Greetings all! And also SW! When are you gonna reveal your true id?
Sorry this is a short chapter - i just needed to write and update. Thanks so much for all your kind (or otherwise) reviews! Every little helps! :-) (not that i work for Tesco's, you understand!)
It was a warm day, Kelly could tell, even though it was still spring. The very few windows to the outdoors that she had passed by, were illuminated by blue sky and sunshine. And how she longed to be outside and feel that warming glow from the sun seep into her pores and restore some balance! She felt sorry for all the many inhabitants of the earth who had to live in cold and darker climates and counted herself very lucky to live well and work in such almost all-year-round sunny climes as California.
After morning chores, she had teamed up with Colleen to attend mid-morning lessons and prayers. Kelly found the whole routine so excruciatingly dull and boring, and wondered if Colleen really got any spiritual satisfaction out of this whole place at all. In fact, she wondered if anyone did. The 'brothers' - when Brother Marcus himself was not in attendance - seemed only capable of delivering readings from the Gospels. All this was nothing new to Kelly. She had learned the Gospels pretty much off by heart in her formative years. She smiled inwardly. Formative? She could think of better adjectives.
As herself and Colleen made their way from the main hall, with the rest of the sisters, Kelly tapped Colleens arm.
"So, what did you get out of that lesson today, Colleen? I sometimes think that the apostle Luke could be a bit… too objective…" Kelly let her sentence hang, trying to hook something small but fruitful within Colleens tightly guarded Irish 'inner sanctum'.
Colleen looked back at Kelly with a question emanating from her solemn green eyes.
"Oh Kelly, it's the Lords work to be sure…." she looked quizzically at her companion. "Will you be doubting the word of our true Christian Fathers and Holy Saints then?" She challenged Kelly, with more than a hint of concern. Kelly gracefully backed down.
"Oh no, Colleen, of course not!" She flashed her friend a smile of re-assurance. "I just wanted to discuss some of the context of the verses we heard this morning… what do you think?"
Colleen cast Kelly a sidelong glance. "If yer ask me, Kelly Garrett, I think you think too much, that's what I think!"
And with that, Colleen strode ahead of Kelly, but called back over her shoulder. "You'd best get used to the life round here Kelly Garrett, or I think you'll be misinterpreting far too much!"
Kelly winced. She thought perhaps she'd found an ally in Colleen. Suddenly, Colleen seemed to have changed. Kelly felt troubled over this. Was Colleen allowing herself to be brainwashed by these people? Kelly didn't like the thought at all. Even though Colleen was obviously entrenched in everything Catholic, just as she had so obviously been raised. Kelly let the girl go on ahead. She wasn't here on spiritual business after all. There was a case to solve… and Kelly wasn't about to waste too much time on a disjointed young Catholic girl or shatter all her religious illusions… but then if these two situations became mutually inclusive…Kelly took a deep breath and let Colleen head out to her own destination, then discreetly turned off in the direction of somewhere a little more quiet, to gather her thoughts. The infirmary was usually the quietest place to find a bit of solitude. There weren't many medical emergencies going on around this neck of the woods, Kelly smirked to herself. She walked on, towards the main Infirmary, heeding the light chatter coming from beyond the double doors. She stopped outside, suddenly aware of something important happening within. There was a lot of activity. A certain amount of tension in the voices that carried to her ears from beyond the two doors. What had happened? Kelly put her face to the doors to see through, wondering if she could be of any assistance.
"Sister Garrett!" A sharp male voice cut through Kelly's thoughts and startled her, making her involuntarily swing around, to face her threat. She couldn't be sure, but the brother who had just walked up on her looked very much like the one who had rescued her from the cellar. She smiled brightly.
"Oh, er, brother! I was just making my way here to help out…" Kelly began, unsure really of how to explain why she was there.
"Sister Garrett!" The brother fixed her with a needlepoint stare, his cold blue eyes giving nothing away. "This area is off limits to new sisters!"
Kelly stepped back and held her palms out in a placating gesture.
"I am sorry brother… I was meditating as I walked, and just subconsciously found myself here!" Kelly then shot a meaningful look to the doors. "I'm trained in first aid - is there anything I can help with, here, brother?" It wasn't a complete lie. Kelly bowed her head in submission then, and waited for whatever came next. The brother seemed to weigh up Kelly's admission, then appeared to relax.
"You may enter the Infirmary - if you can help…" The brother said, bowed his head, turned and walked away. Kelly took this as a green light and walked through the double doors, wondering if she was right about the brother and, also what everyone seemed to be fussing over. As she entered, sister Clayton looked up from a small huddle of people around one of the beds.
"Sister Garrett, what are you doing in here?" She asked Kelly, almost scolding her, Kelly felt. But she continued walking over to sister Clayton, letting her see that she wasn't cowed in any way.
"I'm sorry, sister Clayton, I realise there is a medical situation going on here…" Kelly indicated the huddle by the bed. "I would just like to offer some help, If I can?"
Sister Clayton then herself motioned towards the bed.
"It's alright, sister, we have everything in hand here. A young woman has been found beaten outside the gates, but these sisters are quite capable of seeing to the young lady." Sister Claytons voice had softened. It was apparent to Kelly that the situation had disturbed the usually stone-faced sister.
