Page 79 of Ward D
“Damn,” he mutters. “What a pain.”
“Can you fix it?”
“Maybe…”
Although he doesn’t look hopeful. The thought that he might not be able to fix it hadn’t even occurred to me. After all, Dr. Beck is the attending physician. He’s all-powerful.
“Maintenance fixed it last time it happened.” He rubs his chin. “I’ll grab Ramona and see if she has any ideas.”
“No!” I gasp.
His eyebrows shoot up to his hairline. “What’s wrong? Ramona has worked here longer than I have, and if anyone can fix it, she can. She’s the expert.”
“She couldn’t though,” I insist. “I already asked her.”
He waves a hand. “I’m certain if we put our heads together, we can figure it out. Let me get her.”
This is just great. Not only have I not found a way out of here, but I might have put Dr. Beck in danger too. I start to protest, but a wave of dizziness washes over me. It’s like the events of the evening have finally caught up to me.
“Amy?” He furrows his brow. “Are you okay?”
“Yes… just a little… lightheaded…”
Dr. Beck has to help me into the staff lounge, and I barely make it to the sofa before I collapse. My hands won’t stop shaking.
“You’re not going to pass out, are you?” he asks.
“No,” I manage.
He lets out a long sigh. “I’m so sorry. This night has been such a mess. Let me just sort out the door code, and I promise, we’ll get you home in one piece. Hang in there.”
I don’t want him to leave me, but before I can get out the words, he is out the door. I guess his priority is making sure that we have an emergency exit. And I’m grateful that he’s finally taking the situation seriously, even though I’m scared about what’s out there.
What if Dr. Beck doesn’t come back? What if he disappears like Cameron did?
I lean my head back against the sofa and close my eyes. The dizziness seems to be subsiding, but I still feel uneasy. A crazy man is wandering the unit. And Jade… I don’t quite understand her part in this. But she’s held a grudge against me since high school.
Jade will never forgive me. I did what I had to do—it wasn’t like I had a choice in the matter. I couldn’t let her kill our trigonometry teacher. But she could never see it that way.
Where is Dr. Beck? Shouldn’t he be back by now? The unit only takes like sixty seconds to walk around. How long has it been since he disappeared out the door?
Did Jade and Ramona do something to him? Is that why he isn’t back yet?
I reach into my pocket to grab my phone and check the time. God, how did it get so late? But the night is almost over. One way or another, I’m getting out of here.
Then something makes my heart leap:
I’ve got a bar on my phone!
It’s just one bar, but it’s the most I’ve had the entire night. I hold up my phone, and it vibrates in my hand as a text message from Gabby comes through. This is amazing! I can call for help! I can finally get out of here!
I click on the text message from Gabby, which came hours ago, shortly after I texted her that I had arrived at Ward D, and that Dr. Beck was cute. God, my priorities were different back then. Her text message fills the screen:
You think Dr. Beck is cute??? You perv, Dr. Beck is like eighty years old!!!!
I stare at the text message on the screen. My heart is pounding out of my chest.
Dr. Beck is like eighty years old!
