Elmer could barely keep from crying as he trudged back down the hallway
towards the sleep lab. He had looked everywhere and talked to anyone he
could think of. He had even risked talking to Carrie who had promptly
fainted upon hearing about Lona being mysteriously missing. Honestly, how
could Lona have issues with him and still be friend with the amazing
fainting nurse? He was suspicious that she spent more time unconscious
than she did actually working. That just couldn't be good. No one had
seen Lona, though. No one had any clue about where she might be and when
he had told a few people about the resignation mess, he had just gotten
these pitying looks. Finally he had stopped mentioning that altogether.
Lona couldn't have resigned. He knew she couldn't have. She wouldn't have left no matter how annoying he had been, would she?
"Please come back. Just please come back." He whispered under his breath as he slumped back against the wall for a moment, struggling to hold back tears. If Lona would just come back, he would leave her alone,
wouldn't do a single thing to aggravate her, wouldn't keep trying to get her to go out with him no matter how much he loved her. If that wasn't what she wanted then.... Priests seemed to have that celibacy thing down pretty well, after all. Well, okay, most of them. How did they manage that?
Maybe he ought to ask or....
"Elmer, you okay?" Suddenly Hook appeared from what felt like out of no where.
"No one's seen her that I could find." Elmer said quietly. "Hook?"
Elmer looked at him with desperation in his eyes now. "You don't think that Lona might have really done it, do you? That she might have really left? I swear I didn't do anything to bother her last night! I swear that I didn't...."
"No, Elmer, I don't. You know as well as I do how obsessed Lona is with that lab and her experiments." Okay, Hook was privately slightly worried that Elmer's behavior could have finally pushed Lona over the edge even though it was just looking less and less likely. Elmer obviously needed some serious reassurance, though. "And if she resigned, why wouldn't she have taken her car with her? According to Chris, taxi service around here is terrible."
"But if she didn't quit, then where is she?" Elmer said softly as he followed Hook down the hall towards the lab. "Why isn't she here where she belongs?"
"I don't know. Elmer, are you sure that she doesn't have any relatives that might have needed help or something?"
Elmer shook his head in response. "I know because I asked what she was doing last Christmas." Last Christmas had actually been his best one to date, mainly because Lona had thought that the invitation to come over for the holidays had come from his father and hadn't been able to figure a way out of it when she found out that it was Elmer's idea.
"What about friends or something?" Hook glanced over at Chris as the entered the lab, including her in the question. "Is there anyone that Lona might have had to leave town unexpectedly to help out?"
"Not as far as I know," Chris said as Elmer shook his head no as well.
"I've never even heard her mention anyone that wasn't connected to the hospital somehow." Chris looked up from the computer that she was working on as she spoke. Okay, Lona would probably hate this if she found out but.... At this point Chris would be thrilled if Lona would just show up and blow up at them for snooping. "I'm trying to check her email to see if I can find anything but I can't work out the password."
"Here," Elmer said as he reached over Chris and typed in something.
"Could I ask why in the world you know Lona's email password?" Louis said with a frown as he came into the lab. Okay, Elmer's explanation for knowing Lona's regular password was plausible but his son had absolutely no reason to be reading through her email. Had Elmer maybe pushed Lona to far? He was suddenly very afraid that the resignation letter might have actually been from her.
Elmer hesitated before speaking. He could tell what his father was thinking and what Hook and Chris were beginning to think as well. Okay, he did have a perfectly reasonable excuse for knowing about Lona's email but if he told them.... Lona would definitely be furious with him for that if he told. Oh, no, if they could find her, he definitely didn't want to anger her the first thing. "I saw her type it in one day?" That sounded plausible, didn't it?
Louis looked hard at Elmer, knowing that his son was hiding something.
For the moment, he decided to let it go though. He could figure it out later and if it turned out that Elmer seriously had been bothering Lona,
well, they would just have to have a long and serious talk. Lona was his friend and he wasn't letting Elmer get away with harassing her any longer.
"Did you find anything, Louis?" Hook asked, hoping to take his older colleague's mind off what in the world his son might have been up to.
Elmer was a kind of friend and he hated to see him end up in trouble even if he probably did deserve it.
"Dr. Havens said he saw Lona last night. She said she was on her way home and certainly didn't say anything about resigning." Louis frowned for a moment before continuing. "He did notice that she looked a little pale,
though."
