Chapter 6

A image flashed through my mind, her and James and their little meetings. I gave the image a mental shove. I really didn’t care about that now.

“How you feeling?” Tammy said, a faux brightness injected in her tone. Her eyes were a little too wide, her skin a little too white. It made me wonder how bad I must look.

I scooted back on the bed so I could sit up against the wall. “I’m alright. Itching to get out of here, but the doctor wants to observe me.”

Tammy’s eyes twinkled and she glanced back towards the door as she approached the bed. She mouthed ‘kinky’ so my parents couldn’t see and then pulled up a chair. “So what’s the verdict?”

I made a face. “I broke my ears.”

My parent’s exchanged an exasperated look, not pleased that I was making light of it. My father opened his mouth to speak, probably to nicely tell me off.

When Nick walked in my father stopped. My mother’s face glowed like the savior had arrived. I watched them both turn to him, then arched a brow at Tammy. She didn’t see it. She was too busy projecting murderous intent at her brother.

“I just spoke to the doctor.” Nick directed his words at my father. There was a low timbre underlying his voice, a dark chorus, barely audible, but compelling. A white flash, like lit magnesium, stole over the silver adorned green of his eyes. Sure it was a trick of the light I tried to blink it away. When it didn’t so much as fade I closed my eyes, afraid I’d go blind. A pillow over my head to block out the sound would have been nice too, a little childish, but nice. I resisted the impulse and forced myself to really listen to what Nick was saying. “Callie will be here for a couple of days, but it’s just a precaution. There’s no need for you to stay.”

There it was, in the final statement. Said with the utmost respect, under the mask of suggestion, was a command saturated with power. There was no room for resistance.

And without knowing he was being coerced, my father couldn’t even try. He reacted as though being dismissed from his daughter’s hospital room was normal and simply nodded. “You’re right.” He stepped up to me and gave me a kiss on the forehead. “You’ll call if there’s anything?”

My lips parted, but not a word came out. My father smiled and turned to my mother, taking her hand and leading her to the door. My mother had a strange, emptiness in her eyes. She didn’t even say goodbye. All at once they were just gone.

Nick smirked at Tammy and took a few steps towards the bed. Tammy sprung to her feet, knocking her chair over and intercepted him.

“We need to talk,” she ground out through her teeth.

With a curt incline of his head Nick extended his arm towards the door and motioned her out. Tammy didn’t move. Nick sighed and walked out ahead of her.

Tammy shot me a brief, apologetic look. “I won’t be long.”

Alone in the stark room with its sterile white walls, crammed with beeping instruments, the silence bore down on me. I fidgeted with the blanket, dark blue, with the constancy of cardboard, and waited for Tammy and Nick to return. Then I went still.

Why the hell was I waiting? Nick had just given me a clue as to what was going on. My efforts to retrieve the memories I’d lost had put me in the hospital, but there was no reason I couldn’t use any information I found out now to fill in the blanks.

My parents wouldn’t have abandoned me at the hospital of their own design. Somehow, Nick had influenced them. Tammy and Nick wouldn’t come all the way here to discuss family stuff. Which meant they were talking about me and I had every right to hear what they had to say.

The plastic tube that was temporarily part of me, was long enough to give me decent mobility. The tube led up to a clear bag containing transparent fluid, hooked to a metal pole attached to the bed. I didn’t know how displacing it would effect the steady drip that passed through the attached tube, but I wasn‘t worried. From what the doctor had said, and the dry sarcasm that followed, I was in no danger. Medically speaking anyway.

That in mind I crawled up the bed and unhooked the bag. Holding it elevated, I eased of the bed like I was holding a bomb and backed towards the door with my eyes on the drip.

Easy to think I wasn’t worried, but this thing was passing something into my blood.

When the fluid drop didn’t seem to change I relaxed and crept out into the hall. Neither Tammy or Nick were stupid, so the chances of them having their discussion right outside my door was slim, but I knew Tammy wouldn’t go far. I perused the long hall leading from my room to the nurses station, the only part of the hall that was brightly lit. The other end was dark, the red Exit sign over the end door doing little more than casting red smears through the shadows.

The stairs would be a good place for a private conversation.