"Mary, what's wrong?" Peter said when the little girl came into
his room followed by Antubis. There was definately a seriously worried
expression on the child's face as she walked over to his bedside. "What
did the earthquake do?" Peter had been seriously worried when the
earthquake had first started that it was the big one that Mary had
predicted, the one that would kill hundreds.
"Honey?" Natalie said as she looked at her husband. Natalie knew that Peter could hear her, that mentally he was fine but why couldn't he just talk to her. "Peter, is someone here?" She looked in the direction that Peter was staring at but she couldn't see anything. She tentively stretched out a hand, slowly feeling the air. Wait a minute. She felt something, not really solid but a definite warm feeling on her skin. "What is that?" she whispered. "Peter, who's here? Mary?"
'Really too bad you can't tell her to scratch a bit lower. Very nice hands there.' Antubis said with a soft chuckle as he tilted his head forward slightly so that Natalie's probing fingers brushed against the space behind his ears.
"Antubis, we don't have time for this." Mary gave the large anteater a serious look. "Peter, there's something really wrong downstairs. Will you come with me so that I can show you?" The little girl reached out her hand to him and he willingly took it, slipping out of his body and heading out of the room with Mary.
"I'll be back as soon as I can, Nat!" He called although he knew that she couldn't hear him. "Mary, what's going on?"
'The earthquake did a lot of damage downstairs in the basement."
Mary said as she led Peter though the wall and into the in between space that would lead them down to the basement. "Some of the doctors got stuck."
"Stuck in there pretty good, it looks like." Peter said as they appeared in the basement, right in front of a large pile of rubble blocking access to the other side of the hallway. "Wait a minute." Peter looked around and was surprised that the only other creature there besides them was a large German Shepard. "Shouldn't they have crews down here trying to get this cleared?"
"That's the problem." Mary said softly, waving for Blondi to come over as she talked. "Peter, this is Blondi. Blondi, couldn't you convince Otto to come down here?"
'No," the dog said, sniffing around Peter as he spoke. 'He's playing cards with Bobby Druse and losing big time. How can you lose at Old Maids? He hasn't even noticed that all of the basement cameras are out."
"And Otto would be?" Peter asked.
"The security guard. Come on." Mary said as she led Peter through the pile of debris with Antubis following behind her. "They're down this way."
The security guard is playing Old Maids and missed an earthquake.
I feel so secure here now." Peter shook his head as he let Mary lead him along.
"They're in here," Mary said after several minutes of walking.
She waved her hand towards a room labeled morgue before leading Peter through the door.
"Hook?" Peter said as he spotted his doctor kneeling beside someone on the floor. He walked cautiously over and saw the female doctor that he and Mary had seen down in the MRI room laying on a mattress,
obviously injured with the younger doctor hovering anxiously by her side.
"Mary, what happened?"
"Part of the ceiling fell on Dr. Lona when the earthquake hit and she got hurt." Mary dropped to the floor between Elmer and his father,
reaching out and gently touching Lona's cheek as she bit her lip to hold back tears. "She's going to die if she can't get an operation soon."
"So.... They're going to try to do surgery in here?" Surgery in the morgue. Now that was a really cheery place to have your operation.
They could just move your body to one of those little boxes in the wall if things didn't go so well. "Mary, why isn't anyone looking for them? I would hope the hospital doesn't lose five of their doctors with a lot of regularity."
"That's the other problem." Mary stood and moved back to Peter's side. "Someone does know where they are but.... Let me show you."
Peter stood. looking at the group of doctors for a moment before turning and allowing Mary to lead him back out the door. They started back toward the main part of the hospital and after a few minutes, the little girl led him through a door labeled Stegman.
"Listen," she whispered as she motioned for Peter to move forward so they could hear Stegman and Brenda.
"You're sure Hook was down in the basement when the quake hit?"
Brenda asked, her voice almost giddy with excitement.
"Positive and the way that that place is torn up, there's no way that he isn't dead. Or if he's still alive by some chance, then there's no way that he'll stay that way for long!" Stegman laughed at he spoke. Hook had always thought that he was so smart but now he had the upper hand.
"What about the others, Christine, Dr. Traff and that oddball son of his and Dr. Massingale?"
"Collateral damage, I'm afraid." Stegman shook his head as he lifted Brenda up and swung her around the room for a moment before they started to kiss.
"Mary, I really don't think you should be seeing this." Peter frowned as he looked down at the little girl.
"It's not as bad as what Dr. Lona and Elmer did in the morgue. Dr.
Stegman doing naughty things isn't really... nice, though." The little girl said slowly with a shake of his head.
'Right. He could reproduce and contaminate the gene pool with his stupidity.' Antubis moved across the room to Stegman. 'I could fix that worry, you know. Just one little bite and....'
"Antubis, behave. We don't have time for that now. Listen!" Mary cried.
"And now with Hook out of the way and that old biddy Druse safely locked up," Stegman said as he broke away from Brenda. "it's time for you and I to take care of that little Mona Klingerman problem once and for all.
One little "slip" down the stairs and everyone will think it was an accident due to the earthquake."
"Mona's my friend." Mary whispered. "We've got to help her! And we have to help Dr. Hook and the others too."
