Obscurity

Chapter 52: Bees & Honey

Sierra

Libby enters my hospital room. She walks quickly and does her paperwork over at the counter near the sink. I stretch and yawn and it gets her attention.

"Oh, hello there." She says. "I figured you'd be awake any time now." Her smile is warm.

"Yeah, I just needed that nap." I joke.

"No one needs medical sedation for a nap Sierra."

"I know. I was kidding."

"How are you feeling?"

I feel my chest. "Well, let's see... typical splitting headache, check. Sluggishness, check. Nausea, check. I feel pretty normal after being stuck." I grin.

She marks the symptoms I just mentioned to her on her paperwork.

"Okay. I'm going to get you some water and I'll be right back." She says, still looking at her paperwork.

"Wait. Libby, can I ask you something?"

She raises her eyebrows in question.

"I know you're not supposed to say, but could you tell me if Michelle or Abigail are over here on your Medical unit?"

She shoots a glance toward the closed door to the room.

"I'm not supposed to disclose patient information, Sierra. It's absolutely against the rules. Why would you want to know if they are here?"

"They're not on my regular unit, so I figured they were here, is all."

Libby lets out a big sigh, glancing at the door again and then back to me. "I can't say, Sierra." She turns and leaves the room.

It seemed, for a moment there, that she was going to tell me. She must be afraid of losing her job or something. It's stupid. She's probably worried I will blab my mouth, and she'll get in trouble. Maybe I can put her mind at ease and manipulate her into telling me what I want to know.

When she reenters the room, I watch her body language. She's stiff as a board. Her back is erect and her movements stiff and precise. She hands me a cup of water. I drink it greedily. When I'm done, I throw the cup into the trash can beside the bed. I look at her, wondering which course of action to take. I can be angry Sierra or kill her with Kindness Sierra. What to do, what to do.

Abigail always says you catch more bees with honey. How can that be right? They don't eat honey do they? They make it. Why would someone be able to catch more bees with honey? It doesn't make sense, but I'm pretty sure her point was to be sweet.

"Libby your earrings are adorable!" I announce to her as she turns back toward me. "Are those real diamonds in the middle?" I ask, wide eyed and curious.

"Oh, thanks. No, they're fake." She laughs.

"I love them. Whenever I get out of here, I think I'm going to get some just like it." I say proudly.

I see a flicker of sadness in her eyes. I think I know what I said to make her sad. She must not think I will ever get out of here. It goes to show what she knows. I will get out of here.

I go on, "When I get my apartment, I'm going to hang all my earrings and jewelry on a stand on top of my dresser. I can't wait." I fake excitement. The flicker of sadness in Libby's eyes doesn't dissipate. Bingo. I've got her now.

"Yeah. My room is going to be painted pink too." I lay it on thick.

"Sierra. Are you ready to go back to your unit yet?" She asks. I figure she's interrupting me, so I don't continue talking about getting out of here. It's something she doesn't think is ever going to happen. It makes her sad. And it makes me one step closer to getting the information I need from her. I'm going to push that button all I need to get her to talk.

"Not yet. I was just telling you about my apartment." I say feigning naivety.

"I'll bet your place will be great, but you need to be back on your unit before dinner, Sierra."

"I know." I say as I swing my legs over the side of the bed, preparing to leave.

"I'll walk you over." She says as she grabs her paperwork from the counter. I hurry over to where she is standing and when she turns around, she's startled by how close I am. She drops her files and paperwork and I bend down and help her collect the things she's dropped.

It's not just my paperwork. She has other patients' paperwork too. I see Abigail's name on one of the patient identifier stickers at the top of a form I pick up. I grin as I hand her the papers.

"Thanks so much, Sierra." She says as she continues to pick up the scattered forms.

I quickly search through the papers as I gather them to hand to her. I don't see Michelle's name on anything. Not one paper has her patient identifier on it. I can only surmise she isn't in Medical.

"Thanks again, Sierra. I've been such a klutz lately." Libby says as she leads me out into the hallway. We head for the unit door, and I can't help but wonder if she deliberately dropped her papers so I could see Abigail's name on some of them. It would be a very clever way of protecting her job and also tellings me what I wanted to know at the same time.

I pass through the East Hall entry door to the unit. She leads me to the nurses station to sign her custody chain form and I hang a left into the day room. It's empty. No one is hanging out in here.

"Sierra?" Chris calls from the nurses station.

I turn and look at him. "Yeah?"

"We're having quiet hour right now, so you can just go on down to your room." He informs me.

I nod and turn to head back to my room as Libby finishes signing her forms. She walks beside me for half of the way to her unit door.

As I turn into my room, I stop and I look at her, "Thanks Libby."

She smiles and continues on to the end of the hall. I hear her key card beep and the door latch behind her.

"So? What'd you find out?" Alma says from behind me.