Elmer sat in a chair in the sleep lab, barely able to hold back
tears as he listened to Hook talk on the phone, the answers that he was
receiving obviously weren't positive from the way he was replying. He
shook his head, trying to keep himself from breaking down. He knew it
wouldn't help Lona if he did, would only make his father sure that he was
the loser that he had always thought but he was just so scared. Where
could Lona be? It had been over twenty four hours since she had
disappeared. Surely if there was some sort of innocent explanation for
her absence, it would have surfaced by now! As he thought about the
situation all of the things that he had seen on old tv shows and news
specials about women being abducted, being tortured, being... No, if
anyone ever did anything like that to Lona.... He couldn't hold back the
tears as he thought of someone hurting her in that way.
"Elmer, it's going to be okay. We're going to find her. I promise you that we're going to find her." Louis said gently as he moved over to join his son. He didn't even have to ask what Elmer had just been thinking about. The same images had been haunting him all night and the longer that Lona was missing, the more he feared that something like what he kept thinking of might turn out to be the case, If something like that had happened to Lona.... The scenarios of someone kidnapping her and harming her physically were bad enough but if she had been.... Lona always seemed so strong and self confident but honestly Louis wasn't sure how much of that was actually Lona and how much of it was a role that she had played for so long that she didn't know how to be any different now. If someone had.... He couldn't even bring himself to think the word as if thinking it would make it happen. He was afraid that if that had happened to Lona,
though, the damage, the being shaken so badly, could totally destroy her.
And then there was how Elmer would take it. Louis knew he shouldn't be worrying about that, not really, should focus on Lona alone but he couldn't help but worry about his son. He knew that any injury that Lona suffered would upset Elmer, of course, but if she had been.... After a moment, he finally allowed himself to think it, if she had been raped, then it would devastate Elmer. Okay, Louis knew he had definitely made mistakes with his son big time but he had no desire to see Elmer have to go through something like that. Lona had to be alright, both for her own sake and for Elmer's.
"Called the bus companies. None of them run this way that late at night. Something about weird things happening on this route. Couldn't get a driver to do the late run." Hook said with a shake of his head as he hung up the phone. "So we know that Lona couldn't have left that way."
"Then where is she?" Elmer demanded, brushing away tears and hoping that no one saw them.
"I don't know, Elmer, but I'm going to find out. It's been over twenty four hours and it's more than a little obvious that something strange is going on here. Maybe the cops will be a little more interested now. I'm going to give them another call." Hook said as he picked up the phone once more. And after he made that call, he decided, he was going to go upstairs to talk to Mrs. Druse. He couldn't believe he was thinking this and definately wouldn't have been only a short time before but maybe her spirits could help them out.
"The police should have came yesterday." Elmer muttered under his breath. "Who knows what could have happened to Lona by now?"
"Elmer, we're going to find her. Just settle down, okay?" Hook said just as the phone was picked up. "Yes, hello, this is Doctor Hook over at Kingdom Hospital. I called yesterday about a little situation that we seem to be having. One of our doctors seems to have disappeared. Her car's still in the parking lot and when we checked her house, all of her things are still there. Right, yes there was a resignation letter but it was unsigned and there's nothing that would show that she actually left it.
Another doctor took a look and noted some inconsistencies in the...." He paused for a moment, listening. "Yes, I'll tell him and we'll be expecting you."
"Well, what did they say?" Elmer demanded anxiously.
"They're on their way over. They want to talk to Otto since he's in charge of security and to Dr. James. I have to go and let them know."
Just as Hook stood, Chris came in. "Hey, Chris, did you find out anything?"
"I found out that our work hours were insane, as if I didn't already have a clue about that." She said with a shake of her head. "No one's had time off in weeks, much less yesterday and today. What about the buses?"
"Nothing. The police are on their way. I've got to go talk to Otto and let him know they're coming. Then I thought I might check with Mrs. Druse, see if there's anything that she can do."
"Mrs. Druse? She's that psychic that Stegman's so freaked about,
right?" Psychic? Elmer felt panic, even stronger than before, washing over him. Didn't psychics communicate with the dead or something? "You think that Lona's...." NO! She couldn't be! She just couldn't be!
"Mrs. Druse is a smart lady. She sees a lot more than you expect."
Louis said before Hook could step in. "Maybe she'll be able to think of something that we're missing." He reached out, putting what he hoped Elmer would take as a comforting arm around his son's shoulder. "Come on. Why don't we go and make the rounds of the floors again, see if anyone's seen anything. Let's leave Chris and Hook to get ready."
