Chapter 7

I didn’t have to sneak up to the door, since there was no window, but I sidled along the wall so I wouldn’t be spotted from the nurses station unless someone was doing rounds, and I’d be prepared to duck out of sight if the door opened. Walking against the wall meant skirting around obstacles like metal carts piled with neatly folded towels and laundry bags. An annoyance until a nurse left a room two doors back from me and they provided the perfect cover.

I stayed hidden longer than necessary, just to be on the safe side. Then I checked that the coast was clear and took the last few steps.

The door was heavy, and opening it quietly would be a challenge. Going down a few floors would have diminished the risk of getting caught, but I didn’t see the nurses just letting me stroll by and hop on the elevator. I could hear shouting within the stairwell, but I wasn’t sure if that was enough to mask the sound of the door.

Forehead pressed against the painted metal I closed my eyes and tried to wrap my head around the problem. I could just make out the sound of Tammy ripping into her brother, but the words were muffled. The hand that held the IV bag rested on the door beside my head. The mark on my wrist brushed my temple. I held my breath and put all my focus on the exchange.

As though split from me and my irritating substance, my mind slipped through the door and brought me what lay within. The sights, the sounds, all clear, a sudden wish of being a fly on the wall granted. Without the bug eyes and desire to eat rot.

Tammy was sitting on the stairs, tears on her face, entreating to her brother. “Nick you’ve gone too far. I deserve this, not Callie…”

Arms folded over his chest, slouched against the wall above her, Nick gave a weary sigh. “I didn’t intend for this to happen. The blocks were simple. If she hadn’t tried so hard to fight past them…”

“You’re going to blame her?” Tammy wiped her tears away and blinked out more. “Did you see her? Have you seen her? This isn’t just about the blocks. I’ve never seen diverting someone from knowledge cause this much damage.”

“That’s because your skills make you proficient in it. My skills lie elsewhere.”

“Then how…?”

Nick stared at the stairs above her. “I had help.”

Tammy covered her mouth with her hand and shook her head. “Damn it Nick, I told you not to…”

Leaning down, Nick spoke directly in Tammy’s face. “You left me no choice. You wouldn’t do it.”

Sliding back from him, Tammy seemed to shrink into herself. “I don’t want to risk hurting her.”

Laughing like things were dead inside him, Nick stepped away and turned to the door. “A little late to worry about being careful, don’t you think?”

My mind clicked back into place, leaving me just enough time to scurry to my previous hiding place before Nick walked out. Crouched between a smelly laundry bag and a cart I kept my head down and prayed Nick found no reason to look my way.

Tammy ran to catch up to him. She grabbed his arm. “Nick you have to remove the blocks.”

Nick twisted away from her. “Do I?”

Footsteps echoed towards them. At first I thought it was a nurse or an orderly, coming to tell them to leave. Then he spoke. “Have you guys seen Callie?”