by Ike Hamill
He found a giant door blocking his path. The handle looked twice as big as any door handle he had ever seen. Set into the lower right-hand corner of the giant door was a very small door.
The boy scanned the walls and floor, but found nothing. He reached out and grabbed the large handle. He had to put the otoscope into his mouth and turn with both hands. A loud click sounded when he got the handle around and the door began to swing inward.
He heard a loud, electronic beep from above and looked up to see a red light above the doorway. He could just make out a camera mounted above the frame.
CHAPTER 14
Kate
“Mom!” Jack shouted when he got in the house. “MOM!”
She came trotting down the stairs, tucking her hair behind her ear — “What? What is it?”
“Ben’s hurt.”
“Oh shit,” she said. “What happened? Where is he?”
“He’s downstairs with Stephen, he said he was tired.”
She grabbed the phone from the charger and bounded down the stairs. She slowed momentarily at the foot of the stairs as she saw Ben and then she rushed to him. His head was sticky with blood and he looked as white as the walls.
“Oh, poor thing, what happened?” she asked, sitting next to Ben on the couch and gingerly trying to move the hair away from the wound on his head.
“I slipped and hit my head,” said Ben. He sounded frightened and a little groggy.
“Well, you’re fine — you’re in the right place now,” she said, trying to soothe him with confidence. “Stay right here.”
She jumped up and stepped into the furnace room and closed the door. Out of earshot, she dialed the rescue squad from the sticker on the back of the phone. In her neighborhood she knew how to get help quickly, and calling this number was her best bet. She spoke to Angela who was related to Jim Henderson from down the street. Angela told her the ambulance would be there in five minutes.
“Okay,” she said, coming back into the rec-room, “let’s get you upstairs.”
Jack and Stephen helped Ben to his feet and pointed him towards the stairs. Seeing that he was in good hands, she followed and dialed the number for Ben’s house.
“Answering machine,” she said. “Ben, what’s your mom’s cell phone number?”
He told her the number, but warned her that he hadn’t had any luck with it recently.
“Yeah, straight to voicemail there too. Must be off,” said Jack’s mom.
She dialed his home phone again and waited to leave a message. They stood in the living room by the time she got a beep.
“Sheri, this is Kate, Ben has a cut on his head. It’s not terrible, but I’m going to take him to the doctor just to make sure they get it all cleaned out. Call me, my cell is 951-0428. I’ll call you again when I know more.”
She hung up the phone and put her arm around Ben. “Here honey, sit here,” she said. “Jack — go out front and wait for the guys. Stephen, you go upstairs and find some books and stuff to keep you guys occupied while we wait.” She didn't use the word “hospital” around Ben. She knew of his phobia.
“Do you think I’ll need stitches?” asked Ben.
“I don’t know honey, but I think you’ll probably get a little haircut,” she smiled.
“Don’t let them cut it too much, okay?” he asked.
“Of course not,” she said. Kate was beginning to regret having called rescue, but she knew they could get him to the hospital much faster than she could, and his pallor made her nervous. It bothered her to sit and wait, but better to be safe, especially given Ben’s history.
**********
Kate followed the ambulance and didn’t let it out of her sight. She thought again she could have easily driven Ben to the hospital.
She ended up losing the ambulance once they got into town. They couldn’t be more than a couple of minutes ahead. Still, it surprised Kate to find he was already with the nurse by the time they arrived at the hospital. She sat Jack and Stephen in the waiting room and went to go fill out forms and answer questions. Between interviews, she called her husband to bring him up to speed.
In the waiting room Jack and Stephen couldn't focus on reading so they ended up talking in hushed tones.
“This place is empty today,” said Jack. “It’s usually really busy.”
“I wonder what he’s doing right now?” asked Stephen.
“He’s probably up to level six at least,” said Jack. Stephen had packed Jack’s handheld video game console, and they had given it to Ben before he got in the ambulance.
“I really started to get worried when he wasn’t crying or anything,” said Stephen. “I think that’s shock, when the person isn’t really reacting to the injury and stuff.”
“I can’t believe he got out of that hole,” said Jack. “By the end he could barely even jump across the gap. I thought he was going to fall in there.”
“I know,” said Stephen. “When I grabbed him I was like — he almost fell backwards.”
“Yeah.”
**********
Ben was drifting off to sleep when Kate found him in the examination room. He had the room in the corner, separated from the others by curtains. Equipment surrounded Ben. Kate sat down in a chair close to his side.
She hunched forward, her bag on the floor between her feet. She stared at Ben, watching him breathe; her hands were folded between her knees.
The curtains rustled and Kate sat up straight. She was surprised to see Dr. Lambert — the man who had seen Jack when he fell out of the loft. Kate stood up.
Dr. Lambert set down his papers on the edge of the bed and flipped through until he found the file he was looking for. “Ms. Randolph?”
“Yes,” Kate answered. “We met last month — with Jack?”
“Oh, right, Jack. How is his arm?”
“Perfect, thank you. He’s doing quite well,” she answered.
“So this is his brother?” he asked, skimming the documents in front of him.
“No, this is his friend, Ben Palmer. He’s staying with us for the summer,” she replied.
