Ladybird

Chapter Fourteen

She was sleeping when the call came. The tinny ringing of her phone woke her, and for a moment she was confused, thinking it was her alarm clock. When she saw it wasn't, she contemplated not answering, but something made her pick up. Later in the day, she almost wished she hadn't.

Aureus knew immediately there was trouble. She could hear it in his voice. Sure, she was used to his odd ways, but something told her this was more than his usual quirks. As soon as he asked for her help, her automatic assumption was he got himself in jail. She was certain he'd been caught doing something the long and constant repeats need to be reduced illegal.

"Where are you?" she asked, voice still foggy with sleep.

There was a buzzing silence on the other end of the phone, and then a woman's voice came on the line. "You can pick John up from the emergency department at student health services," she said. "Please don't worry; he's going to be fine."

Aureus sat bolt upright in bed, all traces of sleep gone. "What happened?" she demanded.

"John was mugged last night. He's had a bump on the head but is otherwise fine. We do need someone to be with him and to keep an eye on him. He can leave the hospital, but he can't be alone. Can you help?"

"I'm on my way." She was already getting out of bed.

"One thing," the voice said. "All of his belongings have been taken, so you might want to stop by his dorm and get a spare key for him. I'll call the front desk and tell them you're coming. Maybe you could also fetch some clothes for him? His are . . ." There was a tangible pause. "His are torn and dirty," the voice finally completed the sentence.

"Sure, fine, no problem."

Feeling awful about her previous assumption, Aureus hurriedly pulled on a pair of jeans. She grabbed a t-shirt and, at the last moment, yanked her hair back off her face into a ponytail. She slid her feet into sneakers and pulled her keys out of her purse. Slamming her door, she fled down the stairs of the dorm to the front desk. The desk assistant was already waiting for her.

"I just got the call," he said, standing. "Here are the spare keys, and I've called the campus shuttle. They're off duty but are happy to drive you over to the health center, if that's okay with you."

She nodded gratefully. "I need to go to his room to pick up some clothes first, though."

"No prob. I'll tell them to wait outside. Please, if we can do something, let us know."

Again she nodded, already turning to go back up the stairs. Her heart was pounding, and she didn't even think to take the elevator. She rounded the last corner, preparing the key.

Inside his room was familiar. It had his smell, and it was as orderly and unadorned as all his dorm rooms had been. Opening the closet, she pulled out the first things she got her hands on, wishing she'd had the forethought to bring her bag. Instead, she rolled the clothes into a bundle, then flew back downstairs.

"They're waiting by the main entrance," the desk clerk said.

It wasn't until she was sitting on the vinyl seat of the small bus that she had time to think about what had happened. How the hell had John been mugged? What was he doing out, anyway? She'd known as soon as he'd left the pool he was going to be in one of his black periods. She'd tried to talk with him, attempted to get him to open the door, but to be truthful, she hadn't tried very hard. She knew eventually he'd get over it and come out to find her. So why had he been out and about getting mugged?

As much as she loved him, and he was her best friend, she knew there was a part of him that was a mystery to her. Maybe that's why she liked him. His secretive, mysterious side kept her interested in him. She knew he had problems—the crippling shyness not allowing him to appear in his bathing suit in public, for a start. His obvious depression, for another. Yet she had faith he was a good person; she knew him to be. She had a feeling she was about to find out a little more about John, and it scared her.