Chapter 52
The routine became my life!
The hospital is so big. It's like a maze built by a confused architect. There are long white hallways, echoing stairwells, and gardens that look pretty but have very high fences.
But I memorized the map!
Every day, the moment Dr. Hill says, "Take an hour, team," I vanish!
I don't go to the cafeteria (the food tastes like boiled sadness). I grab my bento box (prepared by Chef Gabriel, so it's yummy!) and I sneak away.
I tip-toe past the nurses' station. I duck under the security cameras (okay, I just walk fast, but in my head, I am ducking!). I slide through the double doors of the Male Ward, Sector B.
And I go to the secret spot.
It's a quiet hallway near the linen closet. It has a window that overlooks the garden, and a bench that wobbles if you sit on the left side.
And he is always there.
He waits for me.
He still looks pale. He still wears the gray pajamas that make him look like a sad prince. But when he sees me coming... his eyes light up. Just a tiny bit! Like a candle in a dark room.
"Isha," he whispers.
"Private Eli!" I salute him. "Report for snack duty!"
I sit next to him (on the non-wobbly side). I open my bag.
"Today's menu: Neon Worms!"
I pull out a bag of sour gummy worms.
Eli takes one. He looks at it like it's an alien artifact. Then he eats it.
We sit there for forty-five minutes every day.
I talk. A lot.
I tell him about Gabriel (but I call him "Mr. Grumpy" so Eli doesn't get scared, because he seemed scared of the name Gabby before). I tell him about my crochet projects (the deformed potato, the lopsided sunflower). I tell him about the chair incident (he actually smiled at that one!).
Eli just listens. He is a very good listener. He nods. He looks at me with those sad, gentle brown eyes.
But he never talks about himself.
I tried to ask once. "So, Eli... what's your favorite color? Why do you live here?"
He just looked at his hands and went silent.
So I stopped asking! I don't want to be a pressure cooker! Maybe he has trauma! Maybe he is shy! I just want to be his friend. I want to be the bright spot in his gray day.
★
Today is the day.
I stood in front of the mirror this morning and adjusted my pink jumper.
"Okay, Aleesha," I told my reflection. "Today, we say goodbye. No crying! We are strong!"
I packed a special bag of gummy bears (the gold ones! The premium ones!).
The morning went by fast. Carrying water. Nodding at clipboards.
Then... 12:00 PM.
"Lunch!"
I bolted.
I ran through the maze. Left. Right. Down the stairs. Through the blue doors.
I reached the hallway.
He was there. Sitting on the bench. Looking out the window at the rain falling against the glass.
"Eli!" I whispered-shouted.
He turned.
He looked... different today. More tired. His shoulders were slumped.
"Isha," he said softly.
I sat down next to him. I placed the gold gummy bears between us.
"It's the last day," I announced, trying to keep my voice cheerful. "I finished my 50 hours! I am a free woman! I get my Latin Honors back!"
I waited for him to say "Congratulations."
But he didn't.
He looked at me. His gaze was intense. Searching. Like he was trying to memorize my face.
"You're leaving," he stated.
"Yes! But don't worry!" I patted his arm. "I will try to visit! Maybe I can sneak in as a nurse? Or a plant delivery girl?"
Eli shook his head slowly.
"You won't come back," he said. "Once you leave... you won't come back here, Aleesha."
"I will!" I insisted. "I keep my promises!"
"No," he whispered. "You don't understand."
He took a deep breath. His hands were shaking in his lap. He clasped them together to stop the tremors.
He looked at the rain. Then he looked at me.
"Isha," he said, his voice trembling. "I... I need to tell you something."
I blinked. "Ooh? A secret? Like... you actually hate gummy bears?"
"No," he gave a weak, watery smile. "The truth. About... why I'm here."
My eyes widened.
Finally! He is opening up! The oyster is revealing the pearl!
I leaned in, my face serious. "I am listening, Eli. My ears are wide open."
Eli swallowed hard. He looked terrified. But he also looked like he couldn't hold it in anymore. Like a dam was breaking.
"My parents," he began, his voice barely a whisper. "They didn't die in an accident. Or... whatever story you might have heard."
I stayed silent, nodding encouragingly.
"They were..." He closed his eyes tight. "They were murdered."
GASP.
My hand flew to my mouth.
"Murdered?!" I squeaked.
Like in the movies? Like... crime?
"Yes," Eli opened his eyes. They were wet. "Right in front of me. I was... I was there. I saw it happen. I saw them fall."
I felt my heart shatter into a million pieces.
Oh my gosh.
Poor Eli! He witnessed it! No wonder he is sad! No wonder he is here! That is too much for anyone to handle!
"Oh, Eli..." I whispered, tears instantly filling my own eyes. "I am so, so sorry."
I reached out and took his hand. It was ice cold.
"That is terrible! That is evil!"
My brain started racing.
Murder. Crime. Justice.
"Who did it?" I asked, my voice turning fierce.
I imagined a robber. A guy in a ski mask. A scary gangster with a scar.
"Did you see their face?" I asked urgently. "Did they have a mask? Or a weapon? Did the police catch them?"
Eli went silent.
He stared at our joined hands. My small, warm hand covering his cold, trembling one.
"Eli?" I pressed. "Who was it? Tell me! We can report them!"
He looked up at me.
