then frowned. “I apologize, Josh. I wasn’t the one who followed up on your case because Dr. York took over for me. I don’t know how that could have slipped through the cracks. You should definitely have talked to someone. I can set that up for you now, if you’d like.”
I shook my head. “No, it’s not really necessary because I’ll be seeing someone through work.” I wasn’t absolutely certain about that, but I assumed it would be the case.
Dr. Crosby regarded me intently. “Have you had any other experiences like what you described to me when you first regained consciousness?”
I looked down at my shoes. “No, and I’m kind of embarrassed about that. I think it was a dream, like you said. I was pretty out of it. I feel better now.”
“Good to hear.” He nodded reluctantly. “All right then. Just make sure you follow up with your regular physician in a week or two.”
“I will. Thank you.”
I met Holly’s gaze from across the distance, and shrugged. Then I waved for her to follow me again, because I wanted to see if I could find Nurse Gayle. Maybe she was the one who had cancelled the order, either by mistake or under the instructions of Dr. York.
o0o
“So it wasn’t Nurse Gayle or Dr. York who cancelled the order,” Holly said as we got into my car. The rain had finally let up and the sun was peeking out from behind a cloud. “It won’t be easy to find out who cancelled it. You’d have to confront everyone who worked those shifts when you were in recovery because it was just a line drawn through the order in regular blue pen. No one initialed it or anything.”
“Maybe I was dreaming the whole thing with Leah,” I said as I inserted the key into the ignition and started the engine. “And maybe I need professional help.”
“I’m not suggesting that,” she said, somewhat defensively.
“No, but you’re thinking it and I can’t blame you. What I’m telling you is crazy. It’s beyond crazy.”
I slung my arm over the back of Holly’s seat to look out the rear window as I reversed the car out of the parking spot. A few minutes later, we were back on the turnpike, moving at a steady clip with the rest of the traffic.
“I still can’t believe she’s gone,” I softly said as I stared blankly at the car in front of us. “And that she died on the same day I arrived at the hospital. Don’t you think that’s strange?”
“I do,” Holly replied in a solemn tone. She sat quietly until we merged onto the exit that led into her neighborhood. “God, something just occurred to me—something I read in your chart.”
I turned to glance at her while still keeping most of my attention on the road. “What was it?”
“I skimmed over everything, Josh, but what’s almost too coincidental to ignore is the fact that you were brought in by ambulance and admitted to the ER at the exact hour of Leah’s death. She may not have worked at Mass General, but that’s where she died.”
I pulled to a stop at the bottom of the ramp. “What are you suggesting?”
Holly regarded me soberly. “That maybe she was having an out of body experience as well. Except that—unlike you—she never returned to her body.”
Chapter Twenty-nine
I pulled into Holly’s driveway, parked the car and turned off the engine.
“In some cases I studied,” she said as she got out of the car and shut the door, “patients described floating out of the room they were in, moving through walls and seeing other things that were happening in the hospital. Maybe that’s what happened to Leah. Maybe she saw you enter the ER, recognized you and wanted to stick around to make sure you were okay.”
“Now you’re sounding crazy,” I said, as I stepped out of the car as well. I shut the door and pressed the lock button on my key ring. The vehicle beeped.
Following Holly up the front walk—while trying to ignore the throbbing ache in my thigh after walking too quickly around the hospital—I could barely
I shook my head. “No, it’s not really necessary because I’ll be seeing someone through work.” I wasn’t absolutely certain about that, but I assumed it would be the case.
Dr. Crosby regarded me intently. “Have you had any other experiences like what you described to me when you first regained consciousness?”
I looked down at my shoes. “No, and I’m kind of embarrassed about that. I think it was a dream, like you said. I was pretty out of it. I feel better now.”
“Good to hear.” He nodded reluctantly. “All right then. Just make sure you follow up with your regular physician in a week or two.”
“I will. Thank you.”
I met Holly’s gaze from across the distance, and shrugged. Then I waved for her to follow me again, because I wanted to see if I could find Nurse Gayle. Maybe she was the one who had cancelled the order, either by mistake or under the instructions of Dr. York.
o0o
“So it wasn’t Nurse Gayle or Dr. York who cancelled the order,” Holly said as we got into my car. The rain had finally let up and the sun was peeking out from behind a cloud. “It won’t be easy to find out who cancelled it. You’d have to confront everyone who worked those shifts when you were in recovery because it was just a line drawn through the order in regular blue pen. No one initialed it or anything.”
“Maybe I was dreaming the whole thing with Leah,” I said as I inserted the key into the ignition and started the engine. “And maybe I need professional help.”
“I’m not suggesting that,” she said, somewhat defensively.
“No, but you’re thinking it and I can’t blame you. What I’m telling you is crazy. It’s beyond crazy.”
I slung my arm over the back of Holly’s seat to look out the rear window as I reversed the car out of the parking spot. A few minutes later, we were back on the turnpike, moving at a steady clip with the rest of the traffic.
“I still can’t believe she’s gone,” I softly said as I stared blankly at the car in front of us. “And that she died on the same day I arrived at the hospital. Don’t you think that’s strange?”
“I do,” Holly replied in a solemn tone. She sat quietly until we merged onto the exit that led into her neighborhood. “God, something just occurred to me—something I read in your chart.”
I turned to glance at her while still keeping most of my attention on the road. “What was it?”
“I skimmed over everything, Josh, but what’s almost too coincidental to ignore is the fact that you were brought in by ambulance and admitted to the ER at the exact hour of Leah’s death. She may not have worked at Mass General, but that’s where she died.”
I pulled to a stop at the bottom of the ramp. “What are you suggesting?”
Holly regarded me soberly. “That maybe she was having an out of body experience as well. Except that—unlike you—she never returned to her body.”
Chapter Twenty-nine
I pulled into Holly’s driveway, parked the car and turned off the engine.
“In some cases I studied,” she said as she got out of the car and shut the door, “patients described floating out of the room they were in, moving through walls and seeing other things that were happening in the hospital. Maybe that’s what happened to Leah. Maybe she saw you enter the ER, recognized you and wanted to stick around to make sure you were okay.”
“Now you’re sounding crazy,” I said, as I stepped out of the car as well. I shut the door and pressed the lock button on my key ring. The vehicle beeped.
Following Holly up the front walk—while trying to ignore the throbbing ache in my thigh after walking too quickly around the hospital—I could barely
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