The Arrival | The House of Voices #3

Twenty Six - The Board

The Board

 

Darren:

One of the best things about Abercoster’s, Darren believed, was the fact that the doctors and patients alike got the weekends off. On a typical Sunday, he was allowed to sleep in late, to go downstairs to breakfast anytime he liked and serve himself.

Unfortunately for him, today wasn’t a typical Sunday. The Board members, displeased with Parish’s escape and Dr. Larkson’s apparent failure to retrieve, had decided to spring a little visit on her that morning. And of course, since she firmly believed that if she was going to be miserable, she had to drag everyone down with her. And so, on Saturday night, after dinner, she’d notified the children in the Institute that they had to be up and dressed before seven AM the next morning, ready to great and show the Board members around when they arrived Sunday morning.

Kara and Bethany had argued the loudest. Kara demanded to know why she needed to break rest just so that Larkson could please her “old fart bosses”. For the first time since he’d been working at Abercoster’s, Bethany actually agreed with Kara. Even the nurses stopped to gawk. Sid’s eyes nearly fell out of his head.

The doctors, nurses and minor staff had it worse than the patients, however. Dr. Larkson was insisting that all staff be up and dressed at five, and then go around making sure everything was in order for the Board members arrival.

Since his conversation with the Warden, Darren had been watching Dr. Larkson closely. As she ran around the Institute barking orders at nurses and the cooks, he noticed that there was indeed something off about the woman. Her usually calm and collected exterior seemed to have… cracked, a little. She wasn’t as composed as she usually came across.

Darren paid only half attention to the little jobs he was given by Dr. Larkson – oversee this, talk to Patty about that – and instead focused more on trailing behind his boss, confused as well as worried about the nervous bubble of energy she seemed to have become.

When the Board Members finally arrived it was almost noon, breakfast was long finished, and the cooks were preparing for lunch. No one in the institute was happy about the delay, least of all Dr. Larkson. But she plastered on a too-sweet smile when the Board members showed up and eagerly took them on a tour of the facilities.

Darren was made to walk behind Dr. Larkson.

“I want to see everything,” Director Polmar told Dr. Larkson as they climbed up the main staircase. “The offices, the nursing stations, the drug storage units, the patients’ rooms…. Everything, Pauline.”

“Of course, Dr. Polmar,” She agreed chirpily. “But don’t you think it’s a little much? You’ve seen the institute many times before.”

“It is not much, Pauline,” Director Polmar snapped, narrowing her eyes in Larkson’s direction. “We are extremely displeased with this entire affair. You lost a patient, allowed him to waltz out of this institute under your own nose, and despite the effort you claim to be putting into the search, you haven’t gotten any closer to finding him. So yes, I need to see everything. I need to know that I haven’t put my institute in the hands of a fool!”

Darren heard Dr. Larkson’s mouth snap shut.

“Yes, yes,” She mumbled uncomfortably, eyes darting around at the rest of the party. “Of course, Dr. Polmar. You are absolutely right. Now, if you’ll come with me, I’ll take you to our offices. Mine and Michelson’s.”

The tour went on for hours. The Board members visited every office on the first floor, even demanded to see the locked offices. Dr. Larkson sighed heavily but complied, pulling a key from her jacket pocket and unlocking door after door to reveal dusty, empty offices that smelled damp and musty.