Page 80 of Private Exhibit
Devon hesitated before he gave a tiny nod.
“Then maybe we can go sit in one of the gardens for lunch,” Andy suggested.
Devon perked up just noticeably at that.
Andy smiled. “I'll be back.” He pressed another kiss to Devon's forehead, then stood up and left the room before he could change his mind.
The moment the door shut behind him, Andy nearly spun right around and yanked it open again. He closed his eyes and took a slow, deep breath, then walked with measured steps to theelevator. Andy punched the button for the third floor, scrubbing his hands over his face as the lift began to move.
He barely waited for the doors to slide open before he rushed from the car and strode down the hallway to his old office. Andy barged inside, then locked the door behind himself. There were too many people about. Too many of his old colleagues who had just seen him walk in there, all of them stopping to stare. The last thing he wanted was to talk to any one of them.
Andy scanned the room, then had to cover a yawn. Between the few hours of sleep and the drama of the morning, he felt exhaustion catching up with him.
But he didn't have time to waste.
Whoa. I don't think I've ever seen you outside the morgue before.
Andy whirled around, startled by the voice. He spotted Vorena standing just inside the doorway, her eyes wide as she scanned the room.
Sorry, she said with a smile.I'm nosy so I followed you up here. You looked like a man on a mission.
Andy nodded, striding over to his desk. He picked up a file and said,No offense, but I really don't have time–
At the same moment, Vorena said,I just saw Junior over on Erostil.
Andy jerked to a stop and looked up, blinking dumbly.What? What the hells was he doing there?
Making out with a girl, Vorena said with a smirk.
I–Andy broke off, blinking dumbly.How the hells did he even get to Erostil? That's halfway around the world.
Near enough, Vorena said with a laugh, but she quickly sobered.You do know that ghosts can go literally anywhere, right?
Well, yeah, but–
Because I used to think I was tied to certain places. Certain energies. Turns out, I was just limiting myself. Afraid to get too far from the people I loved.
Andy glanced in the direction of the elevators even though he couldn't see them through the walls.
Doc? What's going on?
Andy slapped down the file and sank into his chair.You remember the boy you saw in my office?
The one with a block on his mind? Oh yeah. What about him?
Andy gripped the armrests of his chair.He has an incurable disease. The same one that took my son.
Vorena gasped.Oh. Shit.She came closer.Andy, I'm so sorry.
Andy waved uselessly at the files spread all around him.All these patients. All the time I spent studying the damned thing. And there's nothing I can do to save him. I spent all night going back over all my files, but there's nothing here. I've triedeverything. Anything and everything I could think of. Not a single damned treatment ever so much as touched this gods-damned disease.Andy paused, swallowing hard.I can't even help control his symptoms.
Andy. Vorena shook her head.I'm so sorry. She paused.What about Grae?
Andy scowled.What about him?
What if he could get past that block on the kid's mind? Maybe he could help–
“I don't want his help!” Andy yelled. “I don't want a gods-damned thing from him.”
