my lip before standing up and slipping off my jacket. I’m wearing a plain white T-shirt underneath, so I slide the short sleeve over my scared shoulder so she can see. She gasps as I let go and raise the hem, showing her my side, too.

I sit back on the bed beside her as she leans forward, her hand reaching for my arm. She hovers there, so I take it and press it to my forearm.

“We’re the same,” she says in awe. I choke back a sob even as a few tears slip free. “I’m not a freak?”

Hearing her use words I’ve used to describe myself breaks something inside me. I lean forward and gently wrap my arms around her. “No, honey, you’re not a freak. You’re a superhero.”