Mary was sitting on Mona's bed, rocking in time with her friend's
swaying. She saddly sighed as she watched Mona. She wished the other
little girl would snap out of whatever thing she was lost in. It would be
so nice to have someone else that she could play with.
"Today's Dr. Stegman's birthday." Mary said softly. "Did you know that? Dr. Brenda bought him a cake. I think Antubis and Blondi are going to statch it, though. Would you like to go and watch them, maybe?" Mary extended her hand, hoping for the other girl to reach out and take it. She had been able to reach Peter and help him. She was sure that she could reach Mona too if she could just figure out how.
Suddenly, Mary stopped, sitting completely still, her head turning slowly towards the door. "Stay right there, Mona. There's something out there, something bad." She stood, slipping off the bed and creeping to the door, peering out cautiously. Paul had a vague idea that there was something unusual about Mona and Mary was afraid that he might have finally decided to do something about the other little girl.
No, no Paul in the hallway, though. Just Dr. Lona taking a shortcut with her head buried in a report. Mary watched her for a moment,
shaking her head softly. She really ought to be careful or she would end up walking into a wall. Suddenly the little girl's eyes were drawn down the hallway behind Lona to a man in a hospital gown, a man holding a....
Witha muffled shriek, Mary disappeared back into the room once more. "Mona, come on." She reached out and grabbed her friend's hand,
leading the other girl over to the closet and opening it. "You go in here and stay very quiet until I come back for you, okay? There's a very bad man out there. Stay quiet so he doesn't find you." Mary was barely able to surpress a shiver as she closed the door behind her friend. Why would someone be in Kingdom Hospital with a gun?
Elmer stepped off the elevator onto the seventh floor thinking of nothing else but another dull day of following his father around doing rounds as soon as his dad got back from lunch. A moment later, his face brightened as he spotted Lona coming down the hallway. He shook his head slightly as he saw her studying the report in her hands. Honestly, Lona worked way, way too hard. She needed to take some time and have a bit of fun occassionally. If she would only give him a chance, he knew that he could show her how to have a nice time.
Elmer had just started to call out Lona's name as he headed down the hallway towards her when he spotted the man coming towards Lona. His eyes widened as he saw what was in the man's hand, a gun, his finger already on the trigger as he raised it and pointed it at Lona.
There wasn't time to scream her name, to yell at her to get down.
Any sudden noise now could make the man shoot or Lona to turn, putting even more of her body in danger of being hit by one of the deadly bullets.
Elmer crossed the short distance between himself and Lona faster than he would have thought possible, slamming into her and sending her crashing to the ground just as there were two loud pops.
As Lona hit the floor, the breath was knocked out of her and sheay there dazed foeral moment, trying to figure out what happened before realizing that Elmer had pushed her down for some stupid reason.
"Elmer, if you think that this will make me like you then you are even more deluded than I..." Lona started yelling as she tried to pull herself to her feet only to stop, her eyes widening in shock as a gun was shoved into her face.
"Where's Stegman!" the patient demanded.
Stegman. Oh, great. Stegman had gone out for lunch with Brenda.
Somehow she didn't think that this guy would agree to wait quietly for him to return, though. Lona started to tremble slightly as she stared down the barrel of the gun, the shaking increasing until she couldn't speak even if she had wanted too, couldn't do anything but watch silently as the man's finger's started to pull back on the trigger.
Suddenly something crashed into the man and he went flying away from her, the gun skidding out of his hand.... No, the gun was still in his hand. She realized with a shake of her head. Only his hand didn't seem to be attached to his arm anymore and.... She shook her head trying to clear it, to make this entire situation go away. It was still there though. The man laying on the floor with Otto's dog on top of him, teeth bared and growling, the hand with the gun several feet away. Elmer....
"Elmer!" Lona screamed his named as she suddenly took in that little detail, frantically crawling across the hallway to his side. He was laying there on his back, not moving, his eyes closed. There was blood on his head and more on the front of his lab coat, more blood slowly forming a widening pool around him with each passing moment that Lona stared at him in shock. "Elmer!"
