The Third Hour
Chapter 2
Relena climes the stairs to her floor with slow steady steps. The weight of the day hangs on her back, distorting her normally perfect posture. With a heavy sigh she reaches for her keys.
"Hey there!" Relena almost jumped out of her skin upon hearing the cheery voice.
"Ah! Oh. . . Sorry, you had me at a fright there." Relena places a hand over her chest to steady her jumping heart.
"Nothing to be sorry about. I'm the one doing the scaring today. Had your roommate jumping too." His violet eyes shine has the memories play in his head. "Names Duo Maxwell. I just moved in next-door and no, I don't know what happened to the Anderson's. The landlord only told me they had left somewhere. That's all, I swear!" Relena stares at Duo with a look of bewilderment.
"Who are the Anderson's?"
"What? They . . . They where your neighbors." He points to his door, eyes wide.
"Sorry." Relena shakes her head. "I'm never home so I really don't know my neighbors. Did you say my roommate?" Relena pulls her keys out and unlocks the door, all as Duo is speaking to her.
"Yeah, I saw her earlier today. She was in a crappy mood and I never really got around to asking her about the . . ."
"Sorry to cut this short but I have to go!" Relena smiles apologetic at Duo as she closes the door.
"Three guys." The door is closed before he could finish. "Damn. This isn't going well."
A small bit of guilt fills Relena for closing the door on Duo but the need to be reassured that Hilde was all right overwhelmed it at the moment.
"Hilde?" She cries as she drops her purse on the floor. "Hilde!!!"
"Relena?" Hilde emerges from her bedroom, eyes red from hours of crying. "Relena!" Both friends run to each other, fresh tears falling as they both speak their concern.
"Hilde. Where the hell have you been? Last I remember is you heading off to work before me and then the call from the police saying that you where hit by a car . . ."
"So I was hit!" Hilde cries tears of joy. "I'm not going insane! Please Relena tell me more." Relena lets go of her friend.
"You don't know!?"
"No! I have no memories after the collision with the car! Did they send me to the hospital?" The past days finally come together for Relena. Things start to fall into place but what they make is still very unclear. The long silence unnerves Hilde.
"The police said you were, but when I got to the hospital the doctors had no one come in with your description or name. The only female that came from that accident was . . . was . . . Dorothy, I forget her last name but it wasn't you. I went back to find the cop that called me and they said no one did. I thought I was going mad!" Hilde opens her mouth to speak but words escape her. Hell, her very world has just escaped her. What did they do to her? "We have to take you to the doctors! Right away . . ."
"NO! I can't Relena. Maybe it was one of them! We can't trust anyone! Something happened to me and it has caused me to miss three days of my life and our neighbors and landlord. They must have seen something that caused their disappearance."
"Wait. Wait! Our landlord?"
"Yeah, he was replaced by some new guy." Both girls take a moment to ponder this. "By the way, our rent is due the last Thursday of every month."
"Hmm."
Knock. Knock. Knock.
They both jump in unison and rush to the door. Relena peers through the eyehole as Hilde bits her bottom lip. She watches the expressions play across Relena's face.
"Well? Who is it?" Hilde whispers, afraid the person on the other side will hear.
"All I can see are . . . flowers."
"Flowers?"
"Yes." Relena moves to open the door. Hilde places a hand on Relena's, stopping her motion. "It's ok." She says in her most reassuring voice. It even convinces her unsettling fears. Opening the door allows the fresh sent of wild flowers to invade their apartment. The smell calms their nerves, a little.
"Hey neighbors. I was sweeping out my balcony when I noticed the Anderson's must have left their little garden here." Duo smiles sheepishly at the two women. "I'm not much of a gardener so I thought maybe you would like them. And I hope they make a good peace offering to." He turns to Hilde as he does a slight bow. A small blush heats Hilde's face as she takes the flowers from him.
"Thank you Duo." Relena smiles gentle at the young man and tries to close the door. Duo however, has another plan. With one strong arm he grips on to the side door, halting Relena's actions. Panic fills them as a million scenarios enter their minds.
