I jumped up from the floor, got dressed as fast as humanly possible, then grabbed my wallet, keys, and credentials, racing out the door as quickly as my feet would take me.While St.Dymphna wasn’t exactly a church, it was close enough.I knew enough about the facility to know that it had its own chapel, priests, and nuns.There was also the fact that many of those who had fought with us had been patients from St.Dymphna, another thing that I was going to have to wrap my mind around eventually.I had labeled the poor souls as crazy, and regret really was a motherfucker.
As I headed towards the hospital, I did more than pray that Elisabeth was there; I begged.I begged God, I begged every angel in Heaven, I even begged the cosmos, which was stupid since God was already everything.Still, that didn’t stop me from praying, begging, and even bargaining with Him to bring her back to me.I was willing to try anything at this point, and I was even willing to trade my life for hers.I could see now how the world needed more Elisabeths than it needed assholes like me.
I also wanted to believe that God wouldn’t have put us through all of this just to take her away from me, so she had to be somewhere that I could find her.If she was anywhere else in the world, I’d never find her, but at this point, maybe that was the penance that He had in mind for me.Truth be told, I wouldn’t blame Him for making me suffer if that’s what was happening now.
Taking liberties that Elisabeth would probably read me the riot act for, I parked in her reserved parking space, then raced towards the door, praying that my credentials would get me inside.While I had no idea what time it was, the darkened sky was proof enough that it was after-hours, and I honestly had no idea what I’d do if the guard didn’t let me in.
When I finally reached the door, I banged on the glass, and the security guard immediately made his way over.I pulled out my credentials, placed them in front of his face, then said, “There’s an emergency, and I’ve been called to help out.”
“Called by who?”
“Dr.Batya,” I lied.“She should be here any minute.”
Just then, a tall blonde walked into the lobby, and I felt a wave of relief when she recognized me.Through the glass, she asked, “Dr.Copeland, is everything okay?”
“Dr.Batya called me and asked me to meet her here,” I lied again.“An emergency consult of some sort.”
“She’s not here,” she stated, though she didn’t sound like she was doubting me.
“I must have beaten her here,” I replied, the lies just flowing freely now.“Would it be possible for me to wait for her inside?”
I read her nametag, and Juliette was kind enough to give me the benefit of the doubt.Turning to the guard, she said, “He’s fine, Milo.I’ve seen him here on occasion over the past few weeks, helping Dr.Batya with something.”
With bated breath, I watched as Milo unlocked the front doors for me, and the relief that I felt was unlike anything that I’d ever experienced before.I also didn’t think that it was an exaggeration to say that I was fighting for my life here.I needed to get to Elisabeth like I needed to take my next breath, and every single entity in Heaven knew it, too.
Once I was inside, I asked, “Would it be alright if I visited the chapel until Dr.Batya got here?”
Juliette gave me a surprised smile.“Most people don’t know that we have one.”
“I know everything about this place,” I informed her.“After all, Elisabeth and I are more than just professional colleagues.”
Her brows shot upward in a bit of shock, but now that my feet were back on solid ground, I figured that it wouldn’t hurt for the truth to be out there.“Oh...well, that’s nice.”
Ignoring her sputtering, I repeated my question.“So, would it be alright for me to wait in the chapel?”
“Of course,” she answered once she shook off her surprise.“Do you know where it is?”
I didn’t, but in the event that Elisabeth was in there, I didn’t want any spectators getting in the way.“I do,” I lied.
“Well, just follow the signs,” she advised, and I was sure that this was God’s work.“You can get turned around in here pretty quickly at night.”
“Thanks,” I said, then did my best not to run through the hallways like a crazy person, probably the only crazy person in this place.
