I rather doubt Teto just left town.
“Forget about him. You don’t need that kind of work, and he’s out of the picture now.”
“I really don’t know how to do anything else.”
“What would you like to do?”
Alina tilts her head and considers for a minute.
“Honestly? I’d like to go back to school and at least get my GED. If I had that, maybe some of the community colleges would consider me. I’d still have to come up with tuition money though.”
I hand the nurse all the paperwork, and she gives me a packet of instructions along with some prescriptions to be filled.
“You are all set, Mr. Arden!”
“Thanks.”
Alina takes the hospital wheelchair’s handles and pushes me through the hallways as the orderly trails behind.
“Would you work at one of my businesses?” I ask.
“I don’t know, Evan.”
“I mean one of the totally legit ones,” I add quickly, “like, a receptionist at the car dealership or maybe the uniform place.”
“Why?”
“You’re strong,” I say quietly so we aren’t overheard. “You like your independence. It was hard for you to even ask me for money to keep my own apartment. I want you to feel like…well, to feel like you can do whatever you want. I don’t think you want a handout from me, so this would be you earning your own money without me paying you for the sex.”
“I don’t know,” Alina says softly. “I mean, I appreciate it, and it sounds good, but I’ve never done anything like that before. I don’t even have the right kind of clothes for something like that.”
“That’s pretty easy to fix.”
“Maybe.” She still seems doubtful, but I’ve been thinking about this.
“You’d be earning your own money for classes,” I say. “Once you get a degree, you could work wherever you wanted. In the meantime, I have to pay for the apartment and all that for me. Having one more person isn’t a big deal.”
Alina stops right by the hospital exit where the wheelchair is returned to the orderly. She turns to me and stares me in the face. She’s wearing a huge smile.
“You know what, Evan? I think that just might work.”
She wraps her arms around my neck, and I pull her close to me. I can smell lavender, but I’m not sure if it’s on her skin or if I just remember it from the night before. It doesn’t matter; it’s still comforting. It reminds me that she’s always there for me, and my mind is at peace.
I don’t know what the future holds for us. The crime business is ultimately out of my hands now, and I know it will be different this time. It’s different because I’m different.
So I walk out of the hospital.
Alina at my side.
No longer alone.
I really think I’m ready to move on now.
Epilogue—Otherwise Healed
“You shouldn’t live in Chicago without seeing the sights.”
“Why exactly does that have to involve taking the bus?” Alina sighs, and I grab her hand to lead her up the stairs to swipe our transport passes.