"Here... come in here, ma'am," the nurse said to her, pointing to the half-open door of the room from which the voices were coming, then opened it wide to let her pass.
A smell of chlorine disinfectant hovered in the room. The person sitting behind the desk did not even raise his eyes from the papers he was examining. Loreley noticed only the short, brown hair, broad shoulders under the white coat and lightly tanned hands. The image of that doctor gave her a sense of disquiet, unlike the voice, which instead was able to make her fell good.
The young blonde female doctor who was standing next to him gave her a fleeting glance, then invited her to sit down.
"Miss Lehmann, it seems that you are in good health and..." he said to her in a barely comprehensible English.
"Unfortunately, there is one analysis that is still missing," the other interrupted. "You can go home, Miss Lehmann. As soon as we get the results, we'll put them in the file," the man continued, lifting his face and looking at Loreley.
Only then was she able to see his features, the dark blue eyes, like the sky at dusk.
"If there is any news, we will let you know. Please leave us your email and... Miss Lehmann, is something wrong?"
"Jack?! Jack Leroy?" shouted Loreley.
"What, excuse me?"
She stared at him, dumbfounded. God, it looks just like him! He was identical to Esther's brother, with a beard...
The doctor got up with a worried expression and went closer to her, then turned to his colleague. "Call Dr. Julies."
"Right away, Dr. Legrand," said the other, lifting the phone.
Dr. Legrand? What a fool she was! thought Loreley, disappointed. Jack spoke perfect English; that unknown man managed quite well, of course, but the way he pronounced vowels was closed, the rs were rolled, and it had a sweeter sound.
Sensing his concern, she stopped him: “I'm fine, I assure you. I just felt like I'd seen you before... that I knew you, actually; but I was wrong.”
"Then we can go ahead with discharging you." He sat down, took the pen that the female doctor gave him, and scribbled something on a couple of sheets of paper. "Can you call someone to come and pick you up?"
Loreley stiffened, clasped her hands, and looked down on the group of pastel-colored folders on one side of the desk.
“Miss Lehmann...” he urged her.
She raised her eyes again and met his, which were looking at her attentively; she tried to assume a more relaxed attitude.
"Did you come to Paris alone? Do you have anyone here who can help you?"
She thought of Johnny, but immediately banished that idea. Maybe he was already in New York. She tucked a lock of hair behind her ear. "You said a little while ago that I can leave. I don't need anything or anyone," she said in a firm voice.
An expression that was a mixture of surprise and skepticism appeared on his face. Lying to a person who had such an intense and shrewd gaze was not at all easy. The defensive position she had taken was already betraying her. But when it’s all said and done, wasn't it up to her to decide for herself?
"I can assure you that I am telling you the truth. I don't have anyone to contact and I can manage by myself."
There were a few moments of silence.
"All right, we’ll discharge you as planned," the doctor said. "In the meantime, I'm prescribing a treatment you can do at home." He handed her a couple of pieces of paper.
She took them and folded them without even glancing at them. All she wanted was to escape as quickly as she could from that situation which was making her feel uncomfortable.
"Luckily there were no consequences and the child is fine; but you should rest for at least a couple of days,” he went. "You can have the stitches in your head removed in a week’s time, in any hospital. And keep the knee brace on for at least fourteen or at the most twenty days."
"Of course, I will."
"It would be better if you came back here for a check-up, before you leave. It’s a precaution that I feel I should advise you."
"I'll think about it. I'm also going to have to contact the health insurance people. Thank you, Dr. Legrand." She took her leave, holding onto the arm of the chair as she got up, then looked at the other doctor: "Doctor..."
She forced herself to smile at her, and said goodbye with a nod of her head, then turned to leave the infirmary. Her mind seemed emptied of all thought, but filled with an anger she never believed she could feel towards John and towards herself.
Being in that emotional state lowered her attention span and she placed her weight on the wrong leg. She put out her arms in search of some support, but they hit a kidney-shaped metal container that crashed to the ground with a great clang, sending the contents flying.
With her healthy knee and palms on the floor, Loreley looked at the damage, not knowing whether to laugh or cry.
She felt two strong hands on her shoulders helping her get to her feet, as a nurse rushed to put syringes, tubes of ointment, gauze and scissors back in the container.
"Are you all right, Miss Lehmann?" asked Legrand.
"Yes, there’s nothing wrong. Thank you, doctor, I just forgot I had hurt my leg. I've always been a little careless. Now you can laugh, if you want," she joked.
The doctor looked relieved and his lips opened in a smile.
7
Loreley put on a pair of heavy jeans, a turtle-neck sweater, a semi-waterproof coat and a pair of low-heeled ankle boots. She covered her head with a wool beret to hide the dressing, and wound a scarf around her neck.
After checking that she hadn't forgotten anything in the room or bathroom, she went down to the hotel lobby and paid the bill, leaving her luggage in storage so she could go to the hospital unencumbered. She had five hours to undergo the check-up, pick up her suitcase again and go to the airport.
The reception called a taxi for her and she sat down in an armchair to wait for it.
To make sure she was well enough to make the return trip, she had stayed in the hotel longer than planned and had tried to beat the boredom reading and watching television. She left the room only to go down to the restaurant. The staff had been very kind to her: from time to time the housemaid would knock on her door to ask if she needed anything.
She had received two phone calls during those days. The first had been from David, asking her if there was any news regarding the situation with her fiancé. When she had told him about Johnny's untimely departure and her accident, he was speechless at first; then he’d had a fit of rage peppered with colourful insults, followed by many words of advice.
He had also ordered her to stay in the room warm and safe, as if she might have thrown herself into the Paris nightlife with her knee still swollen! At the end of the lecture he promised that he would pick her up at the airport.
The second phone-call had come from a nurse, who told her the result of the missing test, and also advised her to undergo a check-up before returning home. Having already moved the flight to the following day, Loreley had immediately booked the visit for the same day as her departure.
The arrival of the taxi put an end to the passage of those brief memories of her last days in Paris. Annoyed by the long wait Loreley got into the car and looked askew at the driver.
"Take me to the Hôpital Saint-Louis, please.” She settled into the seat. "If I had to wait this long for a taxi in Manhattan, I'd get to the office quicker on foot," she thought aloud.
"Do it now, then!" the taxi driver told her piqued, in not so good English, the vehicle still standing beside the pavement. He turned to look at her with a sarcastic half-smile: "You