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“Oh, God.”I sucked in a deep breath.“He found out about our plan.”
She shook her head.“Not all of it.”
This was about the same time Joy came back, so we never finished the conversation—not that we needed to.
It was very clear as Wagnon wheeled Joy in what had happened.It was clearwhereshe had been.She’d never required a wheelchair before.“Straight from the infirmary,” Elizabeth told me with a sigh.
“Dear God.”
“We have to act like everything is fine,” Elizabeth whispered.“For her sake.”
“Everything is fine,” I said with a nod.
Everything wasn’t fine.Joy was more childlike than she had been before.Unlike Elizabeth, she had two black eyes instead of one, and unlike me, she got no hearings.
Still, Joy’s love of checkers remained.Immediately, she asked to play a game, and what else could I do but oblige?
“That's going to be you,” Elizabeth said.Her mouth was pressed so close to my ear I could feel her lips brush across my skin.“If you're not careful.That’s you, babe.”
“I’m careful.”
I was admittedly a little surprised that Joy had not changed all that much.If you discounted the black eyes and the bandages, she seemed pretty much the same, at least outwardly.Her condition gave me momentary pause about going through with Elizabeth's plan, realizing that if we were to fail, not only would I end up being forced to undergo the procedure, I would never,everget out of here.
“You have to take me,” Joy whisper-shouted halfway through our second game.
“Take you where?”I asked as I nonchalantly looked around the room.
“Wherever you go.”Her face lit up expectantly.“I’m better now.Dr.Branson said I’m better now.”
My hand was on hers.I hated to be just another person who lied to her, but what else could I do?“I’m not going anywhere.”
“That look,” she said, with a shake of her head.“I know that look.”
Joy glared at me, as though she were waiting for something I couldn’t give.The truth, obviously.
“Not a chance,” Elizabeth interrupted.She moved my checker forward.
“Lies,” Joy said.“All lies.”
“Grace isn't going anywhere, Joy.She has the hots for Dr.B.”
Joy laughed.“Just like you.”
