The Portal ~ Large Print (17 page)

V
ivian stroked Cody’s
hair as he slept in the hospital bed. Listening to his tiny snore, she fought the urge to wake him. Could Mister Vincent get to him in his dreams? Maybe, but he’d been through too much tonight. And he couldn’t stay awake forever. So she’d keep watch. Every night until the end of time if need be.

Her eyelids felt heavy in the darkness. Though her muscles were already jittery, she reached onto the nightstand, grabbed the bottle of caffeine pills, and washed two more down with her Coke.

As she stood to stretch her legs, her chair squeaked.

“Viv?” Erika’s voice sounded groggy. “Is that you?”

“Yeah,” she whispered and walked around the hanging blue curtain. Though they were in the musty, abandoned wing of the hospital, she was grateful that Torres had isolated them from the general population.

“What time is it?” Erika blinked and looked down at the IV drip in her wrist.

“Just after five AM. Try to go back to sleep.”

“What are you doing up?”

“I got some rest earlier,” Vivian said.

For a second, Erika looked around. With her frizzed hair and bandages, she seemed disoriented. Then the don’t-bullshit-me look came through her haze.

“When did you find time to sleep?” she asked.

“I’m fine, really.” Vivian lied.

Every muscle in her body ached. Her injuries throbbed. The doctor had prescribed pain meds that would cause drowsiness. And they’d stay in her pocket until she was sure Cody was safe.

“Jarod is dead.” Erika lowered her voice. “We both saw the body.”

“I know.” But she wasn’t so sure. Could Mister Vincent bring him back? In hindsight, she should’ve chopped off his other arm and his legs.

“Right now,” Erika said. “People are studying what’s left of that fool. Do you think they won’t notice if he gets up and walks away?”

“It’s not just him that I’m worried about.”

“Oh.” Erika glanced down at her bandaged hand. The memory of Stromsky torturing her best friend made Vivian’s stomach turn.

“I’m just being paranoid.” She looked around the curtain to double check. Through a small window in the center of the door, she could see Officer Denton eating something.

“How are they acting?” Erika asked.

“Too stupid to know whether to charge me or give me a medal.”

“If it makes you feel better, I’ll keep watch for a while.”

“No, you’re a mess.” She struggled to find the words, but her mind felt scattered. “Wait, I didn’t mean—”

“Look who’s talking.” Erika pointed at Vivian’s bandaged forearm and shoulder. “You’re not looking so hot yourself, Giselle.”

They laughed. Then harder.

“Okay,” Vivian said. “So we’re both a mess.”

“It’s not terrible.” Erika held her bandaged hand up and turned it over. “They told me I might get full motion back in my hand once it’s healed.”

“I’m so sorry.”

“Don’t.” Erika shook her head. “My little man is safe. That’s all that matters.”

“We wouldn’t be alive right now if it wasn’t for you.” She stopped. How could she convey what she felt? Thank you wasn’t enough. Nothing was. “We wouldn’t be alive.”

“You’re not going to make me cry,” Erika said. “So you can quit.”

They laughed again, quietly this time. She really couldn’t remember the last time she’d even smiled.

“By the way,” Vivian said. “Your grandma’s in the waiting room with Deion.”

“She’s not going to like this.”

“You’re safe until morning. They’re not allowing visitors.”

Cody stirred. She glanced around the curtain. He still slept soundly. Where were the police officers?

“Hold on.” She walked to the door. Through the window, she could only see a few feet in each direction. The hallway looked deserted. “I’ll be right back. Keep an eye on Cody. If he has a nightmare, wake him.”

“What is it?”

“I’ll find out.” She opened the door and stepped into the dark hallway. “Officer Denton?” she called out.

Nobody answered. She began running to the front desk when the pudgy-faced cop walked out of the men’s restroom, drying his glasses with a paper towel.

“Where were you?” she demanded.

“Calm down,” he said. “What do you mean?”

Jesus, what was she thinking trusting anyone?

“Please don’t leave our room.” She began walking back.

“Where’s Strauss?” he asked from behind.

“Just do your job.”

“He was supposed to stay put.” Denton muttered something else under his breath.

She reached the room and walked inside.

“Tomorrow,” she said. “Detective Torres needs to find better protection.”

Wait, Cody’s bed was empty. That’s when she noticed the sobbing. She rushed over and pulled back the curtain. Erika sat with her knees tucked underneath her arms. Tears streamed down her cheeks.

“Where’s Cody?” Vivian looked under the bed. Nothing. He couldn’t have made it into the hallway in those few moments that she’d gone out there. “Erika. What’s going on?”

“It’s hideous.” She held up her swollen hand. At some point, she’d taken off her bandages. Black stitches lined the fingers that had been reattached. “I’m disgusting.”

Were the painkillers affecting her? She’d been fine just a minute before. Vivian pushed the nurse alert button several times.

“Erika, listen to me. Where’s Cody?” What if Stromsky had taken him? “Where’s my son?”

“I can’t do this.” She yanked the IV from the top of her wrist and clutched the needle. Blood dripped down her arm.

