The Ninth Floor (23 page)

“Okay.” I
turned to leave but remembered my purpose in coming. “Do you have a cross or
holy water or something I could borrow?”

“I’m sorry.”

I mentally
counted to ten. “Look, my name’s Ryan Sterling. My aunt is a patient here, and
she hasn’t been doing well at all. We need—”

“What did you
say your name was?”

“Ryan.”

His face
blanched and he pulled the cross off of his neck. “You shouldn’t be here, Ms.
Sterling.” He handed me the necklace. “If you want to save your aunt, stop
visiting.”

“Why?”

“You have to
go.

I walked out,
clutching the cross so tightly in my hand it dug into my skin. He gave me what
I came for, so the rest didn’t matter. My phone buzzed in my pocket.

“Hello?”

“How’s Bee?”

“She’s okay,”
I told my father. “What are you doing today? Do you want to have lunch?”

“I would love
to.” He sounded genuinely happy about it.

“Good. Bring
the letters that were left for me by the stalker. I want to see them, and I
have other questions I need answers to, Dad.”

He didn’t say
anything for a long while, and when he finally did, it was only one word. “Fine.”
All the enthusiasm was drained from his voice.

Jack was
exiting Bee’s room, a deep frown creasing his face, when I got back. A knot of
worry sunk in my stomach like a boulder. “What happened?”

He looked up.
His face went through a variety of emotions before settling on passive. “Nothing.
Everything seems fine. Why? Did she have another episode?”

“Yeah, you
could say that.” I showed him my bruises.

He took my arm
and ran his thumb over them a little harder than comfortable. “I’m sorry, Ryan.”

“It’s not your
fault.” I drew my arm back. “Why did you stop by?”

“I was looking
for you. I had a little break in my day. I thought you might like to get some
coffee.” He glanced at his watch. “Did you know your ex-boyfriend is visiting?”

I nodded. “He
came with Blair, but I told him to go home. However, I can’t really make him.
He knows Bee.”

Jack studied
me, his face inscrutable. “I have to get back to work, but I’ll see you
tonight.” His lips brushing mine took me by surprise. He pulled me in tighter,
not letting me move back, and kissed me harder. The sound of my heart echoed in
my ears. I hadn’t expected him to kiss me out in the open where any of the
nurses could see us.

“Jack, we
should talk,” I said.

He winked. “Later.
I have to go.” He walked down the hall, whistling. A nurse went into Bee’s room
after flashing me a knowing smile. I couldn’t go in there now. I headed for the
stairwell.

I went down to
the ninth floor and stared at the doors. Anticipation filled the air between us,
like they were waiting for me to find my way inside. A padlock clinked against
the concrete floor and slid toward my feet. I stared at it, shocked. Maybe I
didn’t need a key at all. I took a step forward and nothing happened. Another
step. Nothing. One more step …The doors were only an arm’s length away. I could
touch them if I wanted to. The anticipation changed into a buzz I could feel
all over my skin.

“What do you
want?” My voice startled me.

The door
bulged, the chain stretching tight, then sucked back in. I reached toward it.

“What are you
doing?” Aiden’s voice was sharp behind me.

I yelped and
whirled around, a hand over my heart. “You scared the crap out of me.”

“You shouldn’t
be here, Ryan. Do you know how easy it would be for someone to attack you here?”

“I just needed
to think.”

“And talk to
doors?” He blinked as his eyes strayed to my arm. “What happened there?”

“My aunt had
an episode. It’s not a big deal.” My eyes filled with tears though, and my
lower lip started to quiver.

Aiden hooked a
finger under my chin and tilted it up until I looked at him. “It’s okay to be
scared.”

I was scared
to go back to her room, I was scared to go home, and I was scared to stay, but
I had to keep going. “Just tell me it’s going to end.”

“I promise.”

He walked me
all the way to Bee’s room. Briggs and Blair were quietly talking while Bee
slept. I ignored the boys and pulled the minister’s cross out of my pocket. As
carefully as I could, I hooked it around her neck and watched her. I didn’t
know what I expected to happen, but nothing did. I’d never felt like a bigger
idiot.

