Chapter 24

“I’m not getting any answer,” Rod said, worried.  He was sprawled out in the front seat because of his long legs, beside Sammy, who was driving back to the hospital.  Vincent was in the back seat.

They had deposited the package of Michelle’s eggs in the freezer compartment of the mini-frig in Rod’s hotel room.  Then began the long drive back to the hospital. 

“Try Mike’s cell,” Vincent said from the back seat.

“I already did,” Rod answered.  He turned to Sammy.  “Can’t we go any faster?”

Sammy glanced sideways at Rod, “I’m way above the speed limit right now.  Keep an eye out for police cars.”

“We’re almost there,” Vincent said.  “We should take the same route Mike told us about; through the main hospital into the lab, and then over the bridge to the fertility clinic, where Michelle is.”

Since it was late at night, they didn’t have trouble finding parking in the large hospital lot.  Sammy decided to stay in the car in case they needed a fast getaway, hopefully taking Michelle from the clutches of a powerfully psychic madman.

“Gosh, I’m hungry,” Vincent remarked as he and Rod walked through the swishing doors into the hospital.  He patted his portly tummy.  “Probably do me good to skip a few meals.”

Rod laughed, “Forgot all about eating.  Maybe Heather and Mike went to the hospital cafeteria.”

“No excuse not to answer their phones,” Vincent said sternly, as they went up in the elevator to the tenth floor.  “Omar knows we’re here, no doubt about that.  I’m really worried.”

Rod nodded as they found signs for the location of the laboratory and walked the now almost vacant hospital corridors, further into the building.

He was worried as well.  He’d seen things, almost unbelievable things, that Omar had done in the past.  Never ever having believed in the woo-woo stuff, it was hard for him to grasp that some people actually had supernatural abilities.  It amused him that his own girlfriend was a powerful witch, according to the professor, who was an expert on the subject.  He just hoped she could survive Omar’s strange forces.  It was imperative that they get her out of this dangerous situation. Rod knew that once Omar had the eggs from a formidable witch, she would become a hazard to him.

Omar would have no qualms about murdering the mother of his children.

The door marked Laboratory was unlocked and they went through the office space into the back.  From there they located the door to the bridge that led to the fertility clinic.

Rod smiled and pointed out Mike’s clever method of keeping the door unlocked to the bridge.

“I like that young guy,” Vincent said as they crossed the bridge and went into the fertility clinic laboratory.

“Yeah, he’s been a great help; stealing the eggs and trashing Omar’s sperm.  Also, with his computer hacking, he was able to trace Michelle to this fertility clinic and find her doctor.  I don’t know if he realized just how dangerous this trip could be, though.”

Vincent smiled, “The way he looks at Heather.  You can tell he’d do anything for her.”

“Reminds me of me,” Rod said, “when I first met Michelle.”

“Tell me,” Vincent said as they went through the lab..

“I’d flown to Hawaii from Heroshi headquarters in Japan to see how things were going in the property management department.  And perhaps to hire Michelle, sight unseen, to come to work with me in Japan.  She was that good at her job.”

“Love at first sight?” Vincent asked, as he opened the door to the stairwell and they started down.

Rod shook his head.  “I didn’t believe in that.  Now my mind is blown with all the new stuff I’m learning—the reality of the paranormal. Supernatural abilities. So maybe there really is such a thing as love-at-first-sight.  It’s a lot more believable than the strange occult, mystical stuff.” Rod glanced at Vincent, “No insult intended.”

“None taken,” Vincent said.

“See, when I first saw Michelle she was in the process of faxing a report to me, thinking I was in Japan.  When I walked in and introduced myself she turned white as a sheet.  At the time I thought it was because she was late sending the property report.  I didn’t know she was terrified to be alone with a man.  But she had me immediately.  I recognize that now.”  Rod laughed.  “Looks like Mike caught the love bug pretty fast, too.”

They hurried down the stairs to the tenth floor.  Rod stopped talking now, intent only on making sure Michelle was unharmed.  Hopefully they could get her out of here without a nasty incident.  Omar was probably deeply asleep on the third floor of the clinic, Rod told himself to stay calm.

When they went through the tenth stairwell door and onto the patient floor, the nurse in the center booth glanced over at them.

“Uh-oh,” Rod said.  “She’ll make us leave.”

“Do you speak any Spanish?” Vincent whispered as the nurse walked toward them.

“Not a word.  You?”

Vincent shook his head.  He smiled at the woman and gave a charming little bow, holding out his hand.  “English?”

The nurse was young and pretty, with dark hair crowned by an old-fashioned, winged, white nursing cap. But she looked forbidding, frowning, saying something in Spanish they couldn’t understand.

She shook her head at Vincent, but took his hand to shake, “No English.”

Vincent patted his chest.  “Me.  Papa.  Michelle Satinov.”

“Ah, Papa.  Sorry, no visitors,” she said with a pronounced accent.

Vincent put on a sad face.  “Maybe see Michelle?  Just look?”  He circled his thumb and first finger on both hands, and held them over his eyes—like looking through eyeglasses.

Then he patted his hand over his heart, to show love for his daughter and then put his palms together, like he was praying.  Then he again circled his fingers around his eyes. 

The pantomime was appealing, but the nurse looked at him sternly for a few seconds.  Then she laughed and put her first finger over her mouth, a sign not to tell anyone she was breaking the rules.  She led them down the hallway to the last patient room.

When they peeked inside the viewing window, the room was empty.