“Explain,” Peri said, pulling both Jacque and Sally over to the side.
“A few years back I got on this kick of watching documentaries,” Sally said.
Jacque started nodding. “Oh, yeah, I remember. You watched some weird crap.”
Sally rolled her eyes at Jacque. “Some of it was very interesting. One of them happened to be on hospitals. It was like a behind-the-scenes look into how a hospital was run, from the lowest man on the totem pole all the way up to the hospital board and CEO.”
“I feel like there is a point coming up any second now,” Peri muttered.
“I’m not just talking out of my butt, Peri.” Sally huffed. “I’m getting to the point. The point is one of the things the documentary discussed was hospital safety. Because, you know, hospitals are open, like, all the time. You can get in the doors of hospitals twenty-four seven. Some of it has to do with fire codes and that sort of thing but also—”
“Sally, focus,” Jacque told her.
“Right, sorry. So in the safety part, it talked about the maternity floor and how different hospitals take different measures to ensure babies don’t get taken from a room or the nursery.”
“People do that?” Peri asked. “They just walk up in a hospital and snatch a newborn like it’s a bag of chips?”
“I feel like that shouldn’t really surprise you,” Jacque said.
“You’re probably right,” Peri agreed. “And yet, it still seems to me one of the more disgusting things I’ve learned the human race is capable of, stealing babies right out of the womb. That’s just wrong.”
“Glad we’ve established that,” Jacque said and then shook her head as if to steady herself. “So, options. What do we do to get access to the floor? Oh, I’ve got it! Follow my lead.”
She saw a couple come in with some pink balloons, one of which read, ‘Welcome baby Ruth,’ and a box of diapers. “Bingo,” she muttered and grabbed Sally’s hand, hurrying toward the elevator.
“Wait, hold up,” Jacque yelled. “Hold the elevator.” She saw a hand reach out and keep the door open, and all three of them hurried inside. Jacque plastered a huge smile on her lips and clapped her hands. “You guys are going to see baby Ruth, too!”
The woman nodded and smiled at her.
“Isn’t it so exciting?” Jacque asked, nodding and glancing at Sally.
“I’m so excited,” Sally added.
“We are very happy for Greg and Lisa,” the woman said. “They’ve had such a hard time.”
“Oh, oh I know.” Jacque pressed a hand to the woman’s arm. “They’ve wanted this so desperately.”
“What woman doesn’t, right?” the woman asked, giving Jacque a look that said, in that moment at least, they were fast friends.
“Seriously, and the name Lisa picked out. I love it!” Jacque grinned even bigger.
“Totally love it,” Sally added, nodding her head a little too enthusiastically. “Best name ever.”
The elevator stopped and the man standing in front of them inserted the security card when instructed to do so, and the doors opened. As they started to step out, Jacque grabbed onto the woman and wrapped her arms around her. “I’m just so glad they have so many wonderful people to celebrate this with them. It’s just all so breathtaking.”
The woman patted Jacque’s back as she smiled. “Yes, yes I agree.”
Jacque pulled away, making a show of wiping her eyes. Sally and Peri hastily started mimicking her actions. “You two go ahead. We’re going to pull ourselves together real quick, and then we’ll be right in,” she said, pointing to a bathroom.
The woman smiled, waved, and walked to the nurses’ station. Peri snagged Jacque’s hand and pulled her into the women’s restroom with Sally on their heels.
“What was that?” Peri growled.
“We made it on to the floor, didn’t we?” Jacque said with a smile, quite proud of her impromptu performance.
“Did you forget that I can flash us anywhere in the world? I just flashed you across an entire freaking ocean?” Peri asked, raising a single brow at her. “Don’t you think I might have been able to flash us onto the fourth floor?”
Jacque’s mouth pulled down as she scratched her head. “Uh, yep, I, did,” she stuttered out stupidly. “I panicked and just—”
