Eric arrived at Jennifer’s house in another record-setting time. Clad in a pair of frayed jeans, mud-streaked sneakers, and a denim work shirt, Jennifer thought he looked more like a construction worker than a doctor.
“What’s going on?” he asked as Jennifer let him in. His face was deeply flushed and he had a wide-eyed, almost startled look about him. He stole a quick glance at Tanner. “You sounded awful on the phone.”
“Someone has been in the house,” Jennifer said, her tone hushed as if she thought someone might be listening. “Everything has been gone through, as if someone was searching for something.”
Eric scanned the room, then returned his gaze to Jennifer. “Are you sure? You’ve been under a lot of stress lately and perhaps ....”
“I’m sure.” Jennifer’s interjection left no room for debate.
Eric’s brows drew down into a “V” and he started pulling at his chin, a gesture Jennifer was coming to know well. “Why would anybody go through your house?” he asked, clearly still not convinced. “What could they have been after?”
Jennifer gave him a quick, irritated shrug. “I have no idea.”
“I do,” Tanner said quietly from the couch. Jennifer and Eric both turned to stare at him. “Dad said they are after some papers of his. Notes and stuff that he hid about the project he was working on when he was killed.”
Jennifer squeezed her eyes shut and ran both hands along the sides of her head, her fingers combing the long strands of her hair. “Oh, Tanner,” she moaned. “This is getting too crazy! Wanting to talk with your dead father is one thing but ....”
“Wait a minute,” Eric said, placing a stalling hand on her arm. “I have some things to tell you before you go off on Tanner again. Things you may find interesting.”
Jennifer turned toward Eric, studying his face, trying to read whatever thoughts or emotions were hiding behind those green eyes. But he gave away nothing.
“Sit down,” Eric suggested, pointing toward the couch.
There was that awful command again. She did as she was told, settling on the couch next to Tanner, feeling her heart do little flip-flops inside her chest. What the hell was she going to hear now? Had Eric discovered something new related to Tanner’s problem? Was her son sicker than she thought?
Eric sat in a chair across from them, his face solemn. “I did some research last night into Tanner’s case,” he began. “There was something that kept nagging at me yesterday, something I remembered from medical school about the pineal gland. It took me a while to find it because I was looking through all of my regular medical school texts and papers. But what I was looking for wasn’t in those.”
Eric was obviously excited. His hands were animated, his speech rapid, his eyes sparkling.
“What I needed was in a textbook and some notes from an elective class I took, one on parapsychology.” He emphasized the last word, pronouncing it slowly. Then he waited, palms up, his eyebrows raised in question, clearly looking for a reaction.
“Parapsychology,” Jennifer repeated, looking confused. “You mean like ESP and such?”
Eric nodded. “That and psychokinesis, telepathy, clairvoyance – there are a number of different components to paranormal experiences.” He fell silent, waiting for Jennifer to absorb where he was heading. It didn’t take her long.
“Are you saying you think Tanner is having these paranormal experiences?”
“Yes, I do,” Eric said carefully. “The pineal gland has long been associated with some role in ESP. Nothing definitive from a scientifically provable standpoint, but some strong theory and supposition. There are case histories involving damage of some sort to the pineal gland which later resulted in heightened paranormal abilities.”
He shifted in his chair and leaned closer. “Not only that,” he continued, “but most cases regarding poltergeists that have been investigated – you know, things flying off of shelves and such – have been associated with pre-pubescent children. There’s research to suggest that the heightened emotional state of a child that age provides the perfect foundation for this type of paranormal experience.”
Jennifer was leaning forward too, elbows on her knees, her attention riveted on Eric, trying to digest everything he was saying. At least he hadn’t told her Tanner had some terrible incurable disease. What he was telling her didn’t seem too awful. Did it? There was so much to try and comprehend! She focused on the part about the pineal gland first. “So you think this needle thing in Tanner’s brain has stimulated his pineal gland?”
“Precisely! Think about it. The MRI he had not only moved that metal sliver but it most probably magnetized it as well. Sending all of that magnetic energy into the gland along with the resonation created by the radio waves would have stimulated it like crazy!”
Jennifer turned to look at Tanner, who was watching and listening to Eric intently.
“That would explain how Tanner knew all those things about me that first morning I met him,” Eric continued. “He was reading my mind. And that’s how he knew the phone was going to ring and all the other things he’s been predicting.”
