I knocked on the door again, only it creaked open a bit.
Revealing nothing but darkness.
I stayed silent, just in case she was asleep. But as I inched the door open, I found her room not only dark, but empty.
My heart leapt into my throat.
Maybe they were in Miss Elizabeth’s room.
I rushed down the hallway. The girls, like the sisters, chose to dwell in the same hallway. I rushed to Miss Elizabeth’s door and grabbed the doorknob before I had enough sense to knock.
“Miss Elizabeth?” I asked as I knocked on the closed door. “Are you and Marla in there, by any chance?”
Only silence met me, however.
I turned the doorknob and whipped the door open, only to be greeted by darkness. I rushed in, my head on a swivel. Did she fall? Did she pass out? Was she eating enough? I had to check her blood sugar.
“Miss Elizabeth,” I said as I rushed over to the bathroom and shoved the door open.
When my eyes scanned the bathroom wall, I found myself gazing out the small window afforded to the room. It peered out into the outer hallway that lined the backside of the mansion, and through the windows of the hallway, I saw a couple of bodies outside. They were lounging around the hot tub area, steam rising from the bubbles.
The wind kicked up just enough to flutter pin straight black hair.
I went rushing out of the room before I could think.
“Doc?” Marla asked.
Her voice ripped me from my trance as I dropped into a crouch beside the girls. Turns out, they had their feet dangling in the hot tub while they were lying back on some lounge chair cushions they pulled from the metal frames of the chair.
I peered down at Marla. “You doing okay? Need anything for your room?”
She furrowed her brow. “Didn’t you just do rounds?”
“I didn’t ask if anyone needed anything. I was just checking on well-beings with Anna.”
“Right,” Miss Elizabeth said.
My gaze gravitated to her. “How are you feeling, Miss Elizabeth?”
She just waved her hand in the air. “I’m fine.”
I stood to my feet. “We should probably do a checkup. We didn’t technically have the one we were supposed to do yesterday.”
“Sorry,” Miss Elizabeth said as she pushed herself upright. “I was tired yesterday.”
“No need to be sorry,” I said as I stood and walked over to her, offering her my hand, “we can get it out of the way now so you aren’t bothered with it for a few days.”
“Come here, I gotcha,” Marla said softly.
I was anxious for Miss Elizabeth to take my hand. I wanted her to take it. I wanted her towantto take it, which was a weird sensation. Why did I want her hand in mine that badly? But when Marla stood and helped her friend to her feet, I quickly tucked my hand back at my side.
“Thanks,” Miss Elizabeth mumbled when she got steady on her feet.
I just stared at the woman for a little while. The bruising around her eyes was still prevalent. The angry ligature marks that only just started to heal over with their yellowed skin. The way she still walked with a limp, favoring her right side over her left.
“Well?” Miss Elizabeth snapped with a coolness to her tone. “Where to now?”
Her voice snapped me out of my trance.
