“What if he doesn’t have a cab ready?”
He blinked. “I have no idea. Maybe you can convince someone to give us a ride.”
“I’m going to need to drink after all this.”
“We’ll get home quickly.”
“Wait. Let me make a call before we go.”
I grabbed my phone and dialed Cindy’s number. “Are you still in Bali?” I asked as soon as she answered.
“No, I’m home.”
“Can you meet us at the beach house in an hour? We need to get straight back home.”
“Of course. I’ll be there a little early, so I’ve got the portal ready.”
“That’s great. Thank you, Cindy.”
I shut off the phone. “Let’s go.”
He gathered her up and I opened the door, hoping to be able to exit the room unnoticed. A nurse stood at the end of the hall typing on a tablet. She didn’t look like she had any plans to move anytime soon. I retreated into the room. “How fast can you run carrying her?” I asked.
“As fast as not carrying her assuming I won’t have to go through any tight spaces.”
“There’s a nurse at the end of the hall. I’ll get her to look to the left once I know the right is clear. You run Riley to the hall on the right. Hide in the bathroom in that hall if you have to, but I’ll come along behind you.”
I sauntered to the desk. “Hello, ma’am.” I grinned, pushing the right side of my mouth down a little so my dimples deepened. At the same time, I pushed a feeling of calm acceptance toward her. My forehead tingled, as it did whenever I tried to manipulate someone’s feelings.
She looked up from her laptop and stared straight into my eyes, as I’d hoped she would. Elias streaked past and around the corner, where I could see the hallway was empty.
“Where would I find a bathroom?” I asked for the room Elias was in, so she’d point me in the direction I needed to go anyway. She smiled and indicated it was down the hall behind her. “Go back to your paperwork,” I said soothingly. Her eyes drifted back to her tablet, and she tapped away at it again.
I met Elias in the bathroom. Riley had her face tucked into his neck. “Has she moved?” I asked.
“She nuzzled my neck.” His eyebrows furrowed. “Man, I almost dropped her when she did that. But I think it was instinctual. She’s fast asleep.”
I nodded then pressed a kiss to her temple. “Okay. Let’s try to get out of here.”
I exited the bathroom like I didn’t have a care in the world. I nodded at a passing man in a white coat, then pulled out my phone, pretending to check it. It bought me enough time for the man to turn down another hallway. “Come on,” I muttered.
We walked at a brisk pace, uninterrupted until we got to the doors out to the waiting room. A woman sat at a desk I hadn’t noticed on our way in. “Can I help you?” she asked, one eyebrow raised as she observed Riley.
I focused my energy on her. “This woman needs medical care at a specialized facility. We are taking her straight to an airplane that'll take her to the right doctors. Everything is fine. We have proper credentials.”
My forehead buzzed; I was pushing calm onto her so hard. She blinked a few times, then smiled. “I’m sure you do. Thank you for visiting us today.” She inclined her head and sat back down at her desk.
“You’re getting better at that,” Elias whispered behind me.
“Let’s just see how well I do getting out the doors.” I walked slowly toward the double doors leading to the lobby, glancing at the lady out of the corner of my eye to make sure she still focused on her papers on her desk.
“I think for now we should just fake it.”
“What do you mean?”
“Walk out of here like we're supposed to be walking out carrying an unconscious patient in a hospital gown.”
“It’s the best we’ve got, might as well,” I replied.
