Ruby shifted in her seat, the plastic squeaking beneath her. “Can’t we announce that I went to the hospital? Why do I actually have to be here?”
“Because Kavya said so.” Jonah dropped into the seat beside her. “And there’s no point in arguing with her.”
“Are you even allowed to film in here?” Ruby shifted in the plastic chair, crossing then uncrossing her legs. “Isn’t this some kind of HIPAA violation?”
Kavya rolled her eyes without looking up from her phone. “Only if I get caught” Her fingers flew over the keyboard. “Lucas thinks you should take a break and suggests we head back to Denver for a few days.”
"You’ve got to be kidding me," Ruby blinked at her. “I’ve already been pulled from the Edward case, how much more of a break can I take?"
She would be dead before she would take a few days off. Without a new hunt, she'd be alone, left with nothing but her own thoughts. In the middle of her spine was an itch that spread under her skin, buzzing and crawling where she couldn’t reach.
Red hair. Orange flame. Screaming.
“Ruby?”
She looked up. “I’ll talk to Lucas about it myself.”
“Ms. Murray?” A doctor popped her head out of the double doors and called for Ruby.
“That’s me.” Ruby popped up, turning a forced grin to the nurse. “Take me away, doc.”
Kavya and Jonah both stood to follow.
“I’m sorry, only one family member per patient.”
They exchanged a long look, having a silent conversation with only their eyes. Ruby glanced at the exit, then the ceiling, before a black, round sphere caught her attention. Stupid modern cameras always seemed to be getting in the way of her escape plans. She could outrun them all, be gone before they even noticed, but then the TCA would have to wipe the footage, threaten the witnesses, and force her to complete a mountain of paperwork. The mundanity of super powers was oppressive to her mental health. Superman never had to file incident reports.
“Make sure to get some footage with your phone,” Kavya told Jonah, settling back into the seat.
Ruby gestured toward the open door. "Great. Glad we're done picking my babysitter. Can we go now?"
A short wait and shorter explanation later, the doctor returned with the shot. He uncapped the needle and a jolt of panic shot through Ruby. Thin, gleaming, waiting. Her heart thudded faster now, hammering against her ribs. She rubbed her hands together, trying to ground herself, but the friction only made it worse. The faint scent of latex gloves and alcohol swabs triggered a wave of nausea, and the room seemed to shrink, walls closing in, tighter and tighter.
Her throat constricted as though an invisible hand was slowly wrapping around her neck, squeezing. She couldn’t swallow, couldn’t speak, could barely breathe. Cold steel tables.Restraints. Needles puncturing her skin. Bone saws hacking through fingers, then arms. Her mind was a whirlwind of fragmented images, flashing too quickly to grasp but vivid enough to make her flinch with every passing thought.
Her hands trembled, barely noticeable at first, but then the shaking spread—up her arms, to her chest, until her entire body vibrated with the force of her fear. It left her untethered, like the ground beneath her was falling away, and any second she’d be swallowed by the pit that consumed her stomach.
She wanted to move, to run. Her legs were cemented to the floor. She was trapped. Trapped in this place, this awful, suffocating place, where the walls were too white, the lights too bright, and the air too sharp. Her chest tightened further, her breath coming in ragged gasps now, too shallow to catch.
I can’t breathe.
“And we’re all done.” The doctor was muffled by the roaring in her ears.
I have to get out.
Without a word or backward glance she fled, sprinting down the hospital hallways as if she was being chased. Jonah called after her. The doctor called after her. Hell, the ghosts haunting the place could’ve called out for her but she kept going, an unstoppable, runaway train.
She found herself halfway up the empty stairwell, collapsing as she struggled to calm down. Below her, a door slammed. Footsteps followed, but she ignored them, anchoring herself with the mildew smell of the concrete. Pressing her forehead against the cool surface, she focused on steadying her breathing.
She didn’t look up as Jonah settled beside her. The spicy, woodsy scent of his cologne mingled with the sterile hospital air. He remained silent, simply sitting next to her with his leg pressed against hers, offering a comforting warmth as he waited.
“Not a fan of hospitals,” she murmured after nearly ten minutes of silence.
Jonah leaned back on his hands. “I get it. Most people aren’t.”
“They remind me of when the TCA found me,” Ruby whispered. “It leads me down a whole rabbit hole toward Edward.”
Jonah softened as he turned to her. “Who did you lose, when he turned you?”
