JoshuaCole374
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Chapter 45: Check Out
🕑 Added 2023-10-13 12:00:03 +0000 UTCDonica headed off to whatever part-time job took up her hours between disapproving of us; something to do with Erin’s dad, apparently. She left us with a shake of her head and eye-laser glares at Lena and Miguel. I’m not sure why I didn’t earn an optic blast. Apparently our online interactions had gotten me labeled “mostly harmless.”
As soon as she left, Lena perked up. “I almost forgot.”
I knew what she meant immediately, and so did Miguel. He groaned.
Lena pumped her fists. “I’m gonna go grab the wheelchair!”
Erin regarded the three of us with raised eyebrows. Probably wondering if Donica had been right to worry about leaving her with us.
Lena darted into the hall and I went to the closet and took out Miguel’s stuff. All he had were his clothes from last night, his wallet, and my parka. It reminded me that he’d lost his phone down in the tunnel. His plan to brick it still didn’t settle well with me.
Better than going back to look for it, though.
I recognized my hypocrisy. I’d tell Miguel he was crazy to believe the Water had pushed him. On the other hand, I wouldn’t return to a tunnel where I’d maybe heard something moving in the darkness, caught glimpses of something at the edge of my light?
Recognized, but didn’t change.
I dropped his clothes and wallet off on his bed and smushed his keys into the pile. I folded the parka over my arm and turned to Erin. “Let’s step out for a minute and let him get dressed.”
I wondered if Miguel would have some line about her staying to help, but that was mean of me. I could tell he was pitching his banter to try to make her more comfortable, not less. He just waved us out.
Erin shut the door behind us.
I leaned against the wall and looked around for Lena.
“I’m sorry,” Erin whispered.
I glanced at her. “Hm?”
“Coming over here was presumptuous,” she said. “It turned out to be stupid, too. This didn’t have anything to do with me. It barely had anything to do with Third Eye.”
I couldn’t quite suppress my snort.
Erin’s head tilted.
For one absurd moment, I thought about sharing Miguel’s suspicions with her. Hell. Maybe I should share my own. Erin had a Reactant, at least one. Had she experienced anything like I had?
But no. The fact was, I didn’t really know her that well. I hadn’t shared that shit with Lena for fear of coming across as crazy. It sure as hell wasn’t something you dropped on a casual acquaintance.
I still had to explain my reaction, though. “It seems like everything’s got to do with Third Eye anymore.”
“True.” She closed her eyes and rested the back of her head against the wall. Which made sense as far as it went. Her smile surprised me, though. She looked – contented.
With all the responsibility she took for the wiki and its use, she seemed to have invited a lot of stress into her life. I wouldn’t have blamed her for souring on Third Eye entirely.
Whatever she got out of the game, it apparently made the effort she put in worth it.
I wanted to ask, but it seemed presumptuous.
Speaking of things that seemed presumptuous, though –
“Hey,” I said. “While we’ve got a second, I’ve just gotta ask. How did you find Miguel’s room in the first place?”
“Oh, that was simple.” Her eyes flew open. She waved her hands in the air, tracing, I guess, the connections she’d made. “I just cross-referenced your and Lena’s social media profiles. He was the only person you both had who made the automated tweet when he signed in to the Third Eye beta. Another friend you both share posted about ‘Miguel’s game’ being tonight; from context, a tabletop RPG? After that it was simply a matter of calling the hospital nearest you and asking for him by name.”
“Simple, huh?” I had to grin. She’d done exactly what Miguel had told Lena and I not to when it came to Albie. “You better watch it. You and he might end up natural enemies.”
Erin, who had none of the context for what I’d said, let her hands fall to her sides. “So you do think it was wrong of me.”
I should’ve either said something comforting or given her question real thought.
But all I could think of was that Lena had asked the wrong person for help. All we had was Albie’s name and picture? And a whole lot of dog pictures, admittedly, if we brought Marroll into it?
For Erin, that might as well have been a CIA dossier.
Before I could explain myself, Lena returned, sans wheelchair, fists balled, glaring everywhere. She looked back and forth between us. “You making girls cry again, Cam?”
“You know me. A trail of broken hearts.” I scratched the back of my head. “Sorry, Erin. It doesn’t seem like you’ve done anything wrong. You just took information that was out there in public and put it together.”
“Do you mind explaining why you reacted oddly, then?” Erin asked.
“Because you did something we asked Miguel for help with last night, and he shot us down.”
“Oh, shit,” Lena said. Her fists unclenched and her glare vanished. “That’s right. I bet you could totally find Albie!”
Erin drew back. “Who?”
I heard movement in the hospital room. Miguel must have finished getting dressed. “I’ll send you the deeds later,” I said. “Just somebody we’re worried about.”
