An hour later, Johnny was sitting in the passenger side of Bruce's PT
cruiser, and he looked in the rearview mirror to see Dana's white
convertible following close behind them.
"So why is she tagging along?" Bruce asked, glancing in the mirror as well..
"I think it has to do with journalist pride or something," Johnny replied. "She gave me some information about Jessica, and now this is her story, too."
"And I'm sure she'll find some way to get it into the papers," Bruce added with a snap to his voice.
"I don't know," Johnny said. "This story has been covered from every angle for the last ten years."
"Obviously there's more to the story if someone's sending you her picture."
"Or maybe it's just someone playing a cruel joke on me," Johnny said, turning to look at Bruce. "It's happened before, you know."
"Believe me, I know," Bruce said, briefly looking at Johnny before turning his eyes back to the road. "Your good-doing ways are pretty well known, so there's always some crazy person out there to take advantage of it."
"Yeah," Johnny agreed, "but I don't get that feeling in this case. I really think there's something I'm supposed to be seeing about this."
"Maybe there isn't, Johnny," Bruce said, glancing over at his friend again. "What if we're on a wild goose chase?"
"I thought of that, and you might be right. Maybe I'm wasting my time, but that vision this morning was too intense to be nothing. I'd rather check this out as much as I can, and if it leads to a dead end, at least I'll be able to sleep at night knowing I tried."
"True enough," Bruce said, and the two spent the rest of the ride in quiet contemplation.
Less than an hour later, Bruce pulled into a long driveway that lead up to a very large, historic looking building. The driveway leading to the hospital was lined with enormous pine trees, keeping the drive in almost complete darkness despite the fact it was the middle of the afternoon. The front of the building was made of gray brick that showed the hospital's age with their worn appearance, chips and holes scattered across the surface.
Bruce pulled into a parking space near the entrance, and the two got out just as Dana pulled her car into the space next to them. Johnny and Bruce waited for her to get out, then all three proceeded up the stone stairs leading into the front of the hospital. The set of double doors leading inside were made of cold steel, and the only windows on it were near the top, with bars over them on the inside.
Johnny pulled the door open, and the hinges squealed in protest, showing their age with the amount of rust on them. The three went inside, only to find themselves in a small room that, even with only three people in there, felt claustrophobic. The room was very small with sterile white walls, and linoleum flooring. There was a small receptionist window to their left and a door straight ahead, but that was all that was in the room.
Leading his friends over to the window, Johnny pressed a little button on the counter, and through the window, he could hear a buzz, signaling to whoever was inside of their presence. After a minute of waiting, a portly old woman came over to the window, looking at them quizzically.
"Can I help you?" she asked.
"My name's John Smith," the blonde said to the receptionist. "I'm here to see Jessica Richardson."
The woman leaned over and grabbed a book off of the counter, glancing over the page it was open to before looking back up at him.
"Do you have an appointment?"
"No," he replied. "I'm an old school friend of hers. I just wanted to see how she was doing."
"I see," the nurse replied. "I'll have to get her doctor. Wait here please."
With that said, the woman left, leaving the three friends crowded in the small room alone.
"Nice lie," Dana said, smirking at Johnny. "I think I'm starting to rub off on you."
"I figured 'I'm a psychic, and some guy sent me Jessica's picture, so I need to see her to figure out why' wouldn't work," Johnny replied.
There was a buzz at the door leading into the hospital, indicating it was open, so Bruce reached over and opened it. He held it open as Johnny and Dana went through first, then he followed closely behind them. The three walked into a hallway that seemed to stretch out for miles in front of them, but with the long expanse of white walls, it was hard to tell how long the hall really was.
There was a short man approaching them wearing a white lab jacket. He stood at a little more than five and a half feet tall with short dark brown hair that had begun receding and had started to turn gray in places. He wore small round frames that slid down his nose, but he pushed them back up before he greeted the trio.
