Chapter 20

“Hey lady, can I come in?”

Linda turned toward the door. A child stepped into the room, his bare feet slapping the tile floor. The only light was from a small lamp clamped on the crib’s headboard, so she couldn’t see him clearly. Based on his size, she figured he was eight or nine years old.

“Shhhhh,” she said, pointing at the crib. “A baby’s sleeping. You have to be very quiet.”

The boy tiptoed to the crib. Long brown hair covered his face. He grabbed the rail and looked at Joseph. “Oooh, it is a baby. Is it yours?”

She straightened in her chair, trying to get a look at him. His long hair made it impossible to see his face. “Yes, he’s my son,” she said. “His name’s Joseph, but he’s very sick. That’s why we need to be quiet. Are you here with your mom and dad?”

“No, I’m not. I’m…”

The boy let go of the rail and stepped back into the shadows, putting a hand to his throat as he coughed. Each cough was followed by an odd whistling. Linda stood, looking across the crib at the boy. He stepped deeper into the shadows. She could make out a dark stain on his shirt.

“Are you okay?” she asked.

“I’m okay, lady.”

“You can call me Linda.”

He nodded. “I’m just looking for my friends, Linda. We were on the bus and then, something happened. I don’t know where everyone went.”

“Oh,” Linda said, feeling her heart pick up a beat. “Were you in that bus crash?” She cleared her throat. The kid was probably in shock. Maybe he woke up and wandered out of his room, completely unaware of where he was and what had happened. She kept her voice low and even, not wanting to frighten him. “I’ll bet all your friends are with the doctors. Can you come a little closer so I can see you?”

The boy stepped into the circle of light around the crib. Linda inhaled sharply. The hand he held on his throat was covered in blood, along with the front of his shirt. He grinned, showing a missing front tooth. “Something’s wrong here,” he said, touching a gash in his throat.

Linda flinched. Blood bubbled from the wound and ran down onto his shirt.

“Don’t touch it,” she said. “Let me call a doctor.” She reached for the call button next to the crib. The boy grabbed her hand, startling her. It was impossible for him to make it around the crib that fast. He grinned as he held her hand, his fingers and palm cool. She heard air lisp through the space of his missing front tooth as he talked.

“It doesn’t hurt,” he said. “I’m fine.”

He let go of her hand and turned to look into the crib. He stroked Joseph’s head with his bloody hand. But none of his blood transferred to Joseph. None of it got on the sheets, or even on the rail, although blood continued to drip from his torn throat. The boy glanced over his shoulder at Linda.

“Joseph doesn’t hurt either,” he said softly, “At least not as much anymore.”

She swooned, a feeling of unreality washing over her. The boy began to glow. The faint sound of a playground full of kids filled the room. The boy cocked his head, listening. He turned to her, his long hair swinging across his face. “Those are my friends. They want to know what Joseph’s dad’s name is.”

Linda said, “How do you know…,” and then whispered, “His name is Danny.”

The boy nodded. “I think they see him. I gotta go help.” He bolted for the door, feet slapping the floor.

Linda stared, unable to move as he smiled at her from the doorway.

“Me and my friends will take care of Joseph and Danny. They’ll be okay, Linda. You’ll see.”

Then he disappeared into the hall.

She stood and walked to the door. Out in the hall she looked one way, then the other. He was gone. A nurse at the station down the hall looked up. “Everything okay?” she asked.

Linda walked over. The nurse looked up from her computer, her fingers poised over a keyboard. Linda pointed back toward Joseph’s room. “Did you see a boy walk out of my room?”

The nurse raised her eyebrows. “No. Is something wrong?”

“But you had to. He…His throat was…”

The look on the nurse’s face, a mixture of wariness and concern, stopped her. A quick look up and down the hall showed nothing. No boy. No person of any kind. Linda bit her lip. “Never mind. I’m exhausted. Probably dreaming.”

Back in Joseph’s room, she turned on the light and walked over to Joseph’s crib. She checked the sheets, the crib and floor for blood. There was nothing. Turning the light off, she sat, closed her eyes, and rubbed them.

The boy hadn’t been here. He couldn’t have been. There was no way he could’ve been walking around with that injury.

She rocked back and forth, her mind churning.

Danny, I think I’m going crazy. I need you. Please hurry.