“Wow! What a difference a shave makes.”
He wiped his mouth with a napkin. “Good or bad?”
“Never bad, Rini. The hair made you look like a dashing pirate. But I like what you’ve done.”
Her comment improved his mood, relieving him of some of the anxiety building inside him over his incredible situation. “Do you think there’s a barber around here?”
“I don’t know, but tomorrow I’ll ask Emilio, the one who usually cuts your hair, to come to the hospital. How does that sound?”
“I’d be even more indebted to you.”
She glanced at his tray. “You ate everything. Do you want more?”
“Since I’m not used to such a big helping, I’m fine for now.”
“I’m glad it tasted good to you.” She removed the tray and put it on another table. “Your grandparents chose your menu with all the foods you love.”
“That was thoughtful of them.”
“They love you. Your nonna wants to fatten you up.” No one wanted that to happen faster than Rini, who was desperate to get back to the man he’d seen in those little photos. “The fact that you’re alive has brought them back to life,” Luna told him. “They can’t do enough for you.”
His gaze darted to the suitcases. “What did you bring with you?”
“In one of them are your own toiletries and some clothes for you, including shoes, for when you’re released. I’m afraid until then you’ll have to wear a hospital gown.”
“Let’s hope it isn’t green.”
A smile came and went. “I don’t think so. You’ve lived through a nightmare, Rini, but you’re home now.”
Home, as in his own home, meant nothing to him. The realization raised his anxiety level once more. “What’s in the other case?”
“A surprise.”
“Can I see it now?”
She carried it over and placed it on the end of the bed to open.
“A laptop?”
Her eyes brightened. “It’s your laptop with all the mining information on it.” She pulled it out and set it on his lap. “I’ll plug it in.” She walked around the bed to find a wall outlet.
Rini’s heart pounded. Maybe looking through it would trigger something in his memory. Excited, he turned it on, but there was a prompt to supply the password. He had no idea and his excitement turned to more frustration.
“I’ll type it in.” As Luna leaned over, a strand of her metallic-blond hair grazed his cheek and he breathed in her fragrance. The delicious smell of strawberries distracted him.
Only then did he notice the icons that had popped up on the screen.
Luna stepped away. “Click anywhere you want, and you’ll see photos, maps, charts, everything you want to know about the King Midas Mine. It’s your baby,” she added with a wink he found intriguing.
He got started, but after ten minutes of going through material he didn’t recognize, he closed the lid.
She got the message. “You’re tired. Tomorrow you can go through more of it.” After unplugging it, she put the laptop back in the suitcase and moved it over against the wall.
Just then one of the female staff came in to take his vital signs and give him more pills to fight the infection.
“Where are you going?” Rini called to Luna after the nurse left.
“I’m staying right here until you fall asleep.” She walked toward him and sat down in the chair next to the bed.