After exchanging phone numbers with Sean, Jackie decided to take Elena and Sally home to freshen up, leaving him alone with Clay. Sean had never just kicked back with his boss. But he found him to be easy company. Kind of like working with him had been over the past couple years. While Clay scanned the TV channels, Sean looked over his texts. Michael let him know he had an errand to run but would stop by in the midafternoon. Jackie reminded Sean to let her know Clay’s new room number so they could come back later in the afternoon.
“I can stay, if you want,” Sean offered.
“Thanks, buddy,” Clay said. “You don’t have to.”
“My brother is hung up on an errand. I don’t mind.” Sean leaned in conspiratorially. “Besides, someone’s got to keep an eye on you with all these beautiful pumas and cougars prowling around in nurse uniforms.”
They both laughed. “You got that right,” Clay said.
Sean’s phone dinged with a notification from his brother. Clay looked up to see a thoughtful look on Sean’s face. “What’s up?”
“He says they found something on the DVR video, and he wants to talk with you about. He also wants me to try and make sure everyone is here later this afternoon.” Sean shot off a text to Jackie.
𓂓
A bit later, Charlie popped in again. They’d had several more brief conversations during her random check-ins. “Hey, Clay, how are you?”
“Feelin’ much better.”
“Good...” Charlie turned and regarded Sean with a hard stare.
Sean looked up and met her eyes, then leaned back slightly. With a confused look on his face, he asked, “What’s up?”
Charlie tightened her lips, and after a sharp breath out, she spoke her mind. “Sorry, but did I hear you say earlier that the driver of the truck was transporting fentanyl?”
“The guy that hit Clay?”
Charlie nodded.
“That’s what it looked like. I watched my brother arrest the guy after he found a duffel behind the driver’s seat. It was filled with bags of fake prescription pills and others that looked like candy.”
Charlie’s face contorted in anger for a moment before she turned back to Clay. “Looks like you not only saved a little girl, but also saved a bunch more kids.”
“What do you mean? I know that fentanyl crap is dangerous but—” Clay said.
Charlie cut him off. “It’s not just dangerous. It’s lethal. In just the last couple of years, we have seen a serious spike in overdoses in the ER.” She paused, turning to look out the window. “Mostly children. They’d been given what they thought was candy or bought something on social media that was supposed to be a party drug.” She turned back and looked Clay hard in the eyes. “Some die. Others leave the ER, smart kids before, but after OD-ing, they can barely form a sentence... Some are angry, even violent... Like they lost their minds.” She shuddered briefly, then quickly wiped a tear from her cheek.
“Damn,” Clay said.
Sean leaned forward, shaking his head.
“It’s why I started night school a few months ago,” Charlie added. “I just can’t take seeing the lives of these children destroyed, over and over and over...” she trailed off.
“I’m sorry to hear that, you must love nursing otherwise. You have a good bedside manner,” Clay said.
Charlie smiled. “Thanks.”
“What are you going to night school for?” Clay asked.
“Graphic design.”
“No kiddin’. I had to adapt my AutoCAD skills, from my engineering days, to do designs for my clients,” Clay said.
“Nice. I’d love to see some of your plans,” Charlie replied.
“Absolutely,” Clay replied.
“Wait, you were an engineer?” Charlie asked.
“That’s what I went to school for,” Clay replied.
“Then how did you wind up in landscaping?”
Clay turned his hand up and shrugged. “That’s a long story.”
Charlie gave him an approving nod. “Anyway, they’re gonna move you in a few minutes,” she added.
Clay hesitated. “Yeah, up to the third floor, right?”
Charlie nodded as she busied herself. Work seemed to soothe her nerves.
“Will you still be able to check in on me?” Clay asked.
Sean’s eyes widened a little and he smiled a bit, concentrating on his phone.
“Well, it is a whole ‘nother floor up on the elevator,” she replied. “I’m not sure I’ll have the time.”
Clay furrowed his brow. “I see. That’s too bad.” He turned inward, searching for the next words carefully.