“Reading your mind?” Jennifer said, her voice rife with skepticism. “That’s crazy!” Her mouth twitched into a half smile like she thought maybe Eric was just making a joke – a bad joke. “Next you’ll be telling me he’s reading palms! And are you suggesting that Tanner is actually talking to Tim? To his ghost or something?”
Eric took a deep breath and gave the room a wary once-over. “It’s possible, Jen. Who knows? There is so much we don’t know about life after death. Like this ESP stuff, there is virtually nothing in the way of scientific evidence to support the existence of ghosts or spirits or whatever you want to call them. But there is plenty of material out there to strongly suggest it.”
Jennifer shook her head vigorously. “Oh, I don’t know, Eric. This all sounds a little too crazy.”
“I know it does. But crazier things than this have been proven.”
Jennifer thought she felt a draft of air around her head and shivered. She ran a hand through her hair, then nervously tucked a strand behind one ear while she looked around the room. Was Tim’s spirit lurking about somewhere? Was Tanner really able to hear him? Was Tim watching and listening to them this very moment?
Eric continued. “Much of the history surrounding ghosts and such suggest that some unresolved life issue leads to the spirit remaining on earth. Perhaps Tim has been here all along, just waiting for a way to communicate. Then his son suddenly develops these extraordinary powers and bingo!” Eric clapped his hands together, making both Jennifer and Tanner jump.
Jennifer stood up and started pacing the living room. “So are you telling me you think Tanner’s suggestion that Tim’s death was no accident might be valid? That someone had him killed?” Her voice was tightly controlled. All this time her greatest fear had been that Tanner was brain damaged or crazy. The thought that what he was saying might actually be true opened up a whole new bag of fears. An icy frisson of fear snaked down her spine.
“I’m saying it’s possible,” Eric said carefully. “I’m not ruling it out at least.”
Jennifer paced and chewed at a cuticle.
Tanner asked, “Is that why I keep hearing all these voices in my head?”
Jennifer froze where she was behind the couch. She stared down at the top of her son’s head, as if she thought maybe she could see inside there.
“What voices?” Eric asked.
Tanner shrugged. “I don’t know. Just a lot of voices. Sometimes I know who it is, sometimes I don’t. Sometimes I hear words and sometimes I just get pieces, like feelings or something. Like with Dr. Andersen.”
“What did you pick up from Dr. Andersen?” Jennifer asked, leaning over the back of the couch.
“He was afraid of something,” Tanner said. “It was like he was afraid of me, except he wasn’t. It’s hard to explain.”
“Maybe something you said frightened him,” Eric suggested.
“Maybe.”
“Can you remember what you were talking about when you got the feeling he was afraid?”
Tanner screwed his face up a moment, trying to remember. “It was about Dad,” he said. “I was telling Dr. Andersen some of the things Dad had told me about work and stuff.”
Eric got up and moved over to sit on the couch next to Tanner. “Can you remember any of the specific things your dad has told you?” he asked gently.
Tanner shifted his position and his face puckered even more. He closed his eyes for a moment while Jennifer and Eric waited. Then he let out an exasperated breath. “It was stuff I didn’t understand. He talked about how they had him killed, but then it was a bunch of big words and stuff. I can’t remember,” he whined. He looked precariously close to tears.
“Do you think you could ask your Dad to tell you again?” Eric asked.
“No!” Jennifer shouted, shooting an angry look at Eric. She came around to the front of the couch and knelt down in front of Tanner resting her hands on his knees. “I don’t want him to do that.” She looked up at Eric. “This is all too weird. We don’t know if this is even true. And if it is, we don’t know what it might be doing to Tanner.”
“I don’t think it will hurt him any,” Eric said defensively.
“You don’t think so. But you don’t know, do you?” Jennifer snapped.
“I like it when Dad talks to me,” Tanner said. “He’s nice.”
Jennifer rolled her eyes and threw up her hands. “This is crazy!” she said, standing up and resuming her pacing. She fixed her eyes on the back of Eric’s head. “What about the seizure he had? Are you telling me that was nothing to worry about?” she asked shrilly.
“It’s not to be taken lightly, of course,” Eric said. “But there was no residual damage and I think it was a one-time thing.”
“You think.” Jennifer accused. “You think, but you don’t know. You are not going to use Tanner for some weird medical experiment, Eric.”
