Page 12 of Lethal Game

There was no reply. He'd probably been done days ago.

As she scrolled through her messages, she saw concerned texts from nursing friends, which made her feel better. Rolling out of bed, she walked to the window to open the blinds. It was a sunny day, and it almost made her feel like last night had just been a nightmare, but her aching head and stinging hand were impossible to ignore. She could have been killed last night, and that thought made her shudder again. But she'd survived, and today was a new day. She needed to stop looking back and move forward.

She put a baggie over the bandage on her hand so she could take a shower. After that, she got dressed and called for a rideshare.

When her ride pulled up in front of the hospital, she couldn't bring herself to look at the parking garage. Entering the hospital,however, felt like going into her second home, and she tried to hang on to that positive feeling as she made her way upstairs to her mother's room.

She opened the door with a smile on her face, which immediately faded when she saw her mother was asleep. As she neared the bed, she was stunned by her mother's pallor. Her face was white, and when she touched her hand, it was cold again.

Checking her vitals, she saw her mother's respirations and heart rate were quite low. She felt a rush of fear. She'd seen patients who looked like this before, and it was never good.

The door opened and Dr. Mitchell Grayson walked in. He was in his early sixties with gray hair and kind brown eyes. He was accompanied by a nurse she didn't know, except that her name was Shannon, and she'd started working at the hospital a few days earlier.

"I'm glad you're here, Alisa," Dr. Grayson said, a somber tone in his voice. "Your mother's condition has deteriorated. She's having trouble staying awake. She can't keep food down, and her respiration is shallow."

"What happened? She was doing so well last night."

"I don't know, but I've ordered more tests. Shannon will take some blood now. Hopefully, it will give us insight into what's changed in the past twelve hours."

"I don't understand. She was practically back to her old self last night. When did things change? Why didn't someone call me?"

"Her vitals were stable until about an hour ago," the doctor replied. "We're going to figure this out, Alisa."

"Are we? Do you think we should bring in some other doctors to consult?" She didn't care if her question offended him. She needed answers.

"I already put in a call to someone I think can help. He'll get back to me soon. He's in surgery this morning." He gave her an empathetic look. "I know you're frustrated, but I want you to know that I'm not going to stop looking for a diagnosis or atreatment plan. In fact, I'd like to send her for an MRI scan of the brain. I don't want to leave any stones unturned."

She felt somewhat comforted by his words, but she needed results more than comfort. As Shannon finished taking her mother's blood, her mom stirred and grimaced. She moved back to the bed and placed her hand over her mother's.

"Mom," she said gently, but loud enough to rouse her. "Mom," she repeated.

"It's okay if she rests," Dr. Grayson said. "We'll get the blood work to the lab, and then Shannon will take your mom downstairs for the MRI."

"All right. I'll stay with her until then."

As they left the room, she looked back at her mom, whose eyes were still closed. "You're going to be okay, Mom. The doctor just wants to run a few more tests. Hang in there for a while longer."

Her mother's eyelids flickered and then slowly opened. There was confusion in her gaze.

"Alisa?" she said, her voice weak and raspy.

"I'm here. You aren't feeling too good, are you?"

Fear and worry entered her mother's gaze. "No. Something is wrong. I think you should go somewhere, Alisa. I don't want you to stand by my bedside and watch me?—"

"I'm not going anywhere," she said fiercely, refusing to let her mother finish that sentence. "And I am not giving up, Mom. We will figure this out."

"I still want you to leave. I want to be alone. I don't want you here."

There was a somewhat desperate note to her voice now that Alisa didn't understand.

"I'm not leaving. You're my mother. You've always been there for me, and I'll be there for you." She paused. "Especially since Dad isn't here. I tried calling him. His phone isn't working. Don't you think that's odd?"

"He said his phone was breaking. Don't worry, Alisa. He'll be in touch."

"I don't want to wait for him to get in touch," she said with annoyance. "He should be here with you. I don't understand why he's not."

"I know you don't. I wish I could explain."

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