"Mama?" Bobby called as he pushed the door to his mother's hospital
room open. Ever since the scene with Steg downstairs, when he had argued
so hard that there hadn't been any sort of cave-in.... That was extremely
suspicious as far as Bobby was concerned and now he was definitely worried
about his mother. If Stegman had done anything to her he would never
forgive himself. He should have checked on her, made sure that she was
okay instead of hanging around downstairs playing games with Otto. "Mama?"
"Bobby, what is going on?" Sally demanded as she tugged anxiously on the restraints holding her to the bed. She had been trying to free herself ever since that awful man had come in and ordered her fastened down but she hadn't succeeded so far.
"Mama, what happened?" Bobby exclaimed as he rushed over to his mother as soon as he saw the restraints and started to unfasten her hands.
Oh, this was exactly what he had been afraid of! "Did Stegman do this?"
Sally nodded, worry really hitting her at the sight of the expression on Bobby's face. By nature, her son was one of the most easygoing people she knew and didn't let himself get worked up about anything, including,
she had to admit, actually doing the work that he was paid to do. He definitely seemed upset now though. "Bobby, what is going on? I've been trying to free myself for hours now. What's happening?"
"There's been another earthquake, Mama." Bobby said as he helped his mother out of bed. No way was he going to leave her here unprotected, not with Stegman on the loose. Why couldn't the ceiling have fallen in on him instead of Hook and the others? "Part of the ceiling caved in down in the basement. Dr. Hook and some of the other doctors are trapped."
"Oh, my heavens." Sally said in a soft whisper as she followed Bobby towards the elevator, pulling her robe on as she walked. "Are they alright? Is that nice friend of Dr. Hook's, Dr. Draper, down there too?"
Both of them had really touched her with their willingness to go out of their way to help her even with the very thin evidence that she had for Mary's existence at the beginning. If anything had happened to them....
"Yes, Chris, Hook, both of the Traffs and Lona. The person who called said that Lona got hurt." Bobby said with a shake of his head. If Lona was injured, he didn't even want to imagine the state that Elmer would be in. "I want you to stay right with me, Mama. I don't trust Stegman and he's probably still down there trying to cover for himself."
"Cover for himself?" That sounded a bit odd to say the least.
"Bobby, what is going on here?" It sounded like something had happened besides just an earthquake and a cave-in.
"He tried to say that there hadn't been a cave-in, wasn't going to let the firemen go downstairs and check things out. If Carrie hadn't gone down to the basement and seen it...." And actually managed to stay conscious long enough to report it, he thought but didn't say.
"He knew?" Sally whispered. "You think he knew and was going to leave them trapped?"
"He hates Hook. Just stay close to me, Mama." Bobby said as the elevator opened on the basement level and he stepped out followed by Sally.
He had made a mistake before and had left his mother unprotected from Stegman. He wasn't going to do that again, not even if it ended up costing him his job. "Stegman hates you to, you know. Just stay right with me and don't go wondering off looking for that little girl right now, okay?"
Sally nodded as they hurried down the hallway. As soon as she saw the pile of debris blocking any further passage down the hallway, her eyes widened in shock. This wasn't good, definitely wasn't good.
"Otto, what are the firemen saying?" Bobby asked anxiously as his friend came over to join them.
"It will take hours to clear it." Otto said with a shake of his head.
He couldn't bring himself to say what else he was thinking. He didn't know much about medicine but working in a hospital, you definitely picked up some things. If Lona was hurt as badly as whoever had reported the cave-in had said, if anyone else was injured, the might not have that much time left.
"Well, we can't just stand here and wait." Sally said quietly after another look at the debris. "Let's see what we can do to help them." As she headed for the nearest fireman with Bobby and Otto right behind her,
her thoughts turned to little Mary. She hoped that child could look after all of those who were in danger now.
"Bobby, what is going on?" Sally demanded as she tugged anxiously on the restraints holding her to the bed. She had been trying to free herself ever since that awful man had come in and ordered her fastened down but she hadn't succeeded so far.
"Mama, what happened?" Bobby exclaimed as he rushed over to his mother as soon as he saw the restraints and started to unfasten her hands.
Oh, this was exactly what he had been afraid of! "Did Stegman do this?"
Sally nodded, worry really hitting her at the sight of the expression on Bobby's face. By nature, her son was one of the most easygoing people she knew and didn't let himself get worked up about anything, including,
she had to admit, actually doing the work that he was paid to do. He definitely seemed upset now though. "Bobby, what is going on? I've been trying to free myself for hours now. What's happening?"
"There's been another earthquake, Mama." Bobby said as he helped his mother out of bed. No way was he going to leave her here unprotected, not with Stegman on the loose. Why couldn't the ceiling have fallen in on him instead of Hook and the others? "Part of the ceiling caved in down in the basement. Dr. Hook and some of the other doctors are trapped."
"Oh, my heavens." Sally said in a soft whisper as she followed Bobby towards the elevator, pulling her robe on as she walked. "Are they alright? Is that nice friend of Dr. Hook's, Dr. Draper, down there too?"
Both of them had really touched her with their willingness to go out of their way to help her even with the very thin evidence that she had for Mary's existence at the beginning. If anything had happened to them....
"Yes, Chris, Hook, both of the Traffs and Lona. The person who called said that Lona got hurt." Bobby said with a shake of his head. If Lona was injured, he didn't even want to imagine the state that Elmer would be in. "I want you to stay right with me, Mama. I don't trust Stegman and he's probably still down there trying to cover for himself."
"Cover for himself?" That sounded a bit odd to say the least.
"Bobby, what is going on here?" It sounded like something had happened besides just an earthquake and a cave-in.
"He tried to say that there hadn't been a cave-in, wasn't going to let the firemen go downstairs and check things out. If Carrie hadn't gone down to the basement and seen it...." And actually managed to stay conscious long enough to report it, he thought but didn't say.
"He knew?" Sally whispered. "You think he knew and was going to leave them trapped?"
"He hates Hook. Just stay close to me, Mama." Bobby said as the elevator opened on the basement level and he stepped out followed by Sally.
He had made a mistake before and had left his mother unprotected from Stegman. He wasn't going to do that again, not even if it ended up costing him his job. "Stegman hates you to, you know. Just stay right with me and don't go wondering off looking for that little girl right now, okay?"
Sally nodded as they hurried down the hallway. As soon as she saw the pile of debris blocking any further passage down the hallway, her eyes widened in shock. This wasn't good, definitely wasn't good.
"Otto, what are the firemen saying?" Bobby asked anxiously as his friend came over to join them.
"It will take hours to clear it." Otto said with a shake of his head.
He couldn't bring himself to say what else he was thinking. He didn't know much about medicine but working in a hospital, you definitely picked up some things. If Lona was hurt as badly as whoever had reported the cave-in had said, if anyone else was injured, the might not have that much time left.
"Well, we can't just stand here and wait." Sally said quietly after another look at the debris. "Let's see what we can do to help them." As she headed for the nearest fireman with Bobby and Otto right behind her,
her thoughts turned to little Mary. She hoped that child could look after all of those who were in danger now.