Eric held up his hands in defeat. “Okay, okay. But will you at least hear me out on this? Will you think about it? If my theory is right, you and Tanner could be in a great deal of danger. Remember, both you and Tanner were in that car when it crashed, as well as Tim.”
That made Jennifer pause. She shivered again and wondered how the room could be so damned cold when it was ninety-five degrees outside. Were they in danger? Was that accident meant to kill all of them? If so, why had she and Tanner been allowed to live?
As if Eric read her thoughts, he said, “Perhaps Tim knew something he shouldn’t have. Maybe Bioceutics thought you knew it as well. Then, when you survived the accident, they decided to just keep an eye on you. Not to do anything unless you asked the wrong questions. Two accidents so close together would have looked pretty suspicious.”
Jennifer backed away from Eric, shaking her head. “This is scary, Eric. I don’t want to discuss this anymore.” She turned abruptly and headed for the kitchen.
Eric went after her. “Jen, wait!” He grabbed her shoulder just as she was about to go through the kitchen door. When he turned her toward him, he saw the liquid sheen of tears in her eyes. “Jennifer, look, I’m sorry if all this frightens you. But we’ve got to figure out a way to deal with it.”
“I don’t want to deal with it,” she said petulantly. She looked away, afraid to meet those eyes.
“We have to. You’re not alone in this. I’ll help you in any way I can.” He lifted her chin so that she was facing him but she kept her eyes steadfastly averted. “I want to help you, Jennifer,” he said, his voice soft and low. “You and Tanner have grown to mean a lot to me in the past few days. Please, let me help you.”
She gave in and looked into his eyes. What she saw in the green depths was concern and compassion. And something more. She was aware of her own feelings toward him, something more than the usual doctor-patient relationship. He had grown to mean a lot to her, too. For a moment she entertained the idea of just letting herself go, falling into those stalwart arms, letting sturdy, capable Eric deal with all of this for her. But her mind was reeling too hard. Everything was so confusing, so frightening.
She saw Eric start to lower his head and knew he was going to kiss her. Her first impulse was to pull away. This was a complication she didn’t need right now. But his eyes were mesmerizing, pulling her into their depths, making her want to feel his arms, his lips, his everything. She closed her eyes, deciding to let it happen, to let herself go.
Then she thought of Tim. Was he here now? In this very room? Watching? Her eyes flew open and she pushed herself back.
At that same moment, Scotch started to whine the same low guttural sound she had emitted a few nights earlier. Jennifer shoved Eric aside and rushed back over to Tanner. Scotch had her head in Tanner’s lap, one paw scraping at his knee, her eyes riveted on the boy’s face, which had an all too familiar distance about it. Jennifer felt fear strike her heart.
“Eric! It’s happening again!”
Eric hurried over to the couch and sat down gently next to Tanner. He waved a hand in front of Tanner’s face but the boy seemed totally unaware. “Tanner?” he said quietly. No response.
“Eric, do something!” Jennifer hissed. Her face was frighteningly pale, her eyes wide and colorless.
Eric reached up and placed a hand on either side of Tanner’s face, turning the boy’s head toward his own. Tanner’s head swiveled easily, without resistance, like a ventriloquist’s dummy. His eyes remained unfocused, his face wooden.
“Tanner!” Eric said, almost a shout this time.
Scotch whined even louder and tried to crawl up onto Tanner’s lap.
Jennifer collapsed into a heap on the floor at Tanner’s feet, her hands on his knees, tears streaming down her face. This was more than she could bear! Never had she felt so damned useless! She wanted to protect her son, to help him, but she had no idea where to begin. She buried her face in her hands and sobbed.
As if someone had thrown a switch, Scotch’s incessant whining ceased and the dog backed up a step, sat down, and cocked her head at Tanner.
Jennifer’s head bolted up and she examined Tanner’s face closely with an expression of fearful hope. “Tanner?”
“I’m okay, Mom,” Tanner said softly. “Dad said to tell you he won’t hurt me.”
“Oh, God!” Jennifer sobbed. She reached up and hugged her son.
When she released him, Tanner said, “He also said to tell you he likes Eric and that you should trust him.”
Jennifer stared slack-jawed and unblinking at first Tanner, then Eric.
Eric smiled sheepishly and shrugged. Tanner grinned widely.
Jennifer sucked in a deep breath, released it slowly through pursed lips, and swiped at her tear-stained face. Then she stood up and headed for the kitchen. “I think I need a drink,” she said.
