Neverland's Angel

Chapter 4

It was difficult at first, she thought that if she ever stopped thinking of Neverland that she'd plummet again to her death and while she wobbled in the air every now and then, she didn't fall. She was more than relieved when the hospital came into view and she landed in the alley behind. She jiggled the handle on the back door. It was locked but she could pick it easily enough with a bobby pin and wasted no time in doing so. Easing the door open, she peeked inside. She found herself in the kitchens. It was dark, a shaft of light under the opposite door her only sign that anyone was still around. Stepping inside, Emily gently closed the door behind her. A glitter of light caught her attention and she turned her head a little. Tinkerbell hovered by her shoulder, and it was only then that Emily realized that the little fairy emitted a sort of glow about her that could prove dangerous if it were to draw any attention. "Tink, I need you to hide for a little bit. Can you do that for me?" She held open her breast pocket and waited while the little fairy stared hesitantly between it and her face. "It won't be for long, I promise." She reassured her. With a gentle sigh, Tinkerbell flew down and settled herself comfortably inside. Satisfied, Emily hefted her bag over her shoulder and quietly stepped into the hall. The storage room was just around the corner, she'd be in and out in no time flat. She hurried down the hall, ducking into one of the doorways when a night shift's orderly walked by, yawning sleepily and shuffling through an armful of paperwork. When the hall cleared again she all but ran the rest of the way to the storage room. The lights were off when she went in and she flipped them on. She didn't have long, somebody was bound to notice and come investigate. "Okay, Tink." She said, prying open her shirt pocket. Tinkerbell shot out of her hiding place and settled on a nearby shelf while Emily rummaged through the cabinets, stuffing her bag with what she thought she might need. "Is he feverish? Does he have chills, what about injuries? Is he injured?" She asked, receiving a frantic nod in return. "Where?" Tinkerbell mimed a gash under her right arm, where her ribs were and another at her shoulder. Emily paused, her hand hovering over a vial of penicillin. "That dream." She murmured. "It was you. Those were your memories, weren't they?" She asked the fairy. Tinkerbell paused, bit her lip and wrung her hands in front of her before giving a curt nod. "And that voice, asking for my help, that was you too?" Another nod, then an impatient gesture towards the cabinet. "But..." Voices in the hallway interrupted her and Emily gasped as shadows danced behind the crack under the door. "Hide!" She whispered urgently as she turned back to the fairy. Tinkerbell dove into her pocket and Emily searched frantically around the room for a place to hide herself. The door opened and a tall, lanky man entered, light glinting off his spectacles. Emily's pulse leapt into her throat. It was Doctor Hudson, who wasn't particularly fond of her to begin with. He glanced up from the clipboard he was carrying and frowned. "Miss Jefferson, tell me, why am I not surprised to find you skulking about at such a late hour?" He asked derisively. Emily rubbed her arm as she carefully eased herself around him. "I am very sorry, Doctor, I forgot to take inventory before I left and..." "Be that as it may, Miss Jefferson, that doesn't give you free roam of the hospital whenever you so please." She bit the inside of her cheek to hold back a saucy retort and nodded. She was on thin ice as it was and didn't need to lose her job over this. "I'm sorry sir, it won't happen again." He angled his head down at her, his glasses sliding down his nose to reveal two glaring, green eyes. "See that it doesn't." "Yes sir." His eyes narrowed as he took her in. "What are you doing here at this hour?" He sneered. Emily almost choked as she glanced down at herself then back up again. She'd forgotten she was out past the curfew for kids her age, which was ten PM. She grinned sheepishly. "Oh, would you look at that!" She laughed nervously. "Why, I-I've gone and...you see I-um." She paused, trying to frantically come up with a solution. "I sleepwalk." Dr. Hudson quirked a brow at her in annoyance. "Sleepwalk?" He asked irritation etched clearly in the word. Emily smiled and rocked on her heels. "Oh yes, must have went and dreamt I was a boy again, silly me! You know, one time I dreamt I could fly and leapt right out my window! Broke my arm in two places..." The doctor removed his glasses and pinched the bridge of his nose with a heavy sigh. "Miss Jefferson..." "Oh but I won't bore you with the details. Goodbye, Doctor. Have a pleasant night." She smiled her best smile and fought the urge to roll her eyes as she backed out of the room.
"Indeed." Was his only reply as he turned away. With the door closed safely behind her, Emily took off in a dead sprint back to the alley. Any minute now and he'd likely discover the missing prescriptions. Tinkerbell poked her head out of her hiding place. Emily ignored her, focusing instead on being as quick and quiet as possible as she maneuvered her way through the halls towards the back. Another nurse crossed her path and she bumped her shoulder causing the box of bandages she was carrying to scatter across the floor. "Hey, watch it!" She yelled as Emily stumbled past her."Sorry!" She heard shouts down the hall just as she reached the kitchen and began to panic. She couldn't get caught! At least when she got back she could lie her way out of losing her job, but if she was caught, she might as well kiss it all goodbye. She reached the back door, fumbled with the lock a moment then flung it wide. Her feet had left the ground before she'd even left the doorway. She shot up into the air like a rocket, hiding behind a smokestack as the doctor stormed out shortly after. He looked up and down the street for a few minutes then with a growl, he turned and went back inside, slamming the door behind him. Emily slumped against the smokestack and didn't bother to suppress the laugh that bubbled up from her throat. That had been too close for comfort. Tinkerbell hovered in front of her and patted her cheek impatiently. Emily sighed and shuffled through the contents of her bag. She had grabbed everything she could stuff into the messenger bag and the two duffel bags that held her possessions. "It'll have to do." She muttered. A drop of rain splashed down on her arm, then another. She looked up as rain started to sprinkle around them, steadily growing. "Can you still fly if your wings get wet?" She asked because somewhere she'd heard that if an insect gets its wings wet, it can't fly. She didn't know if the same applied to fairies. Tinkerbell stood on her shoulder, wringing her hands nervously and stared up at the sky. She shook her head and Emily opened her shirt pocket so she could hide inside. "I'll get us there." She promised. Slinging the bag over her shoulder, she took a deep breath and shot into the sky.