The Unknown

Road sign

Lisa's pov

My sisters and I are currently in the emergency room at Salem General. Well, technically only Stacey and I are patients, Julie and Carrie were brought along for the ride and are sitting in the waiting room. I have a bump on my shin about the size of a ping pong ball and Stacey has a cut over her right eye that was deep enough to require stitches. None of us wanted to be here but the paramedics didn't really give us a choice.

Carrie's pov

Julie and I are screwing around on our phones, trying to pass the time while we wait for Stacey and Lisa to be released.

"That's funny, Carrie. That TikTok you're listening to sounds just like Mi..." 

"Mike!" I say in shock, interrupting Julie as I look up to see him standing in front of us. "What are you doing here?"

"Did the four of you really think I wouldn't find out you were brought in for treatment just because you refused to give the staff your names?" Mike's glaring at us, his arms crossed over his chest. "You do know I worked here for many years, right? In fact, I still help out in the o.r. occasionally and Dr. Curtis is still the acting CEO here. Are you truly surprised one of our colleagues recognized you and passed the information along?"

"Uhhh." I look at the floor, ashamed of our naivete.

"HONESTLY! I seriously wonder what goes through your minds sometimes."

"Usually, it's a combination of hot guys, chocolate, and how much we hate school," Julie replies flatly, never taking her eyes off her phone. "You can relate to at least one of those."

Grabbing her phone out of her hands, Mike warns, "I'm not finding anything about this situation amusing, Julie."

Julie just looks at Mike and slumps back in her chair, crossing her arms defiantly.

Mike momentarily considers addressing Julie's attitude on the spot but thinks better of it.

"I'm going to check on Lisa and Stacey." He raises one eyebrow and commands strictly, "When I return, I expect the two of you to tell me exactly what happened. Understand?"

I immediately respond, "Yes sir."

Mike looks expectantly at Julie, waiting for her to duplicate my response but instead he hears Julie say, "What?" indicating her extreme disinterest.

Bending down to meet her at eye level, Mike asks in an eerily calm voice, "Do you really think testing my patience is currently your best course of action, Julie Elizabeth?"

When she hesitates to respond, Mike grasps her chin tightly in his hand and growls, "ANSWER ME NOW! DO.YOU.UNDERSTAND.ME?"

Finally meeting his gaze, Julie astutely recognizes the signs of an impending spanking contingent on her response so she wisely chooses the appropriate answer, "Yes sir, I understand."

Mike slowly releases his hold on her and then proceeds to the admit. desk to speak to the staff.

After speaking with Stacey and Lisa, making sure they were okay, Mike filled out all the necessary paperwork and returned to question us while we waited for them to be discharged.

"Start talking, ladies. I want to know how the four of you ended up in the e.r. as a result of a car accident involving only one car when you were supposed to be at Suzanne's watching movies?" Mike tapped his foot impatiently.

I looked at Julie but she quickly shook her head from side to side, indicating I shouldn't say anything.

Aware of the look we just exchanged, Mike commands, "Julie, I want you to tell me what happened, and I want to know right now!" Mike's short temper is becoming evident.