Chapter 13
Vi felt uncomfortable as she slowly returned to consciousness. Her neck was turned at a funny angle, and her legs felt cramped from being bent too long. She was curled up on the loveseat at Eleanor’s house, having fallen asleep there in the wee hours of the morning. She sat up and rubbed her eyes, noticing that Meredith sat upright on the couch across from her.
“Hey,” Vi said, her voice breaking. “Did you sleep?”
Meredith looked haggard and pale, deep shadows having taken up residence under her eyes. “No,” she said blankly. Then, “I tried to, but I couldn’t stop thinking about everything. My life is completely over as I know it, isn’t it?” She looked into Vi’s eyes, hoping that she would be contradicted.
Vi felt sorry for her--growing up with Meredith, Vi understood her friend better than most. Meredith had always been the popular one, happy to live and have friends and fit in. Vi would have jumped at the chance to have something that set her apart from others, but Meredith was different. She didn’t need or want to be special. After a long silence, Vi answered Meredith’s question. “Yeah, I’d say so, kid.”
Vi wondered if Meredith was going to cry, and was mildly surprised when instead she let out a large sigh and said, “I guess I had better get used to it, then.” Meredith looked down at her hands, lacing and unlacing her fingers together.
Remembering advice she had been given once at the end of a serious relationship, Vi said, “It’s okay to be sad to lose the life you thought you were going to live, you know. You have to grieve for those disappointed expectations, because they were a very real part of you.”
Meredith looked up Vi, startled by the unexpected advice. “I know you think I should be happy about all this, Vi.”
Vi hesitated as she formulated her response. “It’s true that I would be happy, but that doesn’t mean you should be happy. We’re different from each other, and we want different things.”
Meredith stood and came to sit next to Vi, awkwardly wrapping her arms around Vi from the side. She leaned her head on Vi’s shoulder. “Thanks.”
Vi returned the hug and kissed the top of Meredith’s head. “Just promise me that when you figure out how to use your newfound gifts you’ll remember your old buddy Vi.”
Meredith laughed and gave VI another squeeze. Then, playfully she asked, “Aw Vi, are we having a gooey moment?”
“Blegh, never,” Vi said back. They hugged for another moment and then Vi asked, “What time is it? You think Eleanor’s got any coffee around here?”
Meredith broke off the embrace and looked at her watch. “It’s almost six. How about you see if you can get the news on that relic--” she gestured to the TV “--while I go find us some caffeine?”
“Deal,” Vi said brightly. She walked over to the TV and squatted down in front of it. It had three silver knobs along one side, and she turned the top one. The TV clicked and then emitted a low whine as it slowly lit up. The screen was snowy and then began to roar at her loudly. “Ack!” Vi quickly turned the second knob, grateful to discover that it was the volume control. The third knob changed the channel, and Vi clicked through until she found a familiar newscaster’s face. After adjusting the volume, she returned to the couch to watch.
The first segment was about the previous night’s haboob, detailing the strength of the storm and the resulting damage around the valley. The coverage was similar to other stories she had seen in the past in the aftermath of the dust storms, so Vi was mildly bored as she waited for them to move on to the next story.
Meredith returned to the living room with two Diet Cokes in hand. “There’s no coffee, and all the tea is decaf,” she explained.
Vi took the proffered soda, muttering, “Vile witch. Who doesn’t keep coffee in their house?”
Meredith shrugged and flopped down onto the couch next to Vi, opening her soda with a pop and a hiss. “I’d find that sound more welcome if it weren’t fifty degrees in here,” Meredith observed.
“No coffee and no heater. The woman is pure evil.”
The news program concluded its story about the storm damage and returned to the anchors, who took turns relaying the news. “Unfortunately, we have to report that several windstorms and tornadoes also ravaged other parts of the country overnight. The worst hit area seems to be the small town of South Grove, Missouri. About half of the structures in the municipality have been destroyed, and currently there are three confirmed deaths along with dozens of others still missing. These events, combined with the other recent weather and seismological activity, have Washington taking note. The President has promised additional funding for research into explaining these worldwide changes, hoping that we will soon be able to predict any patterns going forward.”
Vi leaned forward and rested her elbows on her knees. “It’s weird that we know why this is happening but no one else does. It seems like such a waste, since we know that this isn’t going to go on forever.”
“I know what you mean.”
The newscast changed to a shot of the hospital where they had been just the night before. They watched with rapt attention, since they knew the story would probably pertain to them. They were not disappointed. The reporter didn’t have much information, and didn’t seem to know that Meredith had snuck out of the hospital without undergoing surgery.
