in his back. When he thought of the reason for the soreness, he smiled. Thomas's face, with his big eyes and mop of sun-streaked hair, popped into his mind. A little stiffness was a small price to pay.
'Polk Street!'
The announcement pulled Mark from his reverie, and he stood and headed for the doors. Several other passengers also prepared to exit and he noticed a few studying him curiously. He zipped his jacket higher and turned up his collar in hopes that it would conceal a bit of his face. He'd tried on a baseball cap, intending to use that to help hide his identity, but the edge of it rested right on the place he'd received his stitches and he couldn't tolerate the irritation. Maybe he should have worn sunglasses. He glanced up at the steel gray sky, the clouds threatening to either deposit snow or rain any minute. Sunglasses would have just called attention to him.
Ignoring the stares of the few that seemed to recognize him, he exited and headed the short distance to Cook County Hospital. He wondered if the girl was still a patient and if she was, if they would even let him up to see her. The automatic doors slid open, and Mark approached the information desk.
The volunteer manning it looked up. Her tight curls had a blue cast but her eyes weren't the least bit dimmed by age. 'May I help you?'
'I sure hope so. Could you please tell me what room Judy Medea is in?'
'Let me just check.' She pushed a couple of buttons on her computer and leaned forward to read the screen. 'It says here that she has to be notified before any visitors are allowed.' The woman picked up the phone and punched in a few numbers. 'Hello. This is the information desk. I have a young man here to see you.'
The volunteer looked Mark up and down. 'Yes, he's kind of tall…no…no, not that tall.'
Mark shuffled his feet, feeling a flush of embarrassment as the older woman continued to relay his description to Judy Medea. 'He's a very nice looking young fellow.'
His face heated with a full-fledged blush. 'Um…just tell her it's Mark Taylor; the guy from last night.'
The woman's mouth dropped open as her eyebrows shot up. Mark straightened and shook his head with indignation. 'Not like that!' Sheesh.
The woman relayed the information and finally hung-up. 'She's in room 207. Second floor.'
Mark found the room without any trouble and knocked lightly on the open door as he entered. Judy looked a lot better now than the last time he had seen her. Her blond hair hung limply around her face and dark smudges stained the skin beneath her eyes, but her smile was bright.
He stopped a few steps inside the door, feeling awkward now that he was here. 'Hi. I just wanted to stop by and see how you're doing. '
Judy pulled the covers up to her chin and swept her hands through her hair. 'Hello. I'm doing okay.' She shifted in the bed and bit her lip. 'Mark…your name is Mark, right?'
He nodded and stepped to the side of the bed, his hand out. 'Mark Taylor. Nice to meet you.'
She shook his hand. 'I'm Judy, nice to meet you too.' Judy smiled, then burst into giggles and covered her face with her hands. The gesture made Mark realize just how young she really was. She couldn't be more than twenty-two years old. After a moment, she stopped laughing, but her smile remained. 'Gosh, this is so embarrassing. You've seen me in the altogether, and we're just now introducing ourselves.'
Mark dipped his head and jammed his hands in his pockets. 'I wasn't looking… I mean, I don't really remember any details or anything.' His face heated, and he was sure even his ears were red.
Her face became serious, and she averted her eyes for a moment before meeting his gaze. 'I didn't get a chance to thank you last night for what you did. For saving me.'
'I'm just glad I was able to help, and that you're okay.'
'Are you okay? I sort of remember you got hit with the staff.' She grimaced and rubbed her temples. 'It's all kind of fuzzy in my mind.'
'I'm fine. Couple of stitches is all.' Mark glanced around the room, noticing a lack of cards or flowers from anyone. 'I was just wondering if you need anything. One of the detectives said that you used to be part of that cult-'
'It's not a cult.' Her chin rose and she glared at him. 'It's a guild.'
Mark snapped his mouth shut in surprise and rubbed the back of his neck. 'Oh. Sorry. I just thought-well, that's what I was told.' He took a step backwards. 'I guess I'll get going. Take care now.'
'Wait, don't go yet. I'm sorry I snapped at you.'
He paused at the doorway and looked over his shoulder to see Judy sit up and swing her legs off the bed as though to stop him.
'Don't get up.' Mark stepped back into the room and held his hand up in a stop sign.
'It's just that our leader is normally so wonderful. Last semester, I was struggling at school. I had no money, I was behind on my tuition payments, and the leader paid for it all, and gave me a place to stay. I was treated like family.'
Mark bit back a response about how if that's how they treated family, he'd hate to see how they treated their enemies, but he didn't come to upset the girl, so he kept his thoughts to himself. 'I'm sorry. I didn't know that the group wasn't a cult, and it's great they helped you out. All I was trying to say is that if you need anything, just give me a call.' He pulled a business card out of his wallet. 'Here's the phone number of the studio.'
'Thanks.' She glanced down at the card and then up at him, her eyes wide with hope. 'Are you hiring?' Her voice held a note of desperation. 'As much as I love the guild, I'm not sure I can go back there, but I don't have a job.'
Mark scratched his cheek as he tried to hide his surprise. 'Um, I hadn't really thought about it. It's just Lily, my business partner, and me running the studio. I'd have to discuss it with her first.'
Judy leaned forward. 'I know how to edit photos! I took a few classes as electives. I'm good at it. Or I can be a receptionist, answer the phone, set up appointments-whatever you need.'
Things had been getting busy, and someone in the studio all day answering the phone could be a distinct advantage. It would mean potential customers would get a live person to ask questions instead of having to wait for a return call from either Mark or Lily.
Lily probably wouldn't mind if he offered her a job, but on the other hand, he didn't know that much about the girl. He couldn't help the sense of responsibility he felt for her now. 'I'll tell you what. When you feel up to it, come on down to the studio and talk to Lily. I'm sure we can work something out.'
The brilliant smile returned. 'Thank you so much! I'll do that. I'm getting out of here later today and I'll come by first thing in the morning.'
Mark chuckled at her enthusiasm. 'Great! Lily usually gets there around ten. I'll let her know you're coming by.'
'You offered her a job?' Lily stood in the doorway of his kitchen, her expression bordering on annoyed.
Mark poured coffee for each of them. He handed Lily hers and took a sip of his own before answering, 'Not exactly. I just said she should come by and talk to you.' Placing his mug on the counter, he rummaged in his fridge looking for something to eat and had to settle for an apple and yogurt. Everything else was spoiled or a condiment. Someday soon he'd have to do some shopping and buy some real food. He thought about ordering a pizza a little later.
'I don't know, Mark. She seems to have an awful lot of baggage.'
Speaking around a mouthful of apple, Mark defended his offer. 'Aw, c'mon Lily. She's practically a kid. A desperate kid.' He gathered his meager meal and went to the sofa and sat gingerly, a sigh escaping. It would be a miracle if he managed to stay awake long enough to wait for a pizza delivery.
'I know, it's just that all that cult stuff makes me nervous.' Lily followed him and took a seat on the chair beside the couch. 'What kind of monsters would do that to a woman?'
'Sick twisted ones, that's for sure, but Judy insisted that they weren't a cult.' Mark downed the yogurt in record time and polished off the rest of the apple, sticking the core in the empty yogurt cup. He thought about going around the corner to the hot dog place to get something more substantial, but hated to risk seeing any more media. The horde had continued hanging out front and he had no idea what they hoped to learn by loitering. The most tantalizing tidbit would be what he preferred on his pizza.
Lily's brow furrowed. 'How could she say that? Normal people don't treat someone that way.'
