Quicksand

'I can see why. You went through hell for her and you've never even met.'

'You're not to tell her how I helped. She wouldn't understand.' She shook her head ruefully. 'None of us understand, do we? What room is she in?'

'First floor, 28B. I paid her a visit after they finished with me in the emergency room.' She added curiously, 'This is a hospital, very high-stress. I'd think you'd be overcome with voices.'

'I've learned to block them. It's only when I lower the barriers that they can overwhelm me.'

They met Nina Simmons walking out of Laura Ann's hospital room. She was smiling and appeared ten years younger than the first time Eve had seen her.

'I was going to come to see you.' Laura Ann's mother gave her a fierce hug. 'You gave me back my baby. Any favor. All you have to do is ask.'

'You don't owe me anything.'

'Yes, I do.' She stepped back. 'I'll find a way. But now I have to go and spring Laura Ann out of this place so that we can go home.' She hurried down the hall.

'Seeing her face was almost worth everything.' Megan's gaze followed Nina Simmons until she disappeared.

'Yes, that's how I feel,' Eve said as she opened Laura Ann's door.

Laura Ann was dressed and sitting on the side of the bed when they walked into the room. 'Eve.' Her face lit up with a smile. 'I'm going home. Mama is downstairs signing papers so they'll let me out.'

'And she let me stay and say good-bye.' Miguel came out of the bathroom carrying a pink posy bouquet in a glass container. 'I thought I'd put water into this vase so that she could take it home with her.'

'It's very pretty,' Eve said. 'I'm sure your room at home will be overflowing with flowers when word gets out that you're safe.'

'But none will be as wonderful as this one,' Miguel said. 'I gave it to her.' He handed the little girl the vase. 'Did I not choose well, Laura Ann?'

'I like yellow flowers better,' Laura Ann said. 'But I guess it's okay.'

'Is that gratitude for you?' Miguel asked. 'I face alligators for her and she spurns me. I hate to see what you'll be when you grow up.'

'What does spurn mean?'

'Reject. Send away.'

'I didn't spurn you.' Laura Ann was frowning. 'I just like yellow-and you said you wouldn't go away. When we were in that tree, you said you wouldn't leave me.'

'And I didn't.'

'And you're not going to leave me now. I won't let you.'

Eve quickly stepped between them. 'I'd like you to meet a friend, Laura Ann. This is Megan Blair. She was on the island searching for you too.'

Megan smiled. 'Hello, it's good to meet you. I'm sure you're very happy to be going home.'

'Yes.' Laura Ann was still frowning at Miguel. 'You promised.'

'You'll be going back to school. You'll have your friends. You'll never miss me,' Miguel said gently. 'But I promise if you ever run into a hungry alligator again I'll be there.'

'I want you to- My daddy promised he'd be around too. But after he left Mama and me, he never came back.' Her lips firmed determinedly. 'You have to come and see me. And I'm not going to ever see an alligator again. I don't like them.'

He smiled. 'Okay, when we go to the zoo we won't visit the reptile house.' He paused. 'If you have time for me, I'll probably be around Atlanta for a while. I messed up my hands and I'll have to go back to have them taken care of.'

'They were bleeding.' Laura Ann was looking at his bandaged hands. 'You did it on the tree when you pushed me up.'

'May I see them?' Megan asked. 'I'm a doctor.'

Miguel turned so that the little girl wouldn't be able to see and held out his hands. 'Sure. Though you probably can't do anything more. The doctors in the emergency room here cleaned me up and gave me a shot. They told me to go back to the specialists.'

Megan quickly unwrapped the bandages on one of his hands. 'They were probably right. I'm not as qualified as the specialists who operated on you.' She took one look at the wounds and shook her head. 'Ugly. It needs very delicate surgery and even then it might take years to heal properly.' She rewrapped his hand. 'Who did your first surgery?'

'Smith Lowe at Emory.'

'He's excellent.' Megan reached into her purse and drew out a business card. 'But there's a man I'd like you to see.' She was scrawling on the back of the card as she spoke. 'His name is Jed Harley and he may be able to help you.'

'What hospital is he with?'

'He's sort of a consultant and moves around a lot. Right now he's working at St. Jude's in Memphis. I'll call him and ask him to come to Atlanta to look at your hands.' She handed him the card. 'You'll see him?'

He shrugged. 'Why not? Montalvo has had me seeing every specialist in the Southeast. What's one more? Thank you.'

Megan shook her head. 'No. Thank you, Miguel.' She went to the bed and brushed her hand caressingly on Laura Ann's cheek. 'I have to go now,' she said softly. 'I know I'm not as important as Miguel, but I live in Atlanta too. I have a friend, Davy, who is younger than you, but maybe you could put up with him if we all went to the aquarium. He wants to see the penguins.'

'So do I.' Laura Ann's eyes shone with excitement. 'They take your picture with them, you know.'

'I didn't know. Suppose I call your mother next week and we'll see if we can get together.' She shot Miguel a glance. 'We may even let Miguel come along. I don't think the penguins can hurt his hands.'

'Hands aren't that important. I saw that movie Happy Feet,' Miguel said. 'Maybe they can teach me to dance.'

'That was only pretend,' Laura Ann said in disgust. 'Don't you know anything?'

'I guess not. You'll have to teach me.' He sat down in the chair. 'I learn quickly. Ask Montalvo.'

'The ugly ape.' She was smiling again. 'He didn't like me saying that, did he?'

'I'm afraid you have a streak of mischief,' Miguel said. 'I must speak to your mother about it.'

'And you don't?' Eve said dryly. She gave Laura Ann a hug. 'Good-bye, Laura Ann, I'll see you in Atlanta. Maybe you could come out to the lake and meet my daughter, Jane's, dog, Toby.' She moved toward the door. 'Good-bye, Miguel. Take care of those hands.'

Megan waved and joined Eve as she walked down the hall. 'I can see how Laura Ann survived Kistle. She's a tough little kid. Miguel may have his hands full. She seems to have forcibly adopted him.'

'He can take care of himself,' Eve said. 'And he obviously likes her or he wouldn't put up with it. Miguel is only as soft as he wants to be.' She glanced at Megan as they went out the exit into the parking lot. 'Do you really think your consultant can help him?'

'We'll have to see. I think Harley's success rates are exceptionally high.' She got into the passenger seat of Eve's SUV. 'It's starting to rain. Dammit, that's all the police need to cope with on the island.'

Eve backed out of the parking space. After a few minutes she asked, 'Can you still hear the voices?'

'No.' Megan gazed at the fat raindrops falling against the windshield. 'I'm too far away. Maybe if I didn't block them, I might be able to do it. Ordinarily I'd say that I was free, but this was different.'

'You said that before. How?'

'I brought them with me,' she said. 'That's why I couldn't wake up. They were inside me, tearing me apart with their sadness. The other times when I was unconscious, I didn't feel anything. This time they were still there.' She shook her head. 'As I said, I empathize with you and all the other parents who lost those children, because now I feel as if I've lost them too.'

They drove in silence for a while before Eve finally said, 'If you can empathize, then you know what I want to ask you. May I ask it now?'

'You want to know if one of the voices was Bonnie's.' She paused. 'I've been thinking about it ever since I woke up. It could have been. There was such a cacophony of sound, of voices.' She shook her head. 'But I don't