“And you are?” The nurse nods her head in my direction. Her tone alone is enough for me to choke back my chuckle as she addresses me.
“This is my intern,” Cooper answers for me. “She’s completing her clinical hours with me.” This is definitely better than being introduced to as his sister.
I mumble a weak greeting in return. If I say anymore, I know I’ll blow my cover. The plan is to sneak in and sneak out. Cooper told me very little about Taylor, other than how she ended up here, but from what I gathered from the rundown of her life, it wasn’t a very good one. She was accused of setting fire to her entire family, and when she went to trial, the judge commuted her sentence here in the mental institution because she was a juvenile at the time.
The nurse gives me another once over. “Very well, Dr. Everett.” She sits up from her chair and grabs a set of keys from beneath the counter. “I’m sure you can appreciate the efforts we go through to maintain proper order in this hospital. The last thing we need is for some doctor from the District telling us how to do our jobs. As if you know better,” she snorts, leading us out into the hallway. “The patients here don’t have a shot at being rehabilitated. It’s only a matter of time before they withdraw into their own psychotic world, if they haven’t done so already, but if you think you can make a difference, go right ahead.”
“McGee is housed in one of our secured areas of the hospital,” she continues to tell us, as we reach the desired room. “I must warn you, though, this patient is considered dangerous, so I’d proceed with caution. Of the patients that reside here, she’s one of the more lucid ones, but just as dangerous as the other poor souls who inhabit this place.” She looks over to me, yet again, as she explains further. “If I were you, I’d let your intern stay here while you conduct your evaluations. We can’t be held liable for anything our patient does.”
“Understood, but I think she can manage. If the situation becomes too strained, I’ll make sure to keep her away from your patient,” he assures the nurse.
“Very well, doctor,” the nurse says. “I trust you’ll assume the liability.”
We follow Nurse Ratched—okay, that’s not her real name. Her name tag reads, M. Holmes, but she might as well play the villain in this place they dub a mental institution. It’s not so much what the nurse says that creeps me out, it’s her attitude. If I were stuck here like Taylor, I’d be dangerous too. I imagine it’s the only way to survive this place.
“This way.” She snaps her fingers to garner our attention as we continue to follow her down the hallway.
Whoever runs this place must not get much by way of donations or government funding. Unlike the other versions of this building I’ve become acquainted with, this one’s a bit run-down. The pretty landscaping out front and the pristine front lobby are just a ruse in order to disguise the filthy exterior that lies within. The walls appear to have once been white, but are now splotched with yellow patches, with cracks extending from the ceiling. I’m not even sure I want to know where the brown smudges came from. And plain as day, at the end of the hallway, is a video camera that probably hooks up to the nurse’s station. It’s kinda eerie to have someone watch your every move.
Nurse Ratched/Holmes, stops abruptly and pulls the key out from her unformed pocket. “You may go in, but please, try to keep her calm,” she says. She stops to peer down at me. “My concern is only for your intern, you understand. As far as I’m concerned, the others will never leave this place, so it’s of no consequence to me if they get all riled up. They do a good job of convincing you they’re normal, but trust me, they’re not. Any one of these patients won’t hesitate to attack if your guard is down.”
“Thank you, we’ll call you if we need anything.” Cooper turns his back to the nurse and attempts to enter the room.
Before the nurse turns to exit the hall, she points to the small box by the doorframe. “There’s a call button by the door if she becomes violent.”
Cooper and I exchange glances. Just how dangerous is this girl? If I was willing to give the girl the benefit of the doubt, I’m beginning to reconsider. I know I said no judgment, but the nurse did a pretty good job of freaking me out.
“Hey,” I whisper, making sure the nurse is out of earshot. “How’d you get past Nurse Ratched from showing any I.D.?” You’d think a secure facility like this would have demanded to see some sort of identification or credentials.