***
“Why don’t you and Tanner come and stay at my place tonight,” Eric suggested as they all sat around the kitchen table eating the grilled cheese sandwiches Jennifer had fixed. Puttering in the kitchen had always been one of her main modes of distraction. She usually made tomato soup to go with grilled cheese, but tonight she opted for a Bloody Mary instead. The alcohol burned as it went down, but the warming glow she felt once it hit her bloodstream left her feeling calmer.
“Why?” Jennifer asked. “Do you think we’re in danger here?”
“I don’t know,” Eric said, pulling on his chin thoughtfully. “But we do know that someone has been in here already. Do you want to risk being here the next time someone tries to search the house?”
Jennifer thought about that. “No,” she admitted.
“Can Scotch come too?” Tanner asked, shoving the last piece of his second sandwich into his mouth.
“You bet,” Eric said. “I wouldn’t go anywhere without her. She seems to be able to sense when you are going into one of your fugue states. She makes a good warning system.”
Jennifer looked down at the golden retriever. She was lying beneath Tanner’s chair, her eyes moving back and forth from one person to the next. Jennifer smiled at the dog and then tossed her the rest of her sandwich. Her appetite wasn’t nearly as good as Tanner’s. Scotch got up, scarfed the sandwich down, and then returned to her spot beneath Tanner’s chair.
“I don’t want to put you out, Eric,” Jennifer said. “I can stay at Carny’s house for a while.”
“Who is Carny?”
“She’s my best friend. Has been for years. I wouldn’t be here today if it wasn’t for her. She lives in the next house over.” She gestured in the general direction with a nod.
Eric shook his head. “I would feel better if you were with me,” he insisted. “If you’ve been watched, then they’ll know Carny is your friend. It wouldn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out where you were.”
Tanner giggled at that.
“What about Evan?” Jennifer asked.
Eric’s face clouded over and suffused with red. “Do what you want,” he said tersely, lowering his head and focusing intently on the crumbs left on his plate.
Jennifer stared at the top of his head and sighed. They sat in silence for a few moments, each dealing with their own brand of ghost. Finally Jennifer asked, “So, what do we do now? I can’t hide out for the rest of my life. And how do we know we won’t be followed to your house if we’re being watched that closely?”
Eric raised his head and leaned across the table eagerly, as if he had been waiting for her to ask just that question. “I have an idea,” he said.
***
Sometime later, Eric was on the phone to the hospital. “I want to admit Tanner Bolton this evening,” he said. “Diagnosis – possible brain lesion. Call Radiology and have them set up to do a CT scan. Tonight.”
When he was done, he hung up the phone and turned to Jennifer. “Your turn,” he said.
Jennifer dialed the number for Evan’s home. After listening to the now familiar message on his answering machine she said, “Evan? This is Jennifer. Tanner is being readmitted to the hospital today, just for some tests. But the doctor said it’s important that he be as rested as possible so he’s not allowing any visitors. I’ll call you in the morning and give you an update.” After hanging up, she picked up the phone again and called Evan’s office, leaving the same message with his secretary.
“He might be in shortly,” the secretary said. “He called a little while ago and said the jury had gone to deliberate. He often waits it out here. Should I have him call you if he shows up in the next few minutes?”
“No,” Jennifer said. “We’re leaving for the hospital right now. Just tell him I’ll catch up with him as soon as I can.”
“Okay. Sorry about your son. I hope he’ll be okay.”
“Thank you, Marilee. I appreciate your concern.”
Jennifer hung up the phone. “Okay,” she said. She looked around the kitchen as if she had misplaced something. “I guess I’ll go and pack some things.” She turned and disappeared from the room, leaving Eric and Tanner alone.
“I’m glad you believe me,” Tanner said to Eric.
“No problem.” Eric gave his shoulder a reassuring squeeze. “One thing I’ve learned from studying medicine is that there are always things we can’t understand. I try to keep an open mind.”
“Do you think Mom really believes me?”
“I think she’s coming around. Give her time. It’s a lot to try and swallow all at once.”
“Yeah, I guess it is. I kind of wondered myself in the beginning.”
“Wondered about what?”
“If it was really my dad talking to me. For a while I thought maybe it was space aliens trying to take over my mind or something. I saw something like that on TV once.”
“I’d say a little less TV might do you some good,” Eric said with a smile. “And I wouldn’t mention that theory to your mother if I were you. She’s freaked out enough already.”
