A Million Hiding Places {Completed}

Chapter Four: Couldn't Care Less

Harley

Doctor Tinker stood in front of me, fiddeling with her doctors coat. Inside her pocket money clancked together, rolling to the left as she swayed nervously from one foot to the other. Her red hair was pulled back into a no-nosense bun, black chop sticks holding it in place. Her pale brown eyes were sad; defeated. I knew instantly it was bad news.

When we'd walked into the Emergency Room, Chris had just made it to one of the avalible couches before collapsing, his face pale and gaunt. That little stunt right there is what had put as ahead of all the lines of sick children and angry parents. It even put us in front of this one boy, whose index finger was hanging from his hand by a single thread of tissue. Not that he seemed faised by the idea- in fact, he looked content as he giggled, watching his finger sway from side to side.

After I'd asked for Doctor Tinker, we were ushered by a very friendly nurse into the elevator and sent to the fourth floor. I didn't want to look at the sign that would tell me what Dr. Tinker specialised in. I didn't want to know.

We'd met her as the doors had opened. She was standing there a phone pressed to her ear. I knew she was talking to Jackson, I could hear his voice. She'd grabbed Chris by the elbow gently, forced me into a chair inside her office and lead him off for tests.

Now, I was sitting in the same place I had been for the last three hours, watching her nervously fold herself into her desk chair, breathing deeply.

"Harley." She said, folding her hands in front of her. "Harley, it's not good."

I nodded, completely numb. I already knew that. I'd already guessed it wasn't good. Nobody and I mean nobody, fiddled around like that if it was good news.

I was on edge, my heart pounding in my chest, my thoughts jumping to all sorts of conclusions.

"We aren't sure whats wrong with him yet exactly. So we're keeping him over night to run more tests and monitor him. It could just be a bug; a really bad one. Who knows..? Or it could be something more."

"Something more?" I asked dumbly, my mind whirling. What could possibly be wrong with him? He was so healthy last week! He was excited to be in school, he was going to try out for the hockey team, for chris sakes!

She nodded her head, looking grave. "Yes." She shakes her head. Almost like she's trying to move things back into place inside her skull. Like everything was falling to pieces. "Harley, do you know why Dr. Peters sent you too me? Do you know what I do? What I treat?"

I shook my head. No, I didn't. Did I want to? Did I want to know what Jackson had sent me here for? Did I?

Robbie

 "Come on, man. What the hell was that this week anyways?" Luke asks, popping to top off his beer and sculling the first half, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand.

I push myself onto my elbows, exhausted and take another sip of my beer. "What are you talking about, Lukey-boy? Hand me the chips."

Luke chucks me the CC bag and I stuff a handful in my mouth. He shakes his head, kicking some empty packing boxes out of the way as he comes to lie beside me on the freshly vacuumed floor. "You know exactly what I'm talking about. The shit in Tutoring. What the hell was it? Why'd you stop showing up?"

I sigh, remembering it. "Why do you care? I mean, why'd you even stay?"

Luke frowns. "Cause I can't afford to fail! And neither can you god damn it, Rob!" He sits up, pounding his fist into the ground looking frustrated.

I grin cockily. "Someone's whipped! Why happened in that classroom after I left?" I wiggle my eyebrows at him as he smacks me across the back of the head.

"She actually taught me alot, stupid. I passed that test we had yesterday with flying colours!"

I frown. "How do you even know that?! We haven't got our marks back yet!" I say, thinking about the test on Romeo and Juliet. Damn it was hard. Dad had warned me that I had to start passing English or I was screwed.

Luke grins finishing his beer. "Dude, Harley, I mean Miss James, gave us our marks back when she showed up." He frowns. "I think something's wrong with her."

I rolled my eyes. "Yeah, she's teaching us!" I think back to the last lesson I attended, which was the first one. I haven't been back at all. It's been a week.

Luke shakes his head. "No, I'm being serious. When she showed up, she had massive circles under her eyes and she was pale. She's lost a lot of wieght recently too, her clothes were hanging off her body, man. She didn't talk much, just made us read and checked her phone every five minutes. In the end, she told us we could go ten mintues into the lesson! She ran out of that room so fast, if you'd blinked, you woulda missed her."

I grin. Luke is just playing me. Trying to make me feel guilty for skipping, I can tell. He's lying his ass off, right there. Always knew he was a good actor. "Whatever, Lukey. Just help me unpack the rest of this crap."

                                                                               ~~~~

I looked up as my shopping cart hit something, a loud bang resinating around me. I had't been watching. I was too busy inspecting my list of items, trying to remember which ones I had already gotten and trying to decifer Luke's horrilbe writing.

She looks up at the sound too, her eyes wide with shock. I gasp, pulling my cart away. "Sorry." I mumble, trying to hide my face.

"No worries, Robbie."

I frown, she saw me, damn! I look up, considering that she's seen me, there is no point in hiding.

"Hey, Miss James." I grin at her, looking at the shelves behind her instead of at her face. I don't know why I didn't look at her. I just couldn't. Wouldn't.

"Robbie its good to see you. Where have you-," Her voice is cut off as a little kid, about four, runs up to her waving something in her face. She bends down, the displays shading her face. "Amelia, whats that?"

The little girl hugs her legs and passes her the thing. "Can I get it, sissy?"

Harley frowns and turns the box over. A barbie doll stares back at her, her plastic face smiling. "Amelia, I told you that we-," She stops abruptly and glances at me. Lowering her voice, she leans towards the little girl. I strain to hear what she's saying. "Honey, we can't afford it. Sorry sweetie." She hugs the little girl, who has tears in her eyes, and picks her up, placing her on that back of the trolley.

"Sorry, Robbie." She says, glancing at me. "This is Amelia, my sister and this here is Jake." She moves her leg forwards to reveal a slight boy, clearly Amelia's twin, clinging to her leg, his face burried in her knee cap.

She prys him off and places him into the trolley too. She glances at me and I take a step back, moving my trollet out of the road. Where's her parents? Shouldn't they be looking after the little kids?

I'm interuppted by my thoughts as she steps into the light, revealing all her face. I suck in a breath. Luke was right. Her face is gaunt, dark shadows framing her large green eyes. Her clothes hang off her body. She is pale; sickly.

"Harley... What happened?" My voice is steady. I'm filled with worry. This girl, younger than me, what has happened too her? The image of her on the first day of English Tutoring fills my mind: her hair bouncing, a smile on her face, her body full. What the hell?

I push the worry away and look back at her. So what if somethings wrong? I have problems too! I shouldn't be worrying about hers. I should be worrying about my own!

Even I knew, in the back of my mind, that all those reasons I had just come up with, were pathetic. In truth, I didn't want to care. I couldn't. I didn't want to get too close to her and then something bad happen. I couldn't do it.

"I'll see you round, Miss James." I say and I walk away.

She grabs my shoulder, her nails digging into my skin. "Turn up to class Robbie. It might do you some good."

I nod and continue walking away.