The crowd was growing faster now and as Louis moved through them,
his concern for his son was growing. Where in the world was Elmer? At first Louis had thought that the fire drill was some sort of joke by Dr.
James to promote humor in the hospital or something but now.... He frowned as looked towards the door just as Otto came out carrying a large box full of magazines as well as a basket of dog toys. If this was just some sort of drill then why....
Suddenly Louis felt a trembling and looked in shock as the hospital visibly shook. And did it look like the hospital logo was starting to.
move? He shook his head for a moment, blinking to try to make sense of what he was seeing. No, it really did look like that logo had moved just a bit. He involuntarily took a step away from the building, his eyes scanning the crowd once more. Where was his son? He felt a wave of panic that he was barely able to suppress as he hurried over to Otto. If anyone would know where Elmer was, it would be Otto. And surely Elmer was someplace safe. He had to be someplace safe! If.... Not again, just not again.
"Otto, have you seen Elmer anywhere?" Louis demanded as he hurried over, looking up at the hospital again as he spoke. It was trembling again or had it ever really stopped. Oh, this wasn't good, wasn't good at all.
Where was his son?
"Elmer?" Otto shook his head as he tried to think. He knew he had seen Elmer or.... Oh, that was it! "He called me from the sleep lab right before...." Now how could this be explained? "Things went stranger than normal. He was wanting me to page Dr. Hook down there. Why are you asking? Isn't he up here?" Otto glanced around himself as he talked.
"No, he isn't." Louis said slowly. The sleep lab. He shook his head as he headed towards the building. Lona had probably convinced Elmer to help her drag all of her research to safety. The letter Y crashed to the ground as he started in the smashed door, anger slowly building. He liked Lona but if she was putting his son in danger.... Anyone who wasn't an idiot could see that the building was about to collapse! He struggled against the crowd of people trying to reach the basement doors. This was his fault. He should have done something to break Elmer's crush on Lona long ago and now she was using it and putting his only remaining child in danger! When he saw her....
Just then a hand grabbed his arm and he turned to find Dr. James standing there. "No, no, no! No going back into the building during the fire drill. We have to treat this like a real fire or we won't get our reward!" As he talked, Dr. James was dragging Louis back outside once more. "Did you know we set a record for the fastest evacuation of a building during a fire safety drill in Lewiston?"
Louis impatiently shook Jesse's hand off. "I don't care about that! My son's still in there and...."
"He couldn't be. Attendance at the fire safety drill is mandatory,
you know," Jesse said with a smile. A fire safety drill, that was all this was.
"Hey, has anyone seen my mother anywhere?" Bobby asked as he came over, glancing up at the hospital in concern as he spoke. Okay, that logo was definitely moving.
"I'm sure she's around here somewhere," Jesse said with a glance over at Bobby. "Have you heard about the record the hospital just set for...."
"Dr. James, this isn't a fire drill!" Louis shouted. "The building looks like it's about to collapse and the hospital logo is moving!
My son is missing somewhere in there and I am going in there and finding him!"
Don't be silly. You can't go in the hospital during a fire drill."
Jesse reached out and grabbed Louis and Bobby, pulling them further away as he talked, glancing around as he did so to make sure no one had took note of the mention of the hospital collapsing. "Now, tell me what you think of the new holographic technology we're integrating into our logo? I think it really makes our hospital stand out, don't you?"
Blondi rolled his eyes as he passed the humans, not really listening to what they were saying but all the same catching enough to get the gist of Dr. James' attempt at a cover-up. The dog moved over to the catering van, ducking out of sight as a trey of cookies was passed out the rear to a waiting human. He sniffed as the cookies were carried off in the direction of a batch of children. They smelled delicious but how was he.... This was definitely a two creature job and he hadn't seen his pal the anteater anywhere out there. He sniffed once more trying to catch the anteater's scent. Maybe attendance at a fake fire drill wasn't mandatory for anteaters.
Suddenly Blondi's nose twitched and he glanced over to spot a dog... No, it wasn't a dog but some sort of wolf, he thought, heading his way. Hmmmmm. A wolf. Now that had potential. The anteater was perfect for invisibly tripping people. Blondi licked his lips at the thought of the ten dinner trays they had managed to scatter once. A wolf could work as well, though. Well, that is if it was smart enough to take direction.
"Hey," Blondi sidled over towards the wolf as he talked. "Would you..."
The wolf glanced over at the catering van for a moment before looking back at Blondi. "You can just ask them for the cookies. Elves understand us, you know."
"Not as much fun." Blondi took another sniff as he drew closer to the wolf, a startled expression suddenly on his face. A werewolf?
"You wouldn't have seen a girl, would you? She's got brown hair,
about fourteen...." the wolf paused, trying to think about how to best describe Susan.
"She thinks Dr. James is an idiot?" Blondi added.
"Who doesn't?" The wolf shook his head. He had certainly never met anyone who hadn't found Jesse an idiot. If they existed, he was pretty sure they were an endangered species. "So, you've seen her?"
"She came up from the basement and then she went back down."
Blondi paused for a moment as he tried to recall exactly what he had seen.
"There were a couple more girls just a bit younger than her and...." Wait a minute. The anteater's human, little Mary! She had been there too and.... "There was Mary and... Hook and Christine and...." Well, it seemed like the basement might be a bit crowded. Was his friend down there too?