“Yeah,” Tanner said. “I guess she is.”
Jennifer came back to the kitchen a while later carrying a large suitcase. “Think this looks like too much for a hospital stay?” she asked Eric, holding it up in front of her with both hands.
“Nah, I’ve seen some of the local beauty queens check in with three bags that size. If somebody’s watching, I don’t think it will raise any suspicions. We’ll just leave it in the car when we get to the hospital.”
“Good.” She set the bag down against the wall and shoved her hands in her pockets. “I should call Carny,” she said. “She’ll worry if she can’t get ahold of me.”
Eric frowned, hesitating. “Go ahead,” he said eventually, “but don’t offer anything more than what we agreed on. Okay?”
“I think you’re overreacting, Eric. Carny can be trusted. I’d trust her with my life.”
“That’s exactly what you’ll be doing,” Eric said pointedly. “Yours and Tanner’s.”
Jennifer pouted at him before she picked up the phone to dial Carny’s number. The issue was quickly resolved when she got Carny’s answering machine. She left the same basic message she had left for Evan. “There, are you happy now?” she said when she was done and had hung up.
“As a clam,” Eric grinned. He pushed away from the table and stood up. “Are we ready?”
Jennifer looked around. “I guess so,” she said. Her eyes fell on Scotch, who was lying, as usual, at Tanner’s feet, her eyes moving back and forth between whoever was talking. “What about the dog?” Jennifer asked. “Won’t it look suspicious if we take her with us?”
Eric shrugged. “Who’s to say I’m not taking care of her for you while Tanner is in the hospital? Or dropping her off at a kennel? She has to go somewhere.”
“I suppose,” Jennifer said doubtfully. The whole idea that someone might be watching what they were doing had her nerves on edge. She was trying to picture the scene as someone else might see it, but it was difficult to concentrate.
They headed out to Eric’s Ford Explorer, Jennifer fighting the urge to scan the surrounding woods for spying eyes. She vacillated between feeling paranoid and ridiculous one minute, then frightened senseless the next. Eric tossed the suitcase into the back of the car, then stood aside while Scotch jumped in beside it. Jennifer buckled Tanner into the back seat and then slid into the front next to Eric. It took thirty-five minutes to drive to the hospital and another hour or so to get Tanner registered and settled in his room on the pediatric unit – the very same room he had been in before.
“I’m going to go downstairs to Radiology and check on the CT scan,” Eric said, leaning in close to Jennifer’s ear and speaking at a near whisper. “Just to make sure they are expecting Tanner. Patients are always delayed so there should be plenty of time for us to get away before Radiology and the nurses up here get together long enough to figure out that something’s wrong.”
Jennifer nodded.
“Once I get you two safely settled at my place, I’ll call the hospital and tell them you went a little berserk and decided to sign Tanner out AMA. That’s means Against Medical Advice.”
“Thanks a lot.” Jennifer whispered back. “How come I have to come across as the looney tune?”
Eric smiled and gave her shoulder a little squeeze. “Don’t worry. We’re not going to lock you away. Not yet anyway.”
Jennifer stuck her tongue out at him. Tanner giggled.
“I’ll be back shortly,” Eric said. Then he kissed Jennifer on the cheek and was gone.
“I think the doc is sweet on you, Mom,” Tanner said.
“Yeah, I think you’re right,” Jennifer said, touching the spot on her cheek.
“I like him,” Tanner said.
Jennifer gave his hand a squeeze. “So do I, Tanner. So do I.”
A nurse came in, ran Tanner through the usual litany of neuro tests, checked his vital signs, and asked some questions. Then she handed him a pair of pajamas with Snoopy and Woodstock on them and instructed him to change in the bathroom. When the nurse was gone, Jennifer stuffed Tanner’s clothes into the oversized purse she had carried in with her.
Sometime later, Eric came in pushing a wheelchair. “Ready?” he asked.
Jennifer nodded and Tanner climbed out of bed and into the wheelchair. They made their way down the hall to the elevators, Eric joking with an attractive brunette nurse while they waited. Jennifer was both surprised and a bit disgusted with herself to discover that she felt a pang of jealousy.
The elevator took them down to the first floor where Eric led them down a number of hallways and into a room marked LINEN. When he had closed the door behind them, Jennifer removed the clothes from her purse and handed them to Tanner.
“Here, change into these. You’ll stick out like a sore thumb with those pj’s on.”
