There was an unmistakable sense of urgency in the speed at which Phoebe, Demetrius and their Heavenly escort were moving towards Medical Miracles Hospital. Although the hospital was not far away, it felt to Phoebe that she had hundreds of miles to go. Ordinarily, she would have enjoyed her surroundings, taken time to appreciate the beauty of the sky and the trees and the wildlife around her, but today she barely noticed these things and was focused only on reaching her destination as quickly as possible.
“What if we’re too late? What if they get to Dad and Mum before we do? What if they’re already there?” Phoebe’s questions jangled off her lips in quick succession, and she felt strangely disappointed by her own lack of faith – had she learned nothing from the peculiar events of the last few hours?
As if he could read her thoughts, Cosain spoke. “You must not be so hard on yourself, Phoebe. The happenings of the last few weeks are extraordinary for you; these things do not just happen every day in the human world. I think it would be more unusual if you weren’t wondering what is going on. But you cannot live in the ‘what ifs’ – they serve no purpose but to unsettle your spirit and divide your mind. But do not worry, Phoebe, we will not be too late this time.” Cosain’s confident words reassured Phoebe, and she felt the rising sense of panic begin to disperse and in its place began to grow a calm that was entirely contrary to circumstances.
The anomalous group continued their fast paced journey until Medical Miracles Hospital was in sight. Phoebe could see her parents’ blue Jeep sitting in their reserved parking space, and the sight of it somehow reassured her that with the angelic troop on their side, things would be okay. She and Demetrius ran ahead through the hospital’s automatic glass doors, and the familiar sounds and smells of the hospital filled Phoebe’s senses. Behind a clear screen Doris, the kindly hospital receptionist, looked up from her paperwork. She peered over her half glasses at Phoebe and Demetrius, and then broke into a sincere and welcoming smile.
“Excuse me, Doris.” Phoebe spoke to the pleasant receptionist before she had a chance to greet the teenagers. Doris had worked at the hospital since the day it opened, and to her the role of receptionist was more than just a job. She made it her business to put everyone who came through the hospital doors at ease, and with her kind smile and motherly nature that was something she did extremely well.
“Oh hi, Phoebe honey,” Doris smiled. “Are you looking for your folks? They finished up just a while ago and have been loading up the car. They’ve been up and down in that elevator a dozen times, I’m sure! They’ll be exhausted! Do you want to go up to the office, or wait here and I’ll call them for you?”
“Maybe I’ll just go up if that’s okay?” replied Phoebe, who was already halfway across the reception floor.
“Sure, Honey, you know the way,” Doris winked and smiled again. She had gotten very used to seeing Phoebe about the hospital during the last few years, and would miss the Wrens. They were a lovely family, and Doris had valued their friendship as much as the hospital had valued the surgeons’ skills.
“Okay, thanks, I’ll stop in again before we leave, I promise,” Phoebe called over her shoulder.
Phoebe and Demetrius walked quickly toward the hospital’s sole elevator, and were only ten feet away from its metal doors when an eerie whistling sound stopped them in their tracks. The whistle got louder and faster until it became an unmistakable wail, like the sound of a high-speed jet, and the closed doors across the elevator began to rattle and vibrate.
“Phoebe, jump!” Demetrius yelled at the last second, half pushing and half throwing his friend across the reception floor. With an almighty crash, the elevator doors buckled and exploded outwards, and the elevator car within folded like an accordion as it shot down the last stretch of the elevator shaft and smashed into the ground floor.
“Dad! Mum!” Phoebe screamed, as she struggled to her feet and ran towards the wreckage. How could this be? How could she be living this nightmare again? Through the billowing dust and debris, Phoebe’s eyes desperately scoured the wreckage for signs of life. It slowly dawned on her, however, that not only were there no signs of life, but, thank God, there were no signs of anyone having been in the elevator. The car that had just plummeted to the ground floor had been empty. Phoebe heaved a sigh of relief, and wiped a wayward tear from her dusty face with the back of her hand. She felt that her knees may buckle beneath her, and grabbed hold of Demetrius’s arm to steady herself.
“Phoebe? Sweetheart, are you okay?”
Phoebe spun around in the direction of the gentle familiar voice, and ran into her Dad’s arms. Despite her resolve to be brave and inconspicuous, she could not hold back this time, and she cried frightened, vulnerable tears that made a dark damp patch on her Dad’s shirt.
“It’s okay my darling, Mum and I are okay. You don’t need to cry, we’re here,” Jack soothed his daughter as he gently kissed her head. His assumption that his daughter was crying in fright at the elevator crash was entirely understandable, and Phoebe was glad to have the excuse to give in to her emotions.
“What on earth happened, Dr. Wren?” The thunderous crash of the falling elevator had made Doris literally jump out of her chair, and she stood now, bewildered and heart pounding, surveying the mess of concrete and twisted metal that had spewed out on to the reception floor.
“I don’t know, Doris,” said Jack, “I can only guess that a cable snapped, or there was an electrical fault. We should just thank God that nobody was injured – or worse!”
He took Doris aside, and in hushed tones he confided, “Eva and I should have been on that elevator! We had emptied our offices, and were coming down with the last of the boxes – I had called the elevator, and was holding it for Eva, but her favourite picture frame was missing from the box, and we had to go back to the office to collect it. It’s weird you know, because I could swear that I saw her put it in that box… Still, it saved our lives, so I won’t grumble!”
Eva Wren, visibly shaken by what had just taken place, had exited the stairwell just behind her husband, and now stood with Phoebe and Demetrius, surveying the mayhem before them.
“Someone is definitely watching over you and Dem, Phoebe,” Eva said as she hugged her daughter. “What were you doing back here, Sweetie? I thought we had arranged to meet back home?”
“Sorry Mum,” said Phoebe. “I just, uh, thought we could drive back home together.”
“Yes, let’s do that,” Jack picked his steps carefully as he rejoined his family, “But we’re going to have to sort this mess out, we can’t leave it like this. Will you and Dem be okay to wait a while?” Jack asked.
“Yeah, sure, that’s fine Dad, we’ll make ourselves useful,” answered Phoebe, and she turned to Demetrius, who was standing just behind her, rubbing his temples and shaking his head.
“This craziness is making my head hurt, Bird,” Demetrius confided in hushed tones, as he puffed out his cheeks, and blew air out through his pursed lips with a loud phoo sound.
“Tell me about it!” retorted Phoebe, as she and her friend headed towards the exit, desperate for some air and room to gather their thoughts.
Just then, out of the corner of her eye, Phoebe spotted a thin wisp of yellow vapour snaking out of the elevator shaft. Given what she had already witnessed at the airport, Phoebe knew that this ominous piece of evidence heralded something foreboding. She gasped, and tried to subtly signal to Demetrius, but he had obviously already spotted it. Demetrius took Phoebe’s hand, and walked with her as quickly as they could manage without looking suspicious through the hospital doors and out into the car park. There, Solas and Dilis were awaiting the teenagers, and they beckoned them closer.
“Did you see that?” spluttered Phoebe, her mousy hair dusty and straggly around her pretty face, her green eyes flashing.
“Yes, we were expecting another attack. The Enemy will not let you go without a fight,” said Solas gently, “Do not be surprised – just be ready.”
“Cosain and the others are inside,” explained Dilis, “They will not let those troublesome demons away with it.”
‘Troublesome demons’ Phoebe mused, blinking dust from her watering eyes as she contemplated the fact that it seemed she was living in one big understatement right now!