"I think you better come and talk to someone," the wolf said as he motioned for Blondi to follow him. If all those people were down in the basement.... This wasn't good at all.
his concern for his son was growing. Where in the world was Elmer? At first Louis had thought that the fire drill was some sort of joke by Dr.
James to promote humor in the hospital or something but now.... He frowned as looked towards the door just as Otto came out carrying a large box full of magazines as well as a basket of dog toys. If this was just some sort of drill then why....
Suddenly Louis felt a trembling and looked in shock as the hospital visibly shook. And did it look like the hospital logo was starting to.
move? He shook his head for a moment, blinking to try to make sense of what he was seeing. No, it really did look like that logo had moved just a bit. He involuntarily took a step away from the building, his eyes scanning the crowd once more. Where was his son? He felt a wave of panic that he was barely able to suppress as he hurried over to Otto. If anyone would know where Elmer was, it would be Otto. And surely Elmer was someplace safe. He had to be someplace safe! If.... Not again, just not again.
"Otto, have you seen Elmer anywhere?" Louis demanded as he hurried over, looking up at the hospital again as he spoke. It was trembling again or had it ever really stopped. Oh, this wasn't good, wasn't good at all.
Where was his son?
"Elmer?" Otto shook his head as he tried to think. He knew he had seen Elmer or.... Oh, that was it! "He called me from the sleep lab right before...." Now how could this be explained? "Things went stranger than normal. He was wanting me to page Dr. Hook down there. Why are you asking? Isn't he up here?" Otto glanced around himself as he talked.
"No, he isn't." Louis said slowly. The sleep lab. He shook his head as he headed towards the building. Lona had probably convinced Elmer to help her drag all of her research to safety. The letter Y crashed to the ground as he started in the smashed door, anger slowly building. He liked Lona but if she was putting his son in danger.... Anyone who wasn't an idiot could see that the building was about to collapse! He struggled against the crowd of people trying to reach the basement doors. This was his fault. He should have done something to break Elmer's crush on Lona long ago and now she was using it and putting his only remaining child in danger! When he saw her....
Just then a hand grabbed his arm and he turned to find Dr. James standing there. "No, no, no! No going back into the building during the fire drill. We have to treat this like a real fire or we won't get our reward!" As he talked, Dr. James was dragging Louis back outside once more. "Did you know we set a record for the fastest evacuation of a building during a fire safety drill in Lewiston?"
Louis impatiently shook Jesse's hand off. "I don't care about that! My son's still in there and...."
"He couldn't be. Attendance at the fire safety drill is mandatory,
you know," Jesse said with a smile. A fire safety drill, that was all this was.
"Hey, has anyone seen my mother anywhere?" Bobby asked as he came over, glancing up at the hospital in concern as he spoke. Okay, that logo was definitely moving.
"I'm sure she's around here somewhere," Jesse said with a glance over at Bobby. "Have you heard about the record the hospital just set for...."
"Dr. James, this isn't a fire drill!" Louis shouted. "The building looks like it's about to collapse and the hospital logo is moving!
My son is missing somewhere in there and I am going in there and finding him!"
Don't be silly. You can't go in the hospital during a fire drill."
Jesse reached out and grabbed Louis and Bobby, pulling them further away as he talked, glancing around as he did so to make sure no one had took note of the mention of the hospital collapsing. "Now, tell me what you think of the new holographic technology we're integrating into our logo? I think it really makes our hospital stand out, don't you?"
Blondi rolled his eyes as he passed the humans, not really listening to what they were saying but all the same catching enough to get the gist of Dr. James' attempt at a cover-up. The dog moved over to the catering van, ducking out of sight as a trey of cookies was passed out the rear to a waiting human. He sniffed as the cookies were carried off in the direction of a batch of children. They smelled delicious but how was he.... This was definitely a two creature job and he hadn't seen his pal the anteater anywhere out there. He sniffed once more trying to catch the anteater's scent. Maybe attendance at a fake fire drill wasn't mandatory for anteaters.
Suddenly Blondi's nose twitched and he glanced over to spot a dog... No, it wasn't a dog but some sort of wolf, he thought, heading his way. Hmmmmm. A wolf. Now that had potential. The anteater was perfect for invisibly tripping people. Blondi licked his lips at the thought of the ten dinner trays they had managed to scatter once. A wolf could work as well, though. Well, that is if it was smart enough to take direction.
"Hey," Blondi sidled over towards the wolf as he talked. "Would you..."
The wolf glanced over at the catering van for a moment before looking back at Blondi. "You can just ask them for the cookies. Elves understand us, you know."
"Not as much fun." Blondi took another sniff as he drew closer to the wolf, a startled expression suddenly on his face. A werewolf?
"You wouldn't have seen a girl, would you? She's got brown hair,
about fourteen...." the wolf paused, trying to think about how to best describe Susan.
"She thinks Dr. James is an idiot?" Blondi added.
"Who doesn't?" The wolf shook his head. He had certainly never met anyone who hadn't found Jesse an idiot. If they existed, he was pretty sure they were an endangered species. "So, you've seen her?"
"She came up from the basement and then she went back down."
Blondi paused for a moment as he tried to recall exactly what he had seen.
"There were a couple more girls just a bit younger than her and...." Wait a minute. The anteater's human, little Mary! She had been there too and.... "There was Mary and... Hook and Christine and...." Well, it seemed like the basement might be a bit crowded. Was his friend down there too?
"I think you better come and talk to someone," the wolf said as he motioned for Blondi to follow him. If all those people were down in the basement.... This wasn't good at all.