Tanner dutifully ducked behind a row of shelves and emerged moments later wearing the clothes. Jennifer suppressed a smile when she saw how disheveled he looked with his shirt askew, his hair mussed, and his shoes untied.
“Okay,” Eric said. “I moved the car around back to the parking lot by the loading dock. Follow me.”
After opening the linen room door and scanning the hallway, Eric motioned for them to follow. The threesome made their way down the hall to another, and down that one toward a large set of double doors. Jennifer was feeling a bit ridiculous about all the cloak and dagger stuff, though she could tell Tanner was actually enjoying it, seeing it all as a big adventure. She checked the doorways along the hall as they passed and shuddered when she saw one labeled MORGUE. Like a bucket of ice water in her face, the sign reminded her of just how serious their situation was. Suddenly, all the secrecy didn’t seem so silly. Her heart started pounding so hard inside her chest she was afraid it might burst.
When they finally made it out onto the loading dock, Jennifer breathed a sigh of relief. She glanced at her watch and saw it was close to 8:00.
“There’s the car,” Eric said pointing toward his Explorer in a near-empty parking lot about one hundred feet away. Jennifer grabbed Tanner’s hand and followed Eric down a ramp and up a small incline along a cement wall. Two large dumpsters were lined up against the wall and the smell of rotting food (or at least Jennifer hoped it was food – she shuddered to think what else might be in a hospital garbage bin) made her queasy.
Tanner, letting his mother lead him by the hand, tripped over one of his untied shoelaces, almost falling. The motion jerked Jennifer’s arm, yanking her back a half step. As she turned to look at Tanner, she felt something whiz by her ear and batted at the air with her hand, thinking it was a fly from one of the trash bins. But then the cement next to her flew apart in a miniature explosion. She stopped and stared at the spot on the wall, her mind struggling to make sense of what she was seeing. Then another part of the wall exploded and panic gripped her heart.
“Someone is shooting at us,” Eric said with astonished disbelief. He stared at the wall a second, dumbfounded. Then he grabbed Jennifer’s arm, pushing her ahead of him toward the car. “Run!” he yelled.
If the situation itself wasn’t enough to spur Jennifer to action, the urgency in Eric’s voice was. She grabbed Tanner’s hand in a vice-like grip and commanded her feet to fly. She focused her eyes on the car, terror pounding through her veins, expecting any moment to feel the sting of a bullet ripping through her back.
Tanner, unable to meet her frantic pace, stumbled behind her, yanking her shoulder painfully. She gritted her teeth and hung on to his hand, prepared to drag him across the asphalt if she had to. The blacktop exploded off to her left and she veered right, ducking beside a blue Volvo and pulling Tanner down beside her. Eric was right on their heels.
“Why is someone shooting at us?” Jennifer hissed breathlessly, her chest heaving. Her eyes rolled heavenward. “This is so crazy!” Hearing the rising hysteria in her voice, she looked over at Tanner’s face, saw the shocked pallor in it, and tried to calm herself down. She had to stay together, for Tanner’s sake.
“Run for the car,” Eric said, giving her a nudge. “The doors are unlocked. I’ll carry Tanner.”
Jennifer looked around the end of the Volvo and saw Eric’s Explorer across in the next row. It was only about thirty feet away, though under the circumstances, it might as well have been on another continent. Scotch was perched near the back window barking up a storm, her nose fogging and smearing up the glass, the fur on her neck standing up in a huge fluff like an Elizabethan collar. Jennifer bit her lip and cast a frightened glance at Eric.
“Move!” he commanded.
Jennifer sprang from behind the Volvo like a runner leaving the starting block, not waiting to give her mind any more time to weigh the perils of their position. She kept her mind focused on the car, vaguely aware of the sound of Eric’s feet pounding behind her. Just when she thought they had it made, she heard a “pop” and then a grunt from behind her. She whirled around to see Eric stumble and fall to the blacktop, pulling Tanner down on top of him.
“No!” she screamed. She dashed over to where Eric lay on the pavement and crouched down beside him. Blood was oozing from his right thigh at an alarming rate. Tanner tried to stand up and Jennifer pulled him back down, shoving him behind her, effectively shielding him with her body in the direction the bullets seemed to be coming from.
“Get to the car,” Eric said. He shoved a hand into his pocket and pulled out a set of keys. “Go!”
