“Whoopdeedodadee,” Tatyanna said, and heard laughter behind her. She turned and saw Danny standing in the hallway.
“Wow, you really are on her shit list, aren’t you? You are a braver person than I ever thought you were.”
Tatyanna smiled. “At the moment, I don’t feel very brave, but I’ll see you tomorrow.” She waved at him as she went on to her next patient.
The rest of her day was uneventful. Tatyanna got home after her twelve hours of hell, just wanting to sleep. She lay sprawled out on her bed, and thought about her conversation with Beverly. That woman infuriated her. She never wanted to punch someone as bad as she wanted to with that woman. How dare she judge her? This was the exact reason why she refused to take her parents’ money for college. She wanted to earn her place in the world, not be looked upon like a spoiled rich girl, when she didn’t feel like she had earned any of it. At the same time, her little spat with Beverly caused her to be right where she wanted to be. Tatyanna would be able to work in the Emergency Room that weekend, and truly help people who are hurt and in need. She wouldn’t gloat about it, but pretend to hate the assignment in hopes Beverly would assign her there permanently.
The next morning, Lilah came into Tatyanna’s room carrying a steaming cup of hot cocoa. Tatyanna glanced at the alarm clock and saw that the sun was barely out, noting it was seven. She had slept only three hours. She threw a pillow over her head and laid back down. After a moment, she sat up in bed and looked at her sister suspiciously. “What do you want?”
“What makes you think I want anything?” she asked sweetly; a little too sweet for Tatyanna’s liking.
“It’s seven in the morning. You are never up this early unless you have class, AND you brought me hot cocoa, which means you are prepared to bribe me for something.”
“What?” she asked. “Me, bribe you? Never. But if you don’t want the hot cocoa, that’s all you had to say,” she said, turning away.
“No! Wait!” Tatyanna called after her sister.
“Yes?” Lilah asked slowly, arching a perfectly groomed eyebrow.
“I’ll take it. I mean since you made it and everything,” Tatyanna said, reaching for the cup of hot cocoa.
“That’s what I thought. Always a sucker for chocolate.”
“I’ll take it in any form I can get it. So what’s up?”
“Nothing.” She sighed dramatically. “Just bored.”
Tatyanna raised both eyebrows in surprise. “Bored? Really? What happened to your new boy toy?”
“He was as dumb as a doornail.”
“Aren’t all of your boyfriends dumb?”
“Well, yeah,” she admitted in defeat, sitting down on the edge of her bed. “I’m realizing I want a guy with substance, BUT he has to have a great body and be hot. When a guy spends more time in front of a mirror than me, then I know there’s a problem.”
Tatyanna laughed. She could have told her sister that years ago, but Lilah had always been self-absorbed. “So, what do you want?”
“To talk to you about boys, of course.”
“You are a crappy liar. We have never talked boys before, because I have never had a boyfriend. Try again.”
“I have an interview today, and I don’t know what to wear or what to say.”
“Interview for what?”
“Well, I guess I need some community volunteer hours for school, and I am, like, two years behind schedule on my hours, so Daddy suggested I volunteer at the hospital where you guys work.”
“No.”
“What do you mean no?”
“No. It’s a crappy place to work, and you’ll hate it.”
“How do you know I will hate it?”
“Have you ever worked before?”
“No.”
“Exactly.”
“Come on. You’ve only been there a few days. It can’t be that bad.”
“Yes. It. Can,” she said, emphasizing each word. “Beverly, the head nursing supervisor, hates me because Daddy pretty much got me the job. She judges me for my appearance and nothing else, and won’t even give me a chance.”
“Well, you have to admit, she has a point.”
“You are supposed to be on my side, not that wicked woman’s.”
“Let me guess. You went into the interview with blue hair?”
Tatyanna didn’t feel like she needed to answer that question.
“And then you showed up with a new tattoo and didn’t try to cover it up.”
“You wouldn’t understand.”
Lilah continued on as if she didn’t hear her, “So, of course your boss is going to judge you. You never made one attempt to change your appearance and look professional, and for whatever reason, you went out and got a tattoo on a part of your body that, yes, you could cover up, but you chose not to. So, instead of looking professional, you look like someone who likes to challenge authority.”
“What makes you an expert on all of this?”
Lilah sat up, straight and tall, “I was up all last night reading about interview dos and don’ts,” she said, proud of herself.
“Fine. You’re right. But it’s not like I had a choice.”
“Of course you had a choice. You can dye your hair back at any time, but you choose not to. You chose to get a new tattoo, and, as great as it looks, you could have had it done elsewhere.”
“Whatever. You don’t understand anything, so let’s just drop it.”
“Well, fine. I was just trying to be helpful. But if you are going to be that way, I am going to leave you alone.”
“Great. Let me get back to bed.”
Lilah stood up and glared at her sister, then grabbed the hot cocoa.
“Hey, wait that’s mine,” Tatyanna protested.
“You’re going back to bed. What do you need hot cocoa for?” she asked as she stomped out of her room, slamming the door on her way out.
