The cast on my leg made it impossible to walk straight but I didn’t care. I grabbed the IV drip pole for balance as I limped toward the door. They were all there, everyone but Neal and the children; Mina, Cora, and my mother all sat outside.
“Liam, you should be resting.”
I stared her in the eye. “Ma, for some reason Declan wants to fuck with me today, so if I kill him, now you know why.”
“Liam, I’m so—”
“SHUT UP!” I snapped at Mina as she reached out to me. Who the fuck did she think she was?
“Where is Melody?” I looked at each of their faces and they all looked like Declan. “Fine, I’ll find someone with a medical degree to answer the fucking question since it is so goddamn hard for you all!”
Limping down the hall toward the nurses station, I ran into a doctor—well actually, the woman nearly ran me over.
“I’m so sorry I—”
“I’m looking for my wife, Melody Callahan. 5’9”, black hair, brown eyes, Italian. Where do I go?”
She just stared at me like a baby deer. Pinching the bridge of my nose, I took a deep breath. “She also happens to be the governor…”
“We know who she was.” Another doctor came up beside her.
“Was? That is past tense. How long have I been asleep? Did I miss an election?”
Silence.
“SOMEBODY SPEAK!”
“Liam, I’ll take you to her.” Declan came up beside me. “You need to rest—”
“Declan, I swear to God I’m going to kill you if you don’t stop this shit. Either take me to her or stop butting in.”
The all looked at each other before he nodded them.
“Right this way, Mr. Callahan.” Doctor Baby Deer led me to the elevators and I still couldn’t think when I got on. My mind was blank, just empty.
The more silent they were, the more I could hear my own heart beating…screaming.
The doors opened and the first thing I noticed was that the floor was dimly lit, just like when I’d gone to see my…
“Liam,” Declan called to me when I didn’t get off.
I shook my head. “I know this floor. I’ve been to this floor before. She isn’t here. Let’s go.”
“Liam—”
“SHE IS NOT ON THIS FLOOR.”
“Okay,” he said. He got back on the elevator alone, the other doctor disappearing. The doors closed and we went up, just the two of us.
“Take the next one,” he said to a group of people when the doors opened. We waited for them to close again.
“Tell me you’re lying,” I whispered, gripping the pole beside me. “Tell me I’m having a nightmare…tell me anything but what you told me before.”
He didn’t reply and bit by bit, I felt myself crumble.
“We will ride this elevator as long as it takes. We get off only when you are…only when you are ready to see her.”
Never. If it was the same place I last saw my father then never.