Obscurity

Chapter 11: Just Ask

Alma

The sun rose above the neighborhood about an hour ago. I've been up for an hour before that. I'm too excited for today. Today is the day I'm going home. I wonder how Penny's doing. She's probably climbing the walls looking for me. I'll bet she hasn't eaten. I can only hope she climbed into that pizza box on the coffee table and kept herself fed.

I look over to Sierra's empty bed. She didn't come back last night. I leave the window and walk over to shut off her light. Guilt envelopes me. I shouldn't have hit her. It wasn't right. At the thought of hitting her, I glance down at my hand and it's still a little puffy and swollen but it's gone down a bit since last night.

I return to the window and watch the houses. People coming and going. Mostly going. A school bus is weaving its way through the tight side streets picking up kids.

"There you are." Cindy says as she walks in the room. She's wearing a flower covered blouse and slacks. She always looks so fresh and neat. She pads over to me in her little loafers. "Breakfast is on the way up."

"Good, I'm starved."

"Do you have a minute before we go to breakfast?" she asks.

"Of course, what's up?" I ask, sitting down on the edge of the bed. She remains standing.

"I read an incident report from last night about what happened here in your room..."

I instinctively hide my hands in the pockets of the scrubs. I have to conceal the evidence, Cindy's smart.

"Says Sierra ran into a door... is that right?"

I nod. Maybe if I don't verbally lie, it isn't so bad.

She scratches her head. "Are you sure?"

I nod again. Maybe my silence is too obvious?

"Any idea why she didn't want to come back to your room last night?" she reminds me of my grandmother with her inquisition.

I shrug. "Not a clue, Cindy."

She lets out a sigh, "All right then. I was just making sure something wasn't going on in here. It just seems odd, is all."

I look at the window, wishing I was over by it staring down at the normal people.

"Let's go get you some breakfast." She says, and I follow her out of the room.

We travel the hallway to the day room and near the nurses station we pass Sierra heading for the room. She doesn't make eye contact with me. Her eyes are aimed down at her feet. Before she actually passes me I notice the dark bruising under each of her eyes. They seem swollen too. My breath catches in my throat. I didn't realize I'd inflicted so much damage. I sigh inwardly as we pass each other and look back at her just as I reach the day room.

I look around the day room deciding on where to sit. I would prefer to sit alone, but it seems all the other patients are spread out pretty well among the tables. I spot Nick over near the window and I shuffle over to where he's sitting.

"Mind if I sit?" my voice a bit more upbeat than usual.

"Sure." He says with a small smile.

"Sorry about running off during dinner last night..." I start to apologize.

"You gotta do what you gotta do," he says. "I don't wanna talk about it, really."

"Oh?"

"It didn't hurt my feelings that you didn't feel like eating. And you don't owe me an apology." He continues.