How many times had Nico endured that lecture? Everyone knew the tired old story of how his father swept his mother off her feet, married her with a promise to build a life together, then abandoned her when she was several months pregnant. Nico’s father had been a marine stationed on the island, and he simply left when he was reassigned. Teresa Atao hadn’t even had a chance to change her maiden name. Divorce papers were sent before Nico was born.
When Nico fell in love with Anna, the family was up in arms, worried that history would repeat itself. And it had. He knew that Bruno and his mother were close, and her pain over his father’s betrayal anguished Bruno’s heart, but the knowledge didn’t make his uncle any less difficult to deal with.
“I will get those papers signed. It’s a good thing she’s here. She’s met Maria, she knows where things stand with me. Don’t worry.”
Bruno heaved a sigh of relief. “Good. I don’t want her destroying your happiness again.”
“I won’t.” Anna’s voice cut through the air like a machete.
He really should stop asking whether the day could get worse. Apparently, it was careening downhill. How long had she been standing there?
“How could you think I mean him harm? I will not stand in the way of his happiness.”
Okay, so she’d heard the worst of it.
“Nico, if the internet is what you need, the field hospital has a satellite connection. I’ll ask the clerk to help you when we get back. The sooner we get this over with, the better it will be for everybody.” She looked pointedly at Bruno.
“Oh, Anna, don’t be mad at me.” Bruno gave her one of his cuddly, toothy smiles. “You’re well aware this boy needs a kick in the pants to get something done. You are a lovely girl and will make someone a very good wife—”
“I’ll make a white man a very good wife, right?”
Nico flinched at the hostility in her voice and noticed Bruno did too.
“Anna, Bruno is a Chamorro-ist, you know that.”
Although she tried to hide it, he could see the hint of a smile on her face. It was a term she had come up with to describe his friends and relatives who constantly berated the non-Chamorro people of the island. They were the ones paranoid about their culture being washed away by the increasing presence of tourists and foreigners on the island.
“You two go ahead and make fun of this old man—my poor Mae is rolling in her grave seeing how you treat me these days.”
Nico rolled his eyes and patted his uncle good-naturedly. Even Anna’s face softened. He grabbed her elbow and led her away before the situation ignited again.
“Don’t mind Uncle Bruno, you know how he is.”
“It’s not just him—your entire family always looked at me that way, like I would get up and leave any day. And I guess I did.” Her voice was thick and a heavy sorrow weighed on his heart. He knew it hadn’t been easy for her in the beginning, but they’d built a home together. With Aunt Mae’s help, she had settled into his culture, and he thought she’d embraced it. Had she always felt like an outsider in his home?
“For what it’s worth, that’s not what I thought.” He peered deep into her eyes. The previous anger was gone, replaced by desperation so intense, it touched his soul. His arms automatically lifted to pull her close to him, but he let them drop back to his sides. Maria had been very patient with him. It was time to move on with his life, give his family some closure too. They had moped with him for five years. Nana had consoled him when he’d cried for Lucas, encouraged him when it seemed the hospital would never get built. The entire community had rallied around him. Anna had left of her own volition, and she hadn’t come back. She had never shared in his dreams.
“I have no intention of standing in the way of your happiness with Maria.”
“I know that.”
“I’ll sign the papers. You can have anything you want—the house in Tumon...whatever. We’ll get them printed and signed today so it’s done.”
The lady doth protest too much.
“You’re right about the house. We should sell it and split the profits,” he said.
Is it just me or does she look disappointed?
“You bought the house, you should get the money from it.”
Why was she being so forceful? Was it that she wanted nothing to do with him and Guam? Including any money that came from the house they’d literally built together?
“How about we go to Tumon when that road gets cleared up and then decide how to split it. If the house is totaled, it’ll be a check from the insurance company made out to both of us.”
She seemed to consider his proposal, then nodded slowly. He released a breath he hadn’t realized he was holding. The house was yet another item on his to-do list. After they were married, Maria was going to move into his mother’s house with him, so they could take care of her. Bruno and Tito had kept up the house in Tumon ever since Anna’s departure. Nico had been dreading making a decision on it. Maria had offered to go out there with him several times, but it didn’t seem right to take her. He and Anna would know what to do. Together.
The next hour went by quickly as Anna dealt with the less seriously injured patients. Nico had never really seen her in action like this. He watched the way she took care of people, assuring them they would be okay while dealing with the most gut-wrenching injuries.
He was exhausted after seeing the burn patients, despite being the one who’d brought them in from the field and knowing what to expect. Anna had walked in cold and not once had he seen her recoil like the tough-as-nails men who had carried the victims to the hospital. Anna always had been bulletproof. One of the many reasons he’d fallen for her. Without question, she was the great love of his life, the kind the legends talked about. Most people never felt this kind of love, and he considered himself lucky to have had it. But now it was time to be a responsible man and take care of his family; a family Anna didn’t want to be a part of.
“Do you have your mother’s chart handy? I can review it.”
He hadn’t asked, but of course she’d offered. Pointing to a computer terminal, he led her there. “Maria insisted that we have our electronic medical records that are backed up on servers in a fire-and waterproof room in addition to off-site data storage. We were able to restart our servers and find a machine that hasn’t been damaged. I’ll have a clerk type in all the handwritten notes you’ve left on the patients.”
Her eyes widened in surprise and his chest bloomed with pride. For their entire marriage, she had been the more accomplished one; she was more educated, made a better salary, had more prospects than he did. She never let him feel it, but it was always there. He hadn’t left the island to go to college. His degree in architecture meant a lot to him, but it wasn’t from a prestigious university like hers. And it was just a bachelor’s degree. He’d never earn as much money as she did. This hospital was his legacy, and he wanted her to be proud of it. That was why he’d begged Linda Tucker to send Anna with him today. He knew she would never have come of her own volition.
“Wow! There are clinics Stateside that still don’t have electronic health records. How did you manage that?”
Smiling, he pointed to the computer and logged in. “The people in Washington, DC, have no idea how efficient we can be with money when we want to. The grant they gave us covered the EHRs, too. Instead of buying one of those expensive ones the companies sell, my friend George designed this database. The man went to MIT. He’s settled in Boston now, but when I called him up to do us a favor, he flew over for two weeks, figured out the specs and then did his computer magic. We had the servers and computers shipped from Japan.”
She nodded. “I always knew you could do anything you wanted. You’ve