I twisted the keys on the fat padlock and flipped the lock and latch upward. Opening the door, I was faced with a large safe the size of a refrigerator. I spun the combination... 11, 75, 22. I grabbed the handle and heard a deep clunk as the tumblers released. Pulling the massive door open I looked at the rows of guns. Shotguns, pistols, boxes of ammunition, and even an AR-15 assault rifle. I grabbed the smallest pistol and a few of the clips that lay next to it. Sliding the small handgun into its Black Mamba holster, I tucked it into my jeans, just behind the small of my back. I dropped the clips into the center console of my Jeep and turned to close the door, being sure to lock it securely.
The drive to the hospital seemed endless. Every traffic light seemed to be red, and I tapped my hand anxiously on the roll bar. As I pulled within view of the hospital I slowed down. I didn't know what happened to my mother but after the reaction of that doctor, if he even was a doctor, I had suspicions. I parked toward the back of the lot, looking left and right to see if there was anyone watching from a distance. The rooftop seemed clear, and the regular traffic in and out of the hospital seemed oblivious to my arrival. I walked through the parked cars to the wide sidewalk. Patients, visitors, and doctors all bustled up and down, coming and going. I passed a woman in a wheelchair, being pushed by a friendly nurse. They both smiled. A little girl held balloons that said "It's a boy" and skipped happily behind a man carrying a toddler. An elderly man and woman walked slowly away from the door carrying a little white bag. Their arms were intertwined and he patted her hand as they moved toward the parking lot. A man in green scrubs walked out the front doors and stretched, looking up at the sky. I heard him breathe in deeply, as though he hadn't seen fresh air in days.
As I passed though the doors I found myself face to face with a metal detector. I hesitated, then turned to the man behind the desk. "I'm here to visit my Mom." I said in a low voice. "She was admitted yesterday." He nodded and gestured toward the detector. I leaned a little closer and told him I was carrying a gun, handing him my concealed weapons permit. "I don't want to just pull it out in front of everyone though." I said, trying to pretend that I had the hospital patrons' best interests in mind. He nodded appreciatively, as though we shared some sort of secret bond, and asked me to step behind a partition. "This is where we do searches," he explained. "You can place your gun in this and I'll hold it for you until you are done." He handed me a plastic tub with a familiar logo. VL, with a beaker next to it. I looked up at him, noticing the same logo was sewn into the patch on his arm. I casually placed my gun in the bin thanked him.
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| "This is where we do searches," he explained. "You can place your gun in this and I'll hold it for you until you are done." He handed me a plastic tub with a familiar logo. VL, with a beaker next to it. |
Hitting the button to the elevator I began to notice the logo on everything. It was in the corner of the posters hung in the hallway, it was embroidered in white thread on the lab coats of each doctor walking by. I tapped my foot, still feeling anxious. When the elevator arrived I stepped on with a nurse carrying a clipboard and a woman holding a young boy's hand. I heard him whisper to her as he looked up into her eyes. "Will Daddy be okay? He was really mad." The look on her face was a mix of fear and embarrassment. She glanced over at me and then to the nurse. All eyes were on her, waiting for a response. "Daddy is very sick right now, but the doctors will make him better." she told him in a low voice. I could hear her voice crack as she spoke. She's clearly been crying. The door opened and she got off, as did the nurse. The doors closed again and I waited as the elevator carried me upward. Looking around I saw an advertisement on the wall of the elevator. "Tomorrow's solutions" it said, depicting an elderly woman sitting next to a child who was coloring a picture. They looked adoringly at each other, and I noticed the VL logo in the corner. With the ding of the bell, the doors opened. The hallway was empty, and I walked cautiously to the nurse's station. The same girl I had seen yesterday brightened as she sat up, smiling at me. "Hi," I said nervously. "I got a call that my mother was missing?" Her smile turned almost to embarrassment. "Yeah, sorry, that was me. I guess the doctor had taken her down for some tests but didn't tell us. She's back now." She pointed with her pen to the room, and I turned and looked at the door. It was partway open, and I could see the TV on.
I pushed the door open slowly and saw my mother sitting up in bed, staring at the TV. "Hey, you're awake!" I said, leaning in to give her a hug. She didn't hug back, but just sat there, staring at the TV. "Mom?" I asked, but there was no response. I stepped back out to the nurse's station and she looked up from her work and smiled again. "Everything okay?" she asked. "I'd like to talk to her doctor. Is he around?" She flipped a page on her clipboard with her manicured fingernails, biting her lip as she searched the page. "Looks like he's already left for the day, but I could call his colleague to the floor." I nodded appreciatively. "Thanks, that would be great." I went back into the room and sat in the chair next to the bed, glancing from the TV back to her. She didn't even seem to be watching it, just staring, as if in a trance. I stood up and looked closer at her eyes. Were the outside edges turning yellow, or was that just my paranoia?
"You must be family." a deep voice startled me and I spun around. A tall man stood in the doorway. He was wearing bright green scrubs and a white lab coat. " I shook his hand and introduced myself. He had a strong, firm grip that was somehow gentle and soft. "When did she wake up?" I asked. He leaned over and waved at her as though he was greeting her. "It was yesterday about 4:30pm" he said, looking back at me. "Really?" I puzzled. "I was here until 4:00." I probably sounded a little too suspicious. He chuckled and smiled at me. "Just missed her, huh? That happens more than you know around here." I looked back at my mother, just staring mindlessly at the TV. "Was she like this when she woke? What's wrong with her?" His smiled faded and his voice gathered a serious, professional tone. "She was lucid for about 20 minutes, but she's been like this ever since. We believe that whatever trauma she suffered has caused a mental break, and her conscious mind has retreated back into her subconscious until it feels reality is safe enough to come back." I looked at him wide eyed. "Again, we don't know for sure, that's just our theory."
I pointed at the VL sewn into his coat. "So, what's the VL stand for?" I asked as though I was just making conversation. He pressed his chin to his chest, looking at the logo. "I think its the company that owns the hospital. Some research lab." I decided not to push it and changed the subject back. Pointing towards my mother, I looked at him "I noticed her eyes are turning a little yellow. Is that normal?" He pulled a flashlight out of his pocket and shone it into her retinas. "Hmm..." he said, and flipped open a pocket notebook, jotting down a few things. "Nothing to worry about." he said. "That's perfectly normal." His smile seemed practiced and counterfeit. I thanked him as genuinely as I could and stood up. He stood as well and gave a little wave as he walked out.
I looked back at my mother, sitting there soaking in her television mindlessly. "We've got to get you out of here."
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