2 The Dante Connection Read Free Page A

harsh light of the clinic entrance and saw regret. I also saw stress lines that had not been there before. Equally important was what I couldn’t see. There was no arrogance or smugness, not even a trace of humour. Whatever had happened had been bad. Colin was sitting quietly, allowing me to scrutinise his face. It was the combination of all these factors that eased my anger.
    “I will accept your apology after a complete explanation.”
    “You guys... really weird.” Francine’s weak voice broke the moment. “Where are we?”
    “At the clinic, honey.” Colin got out of the car and I followed suit. He opened the backdoor and I could hear Francine’s disjointed complaints about security. I didn’t know if I could take her seriously. She was always convinced that there was some or another conspiracy surrounding an event.
    “Don’t use my name. The hacker... my uncle. Colin, my uncle.”
    I frowned at the fragile quality to her voice. “What about your uncle? Is he in danger?”
    “They stole his... oh–” She gasped when Vinnie moved and she slumped back against his chest.
    The sliding doors to the clinic opened behind me. I turned as an overweight man came to us. He was wearing a white overcoat which led me to believe that he was a doctor. I never understood how doctors could smoke, use drugs or be overweight. He stopped next to Colin and peeked through the window into the car. “This your friend?”
    “Yes,” Colin said. This doctor showed not one cue of surprise or shock at the unorthodox situation. Instead he turned to Colin.
    “Andrew, good to see you.”
    “Good to see you too.” Colin shook the man’s hand. “Thanks for helping me out.”
    “No problem.” He leaned in and spoke to a groaning Francine. “Shall we get you inside and see what the damage is?”
    He didn’t wait for her response, but immediately stood back and waved at the door. A young man pushed a gurney through the entrance and hurried to the car. Vinnie exited the vehicle and laid Francine on the gurney with a gentleness belying his ruthless criminal appearance. She groaned only once in pain. The young man started pushing the gurney, but she gripped the sides and started shaking her head.
    “No! Not without Genevieve. Where is Genevieve?” There was hysteria in her voice. I cringed and pushed myself against the car.
    “Who’s Genevieve?” Paul asked and then followed Colin’s pointed look towards me.
    “Jenny?”
    “No.”
    “Jenny, come on. Francine needs you.”
    “No.”
    “She’s your friend and right now she needs you.” His voice was losing its apologetic gentleness. He was appealing to my rational side.
    “I didn’t ask for her friendship.” My heart was hammering in my chest. I could taste the fear on my breath. The hated blackness frequently threatening to smother me moved into the periphery of my vision. I closed my eyes and envisioned a clear sheet of music paper. I drew the G-clef and started mentally writing Mozart’s Symphony No. 5 in B-flat major. I didn’t even hear Colin move until he was standing in front of me.
    “Jenny, I’m here. Tell me when you’re ready.”
    I wrote five bars of the first movement before I felt control come back to me. I slowly opened my eyes and looked into Colin’s intense gaze.
    “I’ve never had friends. I don’t know how to be a friend. I must be abysmal at it, because you left me. All of you,” I whispered. “And I haven’t been in a hospital for fifteen years. I genuinely don’t want to go in.”
    “Oh, Jenny.” Remorse was all over his face and in his voice. “I’m deeply sorry for the pain I’ve caused. We have a lot to talk about and deal with. Do you think you could put your anger and your fear aside for Francine? At this moment her health, her life, should take precedence. Right?”
    “Logically, yes.” If only I could convince my psyche that this hospital was not going to leave me emotionally scarred like all those other times in a past