Ashley closes the door behind her, and just as she did back at The Warren, jumps when she sees me. This is a different hallway, though. Beige and green. It’s a hospital. The room is 219.
“My God, Anna!” Ashley clutches the clipboard she’s holding to her chest. She’s in scrubs again, but they’re different from the ones she was wearing before. Pink now, with STC on the pocket, like the orderlies here. “You have to stop sneaking up on me. I’ve had enough excitement for one night.”
“I’m sorry. I was looking for Aaron. We need to leave and—”
She looks over my shoulder. “He’s not in there. I think he and his sister went back down to talk to their mom. I’ve—I’ve got to go. Tell them I said good-bye. I’ll be back in the morning.”
Ashley hurries off toward the elevators. I tap on the door and then—
“. . . should get a doctor? Your head is bleeding.”
I catch a whiff of jelly donut before I open my eyes. The woman’s face is directly above me, and there’s a bit of powdered sugar on her dark lipstick.
“You okay, sweetie? Looks like maybe you passed out. Your head—”
Damn. I press my palm against my forehead. Only a tiny bit of blood compared to what I’ve seen tonight, but this time it’s my own. I must have clipped my head on the sink. Or maybe when I hit the floor.
“Um . . . she’s with me.”
Deo steps hesitantly into the door of the women’s restroom. He’s changed clothes, too. I’m still disoriented, and my first thought is that it’s weird to see him in two different colors—black jeans and a blue shirt. They don’t clash exactly, but I haven’t seen Deo in anything that wasn’t color coordinated for at least two years.
“My sister has . . . epilepsy. Must have forgotten her meds. If the coast is clear in there, I’ll come get her.”
“Sure,” the woman says. “It’s just me and her, come on in. You sure you don’t need me to have someone call an ambulance?” She’s looking at me suspiciously, like she thinks it’s more likely drugs that I took, rather than drugs that I forgot, that landed me on the floor.
“No, ma’am. She’ll be fine. Usually only lasts a few minutes.”
He gives her a weak version of his best smile, and as usual, wins her over.
“Well, okay, then. But don’t let her drive for God’s sake.”
She has a point. I didn’t even think about the visions when I told Aaron I could follow in the Jeep. If that had happened while I was driving . . .
Sorry. I didn’t think of it either. But you should be okay. They don’t come back to back. You got a coupla hours at the very least. Usually much more.
I’m fine by the time we reach the exit, but Deo holds on to my arm. “Another vision? Anything helpful this time?”
He’s not being snide. He doesn’t even know exactly what I saw, how much I remembered from the vision. At some point, I’ll tell him. But right now, we’ve got enough drama without me trying to explain how these stupid things work.
“I don’t think so. All I saw was Ashley . . . the nurse we met in the hall on our way out. She was at the hospital seeing Daniel. I think maybe she works there, too? Or maybe only visiting. I don’t know. I’m glad she’s safe, though.”
“The woman in the bathroom was right about you not driving,” Deo says, but I can tell from his voice that he knows we don’t have a choice.
“Jaden seems to think it’s okay. I should have a few hours. And the sooner we get back on the road and get to the hospital, the better off we’ll be. Unless you want to try your hand at the wheel?”
He casts a dubious glance at the highway. I-95 is always busy, even in the wee hours of the morning. “I’m not sure this is the best spot for me to have my very first driving lesson.”
“Okay. But keep an eye on me. Just in case you need to grab the wheel.”
It’s a little before four a.m. on Wednesday morning when we reach the waiting room at the trauma center. My eyes go first to Aaron, who looks exhausted, but his face brightens when he sees us coming down the hallway.
“Glad you found your bags,” he says. “I forgot to mention we picked them up.”
I’m surprised to see Kelsey there, talking to Sam. Taylor is there too, asleep, her head against Sam’s shoulder. She’s wearing a pink cotton shirt someone here at the hospital must have loaned her to replace her blood-soaked sweater. It brings Ashley-my-nurse to mind, although the shirts at The Warren were blue.
“When did you get here?” I ask as Kelsey comes over.
“Flew back yesterday,” Kelsey says. “I called the landline at the cottage Sunday night when I couldn’t reach your cell. Aaron’s sister answered and told me what happened. I asked them to let me know as soon as . . .” She stops and gives me a look that’s equal parts exasperation and relief. “Are the two of you okay?”
I nod and return her hug. The longer, more complicated version can wait for later.
“How’s Daniel?” Deo asks.