19— Not Another One
Dallas made it to Shady Pines hospital as quickly as he could. He drove onto the manicured grounds slowly, with most of his mind still on Bonhi. He wanted to get this done quickly and get back to her.
Dallas parked and walked up to the entrance, spotting Jameson right away. The guy wore his Dudley Do-Right outfit with no shame whatsoever, his big arms crossed over his chest. He stared Dallas down, saying nothing.
Dallas reached him, also saying nothing.
Jameson scowled. “I read the police report. It says you saved Bonhi from an abduction.”
Dallas nodded tightly. “I did. The guy left bruises in her side with the gun.”
Jameson shook his head and his expression hardened first, then softened toward Dallas. “That’s fucked up. It’s good you were there.”
Dallas nodded once.
“You know why we’re here?” Jameson asked.
Dallas shook his head.
“Did you hear about the woman who fell from the sky out at Cove Springs last week?”
Dallas nodded. Aven and Dakota had investigated the incident, thinking it was related to switches in some way.
“This is her. She was taken to the hospital and they put her here, because she doesn’t remember her name, but she also thinks she’s some sort of royalty, demanding people give her their clothing and feed her.” He lowered his voice. “I think she’s a switch.”
“Switches falling from the sky,” Dallas snorted. “That’ll make finding them easier.”
Jameson gave him a sour look and took off toward the door.
Dallas followed. Inside was a nurse’s station.
Jameson waved at the nurse behind the desk, and the nurse buzzed them through locked double doors into a small waiting area with chairs lining the wall.
Beyond it was another door that Jameson pushed silently through.
They were in a hallway with doors leading to multiple numbered rooms. A man at the end of the hall was wearing a doctor’s white coat and talking to a nurse.
The doctor turned toward them and held up his hand in greeting.
He was blurry.
“Shit,” Dallas muttered.
The guy had dark hair and a trimmed beard, looking blurry as hell, but the nurse next to him looked perfectly normal and clear.
Dallas slowed his steps and took the opportunity to study the blur under the fluorescent lights.
It was almost hazy, sticking to the doctor’s entire body, like he’d been dipped in gray gel.
Jameson slowed in the hallway and gave him a what-the-fuck look. Dallas shook his head. Jameson looked exasperated. He turned back and spoke to the doctor, then introduced him to Dallas.
“This is Dr. Momeyer.”
Dallas nodded. The doctor’s eyes slid right over him, then he took them to a door and put his hand on it.
His arm twitched and the door opened slightly, then fell back shut.
“We call her Jane, short for Jane Doe, which means we don’t know her name.
If she starts to get upset you’ll have to leave immediately.
She had an episode earlier and we’re not going to repeat that.
She has no recollection of who she is or what happened to her or anything in her entire life, and you’re not allowed to ask any questions because they make her agitated.
Got it?” He twitched again, his entire body, and that made Dallas remember the kidnapper and the women at the caves had done the same damn thing.
Jameson nodded. “Got it, got it. We won’t agitate her.”
The doctor pushed the door open. A vibrant scent billowed out, smelling sweet and strong, reminding Dallas of switch magic in some way he didn’t understand. Dallas looked at Jameson, stunned. Jameson looked back at him, his brows drawing down. He entered the room first.
Dallas followed, noticing the walls were covered with hundreds of drawings, all on 3x5 index cards.
Dallas looked at one—a cage with thick black bars and a giant lock on its door.
Dallas’ stomach dropped as he studied it, like he was locked inside.
The next drawing was a gray cage with jagged spikes for bars, surrounded by thick blackness.
Dallas examined more drawings and found them all to be cages.
Against one wall was a woman at a small desk, drawing another cage.
She wore a simple flowered nightgown and had long, straight, dark hair.
She scented divine, like cookies or cake or sweet bread, all combined and laced with pure switch magic—and her scent was intense, like the scent of three or four people packed together.
She didn’t appear to know they were there.
Dr. Momeyer cleared his throat. “Jane? I’ve brought someone to see you.”
The woman stiffened and did not look up. “That’s not my name.” Her voice was cold and she had no accent he could make out.
“We’ll only call you that until we know your real name. Remember?” The doctor’s tone was soothing, almost patronizing.
The woman ignored him. She stood and taped her drawing to the wall, looking like an warrior, strong, with high cheekbones, full lips, and fierce brown eyes.
Her gaze landed on Dallas for only a moment, but it made him feel exalted, like she was royalty, and he was a chosen knight. He stood straighter.
Jameson tried to catch her eye, but she wouldn’t look at him. She took another piece of paper to the desk and sat down, starting another drawing.
“That’s all for today,” Dr. Momeyer said. He ushered them out.
“Thank you, Doctor,” Jameson said. “Are there plans for her?”
“She’ll stay here until she shows signs of recovery or someone claims her.”
“Good, thank you.”
Dallas and Jameson walked away through the building, Jameson slightly in front. They pushed outside into fresh air and sunshine, then stood off to the side of the building to talk.
“Can’t the vampires control humans?” Dallas asked, his voice low.
“Yes,” Jameson said. “They call it ‘charming.’”
“For how long?”
Jameson shook his head. “We don’t know.”
Dallas scrubbed a hand down his face and pointed back the way they had come. “I think that guy’s charmed.”
Jameson shook his head, his face looking like he expected some shit like this from Dallas.
“I know it sounds crazy,” Dallas said.
Jameson scowled, then said, “Okay hotshot, that woman in there, Jane, did she glow?”
Dallas blinked at him. “No, did she glow to you?”
Jameson’s face twisted in anger. “No. But… she’s got to be involved.”
“The doctor…” Dallas didn’t want to mention the blur. He had no reason to think Jameson had seen it. “Did you see him twitch?”
“Twitch? What are you talking about?”
Dallas shook his head. “Nothing. We done here?”
“Yeah.”
They both stalked off, going their separate ways.