Darn it, I knew I was going to have to risk passing out cold on the floor. Meg grumbled inwardly as she made her way across the room to the nurse.
Just then, a knock came at the door. Evan and Creed walked into the room. “Hey Cole, it’s good to see you,” Creed offered, but his eyes never left Meg. He knew something was up.
“Hi fellas,” Meg offered conversationally. “Cole’s doctor wants to discharge him. Isn’t that awesome?”
“Fantastic!” Evan played up his surprise.
“See, Stacy. My hand is really hurting. Do you think I should go back to the ER and have it looked at?” Meg held her right hand out.
The stitches her brother put in place were still there. There definitely was some redness and swelling around the site, but Meg knew exactly why. As she had walked to the nurse, she’d rubbed her hand roughly against her jeans intentionally aggravating the cut.
She didn’t care about her hand. Meg just needed skin-to-skin contact with the nurse so she could push her influence on her. Stacy was going to be a tough nut to crack. She definitely wasn’t weak minded like Laz or exhausted like Dr. Mastiff. This was going to be tricky.
The nurse leaned down and peered at the wound before reaching out with her gloved hands to hold Meg’s hand up to the light. “It’s definitely reddened. The stitches looked as if they were pulled a little too tightly during their placement.”
Evan coughed, irritated at the nurse’s comment.
“Hmm,” Meg began. “It’s so important to have the proper care, isn’t it?” She asked innocently.
“Yes, of course.”
“You are such an exceptional nurse, and that must be why Dr. Mastiff chose to work with you. I heard he only works with the best,” Meg prodded more intently on Stacy’s will, looking for cracks.
“I’ve worked for Dr. Mastiff for the past twelve years,” the nurse said. Her voice had taken on a distant, dreamy quality.
It’s working.
Meg’s heart raced in her chest with the effort she was exerting. Pushing even harder, Meg added, “and you completely trust Dr. Mastiff’s professional opinion, don’t you Stacy?”
The nurse’s frown reappeared but only briefly before her face smoothed. “I completely trust Dr. Mastiff’s professional opinion,” Stacy echoed.
“Of course you do, Stacy. You only work with the best, and Dr. Mastiff is definitely the best. It’s why he is always put on the most difficult cases, because his patients respond beautifully to his medicine. His success rates are unmatched in this hospital.”
“His success rates are unmatched,” Stacy nodded. Her eyes were locked onto Meg’s. She blinked slowly.
Meg gave one last strong push of her will, moving her uninjured hand up to the nurse’s wrist, above the glove. The skin-to-skin contact, with the latex glove out of the way, intensified her will over the nurse.
“Cole Andrews is more than ready to go home. You will prepare the necessary documents and make his discharge happen as quickly as possible. You have to clear this room for truly ill patients. Cole Andrews no longer needs hospital care.”
“Cole Andrews no longer needs hospital care,” she echoed. “I’ll go prepare for his release.”
“Thank you, Stacy. We will begin packing his things.”
“Yes, of course,” the nurse mumbled and began walking out of Cole’s room.
“Oh, Stacy. I believe you’ll need Cole’s discharge papers,” Meg called after her, motioning to the abandoned clipboard at the foot of Cole’s bed.
“Thank you, yes. I need Cole’s discharge papers.” The nurse returned to grab the clipboard then turned back to the doorway. She was rubbing her temples slowly.
Meg held her ground until the woman closed the door behind her before she allowed the wave of dizziness to sweep her off her feet.
Creed’s strong hands caught her immediately. He had been watching Meg wield her advanced gift on the nurse and knew how exhausted she already was. He anticipated her weakened state.
“Meg, are you okay?” Dr. Andrews hurried to Creed who had lifted Meg and was holding her off the ground as though she weighed nothing at all.
“She just needs to rest,” Creed spoke softly and walked toward the vinyl sofa seat that could fold out to a micro twin-sized bed. He sat and kept Meg curled up in his arms protectively.
“That was incredible!” Evan was beaming at his unconscious sister. “Did you see her?” he asked the room rhetorically.
Everyone had watched Meg, all of them staying very quiet themselves so as not to disturb her concentration.
“She was already so tired. Why did she risk it by using her gift on the nurse?” Cole asked, a scowl deeply lining his still-cut up face. No matter what he’d said to Meg, seeing her so vulnerable and pale, wrapped in Creed’s arms, made Cole want to tear something apart with his bare hands.
“She did it for you,” Creed’s voice remained low and calm, but his blue eyes were piercing as he looked up to silence Cole.