Tatyanna lay back down and put her pillow back over her head, screaming into it. It would be hell if Lilah ended up volunteering at the same place she worked. She could see it now. It would be like high school all over again. She was the weird one, and everyone would bow down and kiss her sister’s feet. She didn’t think her week could get any worse. Boy, was she wrong.
Tatyanna tried to go back to sleep, but found she couldn’t. It didn’t matter anyway, since she had to be in at work at noon that day. She decided to go for a run to help clear her mind. A mile into her run, Tatyanna remembered why she never ran—she hated it. Instead of stopping, she pushed herself farther and farther, wishing she could be anywhere but there. Wishing for a different life.
As she ran, Tatyanna realized she was running through trees, but she didn’t remember any forests nearby. She stopped to turn around and head back home, only to notice she didn’t know what direction she needed to go. Hearing voices to the east of her, she started running in that direction, hoping someone there could help direct her on how to get back home.
The closer Tatyanna came to the voices, the more she realized they weren’t speaking English. The funny thing was the language they were speaking seemed oddly familiar to her, only she didn’t know how that was possible. She soon came across a clearing and saw a young man speaking to three elderly men. Each of the elderly men was wearing a cloak which represented a different animal; one was a bear, another a hawk, and finally, a cougar.
The young man turned around, and Tatyanna was able to make out the familiar black pants, black jacket, and white t-shirt. Only this time, instead of his hair pulled back, it was loose and hung to his shoulders, and she could see that he was sporting a five o'clock shadow. She could make out his long nose and tan skin. As her eyes traveled upwards, she made contact with his sharp green eyes, and knew he had seen her.
What the…she started to say to herself, when the young man raised his hand and spoke some words. The next thing she knew, Tatyanna was sitting beside Danny’s bed and he was mid-sentence. “Isn’t that great news, Taty?”
Tatyanna lo
oked around and eyed on the clock on the wall. It read 1:30. How did she get to the hospital? The last thing she remembered was seeing Emmett and three other men in a clearing which wasn’t supposed to exist. She didn’t remember anything after that.
“Taty? Are you okay?” Danny asked, leaning toward her, concern etched his face.
Tatyanna rubbed her temples, trying to figure out what the hell happened, but her head started to hurt the more she thought about it. “I’m sorry. I just have a headache. What were you saying about good news?”
“I’m going home!”
“That’s great, but what about your cancer?”
Danny looked at her questionably. “Are you sure you’re feeling okay?”
“Yeah, why?”
“Because you’re acting like you haven’t heard anything I’ve told you.”
“I’m sorry. I guess I’m just not feeling well today.”
“That’s okay. I wouldn’t feel well either if Beverly had me scrubbing the bathrooms with a toothbrush. Anyway, my cancer is gone,” he said excitedly, bouncing in his bed.
“You mean it’s in remission?”
“No, I mean it is gone. As if it had never existed.”
“How is that possible?”
“I don’t know, but ever since you started giving me baths, I have felt better. Maybe you have the magic touch.”
“Wishful thinking there.”
“Well, how do you explain it?”
“We will just call it a miracle and leave it at that.”
“Okay. Well, you better get back to the bathroom, before Beverly checks on you again.”
“You know what? I think I am going to go home sick today.”
Danny’s mouth dropped open. “You can’t do that. She’ll fire you.”
“Here’s the thing. My dad helped me get this job. So, she won’t fire me for that reason, but she is okay with making my life hell, hoping I will quit. I refuse to give her that satisfaction. I’ll see you tomorrow, kiddo,” she said, rubbing his head like she always did when she said goodbye to him.
“But, tomorrow is your day off.”
“Not anymore, it’s not,” she said walking out of his room, stopping by the nurse’s station only long enough to inform Beverly if she wanted the bathrooms to be cleaned with a toothbrush to do it herself. Tatyanna walked off, hearing the wretched woman demanding she return.
Chapter Five
Against the Wall
Tatyanna made it to the bar in record time and was very thankful she hadn’t come across any cops. She wasn’t in the mood to play sweet and dumb in the hopes of getting out of a ticket.
She made a sharp right into the bar’s parking lot, causing her tires to squeal as she skidded to a stop. Stepping out of the car, Tatyanna slammed the door shut and stomped into the bar, holding tightly to her car keys. She barely glanced at the half-filled room as she looked for Emmett. She finally spotted him toward the back of the room, standing behind the bar, talking to a busty blond. She rolled her eyes as she watched the blond practically laying on top of the counter as she tried to shove her ample cleavage into his face. As she walked up to Emmett, the blond turned to her giving her a nasty look, as if to claim her territory, and was visibly upset when Emmett cheerfully greeted Tatyanna.
“We need to talk,” she said brusquely, ignoring the blustering woman beside her.
“Sure, what’s up?”
“I need answers.”
“Okay.” Emmett thought for a moment. “Three hundred and sixty-two.”
Tatyanna was not amused. “What the hell is that?”
He shrugged. “My favorite number.”
“Dammit, Emmett, I am not playing around,” Tatyanna yelled, slamming her fist holding her keys down on the table and causing enough racket to silence the bar. The customers who had seen her before quietly took a step back and acknowledged her presence with a bow of their head. Tatyanna thought their behavior was strange, but at least they were giving her space, except for the dimwitted bimbo, who continued to give her the evil eye.