"Hook, take a look at this," Chris called as she looked up from checking the email. "Lona had appointments set up later this week over at the college to see about working out some more funding for some sleep studies. She wouldn't just...."
"Looks like we might need to call the police again." Hook shook his head as he looked at the emails. No way would Lona just leave and abandon her precious sleep lab like this.
Lona couldn't have resigned. He knew she couldn't have. She wouldn't have left no matter how annoying he had been, would she?
"Please come back. Just please come back." He whispered under his breath as he slumped back against the wall for a moment, struggling to hold back tears. If Lona would just come back, he would leave her alone,
wouldn't do a single thing to aggravate her, wouldn't keep trying to get her to go out with him no matter how much he loved her. If that wasn't what she wanted then.... Priests seemed to have that celibacy thing down pretty well, after all. Well, okay, most of them. How did they manage that?
Maybe he ought to ask or....
"Elmer, you okay?" Suddenly Hook appeared from what felt like out of no where.
"No one's seen her that I could find." Elmer said quietly. "Hook?"
Elmer looked at him with desperation in his eyes now. "You don't think that Lona might have really done it, do you? That she might have really left? I swear I didn't do anything to bother her last night! I swear that I didn't...."
"No, Elmer, I don't. You know as well as I do how obsessed Lona is with that lab and her experiments." Okay, Hook was privately slightly worried that Elmer's behavior could have finally pushed Lona over the edge even though it was just looking less and less likely. Elmer obviously needed some serious reassurance, though. "And if she resigned, why wouldn't she have taken her car with her? According to Chris, taxi service around here is terrible."
"But if she didn't quit, then where is she?" Elmer said softly as he followed Hook down the hall towards the lab. "Why isn't she here where she belongs?"
"I don't know. Elmer, are you sure that she doesn't have any relatives that might have needed help or something?"
Elmer shook his head in response. "I know because I asked what she was doing last Christmas." Last Christmas had actually been his best one to date, mainly because Lona had thought that the invitation to come over for the holidays had come from his father and hadn't been able to figure a way out of it when she found out that it was Elmer's idea.
"What about friends or something?" Hook glanced over at Chris as the entered the lab, including her in the question. "Is there anyone that Lona might have had to leave town unexpectedly to help out?"
"Not as far as I know," Chris said as Elmer shook his head no as well.
"I've never even heard her mention anyone that wasn't connected to the hospital somehow." Chris looked up from the computer that she was working on as she spoke. Okay, Lona would probably hate this if she found out but.... At this point Chris would be thrilled if Lona would just show up and blow up at them for snooping. "I'm trying to check her email to see if I can find anything but I can't work out the password."
"Here," Elmer said as he reached over Chris and typed in something.
"Could I ask why in the world you know Lona's email password?" Louis said with a frown as he came into the lab. Okay, Elmer's explanation for knowing Lona's regular password was plausible but his son had absolutely no reason to be reading through her email. Had Elmer maybe pushed Lona to far? He was suddenly very afraid that the resignation letter might have actually been from her.
Elmer hesitated before speaking. He could tell what his father was thinking and what Hook and Chris were beginning to think as well. Okay, he did have a perfectly reasonable excuse for knowing about Lona's email but if he told them.... Lona would definitely be furious with him for that if he told. Oh, no, if they could find her, he definitely didn't want to anger her the first thing. "I saw her type it in one day?" That sounded plausible, didn't it?
Louis looked hard at Elmer, knowing that his son was hiding something.
For the moment, he decided to let it go though. He could figure it out later and if it turned out that Elmer seriously had been bothering Lona,
well, they would just have to have a long and serious talk. Lona was his friend and he wasn't letting Elmer get away with harassing her any longer.
"Did you find anything, Louis?" Hook asked, hoping to take his older colleague's mind off what in the world his son might have been up to.
Elmer was a kind of friend and he hated to see him end up in trouble even if he probably did deserve it.
"Dr. Havens said he saw Lona last night. She said she was on her way home and certainly didn't say anything about resigning." Louis frowned for a moment before continuing. "He did notice that she looked a little pale,
though."
"Hook, take a look at this," Chris called as she looked up from checking the email. "Lona had appointments set up later this week over at the college to see about working out some more funding for some sleep studies. She wouldn't just...."
"Looks like we might need to call the police again." Hook shook his head as he looked at the emails. No way would Lona just leave and abandon her precious sleep lab like this.