"oh, okay, well I just…"
At that moment, one of the sisters broke away from the group of three others and hurried to the end of the room with some bloodied and dirty bandaging. Kelly caught a glimpse of the girls bare tanned legs and feet. And became alarmed. Somehow, somewhere, some kind of recognition was flitting its way across her subconscious. She stammered with the rest of her sentence and took a couple of steps towards the bed.
"Sister Garrett…!" Sister Clayton warned. "There is really no need for you to be…"
Kelly paid no attention to the rest of the sisters words, as she took one more step up to the bed, and next to two other sisters, one of whom was applying a cold compress to the nose of the girl that Kelly recognised with shock. With great restraint and presence of mind, she stopped herself from blurting out Kris's name, as she looked upon the unconscious form of her friend.
What the hell…? Kelly cursed inwardly and felt her heart pound. Then sister Clayton took Kelly firmly by the arm and led a reluctant Kelly away from the bed.
"Yes, it is shocking to see a young lady in such a state, sister. But rest assured, sisters Claremont and Young are ex-nurses and are more than capable of helping this unfortunate girl." Sister Clayton seemed to be making a genuine effort to allay Kelly's fears, so she looked at her with gratitude.
"Oh I'm so relieved!" Kelly said truthfully. "Do you think she'll be okay? What are her injuries, do you know? And where was she found?" Kelly checked herself mentally. Too many questions Kelly. Hold up.
But sister Clayton appeared not to be suspicious, but somewhat considerate over Kelly's questions, as she gave Kelly a kindly look.
"I'll tell you what, sister Garrett - as soon as the girl is awake, I'll let you visit her. Perhaps you would like to offer her some Christian comfort and support, hmm?"
Kelly smiled her thanks. "Oh that would be nice, sister, I'd love to help in any way I can."
"Okay then, I'll come and find you later on - but for now, I must please ask you to let the sisters do their jobs…"
"Of course, thank you sister." Kelly nodded, then turned and left the Infirmary, shocked by this turn of events and desperately worried for Kris.
How on earth had Kris tracked her down? Why had she gotten herself into so much trouble to get in here? So what was Sabrina and Bosley doing meanwhile? Kelly didn't have any answers to those questions right now, but knew that Kris would fill her in when she came round. Oh Kris, what have you done? Kelly made her way back to her room, wanting to be right by Kris's side, but knowing that creating too much attention could give something away. When she got to her room, she walked up to the small cabinet beside her bed and picked up the Bible that she had hardly touched since she came here. It wasn't the complete Bible, she realised. It began with Matthews Gospel and finished at Revelation. Just like the Gideon Bible. Not very useful for backtracking references. But then this had no references in either. Not very useful at all. Kelly sighed, then looked up one of her favourite scriptures from the letters of the Apostle Paul. She sat down on the edge of her bed.
What was it now, she pondered, flicking through the tissue-thin pages. Ah, the letter to the Philippians, she remembered. Chapter four, verses six and seven. She read them through, and then re-read them. Then she put the book down and sighed. It was no good she realised, having a fondness for scripture, if you didn't do much about what you knew. But that was another problem for another day, she mentally shrugged. Don't get bogged down. She stood up. She needed to gather more information about this place. Brother Marcus obviously had influence over his 'sisters' judging by the way sister Clayton generally acted, and how Colleen was now beginning to react. But from what she'd experienced so far, it was all pretty tame stuff. Nothing to get too zealous over. Was she the only person in this entire building that found all this so dull? Kelly shook her head. She just didn't get it. There must be something else going on here. "Mental powers…" the scripture she had read rang in her head. Something else. Kelly pondered over this then sighed and sat back down on the bed. What about the drugs in the cellars? Did they play a part in any of this? Kelly suddenly felt cold. Of course! What if brother Marcus was feeding everyone with some kind of concoction? Damn it! She rebuked herself. Why had she not thought of this before? That could be it! But just before she got carried away with the idea, she realised one thing. She herself didn't appear to be affected by any of it. Not yet…. What if it took time to get into the system? A little bit at a time and going unnoticed? Kelly suddenly felt anxious. She didn't like where her thoughts were taking her. Alda Limardo had been found pumped full of amphetamines.
Kelly's stomach flipped as her anxieties solidified into a single thought. Okay, Houston, we have a problem.
The stifling warmth in hospitals always got to Bosley, making him twist his tie loose and undo his collar for a few minutes, as he made his way up in the elevator towards the floor that Sabrina was on. He glanced around a little, acknowledging the other folk travelling with him, realising that they were most likely on a similar mission of care towards their own family or friends. Hospitals were where people went to get better, Bosley reminded himself. Not just where people ended up dying. He just felt particularly gloomy today, knowing that all of the angels were in dangerous situations right now. And there didn't appear to be much he could do to help.
Well John, he chided himself. You can wipe that big old frown off your face for one thing, and go give Sabrina the support she needs. The elevator was almost at floor eleven, where he wanted to be. The car slid smoothly to a halt and as the doors began to open, people were already pushing from the back of the car and he allowed himself to be carried along with the throng, out into the corridor. Then he turned towards Sabrina's room, buttoning his collar and straightening his tie as he went. He got to her door and very gently knocked, before lightening his countenance, opening the door and walking in. He wondered briefly, as he approached Sabrina's bed, if Charlie had been by at all…