"Peter, Honey?" Natalie had been sitting by her husband anxiously
watching him ever since he had slumped back onto the bed over ten minutes
before. Common sense said that she should call for a doctor but what could
one do for him, really? She had a feeling that whatever was wrong with
Peter at the moment, was supernatural, not medical, in nature.
Suddenly Peter sat up once more, his hand reaching out for his paper and pencil as his wife gave a little gasp of surprise.
"Peter, we have to stop Dr. Stegman and save Mona and the others."
Mary said softly, tears starting to form in her eyes. How could someone want to hurt her friend? Mona was helpless! There had to be something that they could do to protect her but Mary couldn't even begin to think of what it might be. Without Mrs. Druse to help interpret things for them....
"Don't cry, Mary." Peter said as he looked at the little girl.
"Natalie's smart. She can figure out what we need her to do if we give her the right clues. Now, what does this Mona look like?" The situation in the basement could wait for a bit, he thought. There were four other doctors down there. Surely they would be able to help their colleague until a rescue could be arranged. Mary's friend, on the other hand, had no one but them to help her.
"Here. I'll show you." Mary said as she reached out and took Peter's hand, moving it across the paper. She didn't really know how to draw herself but when she was working through Peter like this it was like her memories intertwined with his talents somehow.
"What's that you're drawing, Honey?" Natalie asked as she leaned forward to watch a face rapidly taking shape on the paper. It was a little girl and for a moment she thought it was Mary but the facial shape was all wrong for that and there was something odd about the eyes, a kind of blankness like the little girl wasn't really aware. "Peter? Who is she?"
Natalie watched as a moment later, Peter wrote four words on the paper. Mona. Okay. She reached out for the drawing, holding it in front of her and silently staring at it for a few moments, trying to put together what it might mean. Maybe she should call and see if Mrs. Druse could come up to help them to figure this out? Something about the expression in that little girl's face was so compelling, calling out for help almost.
'Unfortunately, Mrs. Druse is a bit tied up at the moment'
Antubis said as he moved closer to the bed to see if he could help Mary and Peter. Honestly, Mary should really have let him bite Stegman.
"Peter, this little girl is obviously a patient here." Natalie said slowly. "Does she need some sort of help?"
Mary reached out, nodding Peter's head for him as a bit of hope slowly formed. Maybe they could make Peter's wife understand. She seemed nice. Surely if they could make her understand she would help them to save everyone.
Okay. She had already guessed that the little girl needed help but having it confirmed was good. What sort of help, though? "Is she sick?
Does she need a doctor?"
No, not sick. Natalie watched as Peter shook his head no, glancing down at the drawing again looking for some sort of clue to guide her.
There was something about the little girl's eyes.... "Peter, did someone hurt her? Is someone going to do something to hurt her?"
Yes, that was it! Natalie almost felt like shouting with triumph that she had been able to figure this out without help, just her, Peter and she had a feeling Mary. "Okay." She looked down at the paper once more.
If someone was going to hurt the little girl, then they obviously needed to do something to protect her. But if a doctor wasn't who she should call.... She stood and headed for the door. "Peter, I'm going to go downstairs and see if I can find this Mona and bring her up here. That should be safe enough. I'll be right back."
"Do you think she'll get there in time?" Mary asked Peter softly.
"Natalie's smart. She won't let anything happen to your friend.
Now how about we go back down to the basement? I want to take another look, see what we might be able to do to help them."
"Okay," Mary said as she reached out her hand, taking Peter's and leading him away once more as his body fell back onto the bed.
Natalie slipped off the elevator and made her way into the pediatrics ward, hoping that at this hour, that the nurses would be occupied or maybe relaxing while all of the children were sleeping. She didn't even want to try to explain why she was roaming around their floor with a drawing trying to find some strange child. Mona. That was an unusual enough name. How many Monas were likely to be here? She slipped from door to door, peering closely to read the names written next to them.
Amy, Hunter, Alex, Sarah. No Mona. She stopped for a moment, ducking back into the shadows as a nurse passed by before scurrying to the next room.
Yes, this was it! Mona!
"Hello?" She called softly as she slipped inside. Yes, definately the right place. There was the little girl that Peter had drawn sitting on the bed, swaying back and forth as she stared into nothingness. Natalie slowly approached, a bit nervous now that she was here. Something was obviously wrong with the little girl. What if she did something and made her worse? If she was in danger though....
"Hello." she said again as she reached the bed. "You don't know me but my name's Natalie. Someone sent me down here to find you. Do you know a little girl named Mary? Is she your friend?"
Mary. Something changed slightly in the girl's eyes at the mention of the name or maybe it was the word friend that did it. She turned her head slightly and looked at Natalie now although her eyes appeared to be blank still.
"Okay, Mary sent me down here to get you and take you upstairs. Do you think you can come with me?" Natalie asked as she reached out, taking the child's hand and helping her off of the bed. At least she could walk.
That was one good thing. As she led the little girl towards the door, she noticed the paint splashed about on the walls. "Do you like to paint? My husband paints. If you want me to, I can show you some of his drawings.
We have to be very quiet right now though."
Natalie and Mona slipped out the door and moved down the hallway slowly, hugging the wall. Suddenly, Natalie heard the elevator ding just in time to pull Mona into the shelter of the nearest room before the elevator passengers could exit. She cautiously peeked out as two doctors headed down the hallway. She barely suppressed a shiver. She definitely had a bad feeling about them, something that was confirmed as they entered Mona's room.
