Lightning (Thunder Sequel)

Chapter 2

A nurse enters the room. "How are you doing today, Kyleigh?"

"I'm fine," I answer.

"I am just going to check on a few things to make sure you're responding normally. It will let us know if you've made a fully recovery or not."

"Okay."

The nurse shines a small light in both of my eyes. "Have you experienced any dizziness or blurry vision in the past week?"

"No."

She checks a few other things before saying, "Everything looks normal. The doctor will be here shortly to talk with you."

I sit in the room with my mother as we wait.

"You're finally recovered, hmm?" My mom says. "Does this mean you'll be out having fun with your friends again?"

I shrug my shoulders. "I guess so..."

"Just tell me you won't stay locked up in your room like you've been doing lately. The summer is nearly over. You need to go outside and enjoy it before it's gone."

"I promise I'll go out again, Mom," I tell her.

"Good."

Dr. Carson walks into the room and we exchange hello's.

"I hear that you've healed completely," Dr. Carson comments.

"That's what they're saying," I respond.

"Mrs. Everson," he addresses my mother.  "Would you allow me to speak to Kyleigh in private for a moment?"

"Oh, sure," she answers, stepping out of the room.

Once she is gone, Dr. Carson speaks.  "I haven't been entirely honest with you."

Confused, I ask, "What do you mean?"

"I might've known a bit more about you from the start than I originally said I did," he explains.

"Wait, you actually knew I had superpowers before?"

"To an extent," Dr. Carson answers.  "You see, while you were in your coma, you managed to short out a lot of the equipment in the room with your powers.  I had to cover the incidents up, but trust me, I have my ways."

I swear Dr. Carson confuses me more than anyone else I know.

"What I don't understand," I say, "is how did you know to keep it all a secret?  I didn't even know you then.  You didn't know me; why would you go through so much trouble to protect me?"

"Ah, yes.  That's exactly why I wanted to talk with you," he says as his answer.  "Remember when I said 'I have something to tell you once you're ready'?" I nod my head, recalling the hospital visit after my final battle with Andrew.  "I believe now is the time to tell you, or better yet, show you."

He motions for me to follow him and he leads me toward one side of the room.  I watch him, still confused, as he presses buttons on a monitor screen.  Then suddenly, a panel of the wall slides away silently, revealing a stairway leading downward.  I watch the entryway open in wonder as Dr. Carson steps through the opening.  He looks back toward me, clearly finding amusement from my surprised expression.

"Well, come on.  This door doesn't stay open forever," Dr. Carson says with a smile.

I follow him down the stairs, not sure what I'm about to see. The stairway makes two right turns before ending and leading up to a large metal door. Dr. Carson punches a code on a keypad on the wall and then the door slides open. Immediately, we are bombarded by the sounds of people walking, talking, typing, working. We enter a large room full of people all performing various tasks. There is a reception desk type thing in the center of the room, and there are entrances to other rooms and hallways scattered around the place.