"Hello," the man said. "I'm Dr. Simmons. I'm Jessica's doctor."
"Hi," Johnny greeted him.
The man reached out to shake, and Johnny took his hand somewhat reluctantly. As soon as Johnny took his hand, he was consumed by the darkness that had gripped him hours ago. He fought every impulse to scream at the top of his lungs, willing his body not to seize like it had done that morning. He could hear the voices all around him, unable to make out their words, but overpowered by their volume. Just as Johnny thought he couldn't hold back his scream of panic anymore, the doctor release his hand and he was transported back to the sterile confines of the hospital hallway.
Bruce looked at him knowingly, a look of concern in his eyes, but Johnny replied with a silent reassuring glance.
"I've been told you're here to see Jessica," the doctor continued, unaware of the silent conversation between the two friends. "I'm afraid that won't be possible."
"Why's that?" Johnny asked, trying to shake off the feeling the image had given him.
"She's in no shape for visitors. Unfortunately, she hasn't been for years," the doctor said sadly.
"I see."
"I am a bit curious, however," the doctor continued, casting a suspicious look in their direction. "She's been here for years. Why wait so long to come see her?"
"I was a bit incapacitated myself," Johnny replied truthfully.
"Oh?" the doctor asked, definitely wanting more information.
"I was in a car accident and in a coma for several years," the blonde told him.
"I see," Dr. Simmons said. Johnny studied his face for several moments, hoping that the story of his coma and subsequent events had not reached the doctor, and seeing the blank look on his face, Johnny figured he was safe.
Dr. Simmons' eyes then moved to the rest of the group, and Johnny waved a hand at each of them, introducing them.
"These are my friends, Bruce and Dana," he said.
"I know you," Dr Simmons spat at Dana, his glare shooting daggers in her direction. "You're Dana Bright from the newspaper. What kind of stunt are you trying to pull here?"
The doctor looked at all of them with anger and distrust, taking a step back. He waited for an explanation, but by the look on his face, it was obvious that he didn't care to hear it.
"We're not here from the paper," Johnny told him, hoping he sounded reassuring. "I'm here to find out how Jessica is doing. I'm only concerned for her health."
"So you bring a reporter with you," he replied, crossing his arms in defiance.
"Dana is here as a friend, not a reporter."
"That's what they all say."
"Look," Dana interrupted, causing both of them to look at her again. "I can see my presence here isn't helping, so I'll leave. I assure you, doctor, I'm not here to do a story on Jessica. That's old news, no offense. But if my presence bothers you that much, I'll go."
Dana took a step towards Johnny under the watchful eye of Dr. Simmons, and leaned over so she could whisper to him without the doctor overhearing.
"I'll go into town and see what else I can find on her."
Johnny nodded at her before Dana headed back out the door after the nurse released the lock. Johnny and Bruce looked back at the doctor, hoping that would alleviate some of his concern, but they could still see the suspicion in his eyes.
"I assure you doctor, we're not here on a story."
"And why should I believe you?"
"Because it's the truth," Johnny replied, ignoring how cliché the response was. He hoped it would be enough to convince the doctor.
Dr. Simmons studied Bruce and Johnny closely, squinting his eyes as if that would reveal the truth to him. The three stood in silence for a moment, and Johnny and Bruce exchanged glances as the doctor seemed to make his decision.
"Why are you here?" asked Dr. Simmons, not bothering to keep his suspicion concealed.
"I told you," Johnny replied with sincerity. "I'm here to find out about Jessica's condition."
"If I tell you, and I'm not saying I'm going to," he quickly added, "I don't want to see a story printed on her. If I see so much as her name mentioned in the papers, I'll sue all of you for everything you have for invasion of privacy and for libel."
"No need for threats, sir," Bruce spoke up for the first time. "We're not interested in making more trouble for Jessica. She's been through more than enough in her lifetime."
After another minute of silent scrutiny, Dr. Simmons waved Johnny and Bruce to follow him down the hall.
