Page 20 of Three Little Wishes

Gail didn’t notice. She was too busy smiling and walking toward the man and woman with her hand extended. “Willow. I’m so glad you could come. They’re releasing Cami today. She wants to go home.”

What a weird name, Cami thought, wondering what would possess someone to name their kid Willow.

“That’s great,” Willow said, giving Cami a tentative smile as she gestured to the man behind her. “This is Noah, and this…”—she reached around the man and drew a girl from behind him—“is Riley. Noah’s sister.”

Cami’s chest loosened when she saw someone close to her age. Riley had shoulder-length dark hair, big hazel eyes, and freckles sprinkled on her nose and cheeks. She looked nice,and Cami decided to test this theory by smiling at Riley and giving her a finger wave.

Riley returned her smile and waved.

Cami opened her mouth to tell Riley she could come sit on the bed with her if she wanted but got distracted when Gail said, “She wants to go home toSunshine Bay, Willow.”

Gail made it sound as if she were giving away state secrets. Cami supposed she shouldn’t be surprised. Gail had been saying weird things in weird ways since Cami opened her eyes the day before.

“Oh,” Willow said, looking as if Gail had told her Cami wanted to walk on the moon. “I thought she’d want to go to LA.”

Of course Cami wanted to go to LA. Who didn’t? She wanted to be an actress. Maybe her mother had shared that with this Willow person. “I can’t go to LA. I’m only seventeen,” she said in case her mother had forgotten to mention her age.

They stared at her, and Willow looked as if she was about to hurl. The man dipped his head to Willow’s ear and said something. She closed her eyes and nodded, murmuring, “I’m okay.”

Why was he worried about her? She wasn’t the one lying in a hospital bed with a broken arm and a headache. A doctor came into the room, followed by Cami’s nurse from the previous day. Cami wasn’t a fan of the nurse. Every time Cami asked to call her mother or her sisters, she deferred to PA Gail, and every time Cami asked for a mirror, she ignored her. She wouldn’t even let Cami get up to go to the bathroom. She had to use a freaking bedpan. Cami couldn’t waitto get out of there, which was why, when the doctor smiled and asked how she was feeling, Cami said, “Great!”

“No headaches or dizziness?”

“Nope,” Cami said, shaking her head. She immediately stopped shaking it. She felt as if she were on a ride at the fair, and now she probably looked as ifshewanted to hurl.

“Good. Now, I just have a few questions for you,” the doctor said, pulling a stool to the bed. He had one of those iPad things too. “Cami, do you know who the president is?”

This again? Seriously? “Bill Clinton.” She sighed, sharing aduhlook with Riley, who was standing beside her brother. Riley pressed her lips together as if she was trying not to laugh. “And before you ask, it’s July 12, 1994. I’m seventeen. My mother is Carmen Rosetti, and my sisters are Gia and Eva. Our family owns La Dolce Vita, an Italian restaurant on Sunshine Bay.” She smiled at the doctor. “Now can I go home?”

He patted her hand and then turned to Willow, who’d come to stand at the foot of the bed. “You’re Ms. Monroe’s niece?”

Who the heck was Ms. Monroe? And what did she have to do with Cami?

Willow glanced at Cami, bit her bottom lip, and nodded. “I am.”

“I’ll be releasing your aunt into your care, but I’ll need to go over a few things with you before she’s discharged,” the doctor said, and stood up.

Willow didn’t look as if she was going to hurl anymore. She looked as if she was having a panic attack. “Can you, uh, give me a second, please?” She whirled around before the doctor answered and grabbed the Noah guy’s hand, dragging him out the door.

“While Willow’s talking to Noah, we should get you dressed, Cami,” Gail said. She walked to the chair, picked up a suitcase Cami hadn’t noticed, and then returned to her side. Setting the suitcase on the foot of the bed, Gail opened it.

Cami stared at the underwear, dress, and high heels Gail held out to her. How old did she think she was, forty? “Whose clothes are those?”

Gail glanced at the nurse, who nodded. “They’re yours.”

Cami made big eyes at Riley and then said to Gail, “Ah, no they’re not. Look at them. Do I look like I’d wear something like that? Maybe you got Willow’s aunt’s suitcase.”

“You are Willow’s aunt, Cami,” Gail said carefully.

“No, I’m not. She’s old! Besides, her aunt’s name is Ms. Monroe.”

“You’re Ms. Monroe,” the nurse said in a calm, soothing voice. “You were hit by an e-bike and—”

Cami’s heart raced, and she strained to get the words out of her mouth. Her brain felt fuzzy. “No. I jumped off the sand dunes and broke my arm.”

The nurse nodded. “You’re right, you did. In July 1994.” She reached for Cami’s hand and gave it a reassuring squeeze. “It’s 2024, and you didn’t jump off a sand dune. You were hit by an e-bike.”

Cami’s gaze shot to Riley, seeking support from the only person in the room she trusted. She didn’t know why she trusted her to tell her the truth but she did.

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