Dancing with the Dead ✔

Chapter Thirty-Three - Fast Times at Casa Nova High

"Wait," I interrupt. "Let me talk to Sheila."

"No! Absolutely n—"

"The girl just had an overdose, Lucas. What do you think she'll do if she's interrogated by a cop like she's some kind of a criminal?"

His silence tells me he's giving it a sure though. "Fine. You have 24 hours."

Yes!

"But stay away from Stephens. You know what he's like around you and the last thing I want is to see you in a body bag," he continues.

A smile finds its way to the corner of my lips. "You've got yourself a deal."

***

The next day, I find out that Sheila McKinney has been transferred to the critical area. Apparently, after I left, she suffered from another cardiac arrest, something common in cases of Adderall overdose. She's stable now, but still unconscious. Unfortunately for me, that means I can't get her to talk yet. But right now, I've found the next best thing.

After grabbing a quick dinner in the hospital's cafeteria, I head back to the ICU to check up on Will one last time before I get home. That's when I see a teenage boy walking back and forth in front of the door to the critical area.

The boy is wearing a navy blue bomber jacket that makes his slim upper body looks slightly bulkier than it really is. Although he still walks with a limp, he no longer uses the cast I saw a few weeks ago. He presses his fingers to his lips, once in a while biting his nail out of anxiety. As I step closer towards him, I can see clear guilt in his face.

"Jonah?" I stop right before him.

He stops walking in an instant and turns his gaze at me with an anxious smile on his face. "Oh, h-hey doc," he stutters a little, looking agitated.

I give a warm smile before I ask, "I'm guessing you're here to see Sheila?"

"Yeah, but I don't have any access pass so..."

Here in St. Mary's Hospital, the critical area is restricted for authorized personnel only. But, if the patients' loved ones want to visit, they can ask permission to the nurse in charge. It's not exactly a complicated procedure, although some nurses are a bit fussier than others. Generally, the visitors only need to write their name and who they're visiting, then they'll be granted an access pass for that time being. The only rule is that the amount of visitors is limited to two people at a time.

I glance at the nurse station and see Nurse Thompson is sitting behind the desk. The young nurse isn't exactly a strict one. In fact, she's one of the lenient ones. Even Claire asks more questions than Nurse Thompson would.

It raises a big question, why doesn't Jonah just follow the procedure and go inside?

Then, I figure Sheila's parents must be inside, therefore he can't go in yet because of the two people rule.

Well, I guess sneaking him in won't do any harm.

"Here," I grab the card strapped around my neck, "You can use mine."

As I'm about to swipe my card on the machine, he stops me. "You know what? This is a mistake. I mean... I shouldn't see her. I'm sorry." He spins on his heel and walks away.

Huh?

"Jonah, wait!" I cry while I follow him. But he ignores my call and paces his steps instead. "Jonah, is everything okay?"