“I understand your feelings completely,” Doctor Tremblay says. Liar. “I’m sure you’ll figure something out.”
“I will.”
If only I had a single clue how.
I’M SO CONSUMEDby thoughts of money and custody and citizenship that I’m completely caught off guard when I spot Sid Charles brooding next to the potted plant. He doesn’t bother sitting, preferring to loom over the waiting room like an ill-tempered gargoyle
I’m supposed to go tothatman’s home.
For someone who takes up so much physical space, the stillness of his posture is disconcerting. I want him to fit neatly into some category so that I can anticipate his next move, but his brutish size doesn’t match the calculating man I met on the beach. It’s difficult to trust someone who is clearly capable of violence, if it suits him—but this is also the same man who stood up to Tom for me. I grab hold of that fact and step forward.
At my movement, his head whips away from the window. “You ready to go?”
“Right. Go…” I clear my throat, looking for some excuse to delay the inevitable. “Where are we going, again?”
“My place. I’m putting you up.” He moves towards the door, obviously ready to be done with everythingthat’s happened today. When I don’t move, he gives an exasperated grunt. “You don’t have to worry aboutthat. No one’s going to bother you. You’ll have a separate room. Maybe even a separate unit, if I can talk some of the guys into sharing.”
“We will?” Despite the circumstances, hope flickers in me.
“Oh, yeah. We’re making sure this is down the line, above board, all that shit. Can’t give Tom more to make a stink over.”
“Uh… thanks?” So the thoughthascrossed his mind. But he’s done the calculus and decided endangering me isn’t worth the potential blowback. This guy is ruthlessly logical.
“You need any help carrying your stuff? Is it just the two packs?” Sid asks.
“Only the packs, but—” Before I can make any further objection, he turns the door handle. The cheeky tinkle of the bell over the door is the final straw as my good humour boils away. “Can you wait for just asecond? My sister is back there.”
“Is she coming with us?” He is undeterrable. Clearly, patience isn’t his strong suit.
I turn my back on him. “Give me five seconds.” Ignoring the frustrated huff behind me, I flash Desk Lady the biggest smile I can muster. “Hi! Pat, was it?”
“That’s me, hon.”
“Great. Are there any forms or papers I should be taking with me?”
“Oh, don’t you worry. I gave those to Mr. Charles.”
Of course. “Well… thank you. And when can I see April tomorrow?”
She goes over visitation hours, including a tangent where she exhaustively describes what time she takes herlunch break, in case I come in and there’s no one to help me at the front desk.
“Okay, great,” I say, when there’s a break in her ramblings. My next words are whispered. “And… where do I go if I want to trade something for cash? I’ve got some valuables I don’t need anymore.”
“The exchange. It’s right next to City Hall,” she answers at full volume.
“Perfect.” I want to ask where City Hall is, but she doesn’t seem to understand my need for secrecy.
When I turn back to Sid, his brow is furrowed. I walk toward the door, trying to hide the tremor of my limbs. Outside, I’m relieved to see there aren’t any men with guns around, though I suppose they would be redundant. Sid Charles is holding all my worldly possessions hostage and I’m no better equipped to fight him than a bear.
As we walk beyond the hospital, I get my first real look at Salt Spring Island. The hospital is on a paved street, the cracks in the concrete recently repaired. Across the road, small wood cottages sit stuffed between the old stucco homes of pre-Quake days. I spot one man riding a horse, but most people speed by on bicycles.
“Careful.” Sid pulls my arm when I wander too close to their path.
I shake him off with a scowl. “I can tell when they’re coming.”
“Sorry. You just seem preoccupied. Why do you want to go to the exchange?”
“What do you mean?”
