Page 68 of Ward D
She’s not in the bed.
What the hell?
I yank the blankets off the bed, not bothering to be quiet anymore. I saw a lump on the bed, and I realize now that it was the scarf Mary had been working on. It was lying on the bed, and it looked like the form of a sleeping woman.
“Mary?” I call out.
No answer.
The bathroom door is ajar and it’s dark inside, so it doesn’t seem likely she’s in there, but I check anyway. I search inside the bathroom and I even check under the sink as if she could be hiding there. But she’s not in the bathroom. She’s not anywhere.
My heart is pounding as I come out of the bathroom. But not as much as it is when I realize there’s a silhouette in the doorway to Mary’s room. A man is standing there, waiting for me to emerge from the bathroom. And when I do, he shuts the door, closing us both inside.
It’s Will.
45
“Don’t come near me, Will. I mean it.”
Will’s eyes look like dark hollows in the dim moonlight. Despite my warning, he takes a step toward me. I take a step back and stumble into the bathroom door.
“Will…” I say. “What did you do to her? What did you do to Mary?”
He stops abruptly. Looks over at Mary’s bed and frowns. “What didIdo? What are you talking about? What do you think I did exactly?”
“I have no idea.” My voice is a hoarse gasp. “You obviously did something to Mary. And… and Cameron… and Miguel…”
“Me?” He clutches his chest. “Are you serious? I came here to talk to you because I don’t know what the hell is going on. Why would you thinkIdid this?”
He takes another step forward and I slide along the wall toward the window. Not that I’m escaping from a window on the ninth floor, but it somehow makes me feel more secure. “I know everything, Will.”
“Everything?” He shoots me a baffled look. “What do you know? I don’t understand.” He frowns at my trembling hands. “Would you just relax? I’m not here to hurt you, for Christ’s sake.”
Yeah, right. “I know about you and Jade. That she’s your girlfriend. You lied to me.”
His jaw looks like it’s about to become unhinged. “Me andJade? You mean that psycho chick in 905? You think she’s mygirlfriend?”
“Don’t lie.”
“I’m not!” He lays a hand on his heart. “I swear on my life that Jade isnotmy girlfriend. I hardly even know her!”
“Is that why she had her hand on your shoulder when we were in the hallway before?”
He frowns. “She looked upset about Mary. What was I supposed to do? Push her away?”
“And I saw you disappear into her room…”
“I assure you,” he says, “that never happened. Jade is… She’s somebody to stay away from. So that’s what I’ve been doing. I don’t even know her last name. I swear.”
Will’s eyes are wide and earnest behind his glasses. He actually looks like he’s telling the truth.
“I’m sorry,” I say. “It’s just very hard to believe you after you lied about those pills. I mean, you haven’t taken any of the antipsychotics you’ve been prescribed. How can I trust you?”
“Look, I didn’t take those pills because I don’t need them.”
“Oh really? You think you don’t need any treatment for hearing voices?”
“No, I don’t,” he says firmly. “Because… I don’t hear voices.”
