Save My Soul (8 page)

I knew that Rhyan and Coen were right
about me staying away from Mason until all of this blew over, but I
felt a strong pull toward Mason. It would be rude to break the date
with him. I sighed. I had to break the date with him. I would tell
him that, mentally, I had way too much going on this week. If he
couldn't understand that, then he wasn't right for me
anyway.

I looked in the mirror one last time.
I wasn't beautiful, but I could turn a few heads. I'd always had a
good complexion; I was one of the lucky ones throughout my
adolescence. I had bright green eyes that were now expertly applied
with eye makeup. My sister was a consultant for Mary Kay, and she
gave me free samples and makeup how-to's all the time. I was
five-six, and I wasn't too thin. I had an athletic build with
runner's legs and got compliments on my body all the time, so I
didn't think I looked too shabby.

My cell phone rang, and I answered it
without looking, which I normally didn't do. "Hey babe, how're you
feeling?" Aven said through the line. I closed my eyes and clenched
my jaw. I so did not want to talk to him right now.

"I feel all right, Mason. I mean,
Aven. I took Hercules out for a run…"

"Wait, what did you just call me?" I
had hoped he hadn't caught that, but I guess he had. Well shit. It
wasn't like we were in a monogamous relationship or
anything.

"I'm sorry, Aven. Mason, the nurse
from the hospital, called me a little earlier and wants me to come
in for a checkup. I still have that conversation on my mind, and
I'm actually about to leave right now."

"Oh, well in that case, I'll drive
you. I have a few errands to run and I would really like to hear
what he has to say." I'd just bet he would. I rolled my
eyes.

"No. I don't have time to waste in
town. I have a client showing up at twelve-thirty. He promised he
would be quick so I could get back home in time." I said then held
my breath.

"Oh, okay." I could tell he was
disappointed, but I didn't say anything. "Will you call me as soon
as you get back home? I really would like to know how this miracle
happened. I held your limp, beat-up body in my arms all the way to
the emergency room yesterday. I thought you were gone and it made
me realize a lot of things about us. I'd like to talk more in-depth
about all of this with you tonight over dinner."

Did I just get asked out twice in one
day, and both times before ten a.m.? "I would love to, but my week
is all booked up. I'll be working until ten or eleven o'clock all
week. These juniors are all wanting their Senior pictures done this
week and next. Call me next Sunday and we can reschedule. I'll be
busy, but I think I can squeeze you in somewhere."

"Yeah, okay, Kendra. Whenever you find
time for me, I'll be around somewhere. Call me."

"No, Aven…" I pleaded, but I was
talking to myself. He'd hung up on me.

"Dammit!" I didn't want to upset
anyone, but Aven was probably the first of many this week. I sighed
then opened and closed the door behind me.

I got in my Land Rover and drove to
the hospital. I turned the radio up as loud as I could stand it and
sang along with Theory Of A Deadman. He had a bad, bad girlfriend.
It had a good beat, and I knew most of the words. The ones I didn't
know, I made up as I went along. No one was here to criticize my
singing anyway. Well, maybe Coen and Rhyan could hear me, but they
weren't complaining.

It didn't take long to get to the
city. Like with any city, you had to travel during off hours or you
got stuck in traffic. Ten o'clock in the morning wasn't too bad a
time to travel. I only hoped I could make it back out before
noon.

I used the parking garage where
Mason's truck had been parked yesterday. There wasn't a sign that
told me I couldn't. I pulled in and found a spot somewhat close to
the elevator. I got out, locked my doors and headed for the
elevator.

I heard someone whistle, but I didn't
turn around. If it was meant for me, I didn't have time to be
flattered.

I pushed the button and heard the
whistle again, a little closer to me this time. I was really
starting to get creeped out, so I hit the button three more times,
trying not to look obvious that I was a scared shitless. I had
thought I was the only one in the very poorly lit
garage.

The doors finally opened and I forced
myself to walk slowly into the box. I didn't look back out as I
pushed the button for the fourth floor.

"Hey, Kendra, hold the door!" Mason
shouted from the garage. I caught the doors just before they
closed.

He rolled a wheelchair into the
elevator and hit the button for the second floor then smiled at
me.

My heart was still up in my throat,
and I knew my face had to be beet red. "You scared me. I thought
you…"

"You thought I was an evil monster
whistling at you in a dark garage?" Mason said with a
grin.

I had to laugh then. "Yeah…yeah, I
guess I did." I looked at the wheelchair, then back up at his face.
God, he was so good looking. "What are you doing down
here?"

He looked at the wheelchair and made
it do a little wheelie. "I was taking a patient to his vehicle. He
was discharged a few minutes ago, and unlike you, he didn't refuse
the wheelchair exit. It's standard protocol for the patient to be
wheeled out in one of these and helped into their vehicle. I think
it's frivolous, but if a patient refuses and they fall and get
hurt, they can sue us."

The elevator dinged, and we both
looked up as the doors opened. "I think Adam is in surgery right
now. If he isn't in his office, come back to this floor and ask for
me. I really do need to check you out. If the surgery goes all
right, he shouldn't be much longer.

I nodded and the doors closed. Damn.
There went my chance of getting out of the city by noon. It was
only about fifteen miles to my house from here, but driving fifteen
miles in rush hour traffic could take up to an hour and a half. I
might as well take my time and wait until traffic slowed back down
at one-thirty. I did not want to spend three and a half hours in a
hospital that I had been in such a hurry to get out of yesterday.
This is what I get for telling Aven I have a client coming at
twelve-thirty, when I actually don't. Karma's a bitch.

