13 to Life by Shannon Delany Read Free Book Online Page A

held Victoria out, giving her a little shake in emphasis—“
bit
them.”

CHAPTER FIVE
    Pietr flinched when the kitten was thrust into his arms, but Victoria simply curled back up.
    “I like you, boy,” Mrs. Feldman said. “You’re not like those other ones she traipses around with. Simpering, lily-livered fools. What’s your name?”
    “Pietr Rusakova.”
    “A Russian?” She peered at Pietr more closely, her milky blue eyes glittering. “Are you a Commie?”
    Pietr looked wary but answered nonetheless. “I’m not sure of my particular political affiliation yet.”
    Mrs. Feldman snorted again. “Good for you. This one’s got balls, Jessie. Those others would have wheezed out whatever they thought I wanted to hear.”
    A nurse entered, smiling as she held out a tiny cup of pills. “It’s time for your medicine, Hazel,” she said gently.
    Mrs. Feldman grasped the plastic cup and squinted at the pills. “Hormones!” she proclaimed conspiratorially. She grabbed the flowery cane resting by her bed and pointed it toward thenurses’ station. “It’s because that young doctor”—she shook her cane at a man in a long white coat—“likes older women.”
    With a wicked smile she slugged back the pills and chased them with water, insinuating that it was fine with a quick move of her eyebrows. She winked, saying, “But that’s all right, because I like younger men!” She laughed as the nurse scooted us off to another room.
    “Well,” I said. “That was—” I wanted just the right word . . .
    “Educational?” Pietr tried.
    I smiled despite everything. “Yes,” I agreed.
    We walked the rest of the third floor, letting people who often had too few human visitors enjoy a little companionship of the animal kind.
    In the elevator I was silent as Pietr shifted from foot to foot, glancing at the cell phone in his hand.
    “Cell not getting a signal?” I asked as the elevator doors slid open.
    “What?”
    “Or are you just watching the time again?”
    “Prosteetcheh,”
he said.
    “Pro-what?”
    “
Sorry
.
Da
. I don’t like feeling caged. Makes me nervous,” he said, pocketing the phone again.
    “Taking the stairs is healthier, I guess. We’ll take them on our way out.” Greeting patients on the fourth floor was easy until we got to the last two rooms. “Oh.”
    I stopped at room 427. The door was open a bit, and I could see two empty beds. A nurse came up behind me to explain. “Mrs. Maier died on Saturday, and Mr. Maier followed on Sunday.” She patted my shoulder. “It happens—dying of a broken heart.”
    “I didn’t expect . . .” But my sentence died, too.
    Pietr nudged me. “Come on,” he said, “before Victoria forgets our little talk.”
    I tried to smile, but it was halfhearted.
    “No one lives forever,” he said.
    He had no idea how well I understood that most simple and cruel fact. His hand on my shoulder, he steered me away.
    I saw how comfortable Victoria looked, resting in the crook of his arm. If
she
could trust him, he wasn’t too bad.
    “You two look chummy,” I commented.
    His brows furrowed. “
Da,
surprising,” he murmured.
    “Not an animal lover?”
    “
Nyet
. . . I love animals,” he said, but his tone made me think of the way I’d say
I love pizza
.
    I glanced at the next room number on our list. “This is our last one today. Everyone else either has allergies or objections to animals.” I knocked on the door. “Hello?”
    “Come in, child.”
    “Oh! Ms. Fritz! I didn’t expect
you
here.” I shivered. “Aren’t you cold?” A breeze pushed through a window at the far side of her room, tugging her curtains and tossing around the “Get Well” cards on her bureau.
    “A little.” She smiled, wrapped in a blanket she was knitting. “I got moved up here a couple days ago,” she explained. “They won’t let me out to enjoy the autumn air. Not since I did this. . . .” She pulled up her pant leg, revealing an ankle cast.
    “Ms.