Chapter 17 Echoes Through Flame #3
I stormed down the corridor to the nurse’s station. It sat under a soft halo of fluorescent light, but there was no warmth to it. A woman in blue scrubs glanced up from her monitor, a dismissive look on her face before I’d even spoken.
“I need to speak to someone,” I insisted. “Someone just gave my friend an injection and removed something from behind her ear. She’s in Room 432. He didn’t identify himself, didn’t ask permission—”
The nurse blinked, raising her brow. “And your name is?”
“Melanie Blumenthal. I’m her emergency contact.” I gripped the counter, knuckles white. “He said she was under contract for Phase II. What does that even mean?”
At that, a second nurse looked up. They exchanged an exasperated glance, as though they thought I was being crazy or unreasonable.
“All of Amaris Lane’s treatments have been approved by Dr. Sloan,” the first nurse said, her tone robotic. “You can rest assured she’s receiving the best care available.”
“That’s not what I asked!” I snapped. “A stranger walked into her room and injected her with something. He removed a devise from her head, some kind of monitoring chip, and walked out without explaining anything.”
The nurse gave me a withering look, like I was exhausting her very soul.
“Again, ma’am, all treatments have been approved by Dr. Sloan. We appreciate your concern, but your friend is receiving appropriate care.”
“So you’re not even going to look into it?” My voice rose. “You’re not going to tell me who that man was or what he gave her?”
“Ma’am, if you continue to be disruptive, I’ll have to call security.”
Luz appeared beside me then. “What the hell is Phase II?”
“I’m sorry,” the second nurse said with a practiced smile. “That would be between Ms. Lane and her doctor. I don’t even have that information.”
“This isn’t a HIPAA thing,” Luz barked. “She’s family. Amy is dying in there, and you’re smiling like this is a spa day!”
“Ma’am,” the first nurse interjected, “if you raise your voice again, I’ll have to ask you both to leave.”
I stepped away while Luz began swearing in Spanish, and pulled out my phone with shaking hands.
“You’ve reached Candace Blumenthal. Please leave a message.”
“Mom,” I whispered, biting back tears. “Mom, please. Something’s wrong. They’re doing medical procedures on Amy that she didn’t consent to. I need—” My broke. “I need you. Please call me back. Please.”
I hung up and lowered the phone, feeling like the ground had disappeared beneath me. For the first time in my life, my overprotective and overbearing mother wasn’t answering. I’d pushed her away, and now, when I really needed her, she was gone.
“I can’t do this,” I whispered, voice breaking. “I don’t know how to fix any of this.”
Luz put an arm around me. “We’ll figure it out.”
We walked back to Amy’s room in silence. She looked even paler than before, if that was possible. Her breathing had become shallower, and her eyes danced behind her lids as if she were caught in a dream.
“She’s getting worse,” Luz murmured.
I sat beside Amy’s bed again, heart twisting. I wanted to scream or shatter something. Instead, I just held Amy’s hand, refusing to let go.
Hours passed. I attempted to call and text Leo several times, but never received a response.
It did little to ease the growing fear. Luz eventually went home to shower and change.
I stayed, counting breaths, watching monitors, refusing to leave Amy alone.
When a nurse finally told me I had to leave for the night, visiting hours were over, and I felt like I was abandoning her to wolves.
I stepped into the cooling evening air outside the hospital, not sure how I was even upright.
Every nerve in my body was on fire with fear and fury.
My phone buzzed in my pocket.
Leo: We need to meet. ASAP.
Relief flooded through me. I texted back immediately: Yes. Where?
Then I pulled up Uber to call a ride, but the app wouldn’t load. I tried again, watching the spinning wheel, but nothing connected.
Weird. I had full bars inside.
A sinking feeling churned in my gut. I turned and walked back toward the ER entrance, hoping someone there could let me use a phone.
The officer at the desk barely glanced up when I approached.
I explained my situation—no signal, visiting hours over, just needed to call a cab—and he waved me away without looking at me directly.
I stepped back into the night air, the temperature dropping as the sun dipped lower.
Normally, I’d never walk alone at night, not after Xavier or the men in the alley, but I was out of options.
I would have to risk it; my dorm was only a few blocks away.
I kept my keys between my fingers like claws and started walking, staying under streetlights, eyes scanning every shadow.
Then I heard a sound, too close—
White-hot pain exploded at the base of my skull. The world tilted. My keys clattered to the pavement, darkness crowding the edges of my vision.
The last thing I saw before the darkness swallowed everything was a figure stepping into the streetlight.