Supermarket - Bobby Hall Page 0,80

damn, I hadn’t thought of that,” said Red.

As much as I wish it weren’t true, at this point, he had to come along. If he didn’t, there was a chance the guards would catch him heading back to his room, and once they did . . . they would search every wing, making sure every patient was accounted for. And that’s when they’d discover . . . I was nowhere to be found.

Game over.

We were already at the exit. No turning back now.

“Come on, old man,” I said, swiping the key card and opening the door.

An explosion of freezing air smacked me in the face. I wasted no time, running fast as I could. I was finally out of that damn place! There was a guard patrolling the grounds outside, so I ran as fast as I could, passing the Mayberry Psychiatric Hospital main sign and . . .

An empty parking lot. Fuck. My heart sank. I stood in the cold air, out of breath.

This was the end of the line. Mia hadn’t come through.

“Red, what do we do?” I said.

“Well, boy, this ain’t good. Let’s jet to the trees over here and regroup.”

Feeling defeated, we shuffled into the wooded area bordering the parking lot.

“Red, I really thought Mia was going to be here. I guess this is how she really feels. I felt so sure about this plan earlier. I don’t know what ha—”

“SHHH—Get down, boy!” Red whispered. A car turned off the road into the parking lot, coasting in as though in neutral. Its headlights turned nearer and nearer to our location in the woods. The car suspiciously parked itself. The headlights turned off.

I could see it now. It was Mia! She’d actually come!

This would be it. This was the night all of this would end! I ran to the car, holding my Santa pants up with my left hand. I opened the passenger door and jumped in.

“About time, holy shit! I’ve been freaking out!” Mia said.

“I had to sneak out, and there was a guard, but Red helped me and—”

Mia interrupted me with a passionate kiss, her warm hands covering my cheeks.

“Wait,” she said. “Where’s Red?”

Shit! I thought he was right behind me. I opened my door and peeked my head out . . . “RED, LET’S GO!” I hissed. As I saw Red jogging forward I spotted a security guard exiting the building.

“Security, who’s there?” the guard said.

Red jumped into the car. Mia started the engine and we were off.

“What the hell happened? Why were they chasing us? Someone must have been sloppy,” I said like a smart-ass, all the time looking at Red through the rearview.

“Hey, I did my part, okay,” said Mia.

“Kid, I’m not as fast as I used to be,” said Red, still out of breath.

“Yeah, I hear you,” I said.

“It’s about an hour and a half drive,” said Mia, putting her right hand over the heater.

“Mia, why the hell didn’t you answer the phone all day?” I asked her.

“We just kept missing each other, and I eventually had to go to work. I checked my voice mail every hour, so I was getting all the updates from you, but every time I called you on the hallway phone in the hospital . . . you were never around to answer.”

She was right. I had been going over the plan with Red.

“I’m sorry,” I said. “Thanks for coming through.”

It was a long ride back to town. Red quickly fell asleep. Mia and I sat in silence for a while. It felt like a dream. I stared out the window, watching the road signs flash by. I was overcome by a wave of emotion. You know when you go through some shit, but never have the time to process any of it, and when you finally pause for a second, it all rushes up to the surface, letting itself out in a kind of cathartic release? That’s what this felt like.

“Mia, thank you. I don’t know what to say. You are the only thing that got me through the past two years. And now you are helping me get out. I don’t know how to repay you.”

“Flynn, you don’t need to repay me. This is what people do for one another. I know you can do this. Whatever it is you have planned, I support you. I’ve seen you fight this. I’ve seen you suffer and struggle. I’ve watched you grow and transform. I’m proud of you. I love you.”

“I love you, Mia.”

As the