Chapter 7
Plan
Just for the hell of it, Grace visited that same dollar store at the same time she’d met that attractive man in the book section the other day. Naturally, he wasn’t there. Although she hadn’t expected to see him again, she still felt disappointed when her plan didn’t pan out.
“There’s always tomorrow,” she hoped as she went to pay for the bag of chips and can of bean dip she’d selected to give herself an excuse for being there. After she’d checked out and returned to her vehicle, she sighed. “I should have known he wouldn’t be here. There’s no bicycle.”
She gave a self-deprecating laugh. “Grace Jane. What in the world’s come over you? You chasing after a guy? That’s not like you at all.” Her gaze fell on the plastic bag with the chips and dip. “Well, at least I have something the girls and I can snack on during the day.”
Marcia was already checking in a new patient when she came through the office’s back door. Noting that Susan hadn’t arrived yet, she dumped her purse in her locker and the bag of snacks on the small side table where they put out the goodies to nibble on during the day.
Noticing there were two other people sitting in the waiting area, she took a seat at a station and entered her password into the computer. She was about to see who was next to be checked in when Marcia came up behind her and laid a small brown envelope beside her elbow.
“This came from the labs.” The woman grinned. “Congratulations. How much does that make now?”
Opening the envelope, Grace withdrew the small gold pin. It was shaped like a shield with the number 5 stamped on it. She held it up for the woman to see.
“It’s my five-gallon pin.”
“Good for you!” Marcia patted her on the shoulder. “I wish everyone who was capable was a regular donor.”
Reaching up, Grace gave the woman’s hand a little squeeze. Marcia was one of those who’d contracted HIV back in the college days from unprotected sex, making her ineligible to donate.
An older woman entered her booth and sat down. Pasting a smile on her face, Grace greeted her. “Good morning. Please show me your ID and your insurance card, if you have one.”
* * *
The day dragged. Rhyne caught himself checking the clock so often, even Andy noticed and called him out on it.
“Got someplace to go? Or someone waiting on you?”
Rhyne didn’t try to deny it. “Yeah. Sort of. Look, why don’t I start cleanup? Get some of it taken care of ahead of time.”
Andy eyed the clock himself. “This early?”
“I need to meet a guy.”
The man’s eyebrows crawled up into his hairline. Sensing what Andy must be thinking, Rhyne shot it down.
“He’s one of Welsh’s friends. Welsh’s birthday is coming up, and we’re trying to get a surprise party set up for him, but we’re having trouble agreeing on a venue, much less trying to find a time that works for both of us.
And…well…” He scratched the back of his head.
Fortunately, his coworker swallowed the flimsy excuse hook, line, and sinker.
Andy snorted. “Lemme guess. Because your work schedules don’t coincide, you volunteered to be the one who has to sneak out?”
Grinning crookedly, Rhyne shook his head. “It’s been…challenging.”
Andy glanced at the clock again. “Things are slow tonight. If you’re gonna leave, best do it now. How long do you think you’ll be gone?”
Slightly stunned, Rhyne responded, “It’s supposed to be at some kind of men’s social club somewhere near the hospital. Look, if I call him now, we can meet up there, have a look around, and I can be back in, say, half an hour.”
“Well, call him and find out,” Andy suggested.
Rhyne pulled out his cell phone and pretended to make a call.
“Yo, Dave. Look, I have a chance to sneak away from work for half an hour so we can check out that hall you were telling me about. Is it a can-do from you? It is? Great! I’m leaving here now.
Be there shortly.” Stuffing the phone back into his pocket, he threw Andy a big grin.
“Thanks, bro. I’ll be back before you know it. ”
“You’d better be, or both our asses could be canned,” Andy groused.
Chuckling, Rhyne hurried to the back stockroom, grabbed his bike, and left for the hospital.
He knew Norris wasn’t expecting him, but he had no other choice but to confront the man where he worked. Besides, the only place where the guy could find out what he needed to know was at the hospital itself.
When he reached the hospital, Rhyne knew he couldn’t enter through any of the back doors or the emergency entrance used by the ambulances.
Getting off his bike, he walked it around to the front and chained it to one of the handicapped parking signs where anyone could see it through the large glass doors.
Striding inside, he initially went up to the small desk where two ladies in bright pink aprons were sitting.
“Yes, may I help you?” one of them inquired, favorably eyeing him.
“I hope so. I’m looking for someone who works the evening shift here. Name’s Norris.”
Both women glanced at each other with matching puzzled looks. The one with the gold hoop earrings responded.
“I’m sorry, sir, but we’re not that familiar with all the personnel here. Are you sure he’s not a patient?”
“No. He works here. He’s a phlebotomist.”
Hoops checked again with her friend. “Maybe he can ask around.”
The other woman had a better idea and pointed to something behind him. “Why don’t you ask someone over in Admissions? It’s still open. They might be able to help. But you better hurry. They’ll be closing up for the day pretty soon.”
Thanking them, Rhyne walked across the lobby and past two rows of seats to the small office with the word ADMISSIONS stenciled on the small glass window inset in the wall. Not seeing anyone inside, he waited at the small counter.
A silver call bell sat at the far end. He didn’t think twice and rang it. He was on a tight timetable. If he abused his friend’s trust, the next time—and there definitely would be a next time—the next time he needed to leave early, Andy would have every right to turn him down.
“Be right there!” a muffled voice called from an inner office.
Rhyne touched the blood bag hidden underneath his shirt, tucked halfway inside his waistband, to reassure himself it was still there.
“You!”
His head jerked up, and he stared in disbelief at the young woman standing in the doorway.
The woman he’d met at the dollar store. The woman whose scent still floated in his sinus cavities.