Peter glared at Stegman for a moment before taking Mary's hand and heading out the door, determination washing over him. No way was he letting six people die here tonight. He just hoped that he could make Natalie understand the situation.
"Honey?" Natalie said as she looked at her husband. Natalie knew that Peter could hear her, that mentally he was fine but why couldn't he just talk to her. "Peter, is someone here?" She looked in the direction that Peter was staring at but she couldn't see anything. She tentively stretched out a hand, slowly feeling the air. Wait a minute. She felt something, not really solid but a definite warm feeling on her skin. "What is that?" she whispered. "Peter, who's here? Mary?"
'Really too bad you can't tell her to scratch a bit lower. Very nice hands there.' Antubis said with a soft chuckle as he tilted his head forward slightly so that Natalie's probing fingers brushed against the space behind his ears.
"Antubis, we don't have time for this." Mary gave the large anteater a serious look. "Peter, there's something really wrong downstairs. Will you come with me so that I can show you?" The little girl reached out her hand to him and he willingly took it, slipping out of his body and heading out of the room with Mary.
"I'll be back as soon as I can, Nat!" He called although he knew that she couldn't hear him. "Mary, what's going on?"
'The earthquake did a lot of damage downstairs in the basement."
Mary said as she led Peter though the wall and into the in between space that would lead them down to the basement. "Some of the doctors got stuck."
"Stuck in there pretty good, it looks like." Peter said as they appeared in the basement, right in front of a large pile of rubble blocking access to the other side of the hallway. "Wait a minute." Peter looked around and was surprised that the only other creature there besides them was a large German Shepard. "Shouldn't they have crews down here trying to get this cleared?"
"That's the problem." Mary said softly, waving for Blondi to come over as she talked. "Peter, this is Blondi. Blondi, couldn't you convince Otto to come down here?"
'No," the dog said, sniffing around Peter as he spoke. 'He's playing cards with Bobby Druse and losing big time. How can you lose at Old Maids? He hasn't even noticed that all of the basement cameras are out."
"And Otto would be?" Peter asked.
"The security guard. Come on." Mary said as she led Peter through the pile of debris with Antubis following behind her. "They're down this way."
The security guard is playing Old Maids and missed an earthquake.
I feel so secure here now." Peter shook his head as he let Mary lead him along.
"They're in here," Mary said after several minutes of walking.
She waved her hand towards a room labeled morgue before leading Peter through the door.
"Hook?" Peter said as he spotted his doctor kneeling beside someone on the floor. He walked cautiously over and saw the female doctor that he and Mary had seen down in the MRI room laying on a mattress,
obviously injured with the younger doctor hovering anxiously by her side.
"Mary, what happened?"
"Part of the ceiling fell on Dr. Lona when the earthquake hit and she got hurt." Mary dropped to the floor between Elmer and his father,
reaching out and gently touching Lona's cheek as she bit her lip to hold back tears. "She's going to die if she can't get an operation soon."
"So.... They're going to try to do surgery in here?" Surgery in the morgue. Now that was a really cheery place to have your operation.
They could just move your body to one of those little boxes in the wall if things didn't go so well. "Mary, why isn't anyone looking for them? I would hope the hospital doesn't lose five of their doctors with a lot of regularity."
"That's the other problem." Mary stood and moved back to Peter's side. "Someone does know where they are but.... Let me show you."
Peter stood. looking at the group of doctors for a moment before turning and allowing Mary to lead him back out the door. They started back toward the main part of the hospital and after a few minutes, the little girl led him through a door labeled Stegman.
"Listen," she whispered as she motioned for Peter to move forward so they could hear Stegman and Brenda.
"You're sure Hook was down in the basement when the quake hit?"
Brenda asked, her voice almost giddy with excitement.
"Positive and the way that that place is torn up, there's no way that he isn't dead. Or if he's still alive by some chance, then there's no way that he'll stay that way for long!" Stegman laughed at he spoke. Hook had always thought that he was so smart but now he had the upper hand.
"What about the others, Christine, Dr. Traff and that oddball son of his and Dr. Massingale?"
"Collateral damage, I'm afraid." Stegman shook his head as he lifted Brenda up and swung her around the room for a moment before they started to kiss.
"Mary, I really don't think you should be seeing this." Peter frowned as he looked down at the little girl.
"It's not as bad as what Dr. Lona and Elmer did in the morgue. Dr.
Stegman doing naughty things isn't really... nice, though." The little girl said slowly with a shake of his head.
'Right. He could reproduce and contaminate the gene pool with his stupidity.' Antubis moved across the room to Stegman. 'I could fix that worry, you know. Just one little bite and....'
"Antubis, behave. We don't have time for that now. Listen!" Mary cried.
"And now with Hook out of the way and that old biddy Druse safely locked up," Stegman said as he broke away from Brenda. "it's time for you and I to take care of that little Mona Klingerman problem once and for all.
One little "slip" down the stairs and everyone will think it was an accident due to the earthquake."
"Mona's my friend." Mary whispered. "We've got to help her! And we have to help Dr. Hook and the others too."
Peter glared at Stegman for a moment before taking Mary's hand and heading out the door, determination washing over him. No way was he letting six people die here tonight. He just hoped that he could make Natalie understand the situation.