“What are you—”
It wasn’t drow speed, but it was as close as Cheyenne could get without yanking off the pendant again and maybe giving Ember a heart attack. Ember shrieked and laughed as they raced down the hall, then the halfling punched at the elevator call button over and over, staring at Matthew Thomas’ apartment door at the other end of the hall. “Come on, come on!”
“Oh, my God. He’s not the boogeyman.”
“Really? ‘Cause he keeps showing up at the worst times.”
Finally, the doors opened, and Cheyenne spun the chair around and pulled her friend backward into the elevator. Ember punched the button for the first floor. Just before the doors closed in front of them, the halfling heard their dabbling neighbor’s front door swing open and cracked up all over again.
Chapter Ninety
As Cheyenne wheeled Ember toward the front doors of the physical therapy clinic in Midlothian, the fae pulled out her phone and checked the time. “Hey, look at that. I didn’t think we’d have enough time, but we’re ten minutes early.”
“I told you I was fast.”
“You’re definitely getting better at helping me transfer in and out of this chair.”
The automatic doors slid open, and the halfling pushed her inside. “Speaking of transferring…”
“Uh-huh.”
“I couldn’t help but notice you were already up and out of bed when I fell out of my room. You’re not asking Matthew to—”
“Okay, stop right there. First of all, no. No. Absolutely not. Just—” Ember laughed and shook her head.
Patients sitting in the lobby looked at her before slowly returning to their magazines and cell phones. And they’re not even staring at the Goth chick. Huh.
“Check-in’s over there.” Ember pointed toward one of the many windows sectioned off along the counter in the back, and they headed that way.
“And second of all?” The halfling prompted.
“What? Oh. Second of all, I got something that helps me do that on my own. You’re off the hook.”
“Oh.” Cheyenne slowed them down to fall in line behind a woman leaning on crutches with her foot in a cast. “I didn’t see it as being on the hook in the first place.”
“Sorry to disappoint.”
“Please. I’m not disappointed. I just didn’t know how that was working out. And honestly, Em, I feel bad for leaving you hanging. You know, if you needed me—”
“Hey, I told you I’d call you if I needed help, okay? There’s a lotta stuff I can still do, including figuring out how to do things with fewer people around.”
The halfling nodded. “Fair enough. Consider me guilt-free.” She grinned when Ember snorted and brushed the hair out of her eyes. “So, what did you get?”
“I’ll show you later. We’re up.” Ember nodded toward the next check-in window, and Cheyenne pushed her forward to get the ball rolling.
“Ember Gaderow. I have a physical therapy appointment with Dr. Boseley at two o’clock.”
“Ember. Yes.” The middle-aged woman behind the counter with a massive bun of thick brown hair on the top of her head grinned. “We’re so glad to have you here.” She typed on her keyboard and nodded. “It looks like Dr. Andrews sent over all your records and...every single piece of information we need for your files here. Huh. He must’ve wanted to get you in as soon as possible.”
Ember turned over her shoulder to shoot Cheyenne a questioning look. The halfling raised her eyebrows and shrugged. Busted.
The fae turned back toward the woman behind the counter. “Is that not normal?”
“Oh, uh, the process usually takes a little longer for new patients at this clinic. But unless your personal info has changed in the last few days, we’re good to go.”
“I moved on Friday, actually.”
“Really?” The woman glanced at Cheyenne and immediately back at the new patient. “You’re taking on a lot, aren’t you?”
“Not by myself. Trust me.”
“Hmm.” With a tense smile, the woman pulled up Ember’s file and nodded. “I’ll put that in right now. Go ahead.”
As Ember relayed the new apartment address and verified everything else, Cheyenne turned to take a sweeping glance around the clinic. Clean. Quiet. Low key. So why is the back of my neck tingling?
“Cheyenne?”
“What?”
Ember smiled in confusion and waved behind her at the chairs set up on the other side of the lobby. “We can go now.”
“Right. Sorry.” She wheeled her friend away from the counter and headed toward the waiting room area.
“Okay, let go.” The fae reached up to brush her friend’s hands off the handles, and Cheyenne released them with a chuckle. Ember wheeled herself toward the mostly empty waiting room and stopped beside the closest chair. “Are you okay?”
Cheyenne glanced around the lobby again and narrowed her eyes. “I’m great.”
“Right. ‘Cause you zoned out back there, and now you’re looking for something in a PT clinic. Wanna fill me in?”
Spinning to face her friend, the halfling offered a closed-lipped smile with innocent eyes. “Can’t a friend just check out another friend’s medical facility?”
Ember snorted. “Not when it looks like you think you’re being watched.”
She’s reading that too? “It’s all good, Em. I just wanna make sure you’re in the right place, you know?” Cheyenne stepped toward the chair on the other side of her friend and sat.
The fae frowned and studied the half-drow with a scrutinizing intensity. “Okay, the only reason I’m not telling you to leave that decision up to me is that you—” Ember leaned toward Cheyenne and lowered her voice. “That you’re paying for all this. And don’t even try to deny it to