"Come on, sweetie. Let's get you out of here before they realize that you're missing." Natalie hustled the little girl out of the room. No time to wait for the elevator. She hurried Mona into the nearest stairwell and started up. She just hoped that they didn't think to check there before they reached the safety of Peter's floor.
Suddenly Peter sat up once more, his hand reaching out for his paper and pencil as his wife gave a little gasp of surprise.
"Peter, we have to stop Dr. Stegman and save Mona and the others."
Mary said softly, tears starting to form in her eyes. How could someone want to hurt her friend? Mona was helpless! There had to be something that they could do to protect her but Mary couldn't even begin to think of what it might be. Without Mrs. Druse to help interpret things for them....
"Don't cry, Mary." Peter said as he looked at the little girl.
"Natalie's smart. She can figure out what we need her to do if we give her the right clues. Now, what does this Mona look like?" The situation in the basement could wait for a bit, he thought. There were four other doctors down there. Surely they would be able to help their colleague until a rescue could be arranged. Mary's friend, on the other hand, had no one but them to help her.
"Here. I'll show you." Mary said as she reached out and took Peter's hand, moving it across the paper. She didn't really know how to draw herself but when she was working through Peter like this it was like her memories intertwined with his talents somehow.
"What's that you're drawing, Honey?" Natalie asked as she leaned forward to watch a face rapidly taking shape on the paper. It was a little girl and for a moment she thought it was Mary but the facial shape was all wrong for that and there was something odd about the eyes, a kind of blankness like the little girl wasn't really aware. "Peter? Who is she?"
Natalie watched as a moment later, Peter wrote four words on the paper. Mona. Okay. She reached out for the drawing, holding it in front of her and silently staring at it for a few moments, trying to put together what it might mean. Maybe she should call and see if Mrs. Druse could come up to help them to figure this out? Something about the expression in that little girl's face was so compelling, calling out for help almost.
'Unfortunately, Mrs. Druse is a bit tied up at the moment'
Antubis said as he moved closer to the bed to see if he could help Mary and Peter. Honestly, Mary should really have let him bite Stegman.
"Peter, this little girl is obviously a patient here." Natalie said slowly. "Does she need some sort of help?"
Mary reached out, nodding Peter's head for him as a bit of hope slowly formed. Maybe they could make Peter's wife understand. She seemed nice. Surely if they could make her understand she would help them to save everyone.
Okay. She had already guessed that the little girl needed help but having it confirmed was good. What sort of help, though? "Is she sick?
Does she need a doctor?"
No, not sick. Natalie watched as Peter shook his head no, glancing down at the drawing again looking for some sort of clue to guide her.
There was something about the little girl's eyes.... "Peter, did someone hurt her? Is someone going to do something to hurt her?"
Yes, that was it! Natalie almost felt like shouting with triumph that she had been able to figure this out without help, just her, Peter and she had a feeling Mary. "Okay." She looked down at the paper once more.
If someone was going to hurt the little girl, then they obviously needed to do something to protect her. But if a doctor wasn't who she should call.... She stood and headed for the door. "Peter, I'm going to go downstairs and see if I can find this Mona and bring her up here. That should be safe enough. I'll be right back."
"Do you think she'll get there in time?" Mary asked Peter softly.
"Natalie's smart. She won't let anything happen to your friend.
Now how about we go back down to the basement? I want to take another look, see what we might be able to do to help them."
"Okay," Mary said as she reached out her hand, taking Peter's and leading him away once more as his body fell back onto the bed.
Natalie slipped off the elevator and made her way into the pediatrics ward, hoping that at this hour, that the nurses would be occupied or maybe relaxing while all of the children were sleeping. She didn't even want to try to explain why she was roaming around their floor with a drawing trying to find some strange child. Mona. That was an unusual enough name. How many Monas were likely to be here? She slipped from door to door, peering closely to read the names written next to them.
Amy, Hunter, Alex, Sarah. No Mona. She stopped for a moment, ducking back into the shadows as a nurse passed by before scurrying to the next room.
Yes, this was it! Mona!
"Hello?" She called softly as she slipped inside. Yes, definately the right place. There was the little girl that Peter had drawn sitting on the bed, swaying back and forth as she stared into nothingness. Natalie slowly approached, a bit nervous now that she was here. Something was obviously wrong with the little girl. What if she did something and made her worse? If she was in danger though....
"Hello." she said again as she reached the bed. "You don't know me but my name's Natalie. Someone sent me down here to find you. Do you know a little girl named Mary? Is she your friend?"
Mary. Something changed slightly in the girl's eyes at the mention of the name or maybe it was the word friend that did it. She turned her head slightly and looked at Natalie now although her eyes appeared to be blank still.
"Okay, Mary sent me down here to get you and take you upstairs. Do you think you can come with me?" Natalie asked as she reached out, taking the child's hand and helping her off of the bed. At least she could walk.
That was one good thing. As she led the little girl towards the door, she noticed the paint splashed about on the walls. "Do you like to paint? My husband paints. If you want me to, I can show you some of his drawings.
We have to be very quiet right now though."
Natalie and Mona slipped out the door and moved down the hallway slowly, hugging the wall. Suddenly, Natalie heard the elevator ding just in time to pull Mona into the shelter of the nearest room before the elevator passengers could exit. She cautiously peeked out as two doctors headed down the hallway. She barely suppressed a shiver. She definitely had a bad feeling about them, something that was confirmed as they entered Mona's room.
"Come on, sweetie. Let's get you out of here before they realize that you're missing." Natalie hustled the little girl out of the room. No time to wait for the elevator. She hurried Mona into the nearest stairwell and started up. She just hoped that they didn't think to check there before they reached the safety of Peter's floor.