Ben stayed quiet through this exchange.
“Hello Ben,” Lambert went to Ben’s left side and extended his hand.
They shook and Ben said “Hi.”
“You hit your head?” the doctor asked.
“Yeah, I was running and I tripped,” said Ben.
“Anything else hurt?”
“I think my neck hurts a little,” said Ben.
“Okay, well let’s get you checked out.”
**********
“Do you think he’ll stick to the story?” asked Jack.
“Yeah, I think so. He said he would,” Stephen replied.
“I don’t know though. He said all that stuff to the sheriff that time,” said Jack.
“Yeah, but that was a surprise. We had a chance to plan this one.”
“I guess,” said Jack. “Do you want to go back to the hotel once this is done?”
“Do you?” asked Stephen.
“Yeah, I want to figure out the rest of it.”
“Me too. But Ben’s never going to go back there,” said Stephen. “He quit after that other time, and he’s really been against it for a while.”
“Yeah, but he’ll probably be laid up for a while anyway,” said Jack. “Maybe we can just go without him.”
“No way. That will never work,” protested Stephen. “Your mom will want us to stay home with him and make sure he’s not bored and junk.”
“Maybe his mom will make him go home because he got hurt. Do you think she would do that?” asked Jack.
“I barely know her, but she doesn’t seem really overprotective like that,” said Stephen.
“Yeah, that’s totally true,” said Jack. “I have another friend who was in the hospital like Ben and his mom won’t let him leave the house or anything. She barely even lets him go to school and then she always picks him up and stuff. Ben’s mom is just like ‘Whatever.’”
“What was wrong with him anyway? He just told me that he was sick.”
“His appendix burst, and then he had all these infections and stuff,” said Jack.
“Oh wow,” said Stephen.
“Yeah, he almost died because they let him out after like five days, but then he had another infection and had to go back for all these antibiotics,” continued Jack. “Then they let him out again and he kept having problems so they put him back in for like two weeks. It was crazy. After that he was like ‘I’m never going back to a hospital again.’”
“I’ve heard him say that. But I didn’t know why,” said Stephen.
“I wish he wasn’t so down about the hotel though,” said Jack.
“Yeah, but we can’t dog him. Especially if he’s hurt,” said Stephen. “Let’s just find out what he wants to do.”
**********
After examining Ben, Dr. Lambert pulled Kate aside to talk about treatment. “Based on his injuries, I’m going to recommend some cleanup, and a few sutures to close that cut on his scalp. He’s had a bit of a concussion, so I’d like him to stay overnight for observation.”
“Will he have a scar on his head?” Kate asked.
“Not much at all. Only a small part is below his hairline, and there’s not much necrotic tissue to debride there. All the jargon aside, I'm just saying that I think it will be just a tiny white line in a few years. You’ll want to keep him out of the sun for several days, and a hat if he does go outside. Sun damage is your worst enemy at this point.”
“Okay, no problem.”
“Now I see you have an emergency treatment waiver from his mother — do you want to exercise that, or would you prefer to wait until she arrives?”
“I haven’t been able to reach her. I’ve left several messages. I suppose we could call his father,” she replied.
“Well from our perspective the guardian has to be here in person. You can authorize, or if either of his parents comes here, they can authorize as well. There’s not a huge time crunch, but the sooner we get going, the more comfortable he’s going to be. It’s twenty-til now, can you get me a decision by two o’clock?”
“Sure, yes, I’ll do that,” said Kate, pulling out her phone.
“Please hold off on using your phone until you’re past those doors,” Dr. Lambert pointed.
“Oh, of course — sorry,” said Kate, embarrassed.
“No problem. Just get word to the nurse’s station when you’re ready.”
**********
“What do you think is past the maze?” asked Jack.
“I don’t know. I was thinking about it, and when we go in, the first thing we do is go straight to the ground floor, right?”
“Yeah, the drawing room is probably right at ground level,” answered Jack.
“Then, we go up one floor, and another, and we’re in the attic.”
“Yeah.”
“But then the pit is what, forty feet deep?” asked Stephen.
“Yeah, about that.”
“So, it seems like the place goes deeper than the drawing room. And then we go down the stairs, and into the maze. I think there’s at least two more levels,” Stephen said.
“Well aren’t some of the levels on the same floor? Like the spiral room and the maze are really on the same floor, and then the latest thing — the vents with the traps — that’s on the same floor too,” said Jack.
“True, true. I guess I mean two more floors then,” said Stephen.
Jack was about to speak when he saw his mom approaching.
“Who’s got Ben’s phone? I need to call his dad,” she said.
Stephen pawed through the bag and produced the phone. Kate scrolled through the numbers until she found the entry marked “Dad.”
“Thanks,” she handed the phone back to Stephen.
“What’s going on, mom?” asked Jack.
“Tell you in a minute,” said his mom as she headed towards the automatic doors to the outside.
“We should go see him,” said Jack.
“I don’t think we’re supposed to,” cautioned Stephen.
“Who cares, come on,” Jack rose.
“We don’t even know where he is,” said Stephen.
