"Doc." she said, surprised, "What are you doing here? It's late."
"Where were you?" he asked, anger clear in his voice.
"None of your business." she spat back at him. Who was he to ask her such a thing? He wasn't Eldest, he wasn't even older than her. Her business was her's and her's alone. "It is, actually." Doc said. "I need to make sure you are safe, I am the Doctor, after all."
"So? If I was hurt I would go see you. In the Hospital." she stressed the word letting him know that he clearly wasn't welcome here. Especially now.
Doc was standing several feet from her, his arms were folded behind his back, it was dark in the Hall, even the floppy screens had fallen into their mechanical sleep mode. He began pacing.
"You still didn't answer. Where were you?" He repeated.
"I already told you, it's none of your frexing business." she cursed at him.
His temper exploded, "You think I'm a chutz, do you? You think no one sees you sneak passed the Hospital? Your own nephew saw you walk by this evening and head toward the City, what business do you have there? Who are you meeting?"
Elodie hadn't thought she wasn't being stealthy. I should have waited to set out until after the solar lamp clicked off, she thought, like Elder had - ugh I'm such an idiot.
"Listen, Doc, what I do in the City is my own business. Or do you mean to tell me I can't leave this place? That I can't check up on my own family! They still live there, you know! As does yours!" she figured the lie she told Eldest was the best to use in this situation - it was logical and should Doc and Eldest actually be working together (though Elodie doubted this since Doc did go behind his back) it was better to use one lie - easier to keep track of that way.
He considered her words, he chewed on his cheek as if he were tasting them. There was something in his eyes, however, that suggested he didn't like the taste of them.
"Fine." he sneered, "...fine."
He began to walk toward the door, by doing so he got closer and closer to her. For a moment she thought he was actually going to walk straight up to her and maybe hit her, but he stopped inches away from her, his shoulder pressing against hers, and hissed, "Watch where you go, recorder." He resumed walking towards the door and Elodie couldn't wait to hear the large and heavy door be pulled shut. It didn't however, and she turned to see Doc had once again stopped, his frame silhouetted by the dim light coming from outside.
"I fixed your med pump, by the way, there was a malfunction earlier. You're welcome. I think you know how badly you need them." he told her and walked down the stairs, heading back to the Hospital, without shutting the door.
Elodie rushed over and slammed the door shut, collapsing against it once it was closed. What did he mean, she thought, shite he must know somehow. Perhaps it was paranoia but Elodie thought she was right, Doc must somehow know that she knows. She tried to cast the thoughts away, tried to tell herself she was being ridiculous, that Doc was telling the truth about the malfunction, that what he really meant was he thought she was loons and therefore needed her meds. But then she remembered that he knew about the phydus, too, hadn't Elder said that? That was how Doc was going to kill him. Yes, she thought, Doc knows about the phydus, knows Elder is alive, and he must know that I know it, too!
"What am I going to do?" she thought out-loud. "I can't go back to Elder - Eldest and Doc are watching me now. But I need to see him! And I can't!"
Despite how her mind was racing and how badly she wanted to think about how to solve these problems her exhaustion overtook her and she fell asleep there against the door.
When she woke the next morning it was still early and she was still tired, only now she was also sore from sleeping in a sitting position on the cold, hard floor. She stood, her back cracking softly as she rose, and headed for the kitchen.
'How am I going to get back to Elder?' she thought, her mind picking up right where it left off when she had fallen asleep.
'I can't go back for a while, that I can deal with, but I can't stay away from him forever!'
She walked up to the pill dispenser, inside sat a small blue and white pill which she grabbed, and then she headed to the sink where she poured herself a glass of water to swallow the pill with. She sat down at the table in the center of the small room and rubbed sleep from her eyes.
'Elder is going to wonder what happened to me.' she thought, 'Or is he? Will he be glad if I don't come back? No, surely he would - he said that didn't he? Oh what did he say?'
She thought for a moment, trying to remember their conversation - something about him going loons or her being loons or something... Her face screwed up in confusion, perplexed at how she couldn't seem to remember a conversation that happened only hours ago. She thought harder and harder trying to bring his words back to her but the harder she thought the more of the conversation she seemed to loose until finally she couldn't even remember what she was trying to think about.
'That's strange,' she thought, 'I could have sworn I was remembering something important...'
When the memories continued to elude her she gave up, thinking, 'Ah well, can't be too important if I can't remember.'
She went to rise from the chair, and doing so made her muscles cry with soreness from the roughness of her sleep. 'What a silly thing that was, to let myself fall asleep on the floor,' she thought, 'what was I doing last night that I couldn't make it to bed? That'll never happen again.'
She walked out into the Hall and looked out the window, the solar lamp had clicked on just as she pulled back the curtains and she was momentarily blinded from the sudden brightness. She smiled at the light, however, as she thought it was such a nice and welcome sight compared to the darkness in the hall. She flicked on the lights and bathed the large room in light, making it seem more welcoming. The school children would be showing up soon, she thought, and decided to head to her room to change.
When the children arrived she was sitting at a desk near the entrance. She rose to greet them, and gave them a short speech about how to properly use the wall floppy's for their studies. When they broke up into groups to use the floppy's (each of which had been set up for a different subject) Harley broke from his group to say hello.
"Auntie Elie!" he yelled, some of the other kids turning their heads to watch him. They didn't have any aunties or uncles, and some of them were slightly jealous though they would never admit it. "Guess what Auntie!"
"Shouldn't you be studying?" she questioned, there was a smile on her face but not in her voice, and Harley picked up on it.
"Are you okay, Auntie? Are you sad?" he asked.
"No, why, that is silly. Of course I am not sad. I am perfectly fine." she told him.
"You're acting strange, Auntie," he informed her. "Are you sick? Maybe you should see Doc! Doc has all the medicines." "Doc?" she repeated. Somewhere in the back of her mind a memory tried it's best to spark, to remind her of something that had happened, but the fire in her mind just wouldn't ignite. "No, I am fine. Run along now, you should be studying."
Harley looked up at her, hurt all over his face. He just couldn't understand why his Auntie was suddenly acting so strangely. It scared him and he no longer wanted to be by her. "Bye, Auntie." he mumbled as he ran off to join a large group of kids in front of one of the floppys.
The children left after a few hours and Elodie was once again alone in the massive building. She had straightened up after the children, had herself some lunch, took and early shower, enjoyed a small dinner, and then went to her chair on the porch to watch the solar lamp click off for the night. As she sat there, relaxing, she watched Doc ascend the stairs.
"Hello, Elodie." he greeted her.
"Hello, Doc." she said, smiling.
"You seem... well today?" he questioned.
"I feel well, thank you." she told him.
"I was just checking up on you, Harley said you seemed sick." he informed her.
"No, I am fine. Thank you, again." she assured him. "You took your meds this morning, I see." he smiled.
"I always take my meds, Doc, they make me not be loons. You said so yourself once." she explained.
"Right, that's right, they do help you." his smile grew wider. "Thank you for looking out for me." Elodie said.
"No problem at all." Doc answered. "I guess I'll be going - I've got patients to help." "Oh yes, of course. Take care!" she smiled.
"Take care." he repeated and turned and walked down the stairs.
Elodie watched as he walked out of sight back towards the Hospital. When she could no longer see him she turned her attention back out to the fields and watched as off in the distance small specks (which were actually rather large cows) moved slowly around. After several moments the solar lamp finally clicked off for the night, casting the level in a soft blue glow instead. Elodie stood and stretched, ready to retire to her bed for the night.
'What a lovely day,' she thought, 'nice and simple.'