“You have beautiful eyes,” the middle-aged doctor with the receding hairline and unremarkable looks murmured.
“Thank you, Dr. Mastiff. You aren’t feeling very well; I can see that. This patient has made enough progress for him to be discharged into the capable hands of his parent, who also happens to be a doctor. We both know the insurance companies will be happy to see you so proficient in your skills that you’re able to release this patient in an efficient, timely manner.”
The doctor stood, unmoving. Fatigue was written as clear as Sharpie across his face.
“You really do need to rest, doctor,” the girl cooed. “This is the last thing you need worry about today,” she coaxed. “Just a signature right there,” she leaned over the clipboard and pointed with a slender, delicate finger at the line on the bottom of the discharge papers Dr. Andrews had drawn up.
“Just this last thing to do,” he echoed her words. His hand raised the pen to the paper and he scrawled an illegible but authentic signature.
“Thank you, Dr. Mastiff. I will handle the rest from here. Your head is pounding so badly, I can see your pulse in your temples.” The girl reached up with her free hand and touched the side of the man’s head.
“You’ll need to go to your office now, lock the door behind you so you won’t be disturbed and lie down on your sofa. You’ll sleep for at least four hours and when you wake, you’ll feel rested and confident about your decision to release Cole Andrews.”
“Yes, I need to lie down,” the doctor mumbled, holding his head with two hands now and half stumbled away from the dark-eyed girl moving deliberately toward his office. He had every intention of following her excellent advice, exactly as she suggested.
***
Meg smiled to herself, though she was definitely feeling drained after spending the week working with Danny and now pushing herself to use her advanced ability, but it was worth it.
She had gotten the signature she needed.
She turned on her heels and headed back to the fourth floor where Dr. Andrews and Evan were waiting for her just outside Cole’s hospital room.
“Well?” Theo asked the moment she stepped into view.
Meg kept her face stoic at first before bursting into a wide smile.
“You got it?” Evan asked.
“I got it,” Meg beamed.
“Oh, thank God!” Theo reached out to see for himself the signature of Cole’s attending physician. “Was it difficult to do?”
“You were right, Dr. Andrews. He was definitely exhausted from working past his shift. He had also just lost a patient and had a migraine coming on. All three of those things made it possible for me to use my influence on him. I have found that usually, I can only use my power of suggestion on the weak-minded. Dr. Mastiff is not weak-minded ordinarily. I happened to luck out in finding him so raw from a rough day.” Meg was sure to use a whispered voice, not wanting one of the nurses to overhear their conversation.
“You did awesome, sister,” Evan grinned widely. “I knew you could do it!”
“Yes, thank you Meg,” Dr. Andrews offered a genuine smile. Meg knew he was still holding a deep-seated grudge against her as he blamed her actions for Cole’s self-destructive choices, but having helped pave the way for Cole to be released without complications softened his heart toward her. Meg knew they had a long way to go before the family would heal from the events that landed them there in the hospital, but every journey begins with a single step—or so they say.
“I’m going to plant these discharge papers at the nurses’ station so they’ll be found and we can get out of here.”
“Wait, before you go, has there been any word about Mom?”
“No Meg, not yet. They’ve only been in the operating room for an hour, so it will be at least another two hours before she’s out and in recovery,” Evan said logically.
He saw Meg’s dark eyes swell with fresh sadness and added, “But I’ll go down and see what I can find out.” He nodded reassuringly at his sister before turning and heading toward the elevators.
The two started walking away from Meg who seemed lost in thought. Dr. Andrews turned back and watched her for just a moment before he spoke. “He would really like to see you Meg.”
Her head jerked up as she looked at Theo, surprised to see him still standing so near. She had been thinking about Cole and wondering how she was going to face him.
“Oh, I wouldn’t know what to say,” Meg mumbled, blushing deeply for having been caught wondering about the boy lying in a hospital bed on the other side of the faux wood door because of her.