As soon as Barney was ready, they returned to the hospital. As they walked through the lobby, the receptionist-the kind one, not the judgmental prude who was there the first day-greeted them with a big smile. “Mr. Harper, Dr. Needham, good morning.”
“Morning, Myra. How are you doing today?” Harp asked.
“Just fine, thank you. I have good news for you.”
The two men walked over to the counter. “Really? What news?”
“Your friend’s being discharged this morning.”
“Excuse me?” Harp said.
“Are you sure?” Barney asked.
As far as both men were concerned, this was not good news. While Pep had been improving, he was still pretty banged up.
Taken aback by their response, Myra said, “Oh…um…I was told he was cleared to go home.”
“Who told you that?” Harp asked.
“Perhaps you need to speak with Dr. Groves,” she said. Groves was Pep’s main doctor.
“Is he in?” Barney asked.
“He’s in the hospital somewhere. If he’s not near your friend’s room, he won’t be far.”
As they turned to make their way to Pep’s room, they nearly ran into a young guy in a suit who’d been waiting behind them.
“Sorry,” the guy said.
“It’s okay,” Harp told him. He and Barney then marched over to the hallway.
They found Pep already dressed in his street clothes, sitting uncomfortably in a wheelchair near the bed. Dr. Groves, however, was not present.
“Hey,” Pep said.
“What’s this about you being discharged?” Barney asked.
“Yeah, they’re letting me leave.”
“Whose idea was that?”
Pep shrugged. “The doctor came in this morning and said he saw no reason to keep me another night.”
Harp and Barney shared a look then turned back to Pep.
“Have they looked at you?” Harp asked. “You’re in no shape to leave.”
“I’m going to find Dr. Groves,” Barney announced, and strode out of the room.
“Honestly, Mr. Harper,” Pep said. “I really don’t want to stay any longer.”
“Of course you don’t,” Harp said. “Who would? But that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t stay.”
“I can’t help your son from a hospital bed.”
“Don’t even worry about that. Logan’s got everything in hand.”
Pep looked surprised. “Did he find her?”
“He’s close, I think.”
“All the more reason for me to get out of here.”
Before Harp could respond, Barney returned.
“…just plain dumb,” he was saying. “Whoever came up with those guidelines is an idiot.”
Following right behind him was the doctor.
“I can’t argue with you,” Groves said. “A few more days would be great, but strictly speaking, whether he rests here or at home isn’t going to make a lot of difference. And since his insurance won’t cover the extra days, staying any longer would come out of his pocket.”
“They’ll pay if you say it’s necessary,” Barney argued.
“But I can’t say it’s necessary. If I did, I’d have to apply that standard to all our patients. And you know what will happen then? Insurance companies will stop approving treatments here, and the medical center will have to shut down. There’s a bigger picture here than you’re considering.”
“I think you’re exaggerating.”
“I wish I was,” the doctor said in a conciliatory tone. He turned his attention to Pep. “Mr. Pepper, I wish we could keep you longer, but the thing you need now more than anything else is rest. You can do that just as well in your own bed as here.”
“It’s okay, Doctor. I’m fine with it.”
Groves gave him a thankful smile. “They’re finishing up your paperwork. You should be good to go in fifteen minutes or so.”
“Thanks.”
The doctor glanced at Harp and Barney. “Gentlemen, I’m sorry about the situation, and I do agree with you, but there’s nothing I can do. I have other patients I need to see, so if you’ll excuse me…”
As soon as he was gone, Barney said to Pep, “When I was starting out as a doctor, you would have been in the hospital for a week, minimum.”
“I would have also had to watch debut episodes of I Love Lucy,” Pep said.
“What’s wrong with I Love Lucy?” Harp asked.
A nurse entered the room, carrying a handful of documents for Pep to sign. While Barney helped him understand what was what, Harp took a walk down to the cafeteria to grab some coffee. As he was pouring his cup, the guy in the suit who’d been behind him and Barney at the reception desk walked up.
“How is it?” the man asked, nodding at the coffee maker.
“Passable,” Harp told him.
“I guess passable will do.”
His cup full, Harp moved to the side to add some cream and sugar.
“Sorry again about earlier,” the man said as he poured his own cup.
“Our fault. We weren’t paying attention.”
The man smiled, and looked around. “Hate these places, know what I mean?”
“Hospitals?”
“Yeah. Give me the creeps.”
“I guess they could. Don’t bother me, though.”
“I take it you’re not a patient,” the man said.
“Do I look like a patient?”
The man gave Harp a quick once-over. “Nah. Visiting someone?”
“A friend’s being released in a few minutes.”
“Good for him. Oh, sorry. Him or her?”
“Him.”
“Well, good for him.” The man took a sip of his coffee, testing it. “I’m Leon. Leon Clausen.”
He held out his hand and Harp took it.
“Neal Harper.”
For a split second it seemed as if Harp’s name registered with the man, but the look was gone as quickly as it had appeared. “You live in Braden?” Clausen asked.
“No,” Harp said, shaking his head. “Over on the coast.”
“The coast?” There was surprise in the man’s voice.
“Cambria. You ever heard of it?”
“No. Never.”
“How about Hearst Castle?”
“That, I’ve heard of.”
“About ten miles south of there.”
“Sounds nice.”
“It’s beautiful,” Harp said.
“I’ll have to check it out.”
“You should.” Harp smiled. “I should get back to my friends.”
“Sure, sure. You have a good day, huh?”
“You, too.”
CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR
Logan drew the short straw and ended up being the one who had to stretch out on the floor by the window. He was sure he wouldn’t be able to sleep much at all, but the next thing he knew, sunlight was spilling through the window and he could hear the TV.
He sat up with a start.
Dev was sitting on the end of the bed closest to him, watching one of the morning news shows. Logan stretched, and looked over at the other bed. It was empty.
“Where is she?” he asked.
Without looking, Dev said, “Not here.”
Logan jumped to his feet. “Was she gone when you got up?”
“Yep.”
“How long ago was that?”
“Thirty minutes.”
“And you didn’t think to wake me?”
Dev looked over at him. “Wouldn’t have done any good, and I thought you could use a little more sleep.”
“What do you mean, ‘wouldn’t have done any good’? We need to look for her. We need to find her.”
He picked his pants off the floor, pulled them on, then snatched his shirt off the chair and headed for the bathroom.
“She left a note,” Dev said.
Logan stopped. “Where?”
Dev nodded at the empty bed. There was a piece of paper sitting on the cover half hidden by one of the pillows. Logan walked over and grabbed it.
I-40 West. Williams exit. Go north on State Route 64 for 30 miles. Not long after that you’ll see a faded white X painted on the edge of the asphalt. Pull to the side and wait. If I’m not there by 10:30 a.m., I’m not coming.
“Think she left as soon as we fell asleep,” Dev said.
Logan looked at her bed and could see his friend was right. Though he could tell she had lain there, it was otherwise undisturbed. If she had slept, then she was one of those people who never moved.