Stephen was half out of his seat when Jack’s mom came back through the doors. “I can’t get him — straight to voicemail,” she said.
“He’s probably working,” said Jack. “Ben never bothers to try him until after eight, because of the time difference.”
“Well, keep an ear out for Ben’s phone — I told him that if he can’t reach me he should try Ben’s, and you would get me the message. I can’t use my phone in the exam area.”
“Sure, no problem. Is Ben okay?” asked Jack.
“Oh, yes, he’s going to be fine, but I wanted to get one of his parents on the phone before they give him stitches.”
“Is it going to take a lot?” asked Stephen.
“I don’t know — they didn’t say,” Kate replied. “Okay, so you boys sit tight — are you hungry?”
“Not yet,” said Jack. “We brought snacks.”
“Excellent, good work,” she said. “You hold tight and I will let you know what’s going on in a minute. If you hear from Ben’s mom or dad, come through these doors and find me.” she pointed. “There’s a nurse’s station through there and you can ask them. Okay?”
“Okay mom,” said Jack.
“Sure, Mrs. Randolph,” said Stephen.
Kate strode back to the examination area, turning off her phone on the way. She turned when she got to the double-doors and waved goodbye to Jack and Stephen.
“You know what I just realized?” asked Jack.
“What?”
“The money is supposed to be refilled tomorrow,” said Jack.
“Is that tomorrow?”
“Yup,” said Jack. “Whether or not Ben comes back with us, I think we should find a way to check it.”
“Deal,” said Stephen. “I guess we’re not going to be able to stake the place out though.”
“Yeah — too bad,” said Jack.
**********
After another hour, Kate came out to check on Jack and Stephen and tell them that Ben was about to get stitches. An hour after that she came out to announce that they could go see him. She led the boys up to room two seventeen in the pediatric ward. They found their friend stretched out on a bed and watching television.
“Are you going to stay here?” asked Jack.
“Yeah, they want me to stay overnight for observation,” said Ben. “Just one night though.”
“That’s cool,” said Stephen.
“You got a private room?” asked Jack.
“Yeah, it’s great, I can watch TV all night,” said Ben.
“Not all night,” interjected Kate.
“Did you play the game at all?” asked Jack.
“No, I didn’t get a chance. Shoot, I don’t know what I did with it,” Ben said, nervous.
“I put it in the closet with your clothes,” said Jack’s mom. “That reminds me: Jack, I’ll take Ben’s phone now.”
Jack dug the phone out of his pocket and handed it to his mom. “How many stitches did you get?” asked Jack. “Too bad you have that bandage on, we can’t even see everything.”
“Yeah, how does it look?” asked Stephen.
“I got four stitches, and it looks okay I guess,” said Ben. “They didn’t cut much hair off at all.”
“Just four? That thing was huge,” said Jack.
“Yup, just four,” said Ben. “But I have a concussion.”
“No wonder,” said Stephen, “you hit that tree hard.”
“Yeah,” said Jack.
After a small tap on the door, Jack’s dad poked his head in. Seeing that he had the correct room, he came in. “Hey Ben, how are you feeling?”
“Pretty good, Mr. Randolph,” Ben replied.
Kate smiled at her husband as Greg crossed the room and leaned over Ben. “They taking
good care of you here?”
“Yeah, so far,” Ben said and smiled.
Kate stood up from her chair, “Ben? Are you getting tired?”
“A little, I guess,” he replied.
“Honey,” she turned to her husband, “why don’t you take Jack and Stephen out for a bit and come back later.” she turned back to Ben, “I’ll stay here with you for a bit so you can get some rest,” she said.
“Thanks,” said Ben.
“Okay boys, let’s get going,” said Jack’s dad. “What can we get you from the outside world, Ben?”
“I’m okay I guess, I don’t need anything,” said Ben.
“Nonsense, we’ll bring you back an after-dinner milkshake. What flavor?”
“Chocolate!” said Ben.
“Anything for you honey?” he asked his wife.
“I’m fine. I have my book,” she said.
“Great, see you soon,” he said. Greg herded Jack and Stephen out of the room.
“Bye Ben. See you later,” called Jack.
**********
After dinner, Jack’s dad brought the boys back to Ben’s room. Ben finished eating his dinner and Kate ran down to the cafeteria for a snack.
Jack’s dad had taken the boys out for ice cream after dinner and they had brought milkshakes to the hospital — a large chocolate for Ben, and a small strawberry for Kate.
Sipping her milkshake, Kate took her husband aside to update him on her communication — “I talked to his dad this evening and told him that everything was okay. He was relieved and he’s not going to come out just for this,” she said to Greg privately.
“That’s good — anything from Sheri?”
“No answer, but apparently there’s something wrong with her phone, so she might not get the message,” said Kate.
“Why don’t I go over there and track her down?” asked Greg.
“Oh, would you? I would feel better if she were here,” said Kate. “And if she’s not there, can you leave a note?”
“Sure, sure, do you think she’s out of town?” he asked.
“I don’t know. She sent me a note the other day and said something about having to take Ben for a couple of weeks, but then I didn’t hear from her again, and Ben said he hasn’t heard anything either.”