The woman who’d never been far from his thoughts, and he let out a nervous laugh.
“I could say the same thing. You, uhhh, you work here?” His eyes dropped to her nametag.
Right below where it said Harbor County Hospital, it read G LOCKHART.
His gaze jerked back to her face. She appeared flustered as she walked up to the counter. “If you’d been ten minutes later, we would’ve missed each other again.”
Again?
Her choice of that word baffled him, but he brushed it aside for the moment.
The next instant, he got the strong odor of blood, and he involuntarily took a step back.
The woman was on her menses. Although most of his kind were drawn to females at the time of their month, Rhyne tried to avoid them.
Not because of the blood, but because he feared he might lose what humanity he’d managed to regain these past few decades.
The last thing he needed or wanted was to fall back into those depraved depths he’d languished in during those dark, forgettable days.
“Are you here to check in?”
He jerked himself out of his stupor. “No. No, I’m looking for one of your employees.”
“Oh? Who?”
“I just know his first name. Norris. He handles blood and works—”
“In the labs!” Her face brightened. “He’s one of our phlebotomists. He works the night shift. Gee.” Her smile reached her eyes, making them sparkle. “Talk about a small world.”
“I hate to cut this short,” Rhyne apologized. “I’m playing hooky from work, or else I’d stay and chat some more. Can you give me directions on how to get to that department?”
“Oh, I can do one better for you. Hold on.” She went over to the phone, punched one of the clear buttons on it, and dialed a four-digit number. “Darin? Hey, this is Grace up in admissions. Listen, is Norris there? He is? Would you tell him I need to see him for a second? This won’t take long.”
Rhyne saw her cast him a side eye as if to verify that their meeting wouldn’t take up much time, as he’d said. He flashed her a smile, which she returned.
“Okay, great. Thanks.” She hung up and turned back to him. “He’s on his way. You’re welcome to have a seat.” She motioned toward the rows of chairs.
Rhyne declined. “Thank you, Miss Lockhart.”
“Hey, Grace? Are you going to close up out there?” a woman standing in the doorway inquired.
“Yes. Right after I’m finished here.” She gave Rhyne an apologetic smile. “I hate to leave you, but I need to shut down.”
Curious, he asked, “So where do people go after hours?”
“The emergency room.”
“Do you work there, too?”
“Nope. Just the front desk.” She tilted her head at him. “Where did you say you worked?”
“At Wonderland Amusement Center.”
“Oh, I know the place! You said you were playing hooky. Do you work the evening shift?”
“I’m one of the assistant managers.”
She started to ask him something else but the other woman reappeared, cutting her short.
Rhyne watched as she came around the counter and ushered him outside the office. Before she closed and locked the door, she peered around the jamb.
“Hope to see you again,” she told him.
Rhyne stared in stunned silence, unable to believe his luck.
Grace. Her name is Grace. And she works here at the hospital.
He was still swimming in his memories of the past few minutes when a familiar voice called out to him.
“Hey, Rhyne. What’s up?”
Jerking himself back to the present, Rhyne turned to face his, for want of a better word, supplier. “Is there some place where we can talk in private?” he asked in a hushed voice.
Norris’s face paled slightly as he nodded. “Sure. Come with me.”
That private place turned out to be the hospital chapel not far from the front entrance. As soon as they were inside, Rhyne pulled the empty bag out from behind him and shoved it into the young man’s hand. “I got a big favor to ask you. A big favor.”
“Okayyy.” Norris looked at the bag, then back up at Rhyne. “What is it?”
“I need you to give me the name of the person who donated the blood that was in this bag.”
Norris’s eyes widened. “No way. Nuh-uh. That’s a big no-no. I could lose my job or worse if I was discovered doing shit like that.”
Rhyne cocked his head to the side. “Just like you could lose your job for slipping us those used bags like you’ve been doing for a while?”
He had the man there, and Norris knew it. Still, the guy tried to object.
“I…”
“Just this one time,” Rhyne promised, shoving a Benjamin into the man’s other hand. “I’ll never ask you again. But it’s urgent I find out whose AB negative blood this was.”
“Why? Did it make you sick or something?”
Rhyne nodded. “Or something.”
Norris checked the empty blood bag in his hand. “When do you need the information?”
“As soon as you can deliver it.”
Norris checked the bill in his other hand and sighed in defeat. “I’ll do what I can, but I can’t promise anything. You have to know that.”
“I know that I’ll have to be satisfied with whatever information you can give me. Oh, by the way, I was tapped to come by tonight to pick up the next batch.”
The guy gave him an incredulous look. “You couldn’t give this to me then?”
Rhyne answered with a chagrined smile. “I was sort of hoping you might be able to find out something between now and then.”
Norris’s expression never wavered. “It’s that important to you, huh?”
“Yes. It’s very important.”
The guy took a deep breath, letting it out with another loud sigh. “Awright. I’ll see what I can do.”
“Oh, and one more thing. If there’s any more of that AB neg…”
This time the young man straightened. “You don’t know when to quit, do you?” When Rhyne didn’t answer, he nodded and stuffed the bag under his shirt and the money in his pants pocket.
Rhyne smiled. “Thanks, Norris.” Giving the guy a pat on the shoulder, he left the chapel and walked out of the hospital, but not without a final glance at the now dark and empty admissions office.
Grace Lockhart. He finally had a name to go with the face. The discovery almost made up for his earlier disappointment regarding Elias Treech’s death.
“Let’s hope Norris can find out who my mysterious benefactor is, and that person is my miraculous cure for colorblindness,” he noted to himself as he unlocked his bicycle and climbed on it to return to work.