Hi All!  I promise Ilana will meet some of our favorite guys next chapter.  So please keep reading, I have a preference for long chapters, so please let me know if you don't.   Let me know your thoughts?

Thanks :)

December 20, 2012

Ilana did not hear if Antonio had responded to her cousin’s question.  She was furious and all her thoughts were focused on leaving the hospital…immediately.  She didn’t want to see or speak to her cousin.

 - “What was that all about?  How could he tell Antonio that I have a possibly fatal illness and never have mentioned it to me?"  Feeling as if she was suffocating and trapped, she needed to get out of there.  "But then what..?  My cousin will just follow me.  I want nothing to do with him; family or not, how could he keep something like this from me?  Fine!  I have a fatal illness.  So be it!  The sooner I can leave this horrible life and be with my parents again.  It’s what I have always wanted, isn’t it?  To have died with my parents.   From now on, I will live what is left of my life, alone.  I haven’t needed my foster parents and I do not need my cousin.  Now, to get out of here.”

Ilana knew the ins and outs of the hospital very well.  She knew Juan Carlos would come check on her before leaving for home; he would also leave someone in charge to make sure she didn’t attempt to leave.  That never stopped her before.  She could see it was around two AM and she needed to make her escape before five when they started making the morning rounds.

Having finished his conversation with Antonio, Juan Carlos entered the room to find Ilana peacefully (so he thought), asleep.  Ilana spent countless hours perfecting her sleeping act. “Ilana, why are you so stubborn?  Don’t you know?  All I want is to keep you safe, especially from yourself.”  He then bent down, gently kissed her forehead, and left.

 -“Liar!  Jerk!  I never want to see you again!”  She screamed silently, while not moving a single muscle that would let him know she was actually conscious.

It was almost time for Ilana to make her escape.  It took some time, but she removed her restraints.  Again, an art, she spent a good amount of time, practicing. Next, she had to unplug the monitor.  The worst part was removing the IV.  After removing all the tape that kept it in place, it made her almost sick at the thought of removing the needle.  “It has to be done; remember the goal is to get out of here.“  Holding her breath, she closed her eyes and pulled as gently as was possible, using a pillowcase to stop the blood flow.  It wasn’t the most absorbent, but the only thing that was within her reach.  Once free of all her restraints, she quickly gathered her belongings from the closet & got dressed.  Mentally thanking Antonio, for leaving her belongings behind, she turned her cell phone on and called for a cab.  The fountain outside her window, allowed her to properly gauge what wing of the hospital she was in.  As she was about to look out the door, an alarm sounded down the hall.  This was perfect timing; all the nurses went scrambling in the opposite direction of which she would be headed.  Peeking her head out the door and seeing that the coast was indeed clear, she quickly ran to the end of the hall, down the three flights of stairs and was outside just as the cab pulled up.

Without wasting time, she gave the cab driver her home address written on a notepad from the hospital room.  In the absence of other cars on the road, they arrived at her home in fifteen minutes.  Her mind was racing, thinking of what her next move would be.  It was now five AM, she would need to pack some of her belongings and leave again quickly before the hospital realized she was gone.  ‘Where to?’, was not a question she had time for at the moment.  She packed two large suitcases with as many clothes and shoes as would fit.  Not to mention a carry on with half her bathroom drawer.  Before she headed for the door, she put her engagement ring in an envelope with a note, absolving Antonio of any commitments to her.  She knew her Nana would find the envelope and most likely deliver it in person.

Ilana was slowly making her way down the stairs towards the front door.  The door was just about a yard from the door when she heard her Nana:

 - "Niña (Child)!" Her Nana worriedly called out to her.

 - “Perdóname Nana (Forgive me Nana,), ya no puedo estarme aquí (I can't stay here any longer).  No soporto estar cerca de mi primo (I can't stand being near my cousin), quien solo me ha mentido (who has only lied to me).  Mis memorias me sofocan y necesito irme de aquí (My memories are suffocating me and I need to go away from here).”