I looked back
at the guys. They were both staring at me like I’d lost my mind.

“You left like
that just to accessorize Bee?” Blair said, and Briggs smothered a laugh.

I smiled. “Apparently.”

My father was waiting for me in
the lobby at noon. We walked to a café nearby and sat at a table while Aiden
waited outside, despite my insistence he should join us.

As my dad
perused his menu, he said, “Don’t go back to the hospital.”

“Excuse me?”

“I mean it,
Ryan. Don’t go back there.”

“I don’t have
choice. Bee needs me.”

“There are
things you don’t know.”

“That’s why I’m
here. Explain them.”

My father’s
mouth pinched. My phone vibrated, but I pressed end without looking. I didn’t
want to give him an out.

“I’m sure by
now you’ve heard most of the stories about St. Michael’s.” His voice was hushed
so it wouldn’t carry. “I can’t speak to their validity, except for one.”

I nodded.

“The children
who were born on the ninth floor did all die—except for one.” He reached a hand
toward me, but I didn’t take it. “You were born there, and your mother was
adamant that we move you to a different hospital, even against her doctor’s
recommendation. So we did.”

“And what
happened?”

He gave me a
helpless gesture. “You lived.”

“But everyone
else died?”

He nodded. “I
made sure the floor was closed after that and donated money to build a new
maternity ward.”

“And the
newspaper?”

“What?”

“Why did you
buy the newspaper?”

He shook his
head. “People had to stop talking about it. Even with the new maternity ward,
the SIDS rates were still high. The quieter we kept about what happened at St.
Michael’s, the less things went wrong.”

“So you’re
saying the hospital is what? Evil? Trying to kill me?” My phone rang again, and
I flipped it to silent.

He folded his
hands together on the table. We’d both forgotten our menus now. “I’m not saying
anything of the sort, but Ashley told me what he saw. I hoped it wasn’t true,
but I see the fatigue on your face. I don’t know why these things happen, but
they seem to around that place. We’ll get Bee out, but no good can come from
you going back. It takes over the weak and drains the life from the strong.”

It all sounded
crazy, but it explained some things. “What about everyone else there?”

He pressed his
lips together. “I spoke with the board about the recent ‘accidents.’ They
started after you arrived. Before that, it had been quiet for years.”

I took a
drink, feeling amazingly calm about everything he told me. “Aiden thinks my
stalker’s behind it.”

Dad licked his
lips and nodded. “It could be, but the attacks are still taking place in the
hospital. We did our best to keep you away from here, but it found a way to
bring you back.”

The way he
kept saying “it”—like he was referring to a specific entity—was scaring me. “Why
didn’t you tell me?”

My father
closed his eyes. “We thought it would be better for you not to grow up with
this over your head. We hoped if we sent you away that people would forget. Do
you remember what it was like before you left?” He gave me a sad look. “I didn’t
know how to tell you. First you were too young, then it felt like it was too
late, and you were doing so well, sweetie. I didn’t want to burden you if I
didn’t have to.”

I shook my
head at the server who asked if we were ready to order yet, and he disappeared
politely. “It was normal, right? Ashley and I played. I remember running down
to Bee’s house.”

He shook his
head. “Everywhere we took you, people stared. One particular woman, who lost
her daughter around the time you were born, kidnapped you.”

“Samantha
Cobb.”

“You know
about her?”

“Not much.
Just what I read online.”

“You were gone
for two weeks before the woman was caught and took her own life. After that we
sent you away, and you may not have been aware, but ESG has provided your
security since the day you left.”

I swallowed
hard and bit my lip. “Did Samantha have any other family?”

He shook his
head. “We looked into that when we started receiving the letters, but we couldn’t
find any living relations. It’s that hospital. It gets into people’s heads and
makes them do things they wouldn’t otherwise do.”

“You should’ve
told me. I thought I was going crazy between this stuff and Bee acting weird.
No wonder people are afraid to talk to me. They all probably know and think I’m
on some hit list.”

“No one else
knows,” he said.

