.
Sarah Huntley's head jerked up at the mention of her sister's name, Hester. She stared at Ronilyn, her eyes filled with terror. Pushing the letter off her lap, she began shaking her head and rocking back and forth.
Ronilyn threw her arms around her mother, hugging her tightly and whispering words of comfort. As Sarah's frenzied rocking continued, Ronilyn closed her eyes and wished for the woman to calm down. Then, as suddenly as it had begun, Sarah quieted. Ronilyn released her mother and knelt back as Sarah resumed her gaze out the window, her hands resting in her lap.
"Well, I'll be..." Ronilyn stood up and dusted off her jeans. "Hmm. I wonder..." She picked up the letter, leaned over and kissed Sarah on the cheek. "I'll be back soon, Mama. You will get better," she added.
Ronilyn left her mother's room and approached the nearest nurses' station. Ignoring the rumbling protests of her stomach, she inquired as to which patient Sheriff Buck had been visiting.
"Besides your mother, ma'am? Why, that'd be Doc Crower." The young nurse glanced around, then leaned over the counter. "He tried to kill the sheriff awhile back," she whispered.
Ronilyn raised her eyebrows. "Did he really?"
"Sure did." The nurse nodded vigorously. "Tried to shoot him in his own office."
"And the sheriff comes to visit him?"
The nodding continued. "Pretty regularly," the nurse said. "My uncle went to see Doc Crower back when he was normal, you know." She looked at Ronilyn to make sure she understood. "He had a broken hand and the doc fixed him up good. He wasn't the same after the plague though. You heard about that? Folks bleedin' for no reason?" Ronilyn nodded. That story had hit the news service wires several months ago. "Anyway, the doc had been quotin' the bible and talkin' strange that whole time." She shrugged. "Folks figure he just snapped, that's why he's here instead of in jail. 'Course, he claims he's not really crazy."
"Oh?" If Ronilyn's eyebrows could have risen any further, they would have flown right off her face. Tried to kill Lucas and he's still alive? "Where is Dr. Crower's room?" Ronilyn asked, smiling at the girl.
"Oh no, ma'am. I couldn't tell you that." The nurse backed away from the counter. "He's not allowed any visitors, except for family. Doctor's orders."
"Well, where is his family then? Maybe I could talk to them."
"Died in a car accident. He was drunk," the nurse added.
Ronilyn's green eyes widened. "This happened here?"
"Oh no," the nurse said. "Sometime before he came to Trinity."
"Ah. Well, it sounds like the doctor could use a friend. Why don't you just give me the room number? I've been here often enough. I'm sure I can find it myself."
The nurse shook her head. "Can't do it, ma'am. I'd get in trouble, sure."
"No, you won't," Ronilyn told her. She leaned forward. "Give me the room number."
Five minutes later, the elevator doors opened and Ronilyn stepped onto the fifth floor. She observed the empty nurses' station and called, "Hello?" When no one answered, she shrugged and walked carefully down the corridor, reading room numbers along the way.
This must be where the more violent patients were kept, she thought, noting the small windows near the top of the doors and the heavy metal bolts which fastened them shut. The floor was unusually quiet compared to the one her mother was on and she wondered if the rooms were soundproofed. Either that or the patients were sedated. Ronilyn turned down another corridor and stopped outside one of the doors. She scowled at the flickering light in the hall above her and tapped on the door, whispering, "Dr. Crower?"
Ronilyn could hear mumbling and rustling in the room. She peered through the bars in the tiny window, but the room was dark, the strobe effect of the hallway light flashing eerie patterns on the walls inside.
She blinked her eyes several times and glared at the ceiling light. "Good God. That would be enough to drive me insane."
She stood on her toes and pressed her face against the window bars. "Dr. Crower?"
A face suddenly shot up directly in front of the window on the other side of the bars. Ronilyn shrieked and fell away from the door.
She swore under her breath a second later. "Way to go," she muttered. "That was real cool. The man'll probably never go near the door again." Ronilyn shook her head and frowned at herself. "Okay, let's try again."
She rose up on her toes again, this time bracing herself for any unexpected movement from inside the room. "Dr. Crower?"
A hand grabbed her shoulder and roughly spun her around. "What the hell are you doin' here?"
