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“I don’t think you’re crazy.”
My mind reels, though, because what are the chances? Of all the joints in all the world and whatnot. Charlie could have gone to any hospital, but she’s in mine. I’m probably the only doctor in the world who would believe Meredith’s story.
I grab her arm and pull her into a nearby supply closet. This isn’t a conversation we can have in the open where anyone might walk by. She looks at me suspiciously. Annoyance colors her expression.
“Do you think I’m going to sleep with you to keep Charlie out of a mental institution?” she bites out, causing me to laugh.
I see how, from her perspective, this seems like a come-on. I assure her that’s not my intention. This is a conversation that has to be kept completely quiet. It could ruin both of us. While this may be New Orleans not many believe in the supernatural let alone that there are people out there with “gifts.”
“I’m not trying to sleep with you,” I assure her. “But I need to know everything you can tell me about Charlie. I can’t help her, or you, if I don’t know the full story.”
She mulls this over and hesitates. Her posture relaxes. She wants to trust me, wants to unburden herself. So, she talks. She tells me how her parents abused Charlie because they didn’t understand her. Charlie was often neglected and locked in a dark room, which has bred anger and resentment.
She doesn’t trust anyone, especially adults. She feels she would be better off on her own because she doesn’t believe anyone could love her. My heart aches at her story. I want to punish her parents for treating her so horribly. My only solace is that they’re already dead.
“I’ve been keeping Charlie safe and isolated from anyone who would hurt her, but she ran away. I took her to that diner, and I’ll never forgive myself. If I’d taken her home, we wouldn’t be in this situation. She wouldn’t have touched that man and—”
“She has seizures when people touch her,” I clarify.
She looks up at me, surprised. She probably didn’t expect me to believe her, let alone ask questions about the girl’s condition. My question spurns her on.
“There doesn’t seem to be a rhyme or reason to it,” she says sadly. “It doesn’t happen when I touch her. Tons of doctors and nurses have checked on her since she got here and it doesn’t happen with all of them.”
“Maybe it happens when she sees a particularly violent death,” I guess, my mind whirring in overdrive. Charlie is a puzzle I want to solve. As a scientist and a doctor, I have to find the answers.
“Maybe.” Meredith shrugs. “Like I said, no rhyme or reason. It’s not like I can ask someone if they’ll have a violent death. Charlie is so full of anger and rage. Not only at how she’s been treated, but at how much she has to endure daily. If I can’t protect her, I’m afraid she’s going to get hurt.”
“Protect her from what?” I ask.
This stops her short. Once again, it’s like she’s revealed something to me she didn’t mean to say. She’s trusted me to share this much. I don’t want to push her beyond what makes her comfortable.
“What kid is safe in a psych ward?” she asks, deflecting.
It’s a fair statement. Charlie would get psychiatric help, but it sounds like her problem isn’t psychiatric. It’s supernatural. And who knows more about that than me?
I sigh, the wheels in my head turning. I know what has to be done to help Charlie and Meredith, but I don’t like it. Pocus and Seer won’t like it. But what choice do I have? I took an oath to do no harm. If I let Charlie be taken away, I’ll be breaking that oath.
“I can buy you time, but only a little,” I tell her. “You need to tell Dr. Talon that you want a second opinion from his superior. He won’t like that, but he’ll have to respect your decision as the only adult in Charlie’s life.”
She nods seriously and hangs on to my every word. We hatch a plan to get Charlie out of the hospital without suspicion. Now that Charlie’s been flagged as a psychological risk, Meredith can’t take her away. They’ll be hunted down by the police. Meredith would be arrested for child endangerment.
I see how much Meredith loves her sister. Neither of them deserves that. I’m putting myself at risk by helping her, but I’m risking Charlie if I don’t. It’s a horrible situation, but this is the kind of case I can’t pass up. They deserve more. They deserve help.
I exit the closet and give Meredith the sign that the coast is clear. With the plan in place, we separate. She goes back to Charlie’s room, and I do rounds on my patients. For this plan to work, we need alibis and I need deniability. If I’m caught, my entire career will be on the line. But I won’t let Charlie be sent away for something Western medicine can’t comprehend.
CHAPTERSEVEN
Istand in the doorway, watching Daisy. She whispers and gesticulates, talking animatedly to another presence in the room I can’t see. I can’t help but smile as I watch her, delighting in the innocence of youth. Every day she amazes me. I don’t care what Graveyard says, I don’t need anything more than my family to keep me occupied.
Abigail bustles in and plants a quick kiss on my cheek. She’s got an appointment at a property out of town. It might be her last showing before she goes on maternity leave. She loves her work as a real estate agent. I’m so happy to see the spark in her eyes. She’s had a rough go, but every day, she falls more in love with the life we’ve built together.
With her away for the afternoon, I’m on daddy duty. Daisy continues playing with her imaginary friend, giggling and acting as if she’s having a full-blown conversation. It’s adorable to watch. I can’t wait to tell Abby about our daughter’s new imaginary friend.
A knock on the front door rings through the house. Daisy looks up with a smile.
“Uncle Hex! Uncle Hex!” she cries in glee. Again, I’m delighted by her innocence.
She, of course, doesn’t know Hex and Juliana are in Brazil. Of all of the MC, he’s her favorite uncle. She asks about him incessantly. Part of me hopes it is him and not one of the other men bothering me with a crisis I can no longer fix.
