As instructed, they went down to the morgue level and then took the elevator back up to the ICU floor where the doctor waited for them, having already secured an area for her again.
“What name should we register her under?” he asked Grimm.
“Gloria Stallings. It’s my mother’s name. She’ll get a kick out of that.”
The doctor had a nurse type the information into the system. “Let’s fudge her age as 32. Make up an address for her that is local. And the phone number can be random as well.”
“You got it, doctor.”
“These are probably extreme measures that are unnecessary, but we don’t know if the person who has been after her is tech-savvy or not. I only want nurses that you recognize working with her. No floaters who just show up. Understand me.”
“Absolutely, doctor.”
“Did you hear back from that detective?” the doctor asked.
“I had to leave a message, but I stressed the urgency,” Grimm explained.
“Give the information to the nurse here when you get it. Let’s see how Quinn fared on the transfer, and then I need to go make rounds before I’m due in surgery again.”
The male nurse had Quinn hooked up to the monitor and IV in the ICU bay. There was an uncomfortable chair for Grimm to sit in the corner and a small table beside it where he set her toiletry bag.
The doctor shook Grimm’s hand and left.
“They were going to bring her a food tray downstairs. Will she still get one?” he asked the nurse.
“I’ll see if it can be brought here,” the nurse said.
“Toast,” Quinn said. “I could eat that.”
“Hey, that’s what we like to hear,” the nurse said. “Maybe a little black coffee with that? Or do you want more ginger ale?”
“Ginger ale. I don’t believe I’m ready for coffee yet.”
“She’s talking in sentences already,” Grimm said. “This is good.”
The nurse from the desk came in with a new wristband for Quinn to wear and a pair of scissors to cut the other one from her. She changed them out. “It’s official. You have an alias. No one should be able to get any information about you if they call the hospital now.”
Quinn looked down. “Gloria Stallings?” She glanced up at Grimm. “Did you come up with my name?”
“It’s my mother’s.”
“Oh.”
“I thought you’d get a kick out of it.”
“I’m honored.”
The nurses left.
“Have you called Sheraton?”
“Yesterday when you were in surgery. He’s the one who contacted Burrows for me before I could. The police showed up while I was on the phone with him,” Grimm explained.
“Move your chair closer. You don’t have to sit so far away, do you?” She asked.
“No, I don’t guess. This is just where it was when we came here. It isn’t like this bay is that large. The cinder block walls make it confined.” He stood and walked his chair closer, then sat down again. “Is that better?”
“Much.” She reached for his hand, and he grasped it. “Thank you for being here for me. For getting my things at the hotel, and for caring enough to stick around.”
