The Beast Within (The Elite Series) - By Jonathan Yanez Page 0,30
her.
It seemed like an eternity before they reached the hospital. Connor didn’t bother worrying about parking, instead he drove straight to the emergency entrance, usually reserved for ambulances. He carried her inside, ignoring the rain.
White and grey tile floor was matched with bleached white walls and bright fluorescent lighting.
“I need help!” Connor yelled to no one in particular.
Immediately, nurses and doctors surrounded him. A hospital bed was wheeled over and Connor placed Katie gently on top. He ran with the hospital staff as they strapped her in and hooked her up to heart monitors and IVs. The entire time she laid still, eyes closed, barely breathing.
A balding doctor with a small face and eyes too big for his head addressed Connor, “What happened to her?”
“I don’t know. She called me, panicked. I found her like this.”
“It looks like the others, Doctor,” a middle-aged brunette nurse pointed out.
“The others?” Connor repeated.
“Yes,” the doctor explained. “This is the fifth case we’ve had today involving an animal bite.”
Connor kept his mouth closed as he followed the mobile bed pushed by the hospital staff. Soon they reached their destination, a white room with a heart monitor and IV station against the far wall. The entire room was saturated with the smell of antiseptic.
“You can’t be in here. You’ll have to go to the waiting room,” the doctor informed him.
Connor nodded numbly. After he moved his truck from the emergency entrance, he was escorted to a small waiting room composed of twelve uncomfortable looking chairs and an army of magazines, ranging from National Geographic to Better Homes and Gardens.
The room was full. Connor chose a seat between an older man who looked like he was about to fall asleep and a young woman with a long neck and a generous application of makeup.
A friendly looking receptionist provided him a form to fill out for Katie and he completed it to the best of his knowledge. Questions like phone number, address, and age were easy. Connor had to leave many of the harder questions blank. Though he had known Katie for years, he wasn’t sure if she was allergic to any type of medication or what her social security number was.
He apologized for the lack of information. The receptionist assured him it would be fine. Now all Connor had to do was wait. This, however, was easier said than done. The minutes seemed like hours and the hours seemed like days. He tried reading a magazine, but his eyes stared at the page blankly.
His mind replayed the events of the day. The foremost question was whether Katie would be all right. What happened to her? He had a good idea, but didn’t want to jump to any conclusions before he had a chance to speak with her—if he would ever be able to speak with her again. He pushed this possibility out of his mind and told himself she would pull through. Despite her carefree personality and easygoing disposition, Katie was stronger than most people knew.
Forcing his mind from the topic, he felt a slight vibration in his pocket. His cell phone flashed—two missed calls from his mother. She was no doubt worried when he failed to return to the shop after the meeting with Mrs. Hayes, or rather, Morrigan. He wanted to call her but he didn’t know what to say. That he just learned the greatest kept secret in the history of mankind? Or maybe that he was at the hospital now with Katie, who was bitten by a distant relative who may or may not be an Elite and she may or may not be dying now?
No, a phone call was out of the question, but a text, on the other hand, would work perfectly. He pushed the appropriate buttons to form his text. “Sorry I didn’t come back. Katie needed me. Working through some issues. Love you.” It was perfect and he really didn’t have to lie. Katie did need him and God knew he had plenty of issues to work through.
His mom’s text came back right away. “Okay, honey. See you tonight. Looking forward to our talk. Love you.”
While he waited, he couldn’t help but overhear a few of the conversations that were taking place in the waiting room and one in particular caught his attention. It was the woman next to him talking into her phone.
If she didn’t want to be overheard, she shouldn’t have been talking so loud in the first place, Connor justified to himself for eavesdropping.