MemoriesErasedTreachery Read Online Free Page B

in him? He had spoken to Nicole on the phone every other month, but their conversations were primarily business discussions, and he hadn't seen them since spring break, a little over--oh, my God! Whichever niece was pregnant, she knew it then. She should have told him or at least Gemma.
    Wait a minute.
    The officer had said, one young woman . Not good. He reached for his cell phone. He had to call Timothy so he could contact MacGregor. Gregorio needed to come…damn. He flung his phone on the passenger seat. Timothy was out with Devin, so no help there. He was on his own. Tears of pain and frustration welled up in his eyes.
    His nieces, dead or dying, and a baby. What did he know about babies? Assuming the baby lived, what was he supposed to do with a baby until Gregorio returned? More to the point, what if his brother wasn't able to come home any time soon. It had been more than a year. Enough time for people to forget Gregorio's past, wasn't it? Maybe he'd find Gregorio himself. Was he still in the States, or did he go back to Italy. They still had distant relatives there. What name would Gregorio use…hell. What did any of that matter? Gregorio had to come home, now.
    Gemma!
    No, wait. What was he thinking? Gemma couldn't help. She had her own ongoing issues to overcome. At her present stage of remission, his aunt wasn't strong enough to deal with a baby. Hell. Without Timothy there, just telling her about Nicole and Carolyn, regardless of their conditions, might cause a decline in Gemma's progress. No, he couldn't lay the care of an infant on his aunt.
    Mick and Tag!
    Hmm. They probably couldn't help with a baby, but they could contact MacGregor for him.
    Ewyn pulled onto the hospital grounds, eased into the visitor parking out front and jumped from the car. He hauled ass toward the emergency room and reached the check-in desk just as several green-garmented hospital personnel barreled pass, wheeling a gurney headed toward the elevators.
    "Wait!" Ewyn ran and caught up to the gurney, grabbing its side, impeding its progress. He froze when he glanced at the woman lying there.
    "Sir! Stand aside. We have to get her to surgery."
    With his hold hindering the trauma teams' forward momentum, Ewyn whispered, "Nicole?"
    Severely injured and unconscious, the disfigured face had tubes and other paraphernalia protruding from its crevices. He assumed it was Nicole, and not Carolyn, because of the stray wisps of red hair peeking out from beneath the bandages covering her head. Nicole had the signature Kelley coloring, red hair and blue eyes, while Carolyn had the jet-black, Calderone hair and green eyes. For sure, it was Nicole.
    "Sir!"
    Ewyn flinched and staggered back. The hospital staff brushed by him at a trot, gurney wheels squeaking as they clattered over the elevator threshold. The doors closed in Ewyn's face.
    "Sir…" Someone touched his arm. "Sir…"
    He swung around.
    "If you'll come with me, I'll explain--"
    "I'm her uncle," he interrupted as the nurse steered him toward the waiting room. "Where's her sister?"
    "Can I get you something?"
    "Miss, uh…" Ewyn glanced at the woman's nametag. "Miss Johanssen. No platitudes, just give it to me straight."
    "Sorry, Mister Calderone…"
    "Kelley," Ewyn responded automatically.
    "Oh, I thought…never mind." The nurse shook her head. "I am so sorry, but the younger girl was dead on arrival, and they don't hold out much hope for the other one." She looked down at the clipboard she held. "Nicole?"
    "Yes." Ewyn inhaled deeply, staving off the sob caught in his throat. He couldn't fall apart, not now.
    "Nicole is on a respirator. They're trying to keep her alive long enough to save her child. The baby is full term. Nicole was in labor at the time of the accident."
    Ewyn turned away, tears blurring his vision. He walked to the wall of windows and stared blindly out into the darkness.
    "I'm sorry for your loss," Ms. Johanssen told him. "I'll give you a few moments. Then I'll need you to