“I guess they didn’t get wind of the other patient, huh?” Vi commented, making conversation.
Meredith frowned. “No, I guess not.” She dug into her pocket and pulled out her cell phone, turning the screen on. “I need to call my parents.”
“What about what Eleanor said? About hiding?”
“I know, I know. But they’re my parents, Vi.” Meredith looked at Vi earnestly, hoping for reassurance.
Vi didn’t give her any. “Exactly. They’re the first place the protégé is going to look for you.”
“What if the protégé looks for me, gets mad when I’m not there, and hurts them? I have to at least warn them.” Meredith’s hands were shaking with the strength of her emotion. She dialed her parents’ number, but the call wouldn’t go through. She still didn’t have any service.
“Wanna try mine?” Vi pulled her phone out of her own pocket and looked down at the screen. Her face bunched up with confusion. “I don’t have service, either. Something is up.” She pressed several buttons on her phone and then opened up the side of the phone. “My SIM card is gone!”
“What?” Meredith quickly checked her own phone, finding the same. The SIM card was what allowed the phone to connect to the cellular network and make phone calls. “How did that happen?” Meredith asked incredulously.
“Someone must have taken them when we weren’t really paying attention,” Vi said, disgusted with herself. “Stupid!”
“Do you think it was Eleanor?” Meredith mouthed the words, worried that their hostess could be listening from the bedroom.
Vi leaned close to Meredith and spoke in a low whisper. “We already know she’s hiding something. Can we really trust her?”
“I don’t think she wants to hurt me… but I also think she’s got an agenda for me, and I’m not sure that I would like it. So right now, the only person I really trust is you.”
“Do you think we should leave?”
“Well, if she doesn’t know where I’ve gone, she can’t tell anyone else, either.”
Vi agreed wholeheartedly. She leaned over and immediately began shoving her feet into her boots, lacing them up mercilessly in her haste. Then she stood up abruptly, shoving her cell phone in her pocket and donning the jacket that she had thrown over the back of the sofa.
They left the TV on, by unspoken agreement, hoping that the noise would let Eleanor think they were still there. Slowly and quietly they walked over and eased open the front door. A blast of cold air hit them in the face, and goosebumps immediately sprouted on Meredith’s bare arms. Meredith glanced back at the coat that Eleanor had left in the dining area, debating whether she should take it.
> Reading Meredith’s thoughts on her face, Vi said, “Either Eleanor is on our side and would want you to have the coat, or she’s out to get us, in which case, she deserves to have her coat stolen. Just take it.”
Careful not to make a sound, Meredith jogged back into the house and slung the coat around her shoulders. It was one of those puffy coats and it was much too small, making her look like she was a big green caterpillar. If the moment weren’t so serious, Vi would have laughed at how ridiculous Meredith looked.
Catching the mirth in Vi’s eyes, Meredith said, “Not a word, Vi. Not a single word.”
They closed the door behind them slowly, pulling ever so gently until they heard the latch click.
“Can you run for a little ways?” Meredith asked.
Vi looked down at her feet, thinking of the raw blisters that she had already incurred the night before. “I guess it can’t get much worse,” she said gamely.
“Just for a little while, okay? Then we’ll walk.” Meredith took off down the driveway, setting a brisk pace.
Inwardly, Vi cursed her friend for being so athletic while simultaneously cursing herself for not. The blisters on her feet started to burn inside her shoes as they rubbed against the leather. She sucked in her breath and did her best to ignore it, unsuccessfully. She focused on the need to get as far away from Eleanor’s house as they could, thinking of the pain as the price for their safety. Giving her discomfort a purpose made it more bearable, though she still resolved to throw the wretched boots away at the first opportunity.
At the end of the street, Meredith turned south before cutting down another side street. They rounded a corner and spotted a wash that ran through the neighborhood. Meredith went off the sidewalk and down into the concrete ditch, which still held several large puddles from the rain a few days before. She slowed to a walk and went to sit in the pass under the street they had just been on.
Relieved, Vi sank down next to her friend and began unlacing her boots.
“How are your feet?” Meredith asked.
“Bad. But I’m trying to be philosophical about it.” VI pulled off her right boot and sock and inspected the damage to her foot. A large blister on her heel had broken and was oozing clear fluid, while a second blister on her baby toe was also threatening to burst.
Meredith hissed through her teeth in sympathy. “Okay, so no more running.”
Vi shot her a grateful smile. “We need to figure out where we’re going, anyway.” She began pulling off her other boot.
Meredith was silent, pressing her lips together nervously.
