When she remained unmoving, unable to takethe door from the man, Aiden gripped it. “Thank you,” Aidensaid.
The man didn’t respond as he shoved hishands in his pockets and shuffled away with his shoulders hunchedup to his ears. That’s exactly how she’d walked the last time sheleft here.
“Maggie?” Aiden inquired.
Tearing her attention away from the man, shestepped inside the vestibule before continuing to the door acrossthe way. Before she could reach the door, a buzzer sounded, and aman wearing white scrubs opened it for her. Maggie entered thefront reception area and walked toward the desk. So polished, thewhite tile floor was nearly blinding in the overhead fluorescentsglaring down on it.
“Can I help you?” the cute blonde womansitting behind the desk asked her.
“Yes, I’m here to see Jane Doe,” Maggiereplied in a steadier voice than she’d anticipated.
If the woman was at all astounded her motherhad a visitor, she hid it well. She focused on her computer whileher fingers flew across her keyboard. “And you are?”
“Her…” Maggie paused to pull at the collarof her sweater. “I’m her daughter.”
This time, the woman couldn’t hide hersurprise as her eyes flew back up to Maggie. She didn’t doubt thatmost, if not all the people working here, knew her mother’s storyand, therefore, part of hers. It wasn’t this woman’s fault, ofcourse, but Maggie resented the woman’s knowledge she was the childJane tried to cut from her belly.
“Can I see some ID?” the woman asked as sheworked to cover her shock.
Maggie’s heart sank. She’d completelyforgotten she’d required ID to get in here before. She wanted tokick herself in the ass. It wasn’t exactly a tiny detail she’doverlooked, and she had no idea when she’d get her licenseback.
Aiden rested his hand on the small of herback and stepped closer to the desk. The woman’s eyes widened onhim and she smiled sweetly.
“I have our ID right here,” Aiden said.Reaching into his pocket, he removed his wallet and pulled out alicense and credit card. “Here is mine,” he pointed to the licensewith his picture and a fake name. “And here is Magdalene Doe’s.” Heindicated the credit card.
Maggie hadn’t heard the tone of his voicechange, but there was a subtle shifting inhimand a flow ofpower rippled across her skin. The woman gazed at the cards he heldbefore her. Maggie realized he was holding them so the securitycameras couldn’t see them
The woman’s brow furrowed in confusion. “I’mnot sure where the license number is on Magdalene’s.”
“It’s right here,” Aiden said and pointed tothe credit number. As he pointed, he read off a set of numbers andletters that weren’t on the card at all.
“Oh, yes. I see it now,” the woman murmured,and her fingers flew over the keyboard once more.
Maggie didn’t realize she’d stoppedbreathing until her lungs started burning. Aiden’s hand pressedmore firmly into her back when her breath exploded out of her.She’d never tried LSD, but she had the unsettling feeling she wastaking a strange trip.
Aiden turned toward the orderly who hadbuzzed them in when the man was drawn forward by his exchange withthe receptionist. “Everything is fine,” Aiden said to him. “Returnto the doorway.”
Maggie’s skin crawled when the manretreated. A muscle in Aiden’s jaw twitched as he met her gaze. Heseemed to be bracing himself for condemnation from her. What she’dseen unnerved her, but he’d done it for her, and he hadn’t hurtanyone.
She gave him a wan smile; it was all shecould muster in this place.
“I have to contact Jane’s doctor to let herknow Jane has visitors,” the woman said. “Jane may not be up forseeing anyone today.”
Maggie knew this was the woman’s polite wayof saying,Jane may be completely off her rocker today and mighttry to kill you again; we’d prefer not to deal with thepaperwork.
But none of that mattered because Aidenwould stroll through all of them with a smile and a few words.Maggie swallowed to wet her suddenly parched throat.
“Understandable,” Maggie said as the womanlifted the phone.
• • •
The petite woman, who was her mother’sdoctor, gestured to where Jane sat in a chair in the corner of thelarge rec room. From her position, her mother could see out thebar-covered window to the parking lot below. If she’d been therewhen they arrived, then Jane might already be aware Maggie was inthe building.
The doctor hurried over to some of thenearby orderlies who doubled as security in this place. She spokein hushed whispers with them. The staff would be extra carefulwhile she was here.
Maggie’s gaze traveled over the otherpatients in the room. Heavily medicated, most of them weren’t awareof their surroundings, but some were coloring, and one was reading.A handful had gathered on or near the TV to watch a rerun of theFamily Feud, and a few of them were playing Scrabble.
It was impossible to judge their ages asthey all had a haunted, knowing look that should only come from avast number of years, yet many of their faces were unlined. One ofthe patients, a young man of maybe twenty, clapped his hands andgave an excited whoop over something on the Scrabble board.
