Josh scrunched his eyebrows as he studied the text. “I’m not sure. Does it say Mercy General at twelve? But the one above this says she unblocked you. Call her!”
“Right,” said Brad, punching in her number. His heart tapped a wild rhythm while he listened to it ringing. He’d almost given up when a garbled voice answered.
“Br-r-raad! You called me! I’m sorrr-r-r-ry. I know-w-w I should’ve tolded you.”
Brad covered the phone to speak to Josh. “She’s drugged—she can’t even talk.” He spoke into his cell, “Grace, where are you?”
“I’m-m-m r-ri-i-ight he-e-er-re. I’m-m getting my pro-ce-dure dun-n-n.”
“Where is here? Are you at Mercy General?”
“Yes-s-s-s.” Brad heard her dissolve into giggles. “I s-s-sound like a s-s-snake.”
“Are you having surgery? Today? Right now?” The words strangled from his dry throat.
“At tw-w-welve.” She giggled again. “My s-s-sisters-s-s think it’s-s-s at two.”
Josh said, “Where is she? What floor? We can stop her.”
“Grace. Listen to me. Where are you? What floor? What surgery unit?”
“Uhmmm... I don-n-n’t kn-n-n-ow.”
“Look around. What do you see? Do you see any numbers? What color are the walls?”
“I s-s-see a r-r-re-volv... a r-r-re-vol-ving door-r-r.”
“She sees a revolving door!”
“Outpatient surgery?” Josh furrowed his brows. “Who does plastic surgery in Outpatient?”
“But she sees a revolving door. Where else could it be?”
Grace said, “I n-n-need to hang-g-g up. M-m-my boy-fr-r-riend m-m-may cal-l-l.”
“No Grace!” Brad started running. “Don’t hang up! Stay on the phone. Don’t you hang up on me. I’m your boyfriend.”
“You ar-r-r-e? Is-s-s-s this-s-s Br-r-rad? I’m-m-m s-s-sor-ry...” Her voice trailed off.
“Grace? Grace? Are you there?” Brad huffed out the words as he dashed through the hospital hallway, dodging people like an obstacle course, with Josh on his heels. “Josh, what time is it?”
“It’s almost twelve. Three minutes ‘til,” came the breathless reply.
Minutes felt like hours as he ran, his lungs burning with effort. Brad scanned the waiting room as he rounded the corner, stumbling to a halt. “Do you see her?” he gasped.
“No. She’s not here,” said Josh, panting as he paced.
“Maybe we’re too late.”
“Or we’re in the wrong place.”
Brad bent over, trying to catch his breath. From the corner of his eye he spied a small foot extending from a shapely leg dangling over the arm of a couch. He reached the sofa in two bounds. “Grace! Hey Grace, wake up!”
She groaned and turned on her side.
“She’s been mostly asleep for the last thirty minutes or so,” said an elderly woman, watching with interest as Brad attempted to revive her. “But she has a bracelet on, so I think she’s going to have surgery. Are you her doctor?”
“I... No... I mean, yes. Yes, I’m her doctor. And we’re going to postpone her surgery.”