Vi stopped mid-tug and demanded, “What?”
“I think we should split up,” Meredith said carefully. “My parents aren’t the only ones that I’m putting in danger. It’s too big of a risk for you to stay with me.”
Vi scoffed and finished pulling off her second shoe and sock. “So you think the best thing is for you to go it alone, with no help, for everyone else’s sake?”
Meredith nodded.
“I didn’t have you pegged for the martyr type.”
“I’m not trying to be a martyr, Vi. I’m just trying not to get you killed. I mean, look at last night. We could have frozen to death in that storm.”
“So if we did split up, what would you do?”
Again, Meredith hesitated to respond. She obviously had a plan in mind, but was reticent to share it with Vi.
“Spit it out, Carpenter,” Vi said harshly. She felt angry and a little hurt by Meredith’s desire to separate, though she had no intention of letting it happen. She held Meredith’s gaze as several emotions played out across her friend’s face.
Finally, Meredith blurted, “I just can’t sit idly by and let someone die because of my silence and fear.”
Understanding dawned on Vi. “You want to go warn the guy at that other hospital, don’t you?”
“Yes.”
Vi thought it was an idiotic thing to do, and almost said as much. Chances are the protégé was sniffing around the other hospital, too, and Meredith would be putting herself directly in harm’s way. On the other hand, Vi wondered how she herself would feel if she knew she could save a life and chose not to. Vi thought she might be able to live with that, but she knew Meredith couldn’t. Swallowing all her misgivings, she said, “Okay.”
“You’re not going to argue with me?” Meredith asked incredulously.
Vi shrugged. “Would it do any good?”
Meredith grinned. “Probably not.”
“Then let’s skip that part and talk logistics. Phoenix Mercy is way downtown, so we can’t walk. Do you know anyone who lives around here who could give us a ride?”
“No. Remember, you’re my only friend,” Meredith joked, though it wasn’t far from the truth. Her dedication to school had edged out most of her personal relationships. “Our apartment is the closest.”
“Your car and my scooter are both at your parents’ house.” Vi paused and then suggested, “We could call a cab.”
“No, Phoenix cabs take hours to show up. What if they plan to operate on that guy this morning?”
They sat and pondered their situation for a few moments. Meredith’s stomach rumbled loudly, reminding them both that they were long overdue for a meal.
“What about Josh?” Vi asked suddenly, remembering their newly befriended neighbor. “He owes us a ride to a hospital, after all.”
“Don’t you think going home is too dangerous?”
“If you really want to go warn that other guy, then this is our best option.”
Meredith looked torn. “I want to go crawl in a cave and hide forever.”
“That’s what Eleanor would have you do,” Vi agreed.
Meredith shook her head, the corners of her mouth turning down. In a low voice she said, “I spent the whole night thinking about myself and how my life is changed forever. I didn’t spare a single thought for the guy whose life is about to be ended completely.” Tears sprang into her eyes as guilt overwhelmed her. “And now, I hesitate to help him because I can’t stop thinking about how it affects me. What kind of selfish person does that?”
“Hey, it’s only natural to want to protect yourself. You’re being too harsh a judge.” Vi’s voice was soft and soothing as she reached over and patted Meredith gently on the back, though she thought that her friend was probably due for a good cry. The past two days were probably the hardest of her life.
Meredith’s body shook as she sobbed noiselessly. Looking up at Vi with red eyes and tear stained cheeks, she cried, “I’m just so freaking scared, Vi. I always thought I was such a strong person, but now that I’m being tested, I just want it all to go away.”
Vi didn’t say anything, giving Meredith a chance to let all the emotions out. Vi rubbed her back and made shushing noises, until Meredith’s tears were mostly back in check. While her friend hiccupped softly beside her, Vi said, “Doing stuff when you aren’t scared is easy. But having the balls to try anyway when you’re scared out of your mind, that’s what’s strong.”
“Do you really think so?”
Vi gave her a half smile. “Do you remember in eighth grade, when we went hiking on South Mountain and I fell and broke my leg?”
Meredith nodded.
“What did you do?”
“I went back and got help,” Meredith said in a small voice.
“Even though you were terrified that a javelina or a coyote was going to get you if you were hiking alone.”
“What? My parents stressed the dangers of the desert, okay?”
“My point is, you did it anyway, even though you were afraid. You did what needed to be done. You are strong, Mere.”
Meredith sat for a few more minutes, playing with a pebble next to her leg. She rolled it back and forth along the concrete while she gathered her thoughts. “Okay,” Meredith said, nodding. “Okay. Let’s go see Josh.”