Not once had she given up, however bad things were. She wouldn’t now.
Annette emerged from her Lexus and walked with determination to the front entrance. After keying in the security code, she entered the nauseatingly quiet building.
The clinical smell immediately assaulted her. Reminded her of the worst times from her past. Visions of blood, sounds of screaming bombarded her. The pruning shears protruding from that bastard’s back. Her working with all her might to dislodge the shears. She shuddered, pushed the memories away.
Leave it in the past.Before she could usher the images completely away, more joined the parade. Blood ... all over her hands, her blouse. She blinked, pushed all of it aside. She had to attend to this issue. Right now, nothing else mattered.
The corridors were deserted since visiting hours ended at two and didn’t resume until five. Classical music played softly, banishing the silence and at the same time masking the sterile sounds of treatment. She made her way to the second-floor information desk and identified herself to the nurse on duty. She must be new; Annette hadn’t seen her before.
The nurse entered Annette’s name and security code into the computer on the desk. “Ah, there you are, Ms. Anderson. You’re here to see your sister Paula.”
Annette had long ago gotten used to being called Ms. Anderson. The step was necessary to ensure that Paula was never connected to Annette or her work. “Yes.” Annette stiffened, steeled herself for bad news.
“Dr. Roland is on duty,” the nurse explained. “I’ll call her to the desk for you.”
“Thank you.”
Annette wandered a few steps from the desk to wait for the doctor. Roland wasn’t Paula’s primary care physician, but Annette had worked with her before.
“Ms. Anderson.”
Annette turned toward the gentle voice. “Hello, Dr. Roland. I hope Paula is all right.”
“Why don’t we step into the lounge so we can talk,” Roland suggested.
A scarcely subdued panic clawing at her, Annette followed the doctor to the private lounge and settled into a chair directly across the designed-for-function coffee table from where the doctor took a seat.
Dr. Roland shoved her stethoscope into the pocket of her lab coat before resting her full attention on Annette. “There was a strange incident this afternoon.”
“But Paula is all right?” Every incident involving Paula was strange. The doctor’s reluctance to share the details had the dread swelling.
“Yes.” The doctor nodded. “Paula is fine, physically. But the incident triggered a severe reaction. We were forced to medicate her more heavily than usual.”
Annette clasped the arms of her chair to keep in check the emotions roiling inside her. “You keep talking about theincident.Can you explain what happened, please?”
“Of course. I apologize,” Roland said. “You’re aware of our high standard of patient care.”
Annette nodded, wishing like hell the woman would get to the point.
“We pride ourselves on safety, first and foremost.”
The anxiety pressed against Annette’s chest, fisted in her stomach, but she kept quiet. Allowed the woman to get to her point without interruption.
“Somehow, Paula got her hands on a pair of scissors.”
“Did she injure another patient?” If Paula was fine physically, doing damage to someone else was an equally disturbing concern.
Roland shook her head. “She cut her hair.”
Relief and confusion reigned for a long moment, rendering Annette unable to respond appropriately. Paula had the same blond hair as Annette, only far longer. Paula loved her hair, played with it like a child with a favored toy. Most of the time it stayed in one long braid. She would be devastated at the loss of her hair.
“How did this happen?”
The Magnolia Individualized Care Center was one of the finest in the country. The staff specialized in low-functioning autism. Paula had never been happier.
“Believe me when I say we’ve investigated every possibility and we’re at a complete loss.” Roland turned her palms upward. “There simply is no explanation. Regardless, we take full responsibility, of course.”
No explanation?Calm.Stay calm. “I’m certain every precaution was taken to avoid an incident of this nature.” Annette closed her eyes a moment to regain full control of her composure, then met the doctor’srelieved gaze. “Things do happen despite our best efforts. Still, I would hope that nothing like this will happen again.”
