“My boy, I never had any doubt.”
Eddie made his BUZZER sound without looking up as he continued typing instructions into his computer. “Not true. Definitely not.”
Fenton smiled. “Well, almost never.”
Eddie held his index finger above the “Return” key on the keyboard as he counted down like he’d heard mission-control officers on TV do before launching a space shuttle. “Five . . . four . . . three . . . two . . . one.” He pressed the key, activating the device. The sides of the echo box sprang open, revealing the eight spherical microphones. The microsatellites began to move in coordinated fashion, mapping the room.
Dr. Fenton joined his prized patient as he watched the computer screen. A three-dimensional image of the physical space began to slowly appear on the screen. A progress bar appeared below the image. It read: Six percent complete, then, seven. This was good, thought Dr. Fenton. Very good. The first tangible progress in months. His eyes widened with expectation.
Eddie moved back and forth between watching the movement of the microsatellites and watching the image on the screen. “Come on, come on, come on, come on.”
Nine percent complete. Ten percent. Their eyes were glued to the counter. Eleven percent. Twelve. But thirteen came slower. And fourteen slower than that.
“No . . . no . . . no . . .” Panic rose in Eddie’s voice. The fuse was lit inside him. The dynamite in his head was about to go off.
Fenton moved right next to Eddie and spoke reassuringly. “Just give it some time, Eddie. It’s working.”
“No it’s not!” He pointed to the counter, which remained stuck at fourteen. The rendering of the three-dimensional image had stopped.
The bloodcurdling scream then let out by Eddie shook Skylar to her bones. It sounded like a dying animal. The tone was guttural. Deep. And terrifying.
Stephen looked on smugly from his desk as Nurse Gloria and Skylar burst through the door to Fenton’s office.
Fenton hovered over the echo box, using his body to shield it from Eddie’s tantrum. The doctor was not about to risk any damage to the device, which was clearly his priority. Eddie spun around in circles, flailing wickedly at himself. These weren’t just slaps. He was hitting himself as hard as he could. Punching. Gouging. Trying to draw blood. Even tear his own flesh.
It took both Skylar and Gloria to hold him down. They crashed atop him as he fell to the floor. The veteran nurse shouted instructions to the young doctor as her head and other body parts got in the way of Eddie hitting himself. “Grab his arm!”
“I’m trying!”
With the majority of her body weight lying on Eddie’s chest, Gloria used her girth to still his left arm, and then helped Skylar hold his right.
Eddie finally stopped fighting and slowly caught his breath. The nurse climbed off him, noticing that Skylar’s fists were turning white from clenching around his arm. “You can let go now. Once the fight leaves him, it don’t come back.”
Skylar released Eddie’s arm. Just as Nurse Gloria had predicted, he remained calm. Skylar looked deeply into his helpless eyes and caressed his forehead, saying, “It’s okay, Eddie. I’m here.”
Nurse Gloria was just about ready to take issue, thinking, What the hell do you mean, you’re here? Who the hell are you? But she decided to bite her tongue after watching Eddie’s reaction. He was looking into the young doctor’s eyes. Edward Parks didn’t look anyone in the eyes, but here he was, looking into the eyes of this new princess doctor. What the hell did she know? What spell had she cast?
The veteran nurse did not know, but she was certainly going to find out, both out of personal curiosity and because she was secretly being paid handsomely to do so.
CHAPTER 21
Eddie’s Room, Harmony House, May 23, 8:42 a.m.
As Skylar and Nurse Gloria escorted him back to his room, all Eddie kept repeating was, “I’m tired.”
“We’ll get you to bed.” Skylar’s voice continued to have its soothing effect on him. They saw his face relax.
“I’m tired.”
Nurse Gloria tried her best to reassure him, too. “You let me know if you want something to help you sleep.”
His face was once again tense. “I’m tired.”
They helped him into his Scooby-Doo pajamas, then tucked him between his Batman sheets. Gloria pulled the blinds as Skylar sat next to him. “Would you like me to stay with you for a few minutes?”
He nodded. Gloria managed to hide her growing curiosity as she moved toward the door. “I’ll have a special meal ready for you in case you get hungry.”
“Thanks, Nurse Gloria.” He kept his eyes on the ceiling as the nurse closed the door behind her.
“She’s a very good nurse.” Skylar meant it sincerely.
“Yes, she is.”
“How long has she worked here?”
“Nine years, two months, twenty-nine days.”
“But who’s counting, right?”
“I am always counting.”
“Yes, you are.”
His eyelids grew heavy, slowly starting to close. “Nurse Gloria is nice, but I don’t think she’s as nice as you are, Skylar.”
She smiled. “Wait until you get to know me better.”
“Why should I wait?”
“When you get to know me better, I think you’ll change your mind.”
“I think you’re wrong.” And with that, his eyes closed, and Eddie drifted off to much-needed sleep. Skylar sat there for another minute, watching him curl into a fetal position. So peaceful. So innocent. So vulnerable.
He reminded Skylar of her little brother, Christopher. He had thrown a similar tantrum the day she told him she was leaving for college. Perhaps the memory wouldn’t be quite so searing if he hadn’t hanged himself three days later. While depression and other psychological issues were common among people with autism, it was rare for someone on the spectrum to commit suicide. Christopher was the outlier.
And Skylar would never forgive herself for it.
CHAPTER 22
Gloria Pruitt’s House, Parsippany, New Jersey, May 23, 7:17 p.m.
The text message that Nurse Gloria sent that night was brief. Those were her instructions. The only times she sent such messages were after one of Eddie’s “sessions,” or anytime there was a development worth relating, particularly regarding the echo box. She was also supposed to send messages involving advancements made by any other patient in Harmony House, but Eddie was the primary subject of her clandestine employer’s interest.
New EP session. No improvement. Box still no go. The only device Gloria sent such messages from was identical to the one now in the possession of the fine senator from the state of Indiana. Gloria’s phone was updated annually, as the senator’s would be. Each New Year’s Day, she would awaken to find her current device had been removed from her duplex and a new one in its spot. It was a bit disconcerting the first time it happened. There was nothing else out of place, and absolutely no sign of any breaking or entering. Just the new phone. She had never given her clandestine employer a key to her residence. But they had access. And they wanted her to know they did. It was just a little reminder, not that she needed one. She was truly grateful for all they had done for her, including her current position, and intended to remain loyal to the end.