What We Seek

Part 14

Chapter Fourteen

"Excuse me, do you have any patients who are tall, wear thick framed glasses, come from California, and or have amnesia? I'm looking for a lost relative that I have been desperately trying to find for days. Can you please let me search for him?"

This nurse was much more sympathetic than the last three. Two had demanded I show my ID, gave me a time limit, and would only let me search the general care areas; one had refused to even let me look, threatening to call security if I didn't leave.

It's been two days since we started our physical search across Miami. Beverly, Mike, and Bill haven't seen anything on the streets, so I figured we should start searching in places that dealt with people. I got hospitals and homeless centers, Beverly has hotels and motels, Mike has restaurants, stores, and businesses, and Bill has agreed to keep running the streets, just in case. I figured Ben would want to help today and I'd have to beg someone else to watch Sophie, but he totally adores her. Now I hear him trying to subtly let Beverly know he wants a daughter, but she tells him to stop it before I get upset. I think it's sweet, but it still makes my heart ache to think that I might have to raise her alone. Wait, focus in, Eddie, you've only got this lucky once! She's letting you search this place no questions.

"I know this isn't proper hospital procedure, but are you named Eddie, Mike, Ben, or Bill?"

"My name is Eddie Kaspbrak. How do you know those exact names?"

She seemed relieved but still worried.

"You need to follow me. I know where he is."

"Richie's here?! I thought no hospitals had him on record!?"

She frowned as she led me down the hall to an elevator to the general care rooms. I felt like she had a secret I didn't know and it made things tense between us. Finally, she spoke after the doors closed.

"I know I shouldn't do this, but you need to know what happened to him. He tried to kill himself."

No...not my Richie...my Richie is so brave and strong. He faces everything with his comedy or his pure passion. There's no way....

"I know it must be hard to hear, but I was the one who found him on the beach while I was on a jog. I managed to get his heart beat back, but once he was conscious all he could tell me was, 'I failed. I failed him. I left it on the bridge. I loved him. Now I've messed up again, just like I always do.'

"Oh Richie..."

She felt very sorry for him and for me; I could hear it in her voice as she continued.

"I figured out what bridge he must have been talking about. I had never had a patient so...conflicted like he was. So I took a half a day off and went there. I found his things. They are in his room with him. I know I shouldn't have, but I read his...he wrote a note to you and 'the Losers' explaining why he did it. I wasn't trying to intrude into his personal business but he was unconscious again with no name or connection to anyone. I wanted to put the things he left on the bridge in his room, but he actually woke up and caught me. He didn't say much, only begged me to leave them but not say his real name on the forms. I really need this job; I've got thousands in debt. Yet, I still did what he asked. I can't describe how strong but weak he seemed. Like he was doing the wrong things for the right reasons. So I wrote down the alias he wanted for his forms, he signed, and now he's just trying not to die while not fighting that hard. He slips in and out of consciousness, which means he's in a really dangerous state. He broke his leg, arm, three ribs, punctured a lung, displaced his shoulder, and managed to get the worst concussion I've ever seen. His room lights are off so he doesn't get a headache. I shouldn't even let you see him; he will be so mad that I meddled when he tried so hard to stop troubling you. Somehow, you have to make him better though. He seems too good to die just yet. He's room 915 which is the final door down this hall. I hope you two can figure things out, Eddie, good luck."