The look in his eyes... it wasn't fear anymore. It was... pity.
He reached out with his free hand.
He touched my face. His long fingers brushed my cheek, then he gently tucked a loose strand of hair behind my ear.
The gesture was so tender. So sad.
"It's not important, Isha," he whispered. "Knowing... won't help you."
"Of course it's important!" I shook my head vigorously. "Justice is important! You deserve justice! Your parents deserve justice!"
I grabbed his hand tighter.
"Tell me," I insisted. "I have connections! My husband... he knows people! He is very smart! He works in Logistics! He can find things! He helped my friend Stephie! He can help you!"
Eli flinched again at the mention of my husband. He pulled his hand back slightly, but I held on.
"You don't need to know," he said, his voice cracking. "You... you won't like the answer."
"I don't care if I like it!" I argued. "I hate murderers! I want them to rot in jail! I want them to eat soggy bread forever!"
I looked him dead in the eye.
"Tell me, Eli. Please. I promise... I promise I will help you. I will make sure the bad guy pays. I will make sure he goes to prison!"
I held up my pinky finger.
"Pinky promise," I said solemnly. "I swear on Hello Kitty. I will help you get justice."
Eli stared at my pinky.
He looked at my hopeful, tear-streaked face. He looked at my determination.
He let out a breath that sounded like a sob.
"You really want to know?" he whispered. "You really want to know who killed them? Who put me in here to keep me quiet?"
"Yes!" I nodded firmly. "Who is the monster?"
Eli looked away for a second, staring down the empty hallway. He looked like he was saying goodbye to something.
Then, he looked back at me. His brown eyes were swimming with tears.
He leaned in close.
The air felt heavy. The rain lashed against the window.
"The man who killed my parents," Eli whispered, his voice shaking. "The man who destroyed my life..."
He paused.
My heart was pounding. Thump. Thump. Thump.
"Who?" I breathed.
Eli's gaze locked onto mine.
"Your husband."
The words hung in the air like toxic smoke.
I opened my mouth to speak. I wanted to scream, to laugh, to ask him if he hit his head on the bedframe. My husband? My Gabby? The man who puts snail slime on his face just to make me happy? The man who separates his laundry by color and gets mad when I mix the whites with the pinks?
RIIIIIIING! RIIIIIIING!
My pocket exploded with noise.
It was my alarm. The "Back to Work/Get in the Van" alarm. And it was playing the "Minions" Banana Song.
Ba-ba-ba-ba-ba-nana!
The cheerful music shattered the heavy atmosphere. I flinched, jumping up from the bench.
"I... I have to go," I stammered, my heart pounding so hard I felt dizzy. "My alarm. The van. The water bottles."
I looked down at Eli. He was still staring at me with those wet, pitying eyes.
"Aleesha, please," he reached out. "You need to listen—"
"No!" I gripped his hand, squeezing it tightly to emphasize my point. "You... you are confused, Eli. Gabby is a good man. He is a CEO. He runs a Logistics Company. He moves boxes. He helps people. He saved my best friend!"
My voice was shaking. I sounded desperate.
"He is grumpy, yes! And he frowns a lot! But he is not... he is not evil! He is not capable of... of murder!"
I shook my head violently to clear the image Eli was trying to paint.
"I have to go. The SUV won't wait."
I didn't wait for his answer. I turned and ran.
I sprinted down the hallway, my sneakers squeaking on the linoleum. I ran past the nurses, past the guards, past the confused patients. I burst out of the double doors just as the rest of the Psychology team was walking toward the exit.
"There you are, Garcia!" Dr. Hill called out. "We were about to send a search party."
"I... I was in the bathroom!" I lied, breathless. "Stomach ache! Too many gummy bears!"
I climbed into the SUV, squeezing into the middle seat next to Mina.
"Bye, St. Dymphna!" Mina waved out the window cheerfully. "See you never!"
The SUV pulled away. The old brick building disappeared behind the trees.
But I didn't wave.
I sat perfectly still, staring out the window at the passing scenery. The green trees blurred into a messy smear.
Usually, I would be chatting. I would be asking Mina about her interview. I would be planning my dinner.
But I was quiet. Silent as a stone.
Your husband.
Eli's voice echoed in my mind, over and over again.
Your husband.
Why?
Why would Eli say that? Why would he accuse Gabby of such a heinous act?
My brain started to do mental gymnastics.
Maybe... maybe someone paid him?
Yes! That must be it! Just like Chad paid that guy to make the fake video! Someone must have bribed Eli!
But who?
Who hates Gabby? Maybe a rival logistics company? Maybe the people who want to steal his shipping routes?
Or maybe someone threatened him?
Did someone go to Eli's room and say, "Tell Aleesha her husband is a murderer or we will take away your books"?
My blood boiled.
Poor Eli, I thought, clutching my skirt. He is being used! He is a victim! Someone is trying to frame my husband! Someone is trying to break us apart!
It makes no sense otherwise. Gabriel buys me Hello Kitty lollipops. He kisses my bruised knuckles. He fixes roofs.
Evil men don't fix roofs. Evil men don't let their wives win at arm wrestling.
It's a lie. It has to be a lie.
But as I stared at the gray clouds gathering in the sky, a tiny, cold shiver ran down my spine.
If it's a lie... why did Eli look so sad when he said it?
And why, for the first time ever, did I feel scared to go home?