Sarah Huntley's head jerked up at the mention of her sister's name, Hester. She stared at Ronilyn, her eyes filled with terror. Pushing the letter off her lap, she began shaking her head and rocking back and forth.
Ronilyn threw her arms around her mother, hugging her tightly and whispering words of comfort. As Sarah's frenzied rocking continued, Ronilyn closed her eyes and wished for the woman to calm down. Then, as suddenly as it had begun, Sarah quieted. Ronilyn released her mother and knelt back as Sarah resumed her gaze out the window, her hands resting in her lap.
"Well, I'll be..." Ronilyn stood up and dusted off her jeans. "Hmm. I wonder..." She picked up the letter, leaned over and kissed Sarah on the cheek. "I'll be back soon, Mama. You will get better," she added.
Ronilyn left her mother's room and approached the nearest nurses' station. Ignoring the rumbling protests of her stomach, she inquired as to which patient Sheriff Buck had been visiting.
"Besides your mother, ma'am? Why, that'd be Doc Crower." The young nurse glanced around, then leaned over the counter. "He tried to kill the sheriff awhile back," she whispered.
Ronilyn raised her eyebrows. "Did he really?"
"Sure did." The nurse nodded vigorously. "Tried to shoot him in his own office."
"And the sheriff comes to visit him?"
The nodding continued. "Pretty regularly," the nurse said. "My uncle went to see Doc Crower back when he was normal, you know." She looked at Ronilyn to make sure she understood. "He had a broken hand and the doc fixed him up good. He wasn't the same after the plague though. You heard about that? Folks bleedin' for no reason?" Ronilyn nodded. That story had hit the news service wires several months ago. "Anyway, the doc had been quotin' the bible and talkin' strange that whole time." She shrugged. "Folks figure he just snapped, that's why he's here instead of in jail. 'Course, he claims he's not really crazy."
"Oh?" If Ronilyn's eyebrows could have risen any further, they would have flown right off her face. Tried to kill Lucas and he's still alive? "Where is Dr. Crower's room?" Ronilyn asked, smiling at the girl.
"Oh no, ma'am. I couldn't tell you that." The nurse backed away from the counter. "He's not allowed any visitors, except for family. Doctor's orders."
"Well, where is his family then? Maybe I could talk to them."
"Died in a car accident. He was drunk," the nurse added.
Ronilyn's green eyes widened. "This happened here?"
"Oh no," the nurse said. "Sometime before he came to Trinity."
"Ah. Well, it sounds like the doctor could use a friend. Why don't you just give me the room number? I've been here often enough. I'm sure I can find it myself."
The nurse shook her head. "Can't do it, ma'am. I'd get in trouble, sure."
"No, you won't," Ronilyn told her. She leaned forward. "Give me the room number."
Five minutes later, the elevator doors opened and Ronilyn stepped onto the fifth floor. She observed the empty nurses' station and called, "Hello?" When no one answered, she shrugged and walked carefully down the corridor, reading room numbers along the way.
This must be where the more violent patients were kept, she thought, noting the small windows near the top of the doors and the heavy metal bolts which fastened them shut. The floor was unusually quiet compared to the one her mother was on and she wondered if the rooms were soundproofed. Either that or the patients were sedated. Ronilyn turned down another corridor and stopped outside one of the doors. She scowled at the flickering light in the hall above her and tapped on the door, whispering, "Dr. Crower?"
Ronilyn could hear mumbling and rustling in the room. She peered through the bars in the tiny window, but the room was dark, the strobe effect of the hallway light flashing eerie patterns on the walls inside.
She blinked her eyes several times and glared at the ceiling light. "Good God. That would be enough to drive me insane."
She stood on her toes and pressed her face against the window bars. "Dr. Crower?"
A face suddenly shot up directly in front of the window on the other side of the bars. Ronilyn shrieked and fell away from the door.
She swore under her breath a second later. "Way to go," she muttered. "That was real cool. The man'll probably never go near the door again." Ronilyn shook her head and frowned at herself. "Okay, let's try again."
She rose up on her toes again, this time bracing herself for any unexpected movement from inside the room. "Dr. Crower?"
A hand grabbed her shoulder and roughly spun her around. "What the hell are you doin' here?"