"Today's Dr. Stegman's birthday." Mary said softly. "Did you know that? Dr. Brenda bought him a cake. I think Antubis and Blondi are going to statch it, though. Would you like to go and watch them, maybe?" Mary extended her hand, hoping for the other girl to reach out and take it. She had been able to reach Peter and help him. She was sure that she could reach Mona too if she could just figure out how.
Suddenly, Mary stopped, sitting completely still, her head turning slowly towards the door. "Stay right there, Mona. There's something out there, something bad." She stood, slipping off the bed and creeping to the door, peering out cautiously. Paul had a vague idea that there was something unusual about Mona and Mary was afraid that he might have finally decided to do something about the other little girl.
No, no Paul in the hallway, though. Just Dr. Lona taking a shortcut with her head buried in a report. Mary watched her for a moment,
shaking her head softly. She really ought to be careful or she would end up walking into a wall. Suddenly the little girl's eyes were drawn down the hallway behind Lona to a man in a hospital gown, a man holding a....
Witha muffled shriek, Mary disappeared back into the room once more. "Mona, come on." She reached out and grabbed her friend's hand,
leading the other girl over to the closet and opening it. "You go in here and stay very quiet until I come back for you, okay? There's a very bad man out there. Stay quiet so he doesn't find you." Mary was barely able to surpress a shiver as she closed the door behind her friend. Why would someone be in Kingdom Hospital with a gun?
Elmer stepped off the elevator onto the seventh floor thinking of nothing else but another dull day of following his father around doing rounds as soon as his dad got back from lunch. A moment later, his face brightened as he spotted Lona coming down the hallway. He shook his head slightly as he saw her studying the report in her hands. Honestly, Lona worked way, way too hard. She needed to take some time and have a bit of fun occassionally. If she would only give him a chance, he knew that he could show her how to have a nice time.
Elmer had just started to call out Lona's name as he headed down the hallway towards her when he spotted the man coming towards Lona. His eyes widened as he saw what was in the man's hand, a gun, his finger already on the trigger as he raised it and pointed it at Lona.
There wasn't time to scream her name, to yell at her to get down.
Any sudden noise now could make the man shoot or Lona to turn, putting even more of her body in danger of being hit by one of the deadly bullets.
Elmer crossed the short distance between himself and Lona faster than he would have thought possible, slamming into her and sending her crashing to the ground just as there were two loud pops.
As Lona hit the floor, the breath was knocked out of her and sheay there dazed foeral moment, trying to figure out what happened before realizing that Elmer had pushed her down for some stupid reason.
"Elmer, if you think that this will make me like you then you are even more deluded than I..." Lona started yelling as she tried to pull herself to her feet only to stop, her eyes widening in shock as a gun was shoved into her face.
"Where's Stegman!" the patient demanded.
Stegman. Oh, great. Stegman had gone out for lunch with Brenda.
Somehow she didn't think that this guy would agree to wait quietly for him to return, though. Lona started to tremble slightly as she stared down the barrel of the gun, the shaking increasing until she couldn't speak even if she had wanted too, couldn't do anything but watch silently as the man's finger's started to pull back on the trigger.
Suddenly something crashed into the man and he went flying away from her, the gun skidding out of his hand.... No, the gun was still in his hand. She realized with a shake of her head. Only his hand didn't seem to be attached to his arm anymore and.... She shook her head trying to clear it, to make this entire situation go away. It was still there though. The man laying on the floor with Otto's dog on top of him, teeth bared and growling, the hand with the gun several feet away. Elmer....
"Elmer!" Lona screamed his named as she suddenly took in that little detail, frantically crawling across the hallway to his side. He was laying there on his back, not moving, his eyes closed. There was blood on his head and more on the front of his lab coat, more blood slowly forming a widening pool around him with each passing moment that Lona stared at him in shock. "Elmer!"