“I heard the nurses talking about a nursing shortage and the strike the service workers are planning.”
“You heard about that?” She seems surprised.
“During breakfast this morning. I was wrong to eavesdrop, but theyweretalking in the cafeteria in front of everyone.”
“Well, I suppose you couldn’t help it, then.”
I nod, agreeing with her.
“It’s going to be chaos tomorrow. They’re planning a picket line, and I heard someone even tipped off the news media.” The nurse turns away then, smiling softly as she retreats from my small room. “Let me know if you need anything.”
I smile and wave as I watch her leave. “I’ve got everything I need now.”
I shove my tongue around my mouth and eject the tiny white pill that was nestled in the uppermost corner. I spit it into my hand and, in a quick move, shove it into the tiny gap that exists between the cement block wall and the head of my single metal cot. Nurses are supposed to do a weekly sweep of the rooms of high-risk patients to check for hidden items, but because the nurses are so short-staffed, my room hasn’t been searched since I moved in.
It’s been more than six weeks since I’ve taken my medication at all, and I’ve never felt more clear.
Chapter Forty-One
Kelly Fraser, LLP
“Visitor for Room 22!”
“I can see myself to her room. I know you’ve got your hands full this morning.” I reassure the nurse at check-in. It’s only nine a.m., and already, she looks like she’s been working the front lines. Something tells me she has, albeit picket lines.
“You sure?”
“I’m sure.” I smile and start off down the narrow hallway. Nurses are speeding in and out of patient rooms as the general buzz of barely controlled chaos descends. I’d caught wind yesterday of a planned strike affecting healthcare and service workers, but I had no idea the kind of mayhem I was walking into this morning.
I hadn’t planned on returning to visit Shae after our scheduled weekly appointment yesterday, but after spending all night planning the next phase of my life, I knew today would be my last chance to see her.
I’d already decided to honor my existing clients’ appointments after my move. I was hopeful I could batch-schedule them during the week so I’d only to need to come to LA one ortwo days during the business week before they found a new therapist.
Not for Shae, though.
Shae has become an unhealthy obsession for me. I can’t exactly pinpoint when I crossed the line, but it was well before I met with her in Tahoe.
Shae’s regular nurse comes out of her room in a rush and nearly topples me.
“Oh! Excuse me. I was just coming to visit Shae.”
“Oh, hi. I’m glad you’re here.” She pauses, looking genuinely relieved to see me. “She’s been agitated all morning. Maybe you can calm her down.”
“Agitated? She was fine when I left her yesterday.”
“I don’t know what happened.” She frowns. “If you ask me, it’s the crazy shit that’s going on outside. It has all of my patients on edge this morning.”
“Oh no.” I’m not sure how many of their staff are striking today instead of working, but it’s enough to have everyone flustered.
“She’s reading a book in bed—hope it goes better for you than me.” She nods to the door of Shae’s room.
“Thanks,” I murmur as the nurse hurries away.
As soon as I enter Shae’s room, I know something is off. She’s sitting silently in the corner, and it’s as if she’s in a daze. She’s holding a book in her hands, all right, but I wouldn’t say she’s reading it.
“Shae?” I call, but she doesn’t stir. I step closer. “Mia?”
Her eyes flicker and then settle on me. They shine bright, and I can’t suppress my smile. I will miss my friend, even if we were never supposed to be friends to begin with. The hollow sense of loneliness that must permeate Shae’s life doesn’t sit well with me. I suppose it’s the same sense of sadness I recognize in myself—when you have no family left and have never set downroots long enough to cultivate real and everlasting friendships. Through it all, Shae and I were there for each other. But not anymore.
