Chapter Fourteen – Adam

The morning came too soon, and yet not soon enough. Today was the day they were going to start unraveling the mystery of who they truly were, which part of them belonged together. However, despite needing to get up and dress, they both seemed reluctant to leave the cocoon of the hotel bed.

“I wish we could stay like this forever,” Frankie whispered in his ear as he kissed her shoulder.

“So do I,” Adam admitted.

“But we have to get up.” She moved, turning in his arms. “Promise me, whatever we find out, it won’t change this.”

“Nothing can change the way I feel about you. It’s impossible.” He smiled. “When I first met you, I thought having you as my mate was impossible. Now it’s the opposite, not having you as my mate is the most impossible thing ever.”

Frankie smiled and nipped the skin of his neck. “I like that you think so.”

Adam groaned. “If we don’t get up, I’m going to be forced to make an executive decision and make love to you for the rest of the day.”

“What about breakfast?” Frankie murmured as his stomach rumbled.

“The hotel has excellent room service, I checked on Trip Advisor before we left.”

She giggled, burying her face in his chest. “How thoughtful.”

He took hold of both her hands and rolled her onto her back, his body hovering over hers. “I only want the best for my woman.”

She lifted her head off the pillow and kissed his mouth, before sinking back down. “We really do need to go.”

He let go of her and slid off the bed in one fluid movement. “I know.” Adam held out his hand to her and helped her off the bed. “Do you want to hit the bathroom first?”

“Do you mind?” she asked, not hiding her body from him as she stood before him, magnificent in her nakedness.

“Ladies first.” He nodded his head and she left the room, grabbing her clothes and toiletry bag as she headed for the bathroom.

“Always the gentleman.” The door closed behind her, and she felt the loss, the warmth of her body gone from his side.

While he waited, Adam took out his phone and Googled the hospital, checking the distance from the hotel. Then he checked the location of the department they needed to visit at the hospital and its opening times. By the time Frankie emerged in a simple dress, with minimal makeup and her wet hair combed out and hanging damp around her shoulders, he had all the details they needed.

“I’ll be five minutes,” he promised as he went to the bathroom, showered and dressed. He looked in the mirror, noting the shadows under his eyes. These last few days had been a rollercoaster of emotions, but he wouldn’t change a thing. He left the bathroom to join Frankie who was sitting on the bed, waiting for him. Not a thing.

“You look good enough to eat.” She got up and grabbed her purse off the bed, before kissing him and opening the door leading out into the corridor.

“Don’t tempt me to take you back to bed.” Adam followed her out, and they took the elevator downstairs, where they spent half an hour drinking coffee, eating breakfast and avoiding any discussion about their day ahead. What was there to talk about? They had been over the plan so many times, turning it inside out and seeing if it went back together a different way. It didn’t. He only hoped they would get what they needed at the hospital and not have to trace the family.

Get what they needed?

Adam no longer knew what that was. If they found out Frankie did have Delia’s heart, what did it mean? How would it affect them? And his blood transfusion, how was that linked? How could it be linked?

“We should go.” Frankie picked up her purse and then stood up, straightening her dress.

“It’s a ten-minute walk, no more.” He took her hand and they left the dining room, exiting through the lobby. Outside, they were met by warm sun and a light breeze. Perfect weather for a walk. Although he would have much preferred to be on the mountain, not in a town, filled with cars and people. Despite the hotel always being busy, he never felt this claustrophobic.

“Are you all right?” Frankie frowned and he realized he was clutching her hand tightly.

“I don’t want to let you go.”

“It’s okay.” Her concerned expression told him how crazy he sounded.

Adam shook his head to clear it, and then looked across the street. “There’s the hospital.”

“Great,” Frankie said, her concern for him obvious before she turned her attention to the hospital building. “Here we are.”

“Here we are.” He pointed to the entrance to the side. “That’s where we need to go in.”

“Let’s do it.” She didn’t sound too sure, but they crossed the street, both knowing they had come too far to turn back now. This was why they were here.

When they reached the entrance to the building, Adam checked the signs, and they walked hand in hand along sterile corridors, up two flights of stairs, until they reached the Transplant Coordination Department. There they stopped, staring at the doors, neither ready to take the next step. Her fingers tightened around his hand, and she looked at him, anxious as the weight of what they might find settled on her shoulders.

Should he ask her if she wanted to go back? “You could wait at the hotel if you want.”

“No, we’re in this together.” She shook her head, and then took a step forward. “And the only way we’re going to know the truth is if we go inside.”

Adam pushed the doors open and walked up to the small reception desk set to the side of a corridor. There was no one there, the chair empty. Frankie turned around and looked down the corridor. “Wait here, I’ll go and find someone.”

She didn’t let go of his hand. “Together.”

“What if someone comes back to the desk?” he asked.

She was about to let go of his hand when a voice echoed down the corridor, someone was coming. Like two guilty children, they stood together, waiting for the person who belonged to the voice. Beside him, Frankie trembled a little and pressed her body against his. He was about to ask her what was wrong when the door opened and an ashen-faced woman stood staring at them.

“Delia?” Adam shook his head, trying to rid himself of the image of Delia who stood in front of him, looking as real as the day he’d seen her in the store.

“No.” Her face paled further as she looked from Adam to Frankie and then back again. “Do I know you?”

“No.” Frankie stepped forward. “No, you don’t. We’ve come here to ask for information.”

“I’m sorry, we don’t give out information on patients.” The woman recovered herself, but she couldn’t stop staring at them. “Are you sure I don’t know you?”

“Not unless you were working here a few years ago,” Frankie said, her hand gripping Adam’s as he tried to recover himself. “I was a patient, I received a new heart on September 21st…”

“2013,” the woman finished, reaching out to place her hand on the wall. “You have my sister’s heart?”

“I don’t know,” Frankie admitted.

“Why are you here?” she asked curtly, knowing she had already given them too much information if she wanted to stay anonymous.

“It’s a long story, and this is not the place,” Adam spoke, at last, recovering enough to start to make sense of it all. “Are you Delia’s twin?”

“How do you know her name?” The woman’s expression hardened. “Are you a private detective?”

“No, I’m a hotel manager,” Adam said. “Sorry, that sounded flippant. I’m Frankie’s mate, and we came here to find answers. We didn’t expect to find what we were looking for so soon.”

“I don’t know who you are. Records are kept sealed to protect all those involved. Even though I work here, I have never looked into my sister’s file, it would be unethical.”

“Please.” Frankie reached out and took her hand. “I think it’s important that we talk to you.”

“I can feel her.” Her eyes flicked up to Frankie’s, her expression filled with confusion. “I can sense her.”

Frankie didn’t say a word, she looked pale, as if she were about to be sick.

“That’s what we need to talk to you about,” Adam said gently. “Please, we’ve come a long way. We don’t want anything from you, only information.”

She looked at her watch. “My shift ends at twelve. Meet me outside the hospital, north entrance. We can have coffee and I’ll tell you what you want to know.” She turned away abruptly and wiped her face. “Now, please go.”