"Hook, you don't think that Lona maybe is.... Well, you know."
Chris said slowly as soon as she was sure that Louis had Elmer out of earshot.
"I don't know." Hook said with a shake of his head. "All I do know is that we have to find her and the sooner the better. Come on. I want to have some time to talk to Mrs. Druse before the police get here and things go crazy." He just hoped that she would be able to do something to help them find Lona quickly.
"Elmer, it's going to be okay. We're going to find her. I promise you that we're going to find her." Louis said gently as he moved over to join his son. He didn't even have to ask what Elmer had just been thinking about. The same images had been haunting him all night and the longer that Lona was missing, the more he feared that something like what he kept thinking of might turn out to be the case, If something like that had happened to Lona.... The scenarios of someone kidnapping her and harming her physically were bad enough but if she had been.... Lona always seemed so strong and self confident but honestly Louis wasn't sure how much of that was actually Lona and how much of it was a role that she had played for so long that she didn't know how to be any different now. If someone had.... He couldn't even bring himself to think the word as if thinking it would make it happen. He was afraid that if that had happened to Lona,
though, the damage, the being shaken so badly, could totally destroy her.
And then there was how Elmer would take it. Louis knew he shouldn't be worrying about that, not really, should focus on Lona alone but he couldn't help but worry about his son. He knew that any injury that Lona suffered would upset Elmer, of course, but if she had been.... After a moment, he finally allowed himself to think it, if she had been raped, then it would devastate Elmer. Okay, Louis knew he had definitely made mistakes with his son big time but he had no desire to see Elmer have to go through something like that. Lona had to be alright, both for her own sake and for Elmer's.
"Called the bus companies. None of them run this way that late at night. Something about weird things happening on this route. Couldn't get a driver to do the late run." Hook said with a shake of his head as he hung up the phone. "So we know that Lona couldn't have left that way."
"Then where is she?" Elmer demanded, brushing away tears and hoping that no one saw them.
"I don't know, Elmer, but I'm going to find out. It's been over twenty four hours and it's more than a little obvious that something strange is going on here. Maybe the cops will be a little more interested now. I'm going to give them another call." Hook said as he picked up the phone once more. And after he made that call, he decided, he was going to go upstairs to talk to Mrs. Druse. He couldn't believe he was thinking this and definately wouldn't have been only a short time before but maybe her spirits could help them out.
"The police should have came yesterday." Elmer muttered under his breath. "Who knows what could have happened to Lona by now?"
"Elmer, we're going to find her. Just settle down, okay?" Hook said just as the phone was picked up. "Yes, hello, this is Doctor Hook over at Kingdom Hospital. I called yesterday about a little situation that we seem to be having. One of our doctors seems to have disappeared. Her car's still in the parking lot and when we checked her house, all of her things are still there. Right, yes there was a resignation letter but it was unsigned and there's nothing that would show that she actually left it.
Another doctor took a look and noted some inconsistencies in the...." He paused for a moment, listening. "Yes, I'll tell him and we'll be expecting you."
"Well, what did they say?" Elmer demanded anxiously.
"They're on their way over. They want to talk to Otto since he's in charge of security and to Dr. James. I have to go and let them know."
Just as Hook stood, Chris came in. "Hey, Chris, did you find out anything?"
"I found out that our work hours were insane, as if I didn't already have a clue about that." She said with a shake of her head. "No one's had time off in weeks, much less yesterday and today. What about the buses?"
"Nothing. The police are on their way. I've got to go talk to Otto and let him know they're coming. Then I thought I might check with Mrs. Druse, see if there's anything that she can do."
"Mrs. Druse? She's that psychic that Stegman's so freaked about,
right?" Psychic? Elmer felt panic, even stronger than before, washing over him. Didn't psychics communicate with the dead or something? "You think that Lona's...." NO! She couldn't be! She just couldn't be!
"Mrs. Druse is a smart lady. She sees a lot more than you expect."
Louis said before Hook could step in. "Maybe she'll be able to think of something that we're missing." He reached out, putting what he hoped Elmer would take as a comforting arm around his son's shoulder. "Come on. Why don't we go and make the rounds of the floors again, see if anyone's seen anything. Let's leave Chris and Hook to get ready."
"Hook, you don't think that Lona maybe is.... Well, you know."
Chris said slowly as soon as she was sure that Louis had Elmer out of earshot.
"I don't know." Hook said with a shake of his head. "All I do know is that we have to find her and the sooner the better. Come on. I want to have some time to talk to Mrs. Druse before the police get here and things go crazy." He just hoped that she would be able to do something to help them find Lona quickly.