Jennifer peered out across the darkened parking lot. At this hour there were only a few rows of cars, leaving vast expanses of open lot between the hospital and the small grove of woods that separated the parking lot from the main road. Though Jennifer supposed someone could be ducked down behind any of the parked cars, her eyes failed to find any evidence of their assailant. The shooter could be anywhere.
“I’m not leaving you here,” she argued.
Eric scowled at her, shifted his position painfully, then reached up and grabbed Tanner’s arm. “Tanner, run over to the car and stay down alongside of it. Go now!”
Tanner looked at his mother, fear and questioning filling his eyes.
Eric was right. They were too exposed here. But Jennifer couldn’t let Tanner run alone. He’d be like a tin duck in a shooting gallery. She grabbed his hand and said, “Let’s go, Tanner. Run as fast as you can and keep your head down.” She took off running, bent over at an angle, dragging Tanner along beside her, taking care to keep herself between him and the direction of the gunfire. When they reached their goal without incident, she shoved him down alongside the Explorer and said, “Stay here! No matter what! And keep your head down!” With that she turned and ran back to Eric, assuming the same hunched-over position. “Can you get up?” she asked when she was back at his side.
Eric opened his mouth to argue with her, to tell her to go and leave him, but one look at her face told him it would be futile. “I think so,” he said finally.
Jennifer helped him struggle to his feet and let him lean on her as they hobbled over to the car. She opened the back door and Scotch tried to come over the back of the seat from the cargo area.
“Scotch! Stay!” she said sternly. The dog obeyed, sitting down immediately, though she had a tensed posture that said she was ready to spring at any moment.
Jennifer helped Eric inch his way across the back seat until he reached the opposite door, taking care to keep his head below the level of the side window. As tall as he was, his feet were still hanging out the door a good foot or more. He grimaced and sucked in a hiss of breath as he bent his injured leg up so that his feet were inside.
Once she had Eric in, Jennifer pushed Tanner down on the floor behind the front seat. “Get down on the floor and stay there!” she instructed him.
When she was sure they were both settled, she closed the back door, opened the front one, reached across the seat, and slid the key into the ignition. She muttered a quick prayer before turning the key and then uttered a second prayer of thanks when the Explorer rumbled to life. She slid the gear shift into reverse and as the vehicle started to move, quickly maneuvered herself into the driver’s seat, trying to keep her head down. With a quick glance around, she cut the wheel hard to the left, shoved the gear shift into drive, and floored the gas pedal. The car lurched forward, the wheels squealing in complaint and the front fender nailing the rear bumper of a nearby Mercedes as it passed. She veered through the parking lot and out into a side street. She ran a red light at the corner, cut off an angry driver at the next intersection, and only let up on the gas as they neared the interchange for Interstate 64. Taking the on-ramp, she pulled into traffic and eased the vehicle up to sixty-five, keeping an eye on the rearview mirror to see if she could detect anyone who appeared to be following them.
Half an hour or so later, satisfied that they weren’t being pursued, she relaxed a little, flexing her fingers to ease the cramps that had moved in with her death grip on the wheel. An exit for Waynesboro loomed ahead and on an impulse, she took it. She avoided the populated areas and instead followed a series of turns down rural roads until she came upon a darkened Department of Transportation building. A large parking lot wrapped around the building and a half-dozen of the ugly orange trucks with the big black letters – VDOT – on the sides were parked in a row near one corner. Jennifer pulled in around the back of the building and parked close to the wall with the Explorer facing out toward the road in case she needed to make a quick getaway.
“Wait here,” she told the two in the back seat. She killed the lights, but left the motor running before climbing out of the car. Scotch, apparently either sensing the urgency of the situation or scared out of her wits, was lying quietly in the cargo area.
Jennifer walked to the edge of the building and peered around the corner, her eyes seeking out any sign of approaching head lights, her ears straining to pick up any sound over the faint thrum of the Explorer’s idling engine. Everything was quiet.
She waited.
After ten minutes, she went back to the Explorer and turned off the engine. She opened the back door and helped Tanner out. After stretching, he climbed into the front seat and twisted around so he could see into the back.
“Are you okay?” Jennifer asked Eric.
He nodded weakly. His face was pale and drenched in sweat. The seat beneath his leg was soaked with blood. “Get my medical bag,” he said at little more than a whisper. “It’s in the back.”
