She paused, tilting her head as she regarded him. “I know her
, and I know where she lives. Let’s catch a cab.”
Brad was squinting against the bright afternoon sunshine that sent another ache into his thumping head. Grateful for her help, he let her hail a cab and guide him inside. She gave the cab driver an address.
“Grace teaches first grade, right?” she said.
“Right.” He hadn’t remembered that fact, but he didn’t want Dr. Dickson to know.
“Well, she won’t be out of school yet. I live fairly close to her house. Why don’t we go by my place for an hour or so until she gets out of school?”
“I don’t know. Maybe I’ll just wait outside her place. Where did you say she lives?”
She cleared her throat and chewed on her lip. “Uhmm... Brad, did you remember you and Grace are broken up? I think it’s been a month or two.”
A sharp pain shot through his head causing a wave of nausea. He and Grace weren’t together. Could that be the thing that had him so worried? He must have forgotten. He tried to remember the last time he’d seen her. He could picture it in his mind—holding her close, kissing her soft lips. Had it really been months since that had happened? Anything was possible—he couldn’t even remember where his own apartment was located.
“I still think I need to see her. It’s important.”
“Okay. We’ll just wait at my apartment until she gets out of teaching, and then I’ll walk over with you.”
He couldn’t think of a valid reason to object to her idea. But the nauseated feeling hadn’t subsided. Was it the concussion? Or was it knowing he was no longer with Grace?
*****
“Wow, Josh. You lost him?” Ben grinned at Josh who hadn’t stopped yelling since they’d arrived to find Brad’s empty room.
“Shut up, Ben.” Josh marched out to the nurse’s station. “Where did Dr. Gates go?”
Ben couldn’t help but sympathize with the slight girl with pale skin that grew even whiter at Josh’s fierce tone.
“I don’t know, Dr. Branson. I didn’t see him leave.”
“You didn’t see him leave? He had to walk right past here to go anywhere.”
Her lower lip began to tremble. “But I was gone part of the time, checking on another patient. I didn’t know I was supposed to watch him.”
“Why don’t you call his cell phone?” Ben suggested, attempting to divert Josh’s attention from the timorous nurse.
Josh stuck a phone in front of Ben’s face and shook it with such ferocity Ben dodged backwards. “Because he left his cell phone! That’s why! He took everything else he owned, but he forgot his cell phone.” He began to pace. “I can’t believe he’s breaking all these rules today—I hadn’t signed his release papers.”
“Excuse me, Dr. Branson?” the timid girl interrupted, flinching when he turned his gaze toward her. She indicated her computer screen. “It looks like Dr. Dickson signed him out.”
The veins on the side of Josh’s red face were bulging. “Kara Dickson signed his release form?” His next words were unintelligible, but delivered with venom. He pulled out his cell phone and punched a few buttons, listening while it rang. When forced to leave a message, he ground out the words.
“Dr. Dickson, this is Dr. Branson. You’d better have a really good explanation for why you signed a release for Dr. Gates without my permission. And if you have any idea where he went, I expect you to let me know immediately.” Josh stomped down the hallway, sticking his head in the unoccupied rooms, muttering about how Brad was “probably lost somewhere.”
“Did Dr. Dickson hear about how the accident happened? Does she know Grace is in outpatient surgery right now?”
“I don’t think so,” said Josh. “I tried to keep that detail out of the accident report, and smooth things over with Grace’s nurse. He wasn’t quite as angry after Brad fell and knocked himself out.”
“Would Brad have gone home with her or maybe home to your apartment?”
Josh pressed his fingers to his temples. “He could have gone with Kara, I guess, but she didn’t answer when I called. I don’t think he could find our apartment. He could be anywhere. But I guarantee he’s looking for Grace—she’s the only thing he’s talked about since he woke up.”
“So maybe he’s at the outpatient surgery waiting room.”
“One—we just came from there and we didn’t pass him. And two—he had no idea she was having a biopsy today.”