 - "Como es eso (What do you mean), niña (child)? Si tu primo te adora (Your cousin adores you), como te ha mentido (how has he lied to you)?  Ha de mas me dijeron que estabas enferma (Anyways, they told me you were sick)?  Como te puedes ir así (How can you leave like that)?  Tienes que aliviarte primero (You need to get better first)," Nana tried reasoning with her little girl, knowing that it was probably useless. "Cualquier mal entendimiento ya pasara (whatever misunderstanding will soon pass).  San Pedro nos dice (St. Peter tells us):  Descarguen en él todas sus angustias, porque él tiene cuidado de ustedes (Cast all your cares on Him, because He will take care of you).  No tienes que huir (you don't have to runaway), chiquita (little one)."

Ilana sighed.  Her beloved Nana caressed her face and wiped the tears that were by now falling freely and unrestrained.  Nana had been with her as long as her life had existed.  She had also been her Mother’s companion, before her.  Nana's way of trying to comfort her by using Bible scriptures, but God, in Ilana’s point of view, had never been there for her.  “No, Nana," she said in a low and pained voice.  "Cuando?  Cuando, mi primo o Dios me han amado (When have my cousin or God loved me)?  Mi primo me mintió y Dios me quito mis padres (My cousin lied to me and God took away my parents)!"  Her decimal level began to rise.  “Como han cuidado de mi (How have they taken care of me)?   Dime (tell me), Nana?"  Ilana shook her head.  "Lo siento (I'm sorry), Nana, ya no puedo más con este dolor, y la constante vigilancia del hipócrita Juan Carlos cuando me ha estado mintiendo todo este tiempo (I can't stand the pain anymore and the constant vigilance of the hypocrite Juan Carlos, when he's been lying to me all this time).”

Nana still tried to reason with her charge.  “Pero como te iras (But how will you go)?  A donde (Where to)?  Despierta a Brendon, él te llevara a donde necesites (Wake Brendon, he'll take you wherever you need).”  Brendon was the family driver; actually, the son of the family driver.  After his father passed away, he decided to come back to the family he had grown up with.  In the Contreras household, there was no such thing a servants or staff, just family.

 -“No puedo involucrarlos a usted y Brendon (I can't get you and Brenden involved in this)."  She said, sadly, knowing Juan Carlos would scream, yell and throw a fit if they didn't tell her where she'd gone.  It would still happen, but at least they wouldn't have to try and keep the truth from him.  "Mi primo no parara hasta que le digan a donde fui (My cousin won't stop until you tell him where I've gone); es mejor así (it's better this way).  He contractado un chofer (I've hired a driver).   Te quiero muchísimo (I love you so much), Nana  Cuida nuestro hogar (take care of our home), si (yes)?”  Ilana tried to smile reassuringly, paused from her weeping & extricated herself from her Nana’s arms.  She looked around and her heart was in so much pain. When would she be back?  She loved her home; it was a large estate in the hills of a small town outside of Los Angeles.  That is not why she loved it, it was her home.  Every corner of the 10,000 plus square foot home and several acres held precious memories of her happy childhood.  Her home, where she had been happy¸ loved and up until today¸ safe.  The scarcely healed wound in her heart from her parent’s death had re-opened and felt as if she too was dying.

Nana was not about to give up.  "Y Antonio (What about Antonio)?  Como lo vas a dejar sin ninguna explicación (How are you going to leave him without any explanation)?”

 - "En mi recamara está el anillo que me dio y una nota (in my room there's the ring he gave me and a letter), por favor se las das (can you please give it to him)?" On that note, Ilana gave Nana one more hug and ran out the door, burying the past almost twenty-five years, and on to a new life.

Nana watched her niña leave and called out a plea to God “Dios mio, sea su refugio (My God, be her refuge)!  Liberala de su angustia (Free her from all anxiousness)!  Rodeala con cánticos de libertad (surround her with songs of freedom)!”