Page 110 of A Better World

Linda drew an index finger to her lips, and they walked together to the front hall. “I’m doing something. I need to do it alone.”

Josie’s expression showed this wasn’t going to happen quietly unless Linda confided. So, she did.

“Can I come?”

“I’d rather they’re just mad at me, not you.”

“I thought you said you’d let me help. I thought you said we were in this together. I’m not going to school. I won’t,” she said, her voice rising in a way that threatened to wake the house.

“Okay,” Linda said. “You got me.”

They left for the PV Hospital. Linda parked in back. “Do you want to stay in the car?”

Josie was already getting out.

They went around front. “My daughter’s sick. I need to take her to triage,” Linda said.

Josie stood there, not acting sick. Then realizing she ought to, she held her stomach like it hurt.

They went through. Instead of heading for triage, they took the stairs down. Linda placed a pen cap like she’d done last time. But no one came. Cyrus Galani leaned against the door inside, where she assumed those kids were in beds.

“This could be bad and very embarrassing,” she whispered. Then she knocked. Cyrus came to the door, smiling.

“You two! To what do I owe the pleasure?”

Linda waved happily like she was delighted to see him. “I’m supposed to take their vitals for ActHollow. It’s for their data collection on pediatric cancer.”

Holding the door, he backed up. “You’re still with Daniella Bennett?”

“I am!” Linda said, with excessive enthusiasm.

His expression showed doubt. He opened his device, typed something. A reply arrived in a quickping!And Linda felt all the blood drain from her body.

Cyrus glanced back at Linda. “You really are still on the board.”

“I am,” Linda answered, breathless.

“Go right on in!”

A small part of Linda didn’t believe she’d find Gal Parker’s kids in this room. Then Cyrus opened the door.

They sat at a round table. Two beds were pushed along the wall. The girl was drawing a tree under rainbows, the boy handknitting with purple yarn.

She bent down to their height while Josie shut the door behind them. Fine featured and small for their ages, possibly because of the cancer, the children were the same as in the photos. The same she’d seen at Parson’s party, the same cutouts that she’d seen shoved inside a pomegranate her first night at Sirin’s.

It should not have been such a shock. She’d expected this. It was why she was there, risking PV’s wrath. It was, nonetheless, a shock.

“Sebbie? Katie?” she asked.

They responded to their names, but did so slowly and without great interest.

“What’s that drawing?” Linda asked.

Josie kept a distance, listening.

“A drawing,” Katie said, her voice flat. Then she turned the drawing over to its blank side. The behavior reminded Linda of Gal and it made her smile.

“And what are you knitting?” Linda asked the boy.

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