Total pages in book: 58
Estimated words: 57121 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 286(@200wpm)___ 228(@250wpm)___ 190(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 57121 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 286(@200wpm)___ 228(@250wpm)___ 190(@300wpm)
Closing my eyes, I take slow, even breaths. Evan died four years ago, hit by a car outside our home. I was already training to be a nurse. But holding him in my arms, unable to save him, drove me to work twice as hard.
“Please, let him live,” I murmur. “Please.”
I leave the break room, walking through the hospital. I stop when I see Joel, a big, friendly bear of a man, talking animatedly with… a ghost. That’s not fair. I never judge people by their appearance.
But this man looks like a ghost wearing an obsidian black suit that practically absorbs the light. Pale and tall, with a pinched face and light eyes. Joel looks anxious and confused. He’s a good guy, and sometimes I worry about him not being cut out for this job. Maybe he’s too good sometimes.
I approach, smiling tightly. I raise an eyebrow, wordlessly asking him if he’s okay. The twisted thing is that it’s a nice distraction from the ugly thoughts bouncing around my head. That young man looked so much like my baby brother.
The pale man is saying, “… wouldn’t want to get in the way of a federal investigation.”
“Hi, can I help?” I ask, approaching.
Joel looks at me gratefully. He’s good at handling scared and angry patients, drunk people, and any other simple and direct issue. But when it comes to the nuances, he can look lost.
The pale man turns, sneering. “I hardly think so.”
“Hey, you never know.” I plaster a smile on my face. I’ve been told I’m good at this. Being bubbly and inviting even when the shift turns to chaos. “I’m actually Joel’s second-in-command, believe it or not.” I wink and flex my muscles as a joke. “I’m more capable than I look.”
“He wants Daniel’s phone,” Joel says awkwardly. “For an investigation.”
“What sort of investigation?” I ask.
The man scowls. For a moment, I think he might yell at me. Or try to hit me. There’s something deeply unsettling about his presence, his demeanor, his lifeless eyes.
“I’m not at liberty to discuss the specifics of an investigation with hospital staff,” the man says.
“What’s your name? Your badge number?”
I’m pretty sure that badge numbers are a standard thing.
His upper lip peels back to show a layer of bright white teeth. I’m a little surprised he doesn’t have vampire canines. But then again, it’s still daylight.
“This is a simple matter,” the man says. “I know that this patient, Daniel, had an important device on him. A bulky, old-school cell phone. It would’ve been hidden somewhere on his person. It would’ve been clear he was hiding it. This is a matter of national importance.”
Joel shifts, rubbing his hands together awkwardly. It’s obvious he’s thinking about giving the man what he wants. I take a step forward, shaking my head.
“If you can’t give us information, the hospital can verify,” I say. “There’s no way we can just give you this phone. Surely, you can see that.”
Another sneer. How charming. “And I see a woman who should get back to work. Not involving herself in business that has nothing to do with her.”
“And I see a man who is demanding something he has absolutely no right to. You don’t get to waltz in here and demand patient property. If you have a warrant or some kind of ID, then we can work from there.”
The man turns to Joel. “Do you always let her do your job for you?”
“How do you know Daniel has the phone?” I ask. “In fact, if your intel is so good, can you give me his surname?”
“Wuh-what?” he grunts.
“Daniel’s surname. You want his property. You’re a federal agent, apparently. So, surely you can give me a last name. Surely, you know it.”
After a long pause, he grunts, “I’ll be back with a warrant.” He turns and hurries across the waiting room.
“That was strange,” Joel mutters. He smiles tightly at me. “Thanks. What would we do without you, Lia?”
I smile tightly. “Let me know if he comes back. I’ll kick his ass big time.”
He frowns. “I wouldn’t have given him the phone.” He says it like he’s trying to convince himself.
“Hey, I know that. I just thought you needed some backup.”
I leave, getting back to work. Thankfully, my next patient is a young woman with a broken arm. Much less messy, with no memories attached to the experience. Still, I can’t get Daniel out of my head with his curls and freckles. His appearance was so much like my brother Evan’s.
For two hours, I focus on the work. I’m walking across the hospital when I screech to a stop. My heart thundering.
It’s the man with the gunshot wound. A few months ago, he was found on the street, unconscious. When he woke and realized he was in hospital, he was livid, barking at us that he was fine. He wouldn’t give us his real name, and he didn’t have any ID on him. The first chance he got, he left. But not before I registered how… interesting he was.