talking about?" She plopped herself down at the foot of Duffy's bed.
"They all think I'm crazy here," Duffy said heatedly. Then she filled Jane in on the shower incident, leaving nothing out, ending with, "It happened, Jane. But no one believes me. They all think I was hallucinating."
She didn't add that there were moments when she agreed with them. Right now, talking about it, reliving it, she was convinced that every second of it had been real.
"Oh, Duffy, that's the worst thing I've ever heard!" Jane declared, her eyes wide with horror. "Didn't anyone call the police?" She swallowed a sob. "You could have been killedV
"No one called anyone. I told you, they all think I made it up."
"You wouldn't do that." Staunch loyalty filled Jane's voice. 'Why would you lie about something so horrible?"
"No one claims she's lying," Cynthia said. "It's just that everyone on the hospital staff knows what fevers can do, that's all. People see and hear all kinds of weird things when their temperature is sky-high."
Jane looked doubtful. Duffy could see that she didn't know what to believe. How could she blame
Jane for that? She didn't know what to believe herself.
'The shower room door was locked," Cynthia pointed out. "Duffy said so herself. And the extra key was at the nurses' station. So how could anyone have gotten into the room?"
Duffy thought about explaining her key theory and decided against it. Jane looked very upset and confused. What good would it do to keep harping on the same old thing when she couldn't prove anything?
"Never mind," she said despondently, "forget I said anything."
Discouraged, depressed, and exhausted from lack of sleep, Duffy was such poor company that Jane and Cynthia stayed only a few minutes. Jane, worry clouding her features, promised to come back later, which gave DufEy an idea, and Cynthia said she would stop in later before she left the hospital.
As they reached the hall, DufEy heard Jane say, "Cyn, Duffy doesn't invent things. I can't believe no one is taking her seriously." Then their voices faded and Duffy couldn't hear Cynthia's answer. She was sure it was a calm, sensible one.
But that didn't matter right now. Duffy had thought of a way she could learn something about what was in her capsules.
If Jane was willing to help.
Chapter 15
When Dylan stopped in to see how she was, Duffy fought off her nausea long enough to ask a question that had been tugging at her mind.
'Wouldn't the maintenance crew," she asked as he sat down on her bed, "have a key to the shower room? Besides the ones hanging at the nurses* station, I mean. If a pipe burst or the drain backed up and flooded the place, they'd have to get into that room in a hurry, wouldn't they?"
"Well, if no one was in there, the door wouldn't be locked. They wouldn't need a key to get in."
"Yes, but what if someone was in there when something broke?" she persisted. "And couldn't get to the door to open it. Like . . . like a heart patient who had an attack if ... if the lights went out. They'd need a key then, wouldn't they?"
"Not really. They'd use the key at the nurses' station. It's hanging in plain sight."
Disappointed with the clear logic of that, Duffy
lU
sighed. "I still think the maintenance crew should have their own key," she grumbled.
Dylan thought for a minute. "They probably did. But stuff gets lost around here every day. I know there's no shower room key hanging in the basement with the other keys."
But maybe there once had been. And maybe someone has swiped it. And maybe that someone still had that key. . . .
"I'm not so sure you imagined that attack," Dylan said slowly, thoughtfully, surprising her. "I know everyone thinks you were hallucinating, but. . ."
Duffy's eyes filled with tears. It was so wonderful to be believed. She reached out a hand. *Tou mean it?"
Dylan nodded. "Doesn't seem like you, that's all. I know fevers can do weird things, but it would have to be some fever to make Duffy Quinn see
"They all think I'm crazy here," Duffy said heatedly. Then she filled Jane in on the shower incident, leaving nothing out, ending with, "It happened, Jane. But no one believes me. They all think I was hallucinating."
She didn't add that there were moments when she agreed with them. Right now, talking about it, reliving it, she was convinced that every second of it had been real.
"Oh, Duffy, that's the worst thing I've ever heard!" Jane declared, her eyes wide with horror. "Didn't anyone call the police?" She swallowed a sob. "You could have been killedV
"No one called anyone. I told you, they all think I made it up."
"You wouldn't do that." Staunch loyalty filled Jane's voice. 'Why would you lie about something so horrible?"
"No one claims she's lying," Cynthia said. "It's just that everyone on the hospital staff knows what fevers can do, that's all. People see and hear all kinds of weird things when their temperature is sky-high."
Jane looked doubtful. Duffy could see that she didn't know what to believe. How could she blame
Jane for that? She didn't know what to believe herself.
'The shower room door was locked," Cynthia pointed out. "Duffy said so herself. And the extra key was at the nurses' station. So how could anyone have gotten into the room?"
Duffy thought about explaining her key theory and decided against it. Jane looked very upset and confused. What good would it do to keep harping on the same old thing when she couldn't prove anything?
"Never mind," she said despondently, "forget I said anything."
Discouraged, depressed, and exhausted from lack of sleep, Duffy was such poor company that Jane and Cynthia stayed only a few minutes. Jane, worry clouding her features, promised to come back later, which gave DufEy an idea, and Cynthia said she would stop in later before she left the hospital.
As they reached the hall, DufEy heard Jane say, "Cyn, Duffy doesn't invent things. I can't believe no one is taking her seriously." Then their voices faded and Duffy couldn't hear Cynthia's answer. She was sure it was a calm, sensible one.
But that didn't matter right now. Duffy had thought of a way she could learn something about what was in her capsules.
If Jane was willing to help.
Chapter 15
When Dylan stopped in to see how she was, Duffy fought off her nausea long enough to ask a question that had been tugging at her mind.
'Wouldn't the maintenance crew," she asked as he sat down on her bed, "have a key to the shower room? Besides the ones hanging at the nurses* station, I mean. If a pipe burst or the drain backed up and flooded the place, they'd have to get into that room in a hurry, wouldn't they?"
"Well, if no one was in there, the door wouldn't be locked. They wouldn't need a key to get in."
"Yes, but what if someone was in there when something broke?" she persisted. "And couldn't get to the door to open it. Like . . . like a heart patient who had an attack if ... if the lights went out. They'd need a key then, wouldn't they?"
"Not really. They'd use the key at the nurses' station. It's hanging in plain sight."
Disappointed with the clear logic of that, Duffy
lU
sighed. "I still think the maintenance crew should have their own key," she grumbled.
Dylan thought for a minute. "They probably did. But stuff gets lost around here every day. I know there's no shower room key hanging in the basement with the other keys."
But maybe there once had been. And maybe someone has swiped it. And maybe that someone still had that key. . . .
"I'm not so sure you imagined that attack," Dylan said slowly, thoughtfully, surprising her. "I know everyone thinks you were hallucinating, but. . ."
Duffy's eyes filled with tears. It was so wonderful to be believed. She reached out a hand. *Tou mean it?"
Dylan nodded. "Doesn't seem like you, that's all. I know fevers can do weird things, but it would have to be some fever to make Duffy Quinn see
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