Page 85 of I Am Salvation

Then I tell her what happened.

“Are you in pain now?” she asks, examining my ankle.

“It feels a lot better,” I say.

“I’m not seeing any bad swelling, but we’ll probably do an X-ray and MRI to figure out what’s going on. The doctor should be in to see you shortly.”

“Thank you.”

She closes the curtain around me, and I lay my head down on the pillow of the hospital bed.

Staring down at me are posters—one of SpongeBob, and one of Bugs Bunny.

Obviously for when children are in this room.

Nice touch.

I sigh. Why did I go to see Mrs. Locke? Dragon is going to be mad as hell, and I can’t blame him. I didn’t even get that much information. Nothing I couldn’t have surmised on my own.

Chalk it up as a big mistake.

I guess I thought I could make her understand. Growing up on the ranch with loving parents and tons of aunts and uncles and cousins, I believe family is everything.

Family members take care of each other. So why isn’t Mrs. Locke like that? Shouldn’t everyone love their family? Put their family first?

Dragon didn’t grow up that way.

A lot of people don’t grow up that way, and I need to remember that. Mrs. Locke isn’t like my mother, who would take a bullet for any one of her four children.

When I think of Dragon at nine years old—that beautiful little boy with dark hair and hazel eyes who wanted his parents to believe him—I want to cry.

But I steel myself.

No tears.

I’m going to help Dragon find his sister. If she is indeed still alive.

I’ll spend my whole trust fund doing it if I have to.

Because I love Dragon.

And I will do anything for him.

Chapter Twenty-Three

Dragon

The Uber driver drops me off at the hospital, and I rush into the ER.

“Diana Steel?” I say to the receptionist on duty.

“Are you family?”

“I’m a…friend. She asked me to meet her here.”

The volunteer nods and types on her computer. “Looks like she’s about ready to be released. She should be out in a moment.”

“Is she all right?”

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