Calder accepted that with a small nod. “I’m going to check in with her attending, then meet Parker’s family. If she wakes and escalates, call for me. Otherwise, keep your presence steady and calm. The first face she recognizes needs to be controlled, not panicked.”
“I can do steady,” Luke said.
“I’m counting on it.”
She moved off down the hall.
Luke took his seat beside the door, where he could see both the corridor and the bed through the narrow glass. Boots planted. Hands loose. The long watch settling into his bones.
For a while, nothing moved.
Then her fingers twitched.
Sara’s Room
The first sound was little more than a murmur of a word.
“…no…”
A sour taste filled her mouth. Her wrist throbbed where the IV pulled. Blankets bunched between her fists.
Luke was up and at the door before he realized he’d moved. He cracked it open, stepped inside, staying clear of the bed.
Sara’s head rolled against the pillow. Her chest hitched, picking up speed.
Then—
Her legs jerked hard beneath the sheets. The monitor screamed.
“Don’t—” she rasped, eyes still closed. “Don’t make me… I’m done… please…”
Her hands clawed at the blankets, dragging them up like a shield against something only she could see. The IV line went taut.
“Parker,” Luke said, voice low and even. “Sara. It’s Deputy Hale. You’re in the hospital. You’re safe.”
Her legs kicked again, body fighting ghosts that weren’t there. The monitor leapt higher.
“No more,” she choked. “No more… writing…”
The word hit him cold.
“Sara,” he said, closer now, movements deliberate. “I’m going to touch your wrist so you don’t rip that line out. That’s all I’m doing.”
He caught her forearm gently, enough to keep the IV intact.
She bucked hard, eyes squeezing shut.
“You’re not there,” he said. “You’re not in that room. You’re in Sylva. Harris Regional. You’ve got law on your door. Burke’s here. You’re out.”
Her eyes flew open.
Wild.
Disoriented.
“YOU?” she gasped, panic flaring before recognition could catch up.
Luke stepped back instantly, hands raised.