Jennifer opened the tailgate, found the bag, gave Scotch a pat on the head and a “Good girl!” before she returned to the back seat and handed the bag to Eric. He rummaged around in it until he found some dressings, a roll of tape, a bottle of peroxide, and a pair of scissors. Jennifer helped him prop himself up so he could look at his leg. He handed her the scissors.
“Cut away the pant leg,” he instructed.
Jennifer did as he asked, taking care not to move the leg any more than she had to. When she had the wound exposed Eric poured some peroxide over his leg, throwing his head back and biting his lip in agony as the stuff foamed into a pink froth. When he could speak again he said, “Clean it off.”
Jennifer cleaned around the wound, a deeply furrowed gash that ran across the front of his thigh. It looked as if someone had scooped out the meat of his leg with a sharpened teaspoon. Though the exposed edges oozed a continuous flow of blood, it seemed to be slowing some.
“The heat of the bullet probably cauterized some of the blood vessels,” Eric said weakly, echoing her thoughts. He handed Jennifer some Telfa pads, a roll of gauze, and some tape. “Wrap it as tight as you can,” he told her.
While Jennifer fixed the dressing, pulling the rolled gauze tightly around the circumference of his thigh to hold the Telfa pads in place, Eric dug around some more in his bag and came up with two bottles of pills. He swallowed two from one, one from the other.
“What are you taking?” she asked as she taped the edge of the gauze in place.
“A pain killer and an antibiotic,” he told her.
When she was done, Jennifer climbed into the front seat. Her head fell back against the head rest, its weight seeming too great with the sudden onset of sheer exhaustion that had seized her. “What now?” she said to no one in particular.
“We need to find a safe place to go,” Eric said. “Obviously my house is no good. They know you’re with me.”
“How?” Jennifer asked, turning herself around and resting an arm along the back of the seat. “How did they know we’d be leaving the hospital?”
“I’ve been thinking about that,” Eric said. “The only answer I can come up with is that they must have had your house bugged.”
It took a moment for that to sink in. “You mean someone has been listening to everything in my house? Watching me? Listening to me?” Her eyes narrowed down to furious slits. “Those bastards!” She spat out the last words, then, remembering Tanner was sitting next to her, wished she could take them back.
“And they’re playing for keeps now, Jen. They know what we know. You can’t go back there.”
“But we don’t know anything! All we have is a lot of guesses.”
“I think it’s safe to say that Tanner’s grasp of the situation is right on the money,” Eric surmised. “Bioceutics had Tim killed. They left you and Tanner alone because they didn’t think you had any knowledge of what Tim was working on.”
“I didn’t. I don’t.”
“And that is what has kept you alive all this time. But now Tanner has information he couldn’t know unless Tim told him. And whether or not you believe he is talking to Tim, rest assured Bioceutics believes it.”
Jennifer looked at Tanner, barely able to discern his face in the darkness. “They want to kill us,” she said simply.
“They do. And they will,” Eric said. “Unless we can find out their secret first and expose them. We need some time. Some place to hide.”
Jennifer thought about that for a while. They could travel around, stay in motels under an assumed name. “How much cash do you have on you?” she asked Eric.
“I’m not sure. Fifty, maybe a hundred bucks.”
“And I’ve got forty or so,” she said. “That won’t get us very far. If we use a credit card, it will leave a trail like bread crumbs. We need to get to a bank so I can pull out some cash.”
“Bank transactions can be traced, too,” Eric said.
“I know. But we’re going to need some money for motels and food and such. Who knows for how long?”
Eric shook his head. “Motels are no good. They need a license plate number and a name. Even if you lie, most of them want a driver’s license or something. No, we need to think of something else.”
Jennifer stared out into the darkness, listening to the wind soughing in the trees above them. Where can we go? Where can we hide? Where’s the last place anyone would know or think to look?
The idea came on her in a flash, at first exciting her. Then she dismissed it. It will never work. It’s impossible. And besides, I can’t do it.
Beside her Tanner’s hand reached out and found hers. He gripped her hand tight.
“Mom?”
“Yes, Tanner.”
“I’m really scared.”
She looked over at his face, no more than a pale orb with two hugely round eyes in the center reflecting in the moon light. She pulled him close and held him, rocking him gently.
“It’s going to be all right, Tanner. We’ll get through this. You’ll see. I know where we can go.”
“Where?” came a voice from the back seat.
“Tonight we get a motel room and some sleep. Tomorrow I’m hitting the closest bank for some cash,” she said decisively. “And then we’re heading north.”