“Everyone
knows.” My whole life was spinning around me. Dad’s phone rang somewhere in the
distance, pulling me back to the present. “This is crazy. I want to see the
letters.”

He reached into
the inside pocket of his jacket and pulled out a small stack held together with
a rubber band. I took the envelopes and gripped them in my hand. “What about
Briggs?”

“What about
him?”

“Why is he
here? Why did you offer him the paper? And don’t tell me he’s back because he
loved me too much to stay away. He was doing just fine before I came home.”

Dad sighed. “Your
mother thought it would be good for you if he came back, so I spoke with his
father and it was arranged.”

Fresh anger
washed over me. “You don’t get to interfere with my life. I don’t care if
Mother likes or doesn’t like who I’m dating.”

His phone rang
again. “I should probably get this.”

I nodded and
leaned my forehead against my palm. I thought having everything confirmed and
out in the open would be a relief. It wasn’t.

“Hello? She’s
with me.” My father inhaled sharply and I snapped to attention. My stomach sank
and fluttered. Whatever it was, it was bad. “I understand. I’ll let her know.”
Dad hung up and looked at me with glassy eyes.

I stood up and
pushed my way outside through other guests and servers without seeing them. I
needed air.

“What
happened?” Aiden asked.

I ignored him
and waited for my father to follow. Someone had died, I was certain of it, and
it was better for him to tell me here, more in private. Dad came out slowly,
dabbing his eye with his handkerchief. He handed me my forgotten jacket and
letters.

“Is it Bee?” I
asked, my voice cracking.

Dad swallowed
a couple times. “She isn’t doing well. She’s declining rapidly and they think
we should …go say goodbye.”

I nodded fast,
my throat constricting. My eyes spilled over. He held out his arms and I hugged
my father for the first time in eighteen years. My bones turned to jelly and
the ice cracked around my heart.
No, no, no. She can’t die.

The three of
us quickly headed back to the hospital. Aiden waited outside the door. My
father went to stand behind my mother, Ashley and Melissa stood together, and I
took Blair’s hand in one of mine and held Bee’s hand with my other. I cried so
hard I began to hiccup.
I have been wrong about so much. If I hadn’t come
back, would she still be alive? Is this my fault?

Her monitor
slowed and she took one last deep breath before everything went still. Jack
flipped it off when she flatlined.

“I will give
you a moment of privacy,” he said, and I vaguely heard the door open and shut.

No one moved
or said anything. We all stood around Bee as a family, not fighting, not
talking, just being together—exactly what Bee always wanted, just too late. Slowly
people began to trickle out until it was just me, still holding her hand. She
was so pale and lifeless. I wasn’t able to save her. All of this had been for
nothing.

I left the
room, numb. It was my fault she died.

Dad tried to
stop me. “Ryan—”

I brushed his
hand aside and headed for Aiden’s car. I just wanted to go home.

*

Another stupid box sat by my
front door. I fumbled with the key for the lock, ignoring the package, unable
to see through my tears. “Agh,” I shouted. A hand folded over mine, taking the
keys from me. I turned toward Aiden and buried my face in his chest. I had
killed her—killed the only person I knew who always loved me. I woke up the
hospital and now Bee was dead.

Aiden held me.
“It’s not your fault,” he said, his voice competing with the accusing rant in
my head. He rocked me gently until my mind quieted, and all I felt was
exhaustion. My shoulders sagged and I took a step back. He opened the door for
me. Then he stooped to get the box. I rolled my eyes and went inside. I didn’t
care anymore.

“I can’t
believe she’s dead.” I collapsed on the couch and leaned my head back against
the wall. The dogs climbed up on either side of me and rested their heads on my
legs.

Aiden put the
box on the counter and sat in a nearby chair. “I’m sorry for your loss.”

“What do I do
now?”

“Whatever you
want.”

All I knew was
that I didn’t want to spend the rest of my life knowing someone wanted to kill
me or being scared of a hospital. “I want all of this to end.”

“Then let’s
catch this person.” He retrieved the box and pulled out his knife.

I held out my
hand. “I’ll do it.” I slit the tape and pulled back the flaps. The note said: