“Well, this is the part that I hope doesn’t cause problems, but apparently your dad didn’t get along with my mother and father. They’re atheists and socialists, and like I said, modern-day hippies, I guess. And your dad is pretty…um, traditional.”

Mari snorted. “That would be putting it rather mildly. My dad is extremely conservative and both my parents are very religious. But I can’t believe my mother would just break off ties with her sister because my father didn’t get along with her.”

“Well, she didn’t, not really. They talk on the phone at least a couple times a year, and I think this past year they might have even FaceTimed. However they manage it, my mom knows the names of her sister’s children. That would be you and your brothers and sister. So when I heard your name, I just had to believe that it was you.”

“Oh my God,” Mari whispered. “I can’t believe there’s—are there more of you, more of my mother’s family?”

“There’s my baby sister, Kelly, and I have an uncle James, so he would be your mom’s older brother. Your uncle. He lives in the UK and I don’t see him very often. He’s gay, and he and his husband moved there, gosh, probably twenty years ago. I guess I don’t have to point out where the problem would be there.”

“No,” Mari said softly. “You don’t.”

“My mom thought it was important for me to know that there was more family, even though she said we’d probably never meet face-to-face. That’s how I knew about all of you. I called her last night.”

“I don’t really believe in coincidences like this,” Mari muttered, but she couldn’t disbelieve the story, either. “We certainly don’t look anything alike.”

“I’ve seen pictures of our moms when they were younger, and they look a lot alike, but my dad is as Irish as they come and I got most of my coloring from him.”

“And I got mine from my father.”

Carrie nodded. “I love your hair, by the way. It looks like thick black velvet.”

“Thanks. I love yours. I always wanted curls like that.”

“It’s funny how we always think we want someone else’s hair.”

Mari grinned. “I can’t believe we’re cousins. I have others, most of them are in Mexico, though.”

“I’m not totally sure it’s coincidence, you ending up here, I mean.” Carrie fiddled with the cellophane wrapper of her sandwich. “My mom told your mom that I moved here because Presley’s company had purchased the hospital. Mom thought your mom might have said something to one of your old instructors about the new program here.”

“My mom? God, I can’t see her doing that,” Mari said, but she wasn’t really sure about anything any longer. She clearly didn’t really know her mother at all. Her program director had visited a lot, especially when she’d first gotten sick, and had helped her parents understand the medical system and the barrage of treatments that came on in rapid succession. Her parents liked him, and they’d become friendly enough she could almost imagine her mother mentioning something to him. She didn’t really know her parents at all, as she’d learned the hard way the last year. If her mother had been keeping a secret relationship with her sister all these years, one that Mari’s father disapproved of, she wasn’t nearly as passive and nonconfrontational as she’d always appeared.

“I don’t know whether to be angry at my mother, proud of her, or just plain sad.”

“It seems pretty terrible from the outside,” Carrie said, “but I guess we can’t ever know that whole story.”

“Well however it came about, I’m really happy to be here,” Mari said, “and I’m really happy to meet you too.”

“I know, it’s great, isn’t it?” Carrie touched her hand tentatively. “I hope I haven’t upset you by telling you all of this.”

Mari shook her head. “You haven’t. And crazy as it all sounds, somehow I can totally believe it. Nothing you told me seems too impossible given the way a lot of things happen in my family.”

“Now that you’re here, we’ve got to spend more time together. Glenn probably told you about softball. Do you play, by any chance?”

“Oh my God, you too?” Mari groaned jokingly. “Glenn mentioned you pitched. I don’t play. I hope you’ll overlook that.”

Carrie squeezed her hand. “That’s okay, you’re forgiven. After all, you’re family.”

Chapter Thirteen

Glenn’s shift had been over for an hour, but they’d gotten hit with the late-afternoon rush that happened sometimes in the summer when everyone was reluctant to interrupt their vacation or poolside relaxation to deal with the irritating cough or persistent pain or low-grade fever that had been plaguing them all day. She didn’t mind working late, and today she had a good excuse. She would have hung around anyhow to interact with the new staff and to see how her students did on a night rotation. Sometimes, the different kinds of cases that showed up when the sun started to go down could be a challenge. Fewer consultants were readily available, and often, the first one to evaluate the patient made more critical decisions out of necessity. Great training, but overwhelming at times for a newbie. She’d just finished signing off on her last patient when she got the text from Flann to meet her in the cafeteria. She passed Abby and Mari, who also had stayed late without being asked, on her way out.

“Staff meeting tonight,” Abby called.

Glenn slowed and turned. “Yeah. Planning to be there. Flann just gave me a page, so I’m going to meet her first.”

Abby laughed. “If she’s trying to get you back in the OR already, tell her no.”

Glenn grinned, her gaze flicking to Mari, who smiled as if enjoying the banter. “I’ll do my best to resist.”

“You do that,” Abby ordered.

Glenn sent Mari a questioning look. “Going to the meeting?”

“Yes, I’ll be there.”

“See you.” Glenn strode through the busy halls, puzzling over Mari. She’d been aware of her all day, even when they weren’t actually engaged. She knew where she was, like a little homing beacon in her head blinking in the background, which hadn’t happened since she’d been deployed. Then she knew where everyone in her unit was every minute, acutely aware she might be called upon at any second to take care of an unexpected injury. She didn’t have any reason to be that tuned in to Mari’s presence—she wasn’t worried about Mari settling in to the ER routine, she’d done that the first day, and she wasn’t concerned about Mari’s clinical abilities. Mari had been right—she was well trained and lacked the usual fresh-out-of-training dangerous tendency to make snap judgments. She was confident but careful, the perfect combination as far as Glenn was concerned. Given all that, she had no reason to be any more conscious of Mari than any of the other new staff throughout the day, but she was. That alone should have felt strange and unfamiliar, but even more unsettling was she found herself thinking throughout the day about when she’d have a chance to talk to her or maybe grab another meal again. Something else that had never happened to her before. Irritated, Glenn shrugged the tangle of thoughts aside. Since when had she wasted time studying her own navel—she had work to do after all, and Flann was waiting.

The coffee urn was warm and the coffee smelled new when she poured herself a cup. Flann and Harper, who she hadn’t expected, were already ensconced at their usual table in the back corner, Flann in scrubs and Harper in her typical button-down-collar shirt and khaki pants. Glenn dropped into the free chair at the table and nodded to her friends. “What’s up?”

Harper nodded a greeting and shot Flann a questioning look. “You called us here, so it’s your show. Is there some kind of problem?”

Flann looked uncharacteristically uneasy for an instant, and Glenn finally pegged her expression—not uneasy, shy. Huh. That couldn’t be right. Even in the midst of a FUBAR, Flann Rivers was never anything except exuberantly confident. So what could be worse than an effed-up beyond all repair situation? Harper studied her sister with the same slightly curious expression as Glenn.

“Well, the thing is,” Flann said, “I wanted to tell the two of you together that Abby and I are going to get married.” She glanced at Harper. “A few weeks after you and Presley, so, you know, it doesn’t steal your thunder.”

Harper laughed. “Jeez, you think that’s going to matter to us? Congratulations, but what took you so long?”

Flann grinned a little sheepishly. “I wanted to go for it this weekend, but Abby says no.”

“She’s right—but not because of us,” Harper said. “Your wedding should be an event all on its own, not a hurry-up thing, with all the bells and whistles. And don’t let her convince you small is fine. Once in a lifetime, Flann—give her a day to remember.”

“Right. Got it. Big and splashy.”

Harper laughed. “There you go. Perfect.”

“That’s great, Flann,” Glenn said, not at all surprised that her good friend wanted to formalize her relationship with Abby. Flann had always been a player, but she’d never fallen before. And when she did, like everything else in her life, she went all the way. “Anything you need, let me know.”

Flann cleared her throat. “Well, actually, that’s why I wanted to tell the two of you together.”

Harper’s brows drew down and she studied Flann intently. “What’s bugging you?”

Flann took a breath. “I want Glenn to stand up with me, and I thought—”

“Hey,” Glenn said quickly, “I’m totally honored, but you know, Harp’s your sister and—”

“No, Glenn,” Harper cut in, “I think you’re exactly the right person. I love you, Flann, and you know damn well I’ll always be there, but Glenn…she’s really the only one who can actually put up with you on a daily basis.”

Flann barked a laugh, and Glenn smothered a smile.