“Aren’t you supposed to be at work?” he asked, causing her to narrow her eyes.
“That’s what I mean. You’ve been holding out on me, and I demand to know what’s going on.”
“I cannot answer your questions, if you don’t ask them first.”
“Who are you?”
Emmett stared at Tatyanna for several seconds as he contemplated her question. He finally turned to the woman and quietly said, “Blondie, you should get out of here.”
“My name’s not Blondie,” she pouted. “I was here first. You should make her leave,” she said, in a childlike voice.
“Blondie, look at her. Do you recognize her?” His voice became harsher.
“Should I?” she asked, barely glancing at Tatyanna.
“Yes, you should. Now, look at her.”
Tatyanna could feel the blond scrutinize her. The other woman’s eyes grew wide as they took in Tatyanna’s hair, and then a look of fear when she saw the tattoo. Her jaw dropped and she quickly gathered up her purse then bowed at Tatyanna, muttering an apology. “I’ll call you later,” she said toward Emmett as she left the bar.
“I’ll ignore it,” he said under his breath. Tatyanna almost smiled until she remembered why she was there. “Perfect timing, I was trying to come up with a way for her to leave me alone.”
“A simple ‘no, not interested’ might have worked.”
“Not with her. She is a leech. I was trying to find someone more appealing than me to stick her on.” He paused for a moment and tilted his head to look at her. “So, where were we?”
“You were avoiding my question.”
“And that question was?”
“Who are you?”
“Ahh, yes, next question.”
“What do you mean ‘next question’?”
“I can’t answer that one right now.”
“Fine,” she said, through clenched teeth.
“I’m not in the mood for games any more than you are. So let’s get to the real reason why you are here. What happened today?”
“I think I healed a boy,” she whispered.
“Why are you whispering?”
“Because I don’t want anyone to think I am crazy.”
“There’s no one here but us,” he said, and she turned and took in the room. He was right.
“Where’d everyone go?”
“Seriously? Who is going to stick around when there is an angry woman on the loose?”
She ignored what he had said. “Somehow, I think there’s more to it.” Emmett simply shrugged and went back to cleaning glasses behind the bar.
“So…uh…you don’t think I am crazy?” she asked him nervously.
“That you can heal people?”
“Well, I don’t know if I can heal people, as in, I’ve never done it before, but I think I healed a little boy.”
“Danny, right? On the cancer floor?”
She narrowed her eyes at him, her eyebrows furrowed. Emmett could feel her scrutiny, but refused to meet her eye. “Can you read my mind?” she asked at last.
“No.”
Tatyanna burned with curiosity, wanting to know how Emmett knew about Danny. However, he was only going to reveal as little as possible to pacify her, and always leaving her wanting.
“Yes, it is Danny. I saw him today, and he was so excited about going home, and the fact there isn’t any sign of the cancer once plaguing him.”
“What makes you think you healed him?”
“Because, when I met him, he was talking about dying and how nothing was working on him. Then, a few days later, the cancer is gone, and I think I had something to do with that.”
“How do you think you healed him?”
She bit her lip in concentration. “I don’t know. The only thing I really ever did with Danny was talk to him, and give him sponge baths. But I’ve been giving other patients baths, and I haven’t heard of any of them getting better. I don’
t know, maybe I really am going crazy.”
“At any point during his bath did you think about him getting better?”
“All the time. Who wouldn’t wish he could get better? He’s the sweetest little boy I have ever met.”
“So maybe it was your positive thinking that healed him.”
“I don’t think that is it. Positive thinking only works for the person who is sick.”
Emmett didn’t say anything for a moment, debating with himself about how much he should say to her, or if he should wait for the right moment. “When you worked in the nursing home, didn’t you have patients who claimed they felt better after you spent some time with them?”
“How…” she started to ask and then shook her head, waving her hand to the side. “Never mind, you won’t tell me how you knew about my job at the nursing home, will you?” Emmett shook his head, and she let out a loud huff in frustration. “Well, yeah, the patients did say they felt better, but it gets lonely for them being holed up in their rooms, with little to no visitors. I just figured I made them feel better by visiting and talking with them. I don’t know anymore. There are just too many strange things going on. I don’t know if I am imagining things, or if I am losing my mind.” Emmett hesitated, and Tatyanna saw it. “You do know something. Why can’t you tell me?”
“I can’t tell you. I can tell you that you aren’t going crazy, but I can’t answer your questions. It’s not time yet.”
“According to who?”
Emmett stayed silent, having said too much, and ignored her. He saw the pain written on her face, and felt like he had just stabbed her in the back.
“You’re a crappy friend.”
“I never said I was your friend.”
“Then who are you?” she practically shouted at him, feeling herself growing angrier by the second, but once again, she was met with silence. “I demand you tell me what is going on!”
Emmett looked Tatyanna in the eye. He wanted to smile, because she was starting to act like the woman she was meant to be, but knew if he did smile, it would only infuriate her more. Instead, he stayed silent, and after a few moments, she stomped out of the bar, slamming the door shut, making Emmett feel like he had made matters worse.
Tatyanna Page 5