He backed away, holding his hands up in surrender.“Okay.I get it, but are you alright?”
She grabbed onto the handrails along the wall and pulled herself upward, fighting a screech of pain as she did.“I’m as good as one gets when they’ve been mowed down by a…whatever that was.I don’t know…it was like running into a building at full speed.”
“Dom!”Marty called to her, as the three women walked with quick steps toward her, with Susan and some of the night staff behind them.
Round and cheerful, her eyes scrunching up in her face when she grinned, Susan cocked her head in question.
Reaching out, she grabbed Susan’s hand, her soft skin a balm of comfort.“Are you all right?”
Then she bit the inside of her cheek.Susan looked perfectly fine.So how was she going to explain why she was asking if the woman was all right, why she was here so late, and what she’d encountered moments ago?Did she ask her if she’d seen any giants lately?
Susan stopped all movement when she got a gander at Harvey.She held up a finger in Dom’s direction.“Hold that thought, Shuggy.Now, who areyou?Is this your new beau?”she asked in her light southern accent.
Dom shook her head as her cheeks went hot.“Just a friend, Susan.”
Harvey grinned, holding out his hand.“Harvey Larsen.Pleasure to meet you.”
She scanned Harvey’s vast length before she took his hand and gave it a hearty pump.“Well, ain’t you the size of a redwood?Phew, what did your mama feed you?They don’t grow ’em like you often, do they?”
Harvey’s response was a hearty chuckle.
“Susan, are you all right?”Dom pressed, diverting her attention.Though, she couldn’t blame her.It wasn’t as though Harvey was the sort who didn’t make you stop and take notice.
Susan pulled her into a hug scented with lemon and sage.“Well, I’m fine, sweet girl.Just fine.Your pretty friends here tell me you didn’t get a call from your papa tonight and you were worried.”
Her dulcet tone and unbothered demeanor gave Dom pause, until Wanda sent her a signal with her eyes—a signal she didn’t entirely understand but was sure partly meant don’t scare the nice nurse with talk of giants.
Dom slapped a smile on her face and nodded, squeezing Susan’s arm affectionately.“Yep.I got a little worried and decided to pop in, I admit, I probably overreacted, but you know how I am when it comes to my papa.”
Susan winked a cheerful eye, cupping Dom’s chin with pudgy fingers, giving it a light shake.“I surely do.You’re a good girl, Dom.The best.But as I’m sure you saw, Stavros is fine.He was a little firecracker earlier, though,” she said on a bubbly chuckle.“Caught him and Sheffrey trying to sneak some Rice Krispie treats from the pantry.Between the two of ’em, they ate four apiece.”
Still not understanding what was happening, or what had happened before she got here, Dom went along with the idea everything was A-okay.“You know how papa likes his sweets.I’ll make sure I order more for them.Promise.”
“Bah,” Susan said pleasantly, her plump cheeks dotted red.“A little extra won’t bring him any harm, but he sure is a sneaky one.Anyway, I have to get back to rounds.You feel better now?”
Dom nodded, giving Susan a quick hug.“I do.Thanks, Susan.I hope you know how much I appreciate you.”
Susan leaned back, twisting the gold necklace she always wore before smiling at her.“Not as much as I appreciate you.You saved my job, Sweet Pea.Now, go on with you, and take your friends along, too.Never seen so many pretty people all in one place.”She gave a wave to the ladies.“Nice meetin’ you, girls.Hope you’ll pop in again soon and tell me how you know our girl here.The old coots ’round these parts would sure appreciate a gander at all this pretty.”Then she chortled.“Does that make me a…whaddya call it?Misogynist?Can I be one of those, bein’ a woman?”Waving a dismissive hand, she shook her head.“Can’t keep up these days.I just know the patients would appreciate ya.”With a final warm smile, she waved again.“Bye now!”
Susan scurried off down the hall to tend to her nightly duties as the rest of the staff scattered to do the same.
Looking to the three women, a question in her eyes, Dom cocked her head.
Nina pointed to her grandfather’s door.“Let’s do this somewhere else.”
Reentering her grandfather’s room, they found Darnell had pulled up a chair and was showing her papa something on his phone.They smiled and spoke softly, their foreheads almost touching, as MC remained seated in his lap.
Dom’s heart twinged at the sight, her chest flooding with warmth.These people were all so kind, with what appeared no motivation.They didn’t have to be so nice to her grandfather—or her, for that matter.
Yet here they were, late at night, diving feet first into a problem that wasn’t theirs.
Gathering her thoughts, Dom looked to the women.“What happened?Where did you find Susan and the staff?”
“In the fucking basement,” Nina crowed.“All just standing there like a bunch of sheep, herded into a corner.”
Marty put a calming hand on Dom’s shoulder.“They were in some kind of trance, we think.It smelled like magic.Either way, they were completely unaware about what was going on.We led them upstairs and the moment we hit the reception area, they came alive.”
What in all of David Copperfield?“Hold on.Let me get my head around this.You can ‘smell’ magic?Magic exists?”