My question is rewarded with a wink. “Don’t ever underestimate the powers of persuasion. I don’t just read minds, Etta, I can manipulate them too. Besides, I could read her thoughts and she simply doesn’t care.”
“Oh.” This only confirms my earlier assessment of the place, not to mention the nurse. Now I feel worse about Taylor’s current living conditions. To be in a place that just doesn’t give a crap says a lot about the care she’s receiving. The nurse referred to the patients as poor souls, and I don’t think it was out of pity or compassion.
I let Cooper take the lead and follow behind him as we walk into the dark room. Not much light escapes the window and there’s only one small lamp on the desk on the far side of the room. Taylor doesn’t have it on, so it’s hard to tell where she is exactly.
I glance around the familiar bare walls. They were basically the same ones I shared when I lived here during my stint at Dominion House. As I continue to look around the room, I spot a small security camera in the top right corner of the ceiling, much like the one I spotted in the hallway. We’re being watched, but I wonder if they can hear us. From the looks of the place, I’m guessing they didn’t spend much to add audio to their surveillance equipment. I doubt the video even works; this place is so run-down. I take my gaze away from the ceiling long enough to notice a lump underneath the covers on the bed. This must be Taylor. She’s got to be aware of our presence, but she doesn’t stir from her position.
“What do you want?” Taylor doesn’t move an inch as she speaks, all curled up on the bed. She’s bundled up all under the covers, so we can’t see her, but I can tell she’s scared. Now I feel like a total crud. She’s more afraid of us than I am of her.
I felt the slightest touch from Cooper’s palm against my chest, indicating he’s in charge. For once, I don’t argue with him. This place is kind of freaky and seeing her in this condition doesn’t exactly encourage me to start a conversation with her. I’m no longer afraid of what the nurse said before, but I don’t exactly know how to deal with a situation like this. It’s best to let him do the talking.
“Taylor McGee? I’m Cooper Everett and this is Etta Fleming.”
“Are you doctors? I already told the others that I didn’t do anything.”
“No, we’re not doctors. We’re here to get you out.” Cooper gently sits on the edge of the bed. I notice the slightest flinch from Taylor as he settles next to her.
“If I leave, they’ll send me to jail. They said I killed my parents. I didn’t do it.” Her voice rises as she says this.
She’s becoming excitable, but she doesn’t seem dangerous like the nurse implied. I hope Cooper knows what he’s doing. The poor girl’s probably been through a lot and that’s just from being stuck in this place. Lord knows what the doctors and staff have put her through. If she’s innocent, and I have no doubt she is, this place is probably worse than being in hell.
Cooper’s calm voice even manages to sooth me. “No, no one is going to jail. Well, maybe us for trying to help you escape.”
Laughing at his own joke is enough for Taylor to peek from the protective cover of the sheets. A puff of blonde disheveled hair, followed by the saddest, deepest, brown eyes I’ve ever seen, emerge from under her hiding spot.
“Escape? Just who are you two exactly?”
“Friends. And you’re very important to us,” he says.
She shook her head in response. “No, I’ve heard that before and they weren’t friends. They’re the ones who killed my parents.” Her voice turned up another notch and I’m afraid she’ll either re
treat back into her shell or alert the staff. I really don’t want the nurse to come back and throw us out. Or worse yet, call the cops on us for impersonating medical personnel.
I kneel by the bed, close to where she is bundled up. “Really, we’re just here to help. What people killed your parents?”
“Etta.”
I ignore Cooper’s stern warning and continue. “Actually, I’m the one who needs your help. I know you don’t know either of us, but trust me, we need to get you out of here.” I look again at the grim sterile walls. “You don’t belong here…whether you decide to help us or not.”
Hearing this seems to calm her. “You really aren’t here to do tests on me?”
“Nope. Why? What do the doctors do to you here?” I knew this place gave me the creeps for a reason. If the nurse is any indication about the way they treat their patients, I can imagine what the doctor’s bedside manner is like—cruel.
Taylor gives a quick nod. “I’m not supposed to say anything.” She looks around the room, as if the walls have ears. “They tell me if I do, they’ll keep me here forever.”
“We don’t have much time before the nurse comes back to escort us out. So, I’m afraid we can’t give you enough time to decide whether or not to trust us,” Cooper says. “But you’re going to have to if you want us to help. You can either stay or come with us.”
Her eyes dart back and forth, meeting our own, deciding on what to do. “What could possibly be worse than this place?”
I’m not sure what I expected prior to coming here, but I have to admit, I didn’t think it would be as easy to convince Taylor as the others were. She doesn’t put up much resistance, so I have to assume whatever they’re doing to her here at Dominion must be pretty bad.
“Okay, so what do we do now? We can’t just walk her out of the building like we’re taking her out on a field trip.” I look at Cooper for direction. “Wait, can we? Do a jump from the room, I mean? It’s not like the nurse is going to keep falling for this little charade of ours. Sooner or later she’s going to figure out we’re not doctors.”
“The portal back is outside the grounds. But you’re right, getting Taylor out of here isn’t going to be as easy. Have any ideas?”
The answer comes to me in an instant. Not only is this place my overpriced prep-school in my current reality, but this place was also my home away from home when I was an orphan. “Duh, of course I do. I used to sneak out of Dominion House all the time when I lived there.” Surely the floor plan remains the same, regardless of what alternate universe we’re in. “Do you think you can distract the nurse enough to allow Taylor and I to get down the hall?” I don’t want to take a gamble that the security cameras do in fact work.
“I believe that can be arranged. What’d you have in mind, darlin’?”
“The laundry room,” I say with confidence. “There is a door that leads out into the back. I think it was used for deliveries when they outsourced laundry back in the old days. As far as I know, it should be there in this reality.”
“Etta, that’s brilliant! I’ll go and have a little chat with the nurse, while you get Taylor out of here. I’ll meet up with you both in a few.”
I look over at Taylor. “Will you need long to get ready?”
She gives me the most despairing expression I think I’ve ever seen. “I don’t have any personal possessions. I’m ready when you are.”
Chapter Twenty-Four
Forever in Blue Jeans
The trip to locate Taylor wasn’t as tasking as the others and Cooper drops me off at my house before he transports Taylor to the Thornberry reality. He promised he’d be back later in the afternoon and I’m thankful once again for the downtime.
Since my aunt usually works from home as a graphic designer for a small boutique firm in the District, I’m used to having her around. But I didn’t notice her this morning after Cooper woke me up, nor was she home when I returned from the alternate Alexandria. We weren’t gone all that long, so I’m sure she had some errands to run and just hasn’t come back yet.
I have some time on my hands, so I decide it’s time to take advantage and catch up on all the TV shows I’ve been missing since I left the orphan alternate universe. Since being in this new reality, I haven’t had the opportunity to preview all the new shows. Well, they’re not really new, just new to me. I just hope some of them are worthy of watching. I can’t imagine being in a place without quality entertainment.
I make myself comfortable and flip through channels. So far, nothing is grabbing my attention. It looks like cable programming in this reality is the same as my last one, with Saturday being the worst day for prime television viewing options. I guess I’ll have to start DVR’ing some shows at night. As I place the remote back on the coffee table, I hear the front door slam.
“Etta? Are you home?” I hear my aunt call out.
“I’m in the living room,” I yell out.
She walks in with several bags in her hands. “Oh, good, I’m glad you’re home. I was hoping you didn’t have anything planned today.” She drops the bags on one of the wing chairs. “I would’ve asked you to come with me this morning, but then Cooper stopped by so I knew you’d want to spend some time with him. Besides, it gave me the chance to surprise you.”
“A surprise?” Can I handle another one of those?
She digs into one of the big bags and pulls out several pairs of jeans. “We never did get to go on our shopping spree, so I picked up a few things I thought you might like.”