"Wait." He says in a stern voice. His eyes become a dark stormy purple. "I have got to ask you something that has been bothering me all day." He speaks more directly to Hilde than to Relena. "Who where those guys that brought you home?" Relena grabs the falling flowers just as they were about to hit the floor. Duo lets go of the door and would have helped Relena if Hilde hadn't grabbed him by the collar of his shirt and all but dragged him inside. Relena with one free hand closes the door and makes sure it's lock, so not to be disturbed.
"Tell me what you know!" Hilde shakes Duo with every word.
"OK! OK! Just let me go!" After a moment of silence she complies and takes a seat on the couch. Duo straitens out his shirt before taking a seat as well. "Around 9:45 AM I was coming up the stairs with some more boxes from my move. I was about to make it to the top when I saw three guys standing by your door. One was Quatre, our landlord, the others I didn't know. Well, I stopped because I noticed one guy was holding someone. All I could see were their legs hanging over the man's arms. I got this feeling I shouldn't be seeing this so I stayed quite." Duo rubs his neck as he continues. "Quatre opened the door for them and they entered. Once they where in I made it to my room fast and waited for them to leave. An hour later they did and about thirty minutes later you came out."
"Hmm." Was all Hilde could say. Relena grips the flowers tightly as she slowly sinks to the chair near the couch.
"I figured the girl they had was you. Am I correct?"
"I honestly can't say. I don't remember anything."
"Duo . . ."
"What's your name? You never gave it."
"Oh sorry. It's Relena." Duo nods. "Duo. Do you remember seeing anything strange about the girl?"
"Can't say much, all I saw where her legs." A short silence falls upon them. "Wait, her legs where heavily bruised." Everyone looks down to Hilde's legs, which are covered by pants.
"I checked. Nothing."
"We're going to a doctor to get you checked!" Relena's voice rang with a tone that always meant she was going to take control of the situation and run things. She hands the flowers to Duo as they both stand up. Hilde slowly follows, knowing not to fight her friend.
"Fine but if they kill me I am so haunting you!"
"Fine." She hands Hilde her coat and ushers the two out of the apartment. "Come on. Before the offices close!"
"Duo." Hilde turns to him. "Could you do us a favor and not speak of this to anyone? And please keep watch of anything strange?'
"Ok but . . ."
"Thanks. You're a dear!" She gives him a small kiss on the cheek before leaving him alone in the hallway with his peace offering.
"Well, that's not going to be reported to the boss." He smiles as the heat from the kiss warms his cheek.
St. Marks Hospital"Well doctor?" Relena stands next to Dr. Sally Po as Hilde is being given a CAT scan. "What are we looking for?" Sally watches the images of Hilde's brain slowly appear on the screen, the images reflect off her glasses.
"Let me worry about that Ms. Peacecraft. You just worry about the bill."
"Don't worry. My father is going to pay for it."
"Hmm. All done." Relena peers over the doctor's shoulder but is pushed away by a nurse.
"You should go get your friend. She's ready to go now." The young nurse pushes her out the room.
"But . . . But . . ."
"Now go get her. It will be sometime before we get any results. There's nothing more you can do so go home." Relena tries to get Dr. Po's attention but she keeps her back to her.
"Dr. Po!" The door in slammed in her face. Relena mutters a low curse.
"Did they find anything?" Hilde asks as she adjusts her shirt. A mix of emotions swirls across her face.
"They won't know for some time. Come on. There's nothing here to do."
"So Dr. Po. Did you find anything?" The young woman crosses over to where Sally sits. Dr. Po takes off her glasses and rubs the bridge of her nose, a high sign of distress. "Dr. Po?" Sally raises a hand to silence the woman.
"Tell your boss that the surgery was a success." The woman smiles and grabs the test results as she exits. A moment passes before Sally speaks. "And may God have mercy on our souls." She covers her face with her trembling hands. "What have I done?"