Page 25 of Blind Trust
She let the doctor guide her into the hall, where people were hurrying, and voices were coming from all over the floor. It sounded like pandemonium, and she couldn’t see people or tell which way he was leading her, as they dodged in and out between people who were hurrying to get out.
They moved down the hall and to a stairwell where he held open the door with one hand and pulled her with the other, saying, “Come on.”
Someone came up behind them. “Don’t block the door,” the woman said. “Let us out.”
“I don’t have my cane,” Cecelia said, just as she realized she’d left her cane in the room.
“You don’t need it,” the doctor said. “I’m going to help you down the stairs.” He pulled her through the doorway. “Come on, we need to keep moving and not block these people. Hold on to the railing.”
She put her hand on the railing, and started carefully stepping down each step, with him holding onto her other arm, urging her down the stairs.
He spoke encouraging words to her, as she found each step with her foot, but it felt like it was taking forever, and they had four flights to go down.
She felt bad about being so slow and holding people up who wanted out so badly.
Many other people were taking the stairs, which got more and more crowded as they descended. Some people pushed past them, and others were more polite. Everyone was in a hurry to get out of the building.
She worried about Sam and hoped the person with the gurney had already taken her out.
Finally, they were on the bottom floor, and he helped her through the lobby and outside.
The breeze on her face was a relief, and she took a deep breath of fresh air.
She hadn’t smelled any smoke on the way down, so that was good. She hoped they got all the patients out and wondered where they’d be taking Sam.
The doctor who’d helped her was still there, and he said, “Here, they’re starting to move the gurneys out and need room.” He pulled on her arm again. “We have to move out of the way.”
Listening to him and letting him move her away from where people milled about, she went with him to a quieter area.
He said, “I see an empty bench over there. Come on, I’ll get you seated, and then you’ll have to wait while I go help get the others out.”
She moved where he wanted her to, and then he let go of her and stepped away.
Cecelia turned her head right and then left, listening. The only thing she heard was traffic.
Where am I? Where did he go? And where was that bench he was talking about?
She reached out her hands and found only air.
Now what?
She needed her cane. And it was too quiet here. There were no people that she could hear. There was only traffic.
“Hello?” she called, not even knowing the doctor’s name.
In their hurry to get out of the building, she hadn’t thought to ask.
No one answered, but a vehicle pulled up near her. She reached out with her foot, trying to feel where the curb was, as the vehicle sounded close.
Someone stepped behind her.
Suddenly, a man’s hand was on her mouth, holding duct tape, sticky and thick.
No!
Another man wrapped his arms around hers, holding her so she couldn’t move.
The duct tape was slapped down over her mouth by the first man, and pressed hard onto her lips, to keep her mouth closed.
