My fingers wrapped themselves into fists and clenched, digging my nails into my palm. Breath came in shaky gulps that I tried to hide by clenching my teeth. The vibrantly green grass looked awful soft and friendly between the frayed edges of my black Reeboks as I tried in vain to get control of myself. What, you may ask, spawned this particular panic attack? We followed Jacob through town until he found where he’d woken up.
In front of a psychiatric hospital.
Lovely.
Michael tugged me aside and blocked the view of the cheerful white sign indicating the name of the mental hospital. Not that it helped. “Jordan, look at me. Are you alright?”
“Yeah,” I told him with a high, false laugh. “Doesn’t everyone do their Lamaze breathing in front of an insane asylum?”
My joke didn’t seem to make him feel any better. He gripped my upper arms and made me look up at his face. “You don’t have to go in. You know that.”
I shook my head. “My ghost kid. My job. I’ll be fine, I swear.”
“I don’t believe you.”
I unclenched one hand and patted him on the arm. “That’s because you’re smart.”
Thankfully, the panic attack was only momentary. My breathing slowed. The cold sweat down my back evaporated. I felt the fear retreating into the depths of my mind.
Jacob had a worried look on his face, mirroring Michael’s. “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing, kiddo. We’re fine. Now that we’re at your site, are you remembering anything else?”
“Yes. There was a lady inside. She had dark hair and glasses. I remember seeing her.”
“There must be a children’s wing here, right? Do you think this woman is the reason you didn’t cross over?”
Jacob’s nose wrinkled in concentration as he tried to remember. “Maybe.”
“Was she a doctor? A nurse? A secretary?”
The boy shook his head. “She was in a suit, not scrubs. I don’t think she was a physician.”
“Hospital management, sounds like. Alright, I need you to concentrate and tell me if she had any outstanding features.”
Jacob closed his eyes and took a deep breath, remaining silent for a long moment before replying. “She was kinda pale…her hair was really long and curly…and she had a white name tag that said Dr. Vulcan on it.”
“Vulcan?” I said in disbelief. “Eh, maybe she’s a Trekkie. Good job, Jacob.” I scribbled the name down on my notepad and squared my shoulders, facing the sidewalk leading up to the white and somehow ominous building.
“Let’s find your doctor.”
The receptionist at the bottom floor front desk was young—maybe seventeen or eighteen. Probably some kind of intern. She looked up at us through red bangs as we approached.
“How can I help you?”
“We were hoping to see if Dr. Vulcan was available today.”
The girl turned to her computer and started typing away, blue eyes scanning the screen. “Do you have an appointment with her?”
“No. I was hoping you guys did walk-in appointments,” I said. Trust me, I wasn’t an expert on psychiatric hospitals, but if they were anything like clinics then we may have been in luck.
The redhead did some more reading before answering. “Actually, she’s just finishing up rounds. I can send you up to her office if you’d like.”
I breathed a sigh of relief. “Yes, that would be fantastic.”
The receptionist took down information for both of us and pointed us to the left wing of the building. My shoulders wouldn’t relax as I walked through the pristine hallways with men and women in lab coats brushing past me. Michael wordlessly slipped his fingers between mine. Part of me wanted to protest because I usually didn’t like being touched, but I didn’t say anything because it actually helped calm me down. His hand was solid and warm and real. I needed that right now.
Dr. Vulcan had a nice corner office with a rear view of the estate. We sat in the plush leather chairs in front of her desk. I tried to keep my leg from bouncing up and down from nervous energy, but I couldn’t until Michael laid his hand on my knee for a brief moment. Jacob wandered around the room, staring at the towering bookshelves along the walls behind me. Even I had to admit they were impressive. How had she managed to cram so many medical books in there?
After a moment, a blonde woman appeared, catching our attention. “Excuse me, Dr. Vulcan has asked to meet you on the bottom floor. Exactly what kind of help are you looking for?”
Michael glanced at me and I nodded, indicating that I’d answer. “I have someone who might have been through here before—a little boy named Jacob.”
The woman nodded. “Well, she might remember who that is. Her files of past patients are in that file cabinet right there. I can send someone to open them for you, but he will need your information to gain access.”
I turned to Michael, murmuring. “You take the kid to see her. I’ll stay here and stall in case she’s not the right one for his final wish.”
He stood. “Be careful.”
I saluted him. Michael and Jacob went out into the hallway and the blonde lady promised that someone would come by to help me in a minute. After sitting back down, I closed my eyes and took slow breaths, reminding myself that this was a completely different hospital and nothing horrible would happen to me here. Michael would help the kid cross over and then we could go home—the light at the end of my panic-ridden tunnel.
“Miss Amador?”
I whirled around to see a tall man in an expensive black suit standing in the doorway. Even more impressive than his height was the long ebony hair he’d pulled back into a ponytail going down his back. Thick-rimmed glasses obscured the color of his eyes from me as he smiled.
“You need access to the files, right?”
“Uh, yeah.” I said, walking over to the cabinet and preparing to lie through my teeth.
He reached into his pockets, searching for the keys. “Would you mind answering a question for me?”
“Sure.”
“Does this smell like chloroform?”
Before I could move, he withdrew a white cloth and pressed it over my face. A muffled scream escaped me, but I knew it wasn’t loud enough to attract anyone from the hall. The tall man calmly wrapped his arms around me to keep me still as the drug took effect. My body went weak and rubbery as I slipped into unconsciousness. For the second time in my life, a psychiatric hospital would be the death of me.