A Five-Minute Life

She’s not there anymore.

Feeling more and more like a stalker infringing on patient privacy, I hoisted the heavy dumpster lid with one hand. It felt almost obscene to put artwork of this caliber in the garbage, but I should’ve left them alone in the first place. It was wrong to take them. Unprofessional. I was lucky Alonzo hadn’t fired me.

I reaffirmed my vow not to get involved in Thea Hughes’ care any more than an orderly should. It was none of my business.

I stuffed the pages in, and the heavy lid slammed down, pinning a drawing so that its corner stuck out against the rusted green metal. A word chain jumped out at me, like a goddamn five-alarm siren.

Bye lie cry try fly sly sigh high hail hell help help help

Chapter 7

Jim

I was in the employee break room, taking my fifteen minutes off when Rita burst in.

“Oh Jim, thank God, you’re here.”

“What’s up?”

“I have to attend to Ms. Perkins right now and Nurse Eric is out sick today. Would you mind taking Miss Hughes out for her FAE?”

I hesitated. Over the last few days, I’d been good

at avoiding Thea. Doing my job. Keeping my head down. I didn’t talk to her in the rec room, and I sure as shit wasn’t going to think about her word chains. I had to believe Alonzo when he said the doctors knew what they were doing or else I’d lose my mind.

“I’m sorry, I know you’re on break,” Rita said. “I wouldn’t ask but there’s no one else—”

“N-No, it’s fine,” I said. “I can take her.”

So much for keeping my head down.

“Thanks a ton. She’s in the cafeteria finishing a snack.” She tapped the doorjamb. “If you could hurry before she wanders to the front door again…?”

I headed to the dining room. In the hallway outside, I spied a doctor I hadn’t seen before conferring with a few other specialists from Roanoke. Mid-thirties, sleek black hair, intelligence sharp in her eyes.

“Hey, Joaquin,” I asked as he passed. “Who’s that?”

“Dr. Christina Chen,” he said. “New arrival from Australia. Word is, she’s interested in Miss Hughes.”

“Interested? What’s that mean?”

Joaquin shrugged. “Have you seen Dr. Stevens around at all? Me neither,” he said before I could answer. “Interested is better than nothing.”

I nodded. For days, I’d been telling Thea the doctors were working on her case. Maybe this meant it was finally true.

In the dining room, Thea sat at a table, an empty plate and a half glass of lemonade in front of her. She wore the usual drab clothes they put her in but beautiful in the summer light streaming in from the tall windows.

Her nervous glance told me a reset had just hit. I hurried toward her.

“How long has it been?” she demanded before I was halfway across the room.

“Two years, Miss Hughes.”

She nodded and eased a sigh, her eyes going to my nametag. “Thanks… Jim. I had an accident. The doctors are trying to figure out what’s wrong with me.” She stuck out her hand. “I’m Thea.”

I’d forced myself to stop counting her introductions and endured her vigorous handshake for what felt like the millionth time.

“Would you like to go for a walk?”