Destiny Gift (The Everlast Trilogy) - By Juliana Haygert Page 0,23

the backseat, he fished out a brown jacket, which he folded over his arm. He retrieved a card from the pocket and used it to open the hospital access door.

That was when my legs regained energy and I ran like crazy. I forgot about Raisa, about my job, about everything. I dashed toward that door. I couldn’t let him get away. I had to find out why he didn’t know who I was.

I almost didn’t reach the door in time, but a nurse stepped outside and propped it open. I inched my way inside Langone.

In the cold atrium, I found myself disoriented. Too many people, too many corridors and doors, and an intense smell of anesthetics that made me nauseous. And he was nowhere to be seen. My breath came in short gasps as I searched for him.

This was too much. The dizziness and the anxiety took over. I found a staircase, sat on the lower step, and put my head between my knees.

“Are you okay, miss?” a woman asked me. Moving cautiously so I wouldn’t puke, I lifted my head and saw a chubby nurse with a kind smile. “You’re very pale.”

“I’m fine,” I lied. I knew too well I wouldn’t be all right until I found Victor.

“Are you here alone?” she asked, patting my shoulder.

I shook my head. “I came with my friend.”

“Do you need help getting to your friend?”

“No, I just need a few minutes alone.” I tried smiling, though I was sure it didn’t look good.

“Well, if you need anything, the nurses’ station is right over there, at the end of the hall.” She pointed to her right.

I nodded, and when she walked away, I returned my forehead to my knees.

Oh my God. My head spun, and there was no way I could think this through. Desperate tears filled my eyes as I considered the possibility I was losing my mind and whether I should get up and head toward the psychiatric ward. My mind now played tricks while I was awake. No visions needed anymore. How much of this could I take? I didn’t want to find out.

“There you are.” Raisa sat beside me. “What the hell was that?”

I shrugged, not sure what to tell her.

My cell phone rang. It was Adam. Reluctantly, I took the call, only to hear him ream me out.

“You’re twelve minutes late,” he yelled. “Drag your butt here right now, or I’ll tell our manager about the freak things you do.”

“I’ll be right there,” I mumbled, disconnecting before he could scream even less pleasant words.

My mind whirled with confusion as Raisa and I left through the same door. I had hallucinated—no way was Victor real. Nonetheless, at the garage, I realized two things. First, his car was still parked there, so I had not imagined that. Second, Raisa was beside with me and she had seen him and confirmed his name.

Still, I felt heartless, soulless. Victor didn’t know me.

***

At the café, the minutes dragged on forever. I couldn’t concentrate on any task. I prayed for Cheryl to show up and help distract my busy mind, but that didn’t happen.

Three hours gone, with three more to go. I couldn’t take it anymore. Pretending to be sick, I asked to go home. When my boss let me leave, I ran to the nearest campus gate and took a cab back to the hospital.

My hands sweated, and my whole body shook when I entered the garage. I was afraid Victor’s car wouldn’t be there anymore.

What now? I had felt compelled to check if his car was still there, but what else? I hadn’t thought it through and I was outside the hospital in the cold and dark. God, what was happening to me? Was I losing all reason?

The need to know if the man I’d seen was Victor prevented me from going home. I hid along a wall where people would not see me while I kept an eye on his car. And I waited.

To pass the time, I got out a book and tried to read. After rereading the same paragraph six times, I gave up and stashed it inside my tote. Next, I tried playing a silly game on my phone, but kept messing it up. Then, I hummed some songs I liked.

Cramps shot up my legs when I heard that damned bird cawing from outside the garage. I left my hideout and stepped onto the sidewalk, ignoring the fact it was already night—not that the darkness was much different from