“Oh right,” Lena said. “Can’t do it around Mr. Stick in the Mud. He isn’t up and moving on his own, is he?”
“How did you think he was going to get dressed?” I asked.
“With my help, duh.” She grinned and reached for the door handle.
I rolled my eyes and repositioned to block her.
The door opened behind me. Thankfully, I wasn’t leaning against it.
Miguel emerged, dressed but still wearing his neck brace. He looked Lena up and down. “I can’t help but feel something is missing.”
“Those assholes won’t let me wheel you around.” Lena shot a glare toward the desk where the nurse sat, but it looked like a performance. All her annoyance seemed to have vanished at the prospect of Erin helping us find Albie. “Blah blah patient health, blah blah liability. How can they think I wouldn’t be the most responsible?”
Miguel’s eyes crinkled. “A mystery for the ages.”
“Speaking of responsibility,” I said, “are you good to drive, man?”
His face fell. “I was told to avoid it if possible, but then, my doctor has never experienced your driving.”
“I’m just out of practice,” I said. “Plus, I was trying to be careful.”
“You were certainly that.”
“I have my license,” Erin said. “If you’re okay with it, I can drop you off and get a bus back to my dorm.”
“More than okay,” Miguel said. “There’s no need for you to do that, though. I’ve already said you don’t owe me anything.”
“I barged into your hospital room and wasted everyone’s time,” she said. “You could probably argue that I invaded your privacy just to find my way here, too.”
“I certainly could argue that,” he said. “Fortunately, I forgive you.”
“Thanks. I think?” She blinked. “My point is, at the very least, I wasted Donica’s time asking her to bring me down here. Arguably yours; Cam and Lena’s as well. I’d rather something useful come of the trip. I understand if you don’t want me to drive you, though.”
“You’re a careful driver?”
She nodded. “To the best of my abilities. Especially if someone’s injured.”
“Hm. It’s probably safer than me driving when I may not have absolute command of my faculties.” Miguel tapped his cheek. “I know it’s safer than Cam driving. The minimum speed limits may not be posted, but when bicycles are backing up behind you wishing they had horns to honk –”
“Nobody was biking in the middle of the night,” I snapped. “But if Erin wants to drive, at least it gets your smug ass off our hands sooner.”
He glanced at Lena to confirm what I already knew, which was that she was swallowing a crack about hands, asses, and whether they ought to be in contact. A groaner, for sure. Just imagining it, I had to fight not to respond appropriately, and my expression only made her grin widen.
Miguel shook his head and strolled to the desk.
“Checking out already?” the nurse asked. “Your discharge is finished, but if you have any questions, fire away.”
“Followup in two weeks, keep head elevated, no strenuous physical activity?”
The nurse nodded. “It sounds like you’ve got it on lock.”
I waited for the bills to start exploding across the desk, but Miguel said his farewells and swept away. Apparently they squared the financials in advance. Which, if you think about it, is even scarier. Checking in meant giving them an open tab.
I tried not to think about it all the way to the elevators, through the lobby, and out to where we’d parked Miguel’s Prius. Nurses and orderlies and a receptionist all crossed our paths, but somehow, we escaped.
Miguel unlocked the driver’s side door and motioned Erin inside, then went around letting Lena and I in back and himself in the front.
Erin took the key from him, looked around, nodded at each of us – checking our seatbelts, I supposed? – and started the car. She hesitated. “Oh.”
“What’s wrong?” I asked.
“I just noticed that Miguel doesn’t have a phone on him.” She took hers from her jacket and handed it to him. “I don’t mind if you scout with mine.”
He frowned. “Scout?”
“For Materials,” she said. “If someone is willing to drive you, it works wonders.”
He pushed the phone back to her. “I’ll pass.”
“Don’t worry, I won’t claim anything. You can just send yourself a note to come back later –”
“I,” he repeated, “will pass.”
He nudged the phone against her hand until, with a frown, she tucked it away.
I wondered what he didn’t want to explain. That he’d been kicked from the beta, or that he’d convinced himself Third Eye was doing something beyond what a game should be capable of?
Either way, Lena and I had our phones out by the time we set off. This might be our only chance to scout from a car.
I was about to fire up Third Eye, but I’d left Discord up from the previous night.
When I saw the latest messages, I dropped everything else.
Comments
Glad you've enjoyed overall! And entirely fair about the denial phase. In the original outline, this point happened around... chapter 24, or so? Turns out the combination of trying to hit 1,500 to 2,500 words every time, trying to end on a stinger that will keep readers going, and writing characters who love to get their banter in, means that some of these things take longer than I expected to be revealed.
Pete
The denial phase is getting kinda tiresome, otherwise an enjoyable read.
