Page 52 of Freeing Ruby

“You were there when it happened?” he asks.

“Yes.”

The detective looks pensive. “We need to talk.”

Chapter 18

Ruby

I crack open my eyelids and find myself staring at an unfamiliar ceiling made of white tiles and recessed lights. My heart starts pounding. Where am I? This isn’t my apartment!

Panic sets in, along with a crushing weight on my chest.

I can’t breathe!

Frantically, I look around at white walls, unfamiliar furniture, machines beeping constantly. There are wires and tubes attached to my right arm. I’m lying on a bed, but it’s not mine. The mattress is too firm, and the room smells strongly of disinfectant.

I’m outside.

I’m vulnerable.

It’s unsafe.

One of the machines standing next to the bed starts beeping rapidly, the sound shrill and piercing.

A woman dressed in a white uniform rushes into the room. “Ruby, it’s okay, honey.” She reaches the foot of my bed and squeezes my foot. “You’re in the hospital, but you’re going to be fine.” She comes around to the side of the bed and lays a gentle hand on my shoulder. “Try to relax, honey. Your pulse is through the roof. Just take a deep breath. You’re okay.”

The lights are so bright, I shut my eyes, but not before I catch a glimpse of a stranger standing beside the bed—an older African-American woman with short white hair. A nurse maybe? Off in the distance I hear a female voice on the loudspeaker, calling for someone.

This is a hospital.

“Ruby, can you hear me?” The woman gently squeezes my shoulder. “Ruby? You’re in the hospital. You’re going to be all right.”

My heart is pounding so hard my chest aches. I try to remember what happened, but my mind is too muddled. I remember bits and pieces—feeling dizzy, sluggish, like I was slogging through quicksand. I was watching a movie with Miguel and then everything went fuzzy. Miguel!

“Just try to relax, dear.”

“Where’s Miguel?” I ask, my voice cracking.

She pushes a button and says, “Ruby Foster’s awake. Call Dr. Callejo. And someone find her father. Check the waiting room.” The woman pats my arm once more. “It’s okay, Ruby. Just relax. We’ll find your father.”

“No!” I shake my head. “Miguel! I need Miguel.”

“I’m sorry, but I don’t know who that is,” the woman says. “Your doctor is on her way.”

My eyes burn as they flood with tears. “I want to see Miguel.”

“Ruby, are you all right?”

I turn to see my father standing at the foot of my bed. He looks… worried. “Dad, where’s Miguel?”

“He’s gone.”

My stomach sinks. “What do you mean, he’s gone?”

“He’s gone, Ruby. Just like that, he left. He quit.”

My heart aches. Miguel can’t leave me. Not like this. Not without saying goodbye. “I need to see him.”

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