I went up to the fourth floor, and
sure enough, Mason had been right. Adam wasn't in his office. His
door was open, so I peeked in. I wasn't going to touch anything. I
only needed to find something personal of his that I could relate
to. It's easier to talk to someone if you at least know a little
bit about them.

I stood in the center of his 12 x 15
room and looked around. There were very few pictures on his desk
and absolutely none on the wall. There was a painting on the wall
behind his desk, in between the only two windows in the room. It
was a landscape. I didn't recognize the print, but it was good if
you asked me.

I looked again at the pictures on his
desk. There were three, all candid shots. There was one with a
little boy and a teenage girl. The boy looked like a miniature
Adam, so I assumed it was him when he was around ten. The girl in
the shot looked a whole lot like Adam as well, and I assumed she
was probably Adam's sister. In the second photo, there was a man
and woman. The man had his arm around the woman in a loving
embrace; must be their parents. The last photo was of all of them
together. Adam was sitting on his dad's right shoulder with a
baseball raised to the sky. His mom, sister and dad were all
smiling up at him.

I wondered if he'd won the game or if
he had caught a foul ball or homerun ball at a minor or major
league game. I smiled. They all looked so happy.

I did notice something though. There
were no recent pictures of his family in the room. Had they all
died except for Adam? Was that his reason for turning against
God?

"Excuse me," Adam said. I couldn't
help it; I jumped and screamed like a girl. He didn't smile, he
just looked annoyed. You're not supposed to be on this floor unless
you are accompanied by a member of the staff, or a doctor asks for
you to come." He looked around, then back to me. "I don't see
anybody else, and I'm positive that I didn't call you, Ms.
Larkin."

I closed my eyes and counted to five,
there was no time for ten. "I came to apologize for my outburst,
and me storming out of here yesterday. I can now see how that all
must have sounded to you, Adam."

He walked to his chair behind the desk
and sat down. He didn't look at me; his gaze went to the third
picture, the one where he was holding the baseball.

"Did you win the game, or catch a fly
ball?" He didn't look at me, but he did answer me. It was a
start.

"My little league team won All Stars
in 1991. I was twelve years old, and I hit the home run that won
the game."

"Your family looks really proud of
you." I said, and he tensed.

"Why are you really here, Ms. Larkin?"
He stood and walked slowly around to me. I didn't know what he was
going to do, but I did know I didn't want to be sitting down when
he did it.

I didn't back up after I stood. I
didn't want to show weakness. I may have been shaking in my shoes,
but I wasn't going to let him know it.

He looked angry, but somehow I didn't
think he was angry with me. I looked away from him. "I'm sorry for
wasting your time, Dr. Chamberlain. I'm supposed to meet with Mason
so he can look me over and make sure there's nothing wrong with me.
I will see you again in six days."

I started for the door of his office
and he spoke.

"Why six days?" he asked
me.

I stopped, but I didn't turn around. I
just answered his question. "Because six days is how long I have
before I die and we both lose our souls. See you Friday." I said,
then walked out the door.

I had every intention of seeing him
before my six days were up, but I was hoping he would come to me
first. I didn't really even have six whole days, more like five and
a half. I stepped off the elevator onto the second floor. There was
a nurse's station about twenty-five feet from the elevator. How
convenient. There were two nurses, cackling like hens with their
eggs about to hatch, behind the big counter. I really hated to
interrupt, but I was going to.

I cleared my throat. "Excuse
me…"

They both immediately fell silent and
gave me harmless, helpful smiles. "Can I help you?" one of the
brunettes asked me.

"Yes, maybe you can. I was looking for
Mason." I said.

They gave each other a funny look then
looked back at me. The other brunette spoke this time. "Is he a
patient or staff?"

I raised an eyebrow. Of course, a
"Mason" could be either one. "Staff."

They gave each other another quick
glance, then turned back to me again. The brunette that answered
this time didn't look so happy with me being here. Actually,
neither of them did. "We don't know of any Mason that works in this
hospital."

Oh, really? Huh. I could play this
game too. "Well, I do, and Adam sent me to get him from the second
floor." One of the girls looked surprised, the other
confused.

The girl that had looked surprised
responded back. "Adam who?" she asked, and I could tell she was a
little nervous about what would come out of my mouth
next.

I smiled sweetly, with a little menace
behind it. "Adam Chamberlain," I said and watched closely as her
expression changed from snotty to frantic.

She swiftly picked up the phone
receiver and hit a button on the phone. "Mason Carter, come to the
second floor, station one, please." She hung up the phone, but
didn't look at me when she spoke. "He'll be here in a minute. You
can wait in the waiting room over there." She pointed to her left
and I turned to look at the small waiting room. There were four
chairs lined up against one of the walls, with a drink and snack
machine across from them.

"No, I think I'll be fine right here,"
I said.

"I'm just trying to make sure you're
comfortable." Man, what kind of asshole was Adam?

A pair of hands reached around and
covered my eyes from behind. "Guess who?"

I smiled and turned around. Mason
didn't back up, so he was standing all up in my personal space, but
with the attitude I had gotten from the nurses behind the desk, I
wasn't going to show that I cared.

"How was your talk with Dr.
Chamberlain?" I moved my eyes toward the nurses so only he could
see and then looked back at him. He smiled and gave them his
attention. "Danielle, Ashley…you girls staying out of trouble
today?"

They giggled like they were high
school Freshman girls, and the hottest guy in the Senior class had
just flirted with them. I rolled my eyes. Mason gave them both a
cunning look, then laced his fingers with mine and led me down the
hall.

"They weren't too hard on you, were
they?" Mason said before he pulled me into a room. It wasn't a
patient's room, it was smaller. It had a small cot, some medical
equipment and that was it.