I made a big show of looking for it to no avail.
“Oh no,” Cherry muttered, playing along. “You must have left it back at the hotel.”
“I’m sorry,” Margaret said. “We require valid identification for all visitors.”
“I understand, but—” Cherry leaned forward, her voice dropping to something more pleading. “We already drove so long to get here, because our hotel is an hour away, and that’s not even counting the flight we took from Seattle yesterday. So… please. We just want to see our cousin. We haven’t for so long.”
The silence stretched between us. I could hear my pulse pounding in my ears, could feel sweat prickling at the base of my spine beneath my jacket.
Finally, Margaret sighed. “Well, the appointment’s already in the system, and Ms. Albright's doctor approved the visit,” she said. “But this is a one-time courtesy. If you visit again, you'll need proper ID.”
“Thank you so much,” Cherry gushed, relief flooding her features. “We really appreciate it.”
Margaret handed us each a visitor badge. “Clip these to your shirts and keep them visible at all times. Ms. Albright is in the Wellness Wing, third floor. Take the elevator at the end of that hall.” She pointed to a corridor branching off from the lobby. “When you get off, check in at the nurses' station. They'll direct you from there.”
“Thank you,” I said, my voice barely above a whisper.
We clipped on our badges and headed for the hallway, and I didn't dare speak again until we were out of Margaret's earshot.
“Oh my god,” I muttered. “I thought we were totally screwed.”
"Me too." Cherry's hand was trembling as she pressed the elevator call button. “I'm so sorry. I should've hassled James to work double-time and make an ID card for you. I just didn't think they'd bethatstrict about it.”
“It’s okay. It worked out in the end.” The elevator dinged, and the doors slid open. “Let's just hope the rest of this goes as smoothly.”
Unfortunately, it didn’t.
The third floor opened into a wide corridor painted in muted blues and grays. A nurses' station sat directly across from the elevator—a semicircular desk where two women in scrubs were hunched over paperwork.
We approached cautiously, and one of them looked up. Her name tag read LISA ROEDIGER, RN.
“Hi,” Cherry said. “We're here to see Jennifer Albright. Margaret said to check in here?”
Lisa's expression softened into a smile. “Oh, yes. Caroline and Charlotte, right? Jennifer will be so happy to see you.”
My stomach twisted with guilt. This woman seemed genuinely pleased that Jennifer was getting visitors, and here we were, lying through our teeth.
“We’re excited to see her too. It’s been ages,” Cherry said, smiling. “What’s her room number?”
“It’s okay, I’ll take you to her,” Lisa said, standing and coming around the desk.
My heart sank, and I shot Cherry a panicked look, wide eyes silently conveying my question.What the hell do we do now?
We’d hoped to see Jennifer alone, because that gave us a chance to explain why we’d lied to get in and see her. But now that we were accompanied by Lisa, Jennifer would probably tell her right away that we weren't her cousins, and then we'd be thrown off the premises. Or worse, detained by security guards and questioned about why we'd lied to get in. They might even bring in the police.
Cherry returned my panicked expression with equal horror, giving a tiny shake of her head that said,I have no idea what to do.
We couldn't refuse the escort without looking suspicious. We couldn't suddenly decide to leave, either, because that would look even more suspicious. All we could do was see how things played out.
“This is a low-security wing,” Lisa explained as she led us down a hallway lined with doors. Some were open, revealing small rooms with single beds and minimal furniture. Others were closed. “Our residents are allowed to wander throughoutthe day, including the grounds, so it may take us a few minutes to find her. But we'll check her room first.”
When Lisa turned to gesture at something ahead, Cherry caught my eye and mouthed,We are so fucked.
I nodded, my lips pressed into a grim line.
“Here we are,” Lisa said, stopping in front of a door marked 312. She knocked softly. “Jennifer? Your cousins are here.”
A muffled voice came from inside. “Come in.”