I squeal as I run over to my aunt. I give her the biggest bear hug I can muster. “Thank you!” I take the jeans she’s holding up and press them up against my legs. “These are great.” I look at the tag on the inside. “And they’re my size!” I hug her again. “Thank you Aunt Maggie.”
Now, I’m sure there are girls who’d be annoyed they didn’t get to go shopping, but I’m glad my aunt went ahead and picked out some stuff without me. I don’t care much for going to the mall and all the selections they have in the stores make it hard for me to make any decisions.
“I hope you like them. We can always return whatever you don’t like. I also picked up a few t-shirts and some shorts. Summer is coming soon and you know how hot it can get around here.”
Everything she picked out is exactly my style and I’m grateful for the clothes. Even if I didn’t like them, I’d never tell my aunt. I know it means a lot for her to do this for me, knowing I’m not too happy with the selection I currently have in my closet.
“No way! I love everything. Can I go try these on?”
My aunt laughs. “Of course. Just don’t forget to come back down so I can see how you look.”
• • •
Now that I have new threads, I can’t wait to put on something decent for a change. I’ve been wearing the same dirty jeans the last few days—I didn’t want to wash them, because if I did, I’ll be forced to wear one of the dresses hanging in my closet—and I’m sure everyone can use a break from seeing me in them. Cooper’s coming over in a few and I want to look nice. Okay, me in a pair of jeans doesn’t make a huge difference in my overall appearance, but at least they’re new.
I wait for him in the kitchen; it’s always the first place he checks when he stops by. That or the back deck. My mind wanders as I wait and I’m itching to go back in search of Jaime. I’m so close to her, I just know it. It’s no coincidence I happened to spot Thornberry the first time I astral projected to that building. I don’t know who it was that followed me in the storage room the last time I was there, but whoever she was, I’m sure told Thornberry about it. If I do decide to go back, I’ll have to be careful. No doubt they’ll be waiting for my return.
As I mentally come up with a game plan, Cooper strolls into the kitchen. I have to smile over the ease in which he enters the room. It’s as if he’s part of the family, and this is his home just as much as it is mine. Little by little, it’s like we’re starting to fulfill our destiny to be together.
&
nbsp; “Hi. That didn’t take long.” I figure he’d spend some time indoctrinating Taylor in the other reality, considering how scared she might be feeling.
“If you’re worried about Taylor, don’t be. She settled in quite nicely. In fact, Moose took her under his wing, so to speak.”
My jaw drops. “Moose? He’s like the biggest jerk ever. I can’t believe he’s supposed to help us in that reality. Are you sure he was being nice to her?” I’ll never forgive the guy if he so much as makes Taylor uncomfortable.
“Are you kidding? The second he saw her, he was hooked.”
I just can’t believe it. Moose with a heart? That I have to see to believe.
“So,” Cooper says, pulling up a seat next to me. “What were you looking all pensive about?”
Do I tell him the truth? Yeah, sure why not. “I was thinking about going back to the place where I think Jaime’s being held.”
I can tell he isn’t wild about the idea by the look on his face. “I know I told you I’d help, but I don’t think that’s a good idea Etta. If they even suspect you’ve been around, and if I know Thornberry they probably already do, they’ll be waiting.”
“Ugh, I just feel so helpless, you know? Like I have the ability to rescue her, like you guys did for me the other night, only, I can’t do anything about it.”
He turned and slid my chair so that I’m now facing him. “Look, I know you’re frustrated, but you gotta trust me. It’s just not worth losing you over. We’ll find another way to get Jaime back.”
“But how can they hurt me? It’s just a projected image of me. My physical body isn’t actually there. They’d be hard pressed to find a way to capture only thin air,” I remind him.
“You have a point, but still. Once they’re sure you’ve been snooping around, who’s to say they won’t come back to this reality to stop you? Besides, I can use the same argument against you. How are you supposed to help Jaime in your astral form?”
Paradox (Travelers Series Book 2) Page 14