The next morning Zorell woke early. Breakfast time was casual and was only made on demand. She only felt like having a bowl of porridge flavored with cinnamon and a cup of coffee. She didn't sleep well the night before. She was having those nightmares again. The ones she had been having since she left home. It was the one about her father finding her and dragging her back home. It was a realistic possibility, but she told herself that she had to stay strong no matter what he did.

"Good Morning, Miss Kastor," she said as the older woman walked into the kitchen. She was wearing a peach colored morning frock and her off white shoes. She only had two pairs and remembered Della and Trixie's offer. When she received her fist paycheck she would purchase a few more pairs.

"Only porridge this morning?" Miss Kastor asked. The house was quiet and she assumed the others were not awake as off yet.

"No time for anything else," Zorell said, trying to eat as quickly as she could. "I promised to stop by the hospital to visit a sick friend."

"I hope she's not too ill," Mister Kastor said sitting down at the kitchen table next to her.

"She was, but she's getting better," Zorell said and sipped her hot coffee. "I have something I need at ask her anyway."

"Would it have something to do with the young gentlemen who brought you here yesterday?" Zorell looked surprised that she was so intuitive.

"You don't like him very much, do you?" Zorell asked. She knew a little about what her hostility was towards Gavin, but she wondered just how deep it ran.

"Just be careful around that one," Miss Kastor said. "I don't want to see you get hurt."

"What about him?" Zorell asked, and Miss Kastor looked confused. "He's been hurt too." Pearl Kastor looked intrigued by her assessment. "Someone who acts the way he does only would because he's been hurt by someone. You know, pretending nothing matters because everything does. Am I right?"

"You're not wrong," Miss Kastor said giving her a coy smile. "How did you get so smart?"

"Observation," she said and realized her coffee had turned lukewarm. She gulped it down not wanting to waste it. "I grew up in a house where I was never the center of attention, so I was able to watch what was really going on from the outside."

"A pretty girl like you must have been the apple of her father's eye," she said and the thought made Zorell laugh.

"It was the exact opposite," Zorell said and tried to keep up the humor. If she didn't she feared that she might cry. "The truth is my father hates me."

"Now, I can't believe that," Miss Kastor said, but Zorell looked dead serious. She wished it was just an exaggeration, but it was anything but. "What about your mother?"

"She died when I was a baby," Zorell said with a sad look on her face. Miss Kastor's eyes dropped. "I never really knew her."

"You must miss her," Miss Kastor said, but Zorell was too choked up to speak. She just stood up and carried her soiled dishes to the sink and quickly cleaned them.

"I have to get going," Zorell said and grabbed her purse without even looking at the woman. "I'll see you later."

Zorell walked through the back entrance quick in her stride. When Pearl Kastor mentioned her mother, it did something to her. She wasn't sure what it was. Perhaps it was guilt mixed in with loss. All she knew was that there was a hole in her heart, and that empty space could only be filled by a mother. If there was a way she could talk to her in that instant, she would ask a thousand questions, but the main one was why she had to leave her.

She wanted to cry, but she had no tears. Those dried up years ago, and she wondered if it made her a bad person that she no longer cried for the parent that she lost. The other thing that was preying on her mind was why Gavin wanted to spend time with her. He could have any woman he wanted, but he had his sights set on her. She couldn't understand why. Crazy thoughts kept going through her head as she walked down the streets. She was walking fast, but somehow, she wasn't in a hurry to get to her destination.

Once she reached the hospital and she entered Shanee's hospital room, there would be no turning back. She knew what she wanted to do about the Gavin situation, but if Shanee didn't think it was a good idea then she wouldn't. She didn't need advice. She needed confirmation, and she didn't get that from Miss Kastor. Perhaps, she would get it from his closest friend.

She stopped when the hospital came into view. She hesitated for a moment before taking another step.

She soon realized she was just being stupid being scared of something so ridiculous like a simple conversation, but she did have this fight or flight mentality. She decided that it was time to fight, and face this problem head-on.

With more confidence, she walked into the hospital and made her way to the woman's ward. Shanee had been recently moved to a private room. She figured that Leland had paid the extra fee, so she could be more comfortable. Hospital stays could be stressful on a patient, especially in a community room, but most could not afford the high fees. She walked down the long hallway to the private section, until she reached Shanee's room. She opened the door a crack to see that she was awake and reading a magazine.

She looked up as Zorell walked into the room. "Oh, hello, there," she said with her eyes brighter than she had ever seen them. She was still recovering from her injuries, but she was not nearly as weak as she once was.

"You're looking a lot better," Zorell said as she approached her hospital bed. She noticed that she was wearing a lace negligee of a pale pink and pale lime green. Her hair was also fixed in a finger wave with a ribbon tied at the side and her long curls draped over one shoulder.

"I feel much better, and Doctor Moses says that I can go home in few days," she said with an excited look on her face. "My maid Shelby's been looking after the house, so I hope I still recognized it when I get back."

Zorell let out a little laugh. "I wonder about what my father's house is like, since I left, not that I'll ever go back there."

"Why should you with a great fella like Gavin around," she said and the mention of his name made her nervous. "You do like him, don't you?"

She hesitated in her answer which made Shanee smirk. "Alright, I admit it. I do like him."

"I knew it," Shanee said and sat back with a satisfied look on her face.

"He asked me to be his guest at the club Friday night," she said and looked a little embarrassed.

"That's wonderful," Shanee said and sat up straight in her bed. She picked up her fashion magazine and opened it, but she was looking up at Zorell. "Do you know what you're going to wear?"

"I haven't even decided if I'm even going to go," she said and held out her palms in defense.

"How can you not?" Shanee said and handed her the magazine. She saw an advertisement of evening dresses, some quite revealing. "Not only is the Blue Orchid the hottest place in town, but I know you'll get free drinks with Gavin around."

"I don't drink," she said, but Shanee looked like she didn't altogether believe that.

"Are you sure?" Shanee asked her. "Well, even if it is true, there's a lot more to do then just drink. There's music, dancing and the food is first class, so why wouldn't you go?"

"It's just that I've never been to any of those places before," she said even though that wasn't the real reason.

"Then it's about time, and besides Gavin will take care of you." Shanee's reasoning was logical, but she still needed reassuring that it wasn't a mistake to accept his offer.

"That's what I'm afraid of," she said pacing slowly. She wanted to keep moving. It kept her nerves from taking over.

"You're afraid of Gavin?" Shanee asked, and Zorell looked back, and by the look on her face she felt the young knew just how she felt. "I had the same feelings when I first met Leland, but I realized what I was afraid of was me."

"That's exactly what it is," Zorell said and sat down at her bedside. "I just don't know what to do."

"Would it help if I told you he's a good sort?" Shanee asked. Zorell didn't answer feeling embarrassed, because she was so inexperienced when it came to men. "There's another thing." Zorell looked puzzled and wondered what it was. "I've never seen him act around a girl the way he acts around you."

"Is that a good thing?" Zorell asked. She was looking for a way out of this situation, and she just might have it depending on what Shanee's answer to that question would be.

"It's a great thing," she said, and Zorell thought about why she had been so scared to begin with.

"I think I know what I'm going to do," she said and stood up. "I'll be back a little later."

"Oh, I see," she said and picked up her magazine that was laying at the edge of the bed. "Try the cafe' around noon time, the one with the pussy cat in the window."

"I know the one," Zorell said with a big smile on her face. She left Shanee's room feeling a lot better than when she first arrived.

So I got this part done, and there's going to be one more part for this chapter. Someone from Shanee's past comes to visit her at the hospital, but will she be happy to see this person?

Remember to vote and comment. I will answer back to every response.