Read THIEF: Part 4 for Free Online Page A

paper.Can you at least promise to do that?”
                  I look at the paper.Just a small page, torn out of Jane’s day planner.It should be an easy promise to keep.“Yes,” I tell him, “I’ll hang on to it.”
                  He smiles, placated, and heads for the door.“Let me get you some more ice.”
                  Keep the paper .It’s just a scrap with a name and number.I can stick it in a drawer and forget about it forever.Same as always.
                  But then I make my mistake: I open it.
                  BENJAMIN BRINSLEY.COLLIERVILLE INSURANCE.TENNESSEE.
                  My heart hammers, reading it.I read it again and again.I think of my pickpocketing days—how I’d steal a wallet, take the money, and turn it into a lost-and-found somewhere nearby, never risking a glance at the ID.Because once you see a name, your mark becomes a person.
                  Just like that, this scrap of paper becomes a lifeline to my dad—a man I’ve always wondered about, the missing half of what I came from, one of a handful of blood ties I’ve got left on this earth.
                  Just like that, my easy promise becomes a burden, one I can’t ignore or break.No matter how hard I try to crumple it up, or at least shove it back onto the tray, I can’t stop looking at his name.
     
     
    “Everything’s looking great, Erin.Honestly—not to get ahead of myself, here—I think you might recover in just a few weeks.”Dr. Brody’s smile is the most genuine I’ve seen.I’m sure part of it is the positive prognosis, but I bet a good portion is due to the fact I’ve stopped being such a bitch the last few weeks.
                  “Like…New Year’s?” I ask hopefully, thinking of Aunt Jane’s wedding.I’ve barely spoken to her since she spilled the beans about my father, but I haven’t isolated her completely.Just enough to let her know I’m still pissed.Forgiveness will happen…just, not yet.
                  “It’s possible.Maybe January.We don’t officially call you ‘cured’ until your medication’s done and your immune system seems stabilized on its own.”He pauses.“Basically, it’s kind of trial-and-error.”
                  “And…what if I’m not cured?”
                  “Another round of medication, maybe another plasma transfer.Your kidney function is almost completely normal again, though, and your lungs look perfect.Looks like we caught the syndrome at the earliest possible time.”
                  I smile at Alex, who’s squeezing my hand in the chair next to mine.His leg bounces with pent-up energy; this is exactly what we were hoping for today.
                  “Will you stop?” he’d asked me at breakfast, after I’d finished grumbling about all the things that could go wrong, yet again.
                  “I can’t help it.”
                  “Yes, you can.”He measured my cereal exactly, then the milk, and handed me the bowl before liberally pouring his own.I had to admit, it was reassuring having him around to take care of me during my treatment; all the little things, like measuring food and liquid intake, making sure I didn’t retain too much water or eat too much sodium, would’ve been impossible for me to do alone while medicated.The only other option would have been Aunt Jane, moving in for the duration—and my sanity taking a vacation.
                  Alex chewed for a moment, then added, “Negative thinking is a habit.And just like every other habit, you have to break it, then replace it with something constructive.”
                  A bitchy comment formed in my mouth, but I took a bite of cereal, paused, then chose a jokey tone instead.“You’re an expert, I suppose?”
                  “As a matter of fact,” he said,