“I’m coming,” I say.
“He came out of deep sedation.” Brody is talking fast. “He started thrashing. We got him back under, but he’s bleeding pretty bad, Doc. Lena is putting pressure on it.”
“I’ll be there in a minute.” I cut the call.
“Duty calls,” I say to Ridge.
He nods.
I’m out the door a second later.
Ridge
The door swings shut behind her, and I stay where I am for a second, blowing out a long breath. Carla is still in the doorway, looking after Robyn.
She turns back to me. “Can I get you anything? Coffee? Water? Something to eat?”
“I’m good. Thanks, Carla.”
She nods and starts to turn away.
“Actually,” I say, and she looks at me. “If you have a minute, I have a few questions about how things work here.”
“Sure.” She steps fully back into the office. “What do you want to know?”
“Does Dr. Keller spend more time at the main hospital or in the hangar?”
“The hangar, by a country mile. The big patients are her specialty. The shifters in human form get treated in the regular wing. We have several fantastic human surgeons and doctors, but not everyone is a top-notch large reptilian vet. I’d say easily seventy percent hangar, thirty percent main hospital. Sometimes more like eighty-twenty when things are busy.”
“Got it. And in the hangar itself, what areas are restricted? Where can she go that most or all other staff can’t?”
Carla thinks for a moment. “The pharmacy back room. That’s where she signs out the controlled drugs. There’s a key and a code; aside from the pharmacist, only Dr. Keller, Dr. Jenkins, and Dr. Patel have access. Then there’s the records room behind the nurses’ station, where the master charts are kept. Same thing, key and code. The surgical prep area is restricted to surgical staff only, but that’s not just her. Oh, and there’s a small storage room off the main bay where the high-end supplies are kept. Specialty sutures and expensive imaging gear. Again, only surgeons and charge nurses have access. There are keypads at all of these entry points.” She shrugs.
“I need to look at all aspects of safety, including storage and the administration surrounding scheduled drugs,” I explain, since her eyes have narrowed in confusion.
She smiles, brightening up. “Of course. That makes sense.”
“You’ve been helpful, thank you.”
“Is there anything else you need from me?”
“No. That’s all.”
“Robyn is going to be tied up for a while. Call if you need anything.”
“That works out for me. I need to make a couple of important calls. Would you mind closing the door behind you?”
“Sure.” She pulls the door shut as she leaves.
I wait until I’m sure she’s gone, and then I cross to the door and turn the lock. Although I’ve already checked here, I start at Robyn’s desk. I check everywhere, trying to think of places I haven’t already checked. I look under everything and rap my knuckles on the wood, trying to find secret cavities.
I lift the keyboard, and as expected, there’s nothing. Then I move to the cupboard behind her chair and check that too. Her degree is framed on the wall. I take that off, along with a colorful abstract painting. I check every freestanding item in her office, including the planter in the corner. I even dig my fingers into the soil under the pot. Lastly, I lift the rug. There’s nothing left to check. I’ve covered every surface and every cavity in this office. Then my eyes land on the closed door of her private bathroom. I’ve only done a very basic check in there. I need to do a proper job.
I unlock the office door, go to the bathroom door, and push it open. The light comes on automatically. I’ll listen for Robyn’s return and pretend I used the bathroom. If she arrives and her door is locked, she’ll know something’s up.
I feel like such a dick, but what can I do?
I’m pretty sure what I said in the conversation I had with her earlier was more about her than Magma. How fucked up is that?