"Let's go talk in my office."
"So why is she tagging along?" Bruce asked, glancing in the mirror as well..
"I think it has to do with journalist pride or something," Johnny replied. "She gave me some information about Jessica, and now this is her story, too."
"And I'm sure she'll find some way to get it into the papers," Bruce added with a snap to his voice.
"I don't know," Johnny said. "This story has been covered from every angle for the last ten years."
"Obviously there's more to the story if someone's sending you her picture."
"Or maybe it's just someone playing a cruel joke on me," Johnny said, turning to look at Bruce. "It's happened before, you know."
"Believe me, I know," Bruce said, briefly looking at Johnny before turning his eyes back to the road. "Your good-doing ways are pretty well known, so there's always some crazy person out there to take advantage of it."
"Yeah," Johnny agreed, "but I don't get that feeling in this case. I really think there's something I'm supposed to be seeing about this."
"Maybe there isn't, Johnny," Bruce said, glancing over at his friend again. "What if we're on a wild goose chase?"
"I thought of that, and you might be right. Maybe I'm wasting my time, but that vision this morning was too intense to be nothing. I'd rather check this out as much as I can, and if it leads to a dead end, at least I'll be able to sleep at night knowing I tried."
"True enough," Bruce said, and the two spent the rest of the ride in quiet contemplation.
Less than an hour later, Bruce pulled into a long driveway that lead up to a very large, historic looking building. The driveway leading to the hospital was lined with enormous pine trees, keeping the drive in almost complete darkness despite the fact it was the middle of the afternoon. The front of the building was made of gray brick that showed the hospital's age with their worn appearance, chips and holes scattered across the surface.
Bruce pulled into a parking space near the entrance, and the two got out just as Dana pulled her car into the space next to them. Johnny and Bruce waited for her to get out, then all three proceeded up the stone stairs leading into the front of the hospital. The set of double doors leading inside were made of cold steel, and the only windows on it were near the top, with bars over them on the inside.
Johnny pulled the door open, and the hinges squealed in protest, showing their age with the amount of rust on them. The three went inside, only to find themselves in a small room that, even with only three people in there, felt claustrophobic. The room was very small with sterile white walls, and linoleum flooring. There was a small receptionist window to their left and a door straight ahead, but that was all that was in the room.
Leading his friends over to the window, Johnny pressed a little button on the counter, and through the window, he could hear a buzz, signaling to whoever was inside of their presence. After a minute of waiting, a portly old woman came over to the window, looking at them quizzically.
"Can I help you?" she asked.
"My name's John Smith," the blonde said to the receptionist. "I'm here to see Jessica Richardson."
The woman leaned over and grabbed a book off of the counter, glancing over the page it was open to before looking back up at him.
"Do you have an appointment?"
"No," he replied. "I'm an old school friend of hers. I just wanted to see how she was doing."
"I see," the nurse replied. "I'll have to get her doctor. Wait here please."
With that said, the woman left, leaving the three friends crowded in the small room alone.
"Nice lie," Dana said, smirking at Johnny. "I think I'm starting to rub off on you."
"I figured 'I'm a psychic, and some guy sent me Jessica's picture, so I need to see her to figure out why' wouldn't work," Johnny replied.
There was a buzz at the door leading into the hospital, indicating it was open, so Bruce reached over and opened it. He held it open as Johnny and Dana went through first, then he followed closely behind them. The three walked into a hallway that seemed to stretch out for miles in front of them, but with the long expanse of white walls, it was hard to tell how long the hall really was.
There was a short man approaching them wearing a white lab jacket. He stood at a little more than five and a half feet tall with short dark brown hair that had begun receding and had started to turn gray in places. He wore small round frames that slid down his nose, but he pushed them back up before he greeted the trio.
"Hello," the man said. "I'm Dr. Simmons. I'm Jessica's doctor."
"Hi," Johnny greeted him.
The man reached out to shake, and Johnny took his hand somewhat reluctantly. As soon as Johnny took his hand, he was consumed by the darkness that had gripped him hours ago. He fought every impulse to scream at the top of his lungs, willing his body not to seize like it had done that morning. He could hear the voices all around him, unable to make out their words, but overpowered by their volume. Just as Johnny thought he couldn't hold back his scream of panic anymore, the doctor release his hand and he was transported back to the sterile confines of the hospital hallway.
Bruce looked at him knowingly, a look of concern in his eyes, but Johnny replied with a silent reassuring glance.
"I've been told you're here to see Jessica," the doctor continued, unaware of the silent conversation between the two friends. "I'm afraid that won't be possible."
"Why's that?" Johnny asked, trying to shake off the feeling the image had given him.
"She's in no shape for visitors. Unfortunately, she hasn't been for years," the doctor said sadly.
"I see."
"I am a bit curious, however," the doctor continued, casting a suspicious look in their direction. "She's been here for years. Why wait so long to come see her?"
"I was a bit incapacitated myself," Johnny replied truthfully.
"Oh?" the doctor asked, definitely wanting more information.
"I was in a car accident and in a coma for several years," the blonde told him.
"I see," Dr. Simmons said. Johnny studied his face for several moments, hoping that the story of his coma and subsequent events had not reached the doctor, and seeing the blank look on his face, Johnny figured he was safe.
Dr. Simmons' eyes then moved to the rest of the group, and Johnny waved a hand at each of them, introducing them.
"These are my friends, Bruce and Dana," he said.
"I know you," Dr Simmons spat at Dana, his glare shooting daggers in her direction. "You're Dana Bright from the newspaper. What kind of stunt are you trying to pull here?"
The doctor looked at all of them with anger and distrust, taking a step back. He waited for an explanation, but by the look on his face, it was obvious that he didn't care to hear it.
"We're not here from the paper," Johnny told him, hoping he sounded reassuring. "I'm here to find out how Jessica is doing. I'm only concerned for her health."
"So you bring a reporter with you," he replied, crossing his arms in defiance.
"Dana is here as a friend, not a reporter."
"That's what they all say."
"Look," Dana interrupted, causing both of them to look at her again. "I can see my presence here isn't helping, so I'll leave. I assure you, doctor, I'm not here to do a story on Jessica. That's old news, no offense. But if my presence bothers you that much, I'll go."
Dana took a step towards Johnny under the watchful eye of Dr. Simmons, and leaned over so she could whisper to him without the doctor overhearing.
"I'll go into town and see what else I can find on her."
Johnny nodded at her before Dana headed back out the door after the nurse released the lock. Johnny and Bruce looked back at the doctor, hoping that would alleviate some of his concern, but they could still see the suspicion in his eyes.
"I assure you doctor, we're not here on a story."
"And why should I believe you?"
"Because it's the truth," Johnny replied, ignoring how cliché the response was. He hoped it would be enough to convince the doctor.
Dr. Simmons studied Bruce and Johnny closely, squinting his eyes as if that would reveal the truth to him. The three stood in silence for a moment, and Johnny and Bruce exchanged glances as the doctor seemed to make his decision.
"Why are you here?" asked Dr. Simmons, not bothering to keep his suspicion concealed.
"I told you," Johnny replied with sincerity. "I'm here to find out about Jessica's condition."
"If I tell you, and I'm not saying I'm going to," he quickly added, "I don't want to see a story printed on her. If I see so much as her name mentioned in the papers, I'll sue all of you for everything you have for invasion of privacy and for libel."
"No need for threats, sir," Bruce spoke up for the first time. "We're not interested in making more trouble for Jessica. She's been through more than enough in her lifetime."
After another minute of silent scrutiny, Dr. Simmons waved Johnny and Bruce to follow him down the hall.
"Let's go talk in my office."