“Don’t.” Vivian moved toward her. “The nurses are on the way, honey. Put that down.”

“Get away from me,” she shouted. “I told you to stay away from that man, but you wouldn’t listen.”

The door opened behind her. She glanced back to see Officer Denton burst inside.

“What’s going on?” he asked.

“My son,” Vivian said. “Is he in the hallway?”

“Nobody’s out here.”

As she turned back, she saw that Erika had made her way over to the window. In those few seconds, she’d managed to open it and climb onto the windowsill. Her hospital gown blew in the wind.

“Oh Jesus, Erika. Come down from there.”

“Fuck you,” she shouted.

“Please.”

“You did this to me. It’s all your fault.”

“Where my son?” Vivian didn’t mean to yell. Immediately, the rage on Erika’s face seemed to melt away. She put her head down and began crying again.

“He’s not here anymore,” she said.

“What?” Vivian’s stomach dropped.

Erika looked up. Her lips began quivering. Then she dove out the window. Vivian ran over and tried to grab her, but it was too late. A thud filled her ears as Erika hit concrete.

“Get a doctor,” she shouted at the officer. He didn’t move. “Go get a doctor.”

Suddenly, she saw Cody in the corner. He’d been hiding in the room the entire time, behind a tray of food.

“Baby, cover your eyes,” she said to him. Had he been watching this? He began walking forward. “Stay there. Don’t look.”

Several people ran into the room and shoved Vivian aside.

One of the doctors looked out the window and shouted, “Get paramedics down to the first floor.”

“It will be okay,” Cody said.

He put his arms around her and helped her up. Then she was in the hallway. She dropped to her knees, hugged him to her chest, and cried. What had changed? Not thirty seconds before, they had just been laughing.

“I warned you what would happen if you tested me,” Cody whispered.

“What?” She pulled away and looked into his blue eyes that suddenly seemed harsh.

He wiped tears from her cheek.

“Her blood is on your hands,” he said louder this time, in a soft drawl.

Mister Vincent was inside Cody. That monster had taken her son.

V
ivian slammed back
against the hallway wall. She struggled to breathe. With his sandy curls and Spiderman t-shirt, Cody looked like himself. Those hateful blue eyes, lined with dark circles, didn’t belong to her son though.

“It’s time for us to go, Mommy.”

“Don’t call me that,” she snapped at him. “Erika had nothing to do with this.”

“I warned you not to be bad.”

“You son of a bitch—”

“Better be careful.” His tone sounded even more childish. “We don’t want them to take me away.”

Down the hallway, a group of doctors stared at her. He was right. The police were already on edge. If Child Protective Services stepped in, she’d never get Mister Vincent out of her son.

She grabbed his hand and walked the opposite direction. With every step, she expected some kind of attack, but he moved quietly beside her.

They reached a section of the hospital that had been sealed off for construction. Using moonlight through the plastic-covered windows, she navigated around a paint trolley. Though the power didn’t seem to be on here, extension cords ran from down the hallway. She followed them to a hand-held light on the floor.

She hung it from the scaffolding that lined the walls and turned it on. Paint fumes filled her lungs. Almost immediately, her chest tightened further. She pulled out her inhaler and took several puffs.

“Don’t lose that again.” Eerie shadows crept across Cody’s face as the light swayed. “We don’t want any accidents.”

“I want my son back. You hear me?”

“I told you that I didn’t have a choice,” he said calmly. “You killed Jarod, so now you don’t have a choice either. You’re going to take his place and help me finish my work.”

“Never.”

“I can make it uncomfortable for Cody in here.”

In here?
Did that mean Cody was trapped back in that sick town? Yes. That had been Mister Vincent’s plan all along. Somehow, switching places wouldn’t work with Jarod. How could she get back to Cody, though? He’d been the one who’d brought her there the first time. Could he do it again?

“Baby.” She leaned down and held his cheek. “If you’re in there, come back to me. I love you.”

“Don’t make me hurt you.” He yanked away as if she’d struck him.

She’d hit a nerve.

“Don’t listen to anything he tells you,” she said. “He’s a bad man.”

“I’ll kill him.”

“You can’t.” She pulled back, paralyzed. “You need him.”

“I’ll live long after his mind is dead.” His giggle gave her chills. “And I won’t think twice about leaving you a turnip to care for.”

“What do you want from us?” She didn’t mean to shout.

“I told you to keep it down.”

“What do you want?” she repeated firmly.

“Time to leave,” he said. “It’s not safe here anymore.”

Safe? For her or him? God, Stromsky was still out there.

“The Carmichaels,” she said.

“I’d hate for them to kill you before we can finish our work.”

She knew he was right, but she wasn’t the only one in danger.

“Charlotte tried to have her own son killed,” she told him. “What do you think she’ll do if you threaten their precious legacy?”

“Good.” He smiled. “Now you’re getting it. This hospital isn’t safe.”

“I won’t forget what you did to Erika.”

“A life for a life.” For a brief moment, she saw the same anger on his face that she felt. “There aren’t words to describe the punishment for hurting my children, even a damaged one.”

“Jarod doesn’t make us even. Not by a long shot.”

“No,” he said. “We’re not even, but that doesn’t mean anything right now. You want to protect your son, and I need you to travel.”

Travel? That sounded so mundane. Almost human. Cody’s age really did limit Mister Vincent’s plans. But where the hell did he want to go? And to what end? For now, it didn’t matter. They needed to leave before the Carmichaels found out that Jarod was dead.

“We’ll go,” she said. “Just don’t pretend that you’re him. It makes me sick.”

“Fair enough.” His face straightened. “Only when it’s necessary to keep up appearances.” She cringed. Even adult words with Cody’s voice sounded perverse. She took his hand.

“Don’t talk to anyone on the way out,” he said. “Not a word.”

He pulled her along the corridor, into the stairway entrance, and then down.

On the first floor, she opened the door to find a deserted lobby. Rubber squeaked to her left. She turned. Detective Torres looked back. Crap. He made eye contact.

“I just heard.” His voice echoed off the polished tile floors. “Are you hurt?”

“Don’t tell him anything,” the voice inside Cody whispered. “Or I’ll kill every patient in this hospital.”

Torres ran up. For a second, she couldn’t speak. Cody squeezed her hand with cold fingers.

“What happened?” Torres asked.

“The window was open.” She stopped to hold back her tears. For the last ten minutes, she’d tried to avoid thinking about that moment. Now she couldn’t stop the images of Erika lying face down on the concrete. “She jumped.”

“Where was Denton? I told that piece of shit not to leave your side.”

“It wasn’t his fault.” She looked down at Cody, furious at the smirk on his face.

“I would’ve come earlier,” Torres said. “But I’ve been trying to pick up the pieces at the other crime scene.”

“It’s fine, really.”

“I have to talk to you tonight.” He looked down at Cody and said quietly, “Alone.”

“What about?”

Did he suspect something? He, and a dozen other people, had watched Jarod change into that monster. How long until they figured out that Cody was like his father? She picked him up and tried to hide those eyes with her shoulder.

“One of the nurses can watch him while we talk.”

“No,” she said. “I won’t let them take him.”

“After what he’s been through, he shouldn’t have to hear this.”

God, thank you. Torres didn’t know anything. Yet.

“Whatever you want to talk about,” she said. “It has to wait until tomorrow.”

“It can’t. The Feds are on their way now.”

“I won’t let Cody leave my side.”

“Fine, but we can’t talk out here.” Torres motioned into the adjacent room. As she walked inside, she realized that the room was actually a large storage closet for hospital scrubs and other clothing. She turned back to face him.

“We lost more than a dozen officers tonight.” He kept his voice low. “You and I need to get some things straight before the FBI arrives.”

“What are you talking about?”

“In my twenty-two years on the force, I’ve never witnessed anything like tonight.”

“It was dark,” she said. “I didn’t see anything.”

“Bullshit. You tried to warn me earlier in the orchard, but I wasn’t listening. I am now.”

“I told you it was dark.”

“We both saw your husband change into something…else.”

“Let me talk to him, Mommy.” Cody tried to pull away, but she held his head firmly against her shoulder.

“No, sweetie. I’ll handle this.” She looked at Torres. “It’s five o’clock in the morning. My son has been through hell tonight, and my best friend is dead.”

“I know what I saw,” Torres said. “The body on the roof proves it.”

“You’re crazy,” Vivian said. “And if you tell the FBI any of this, I’ll make a liar out of you.”

“Who do you think they’ll believe?” Torres asked. “A wanted fugitive or a decorated officer.”

“Run with your story, and we’ll see who gets locked in a padded cell.”

She moved around him, opened the door, and walked back into the lobby.

“We’re not through here,” he said from behind.

“There you are.” A bald man in glasses rushed straight for the detective.

“I’ll speak to you in a moment,” Torres told him.

“I warned you people not to use that wing,” the man said. “The hospital won’t be held accountable for your actions.”

This was her chance to get away, but she had no vehicle or money.

“I can’t stay in this building anymore.” She turned to face Torres. “I need air. Where are you parked?”

“On the curb right out front.” He reached into his pocket and grabbed his keys. “Wait there. I’ll be out in a second.”

Vivian took the keys and walked away. Behind, the two men began arguing. She moved outside and found his Honda double-parked. Then she strapped Cody into the passenger seat. Once in the driver seat, she started the engine. The sky glowed slightly pink as she pulled away.

“Where are we going?” she asked.

“Drive north.” He breathed deeply through his nose, as if there were nothing more wonderful than the scent of stale McDonald’s.

“North?” That could mean anywhere.

“You might want to hurry.” He pointed back at the hospital’s sliding glass doors. Her heart skipped. Fifty yards back, Stromsky reached into his front jacket pocket and entered the hospital. “He hasn’t seen us yet.”

Vivian chirped the tires as she pulled out of the parking lot.

“See, there’s no reason that we can’t get along,” the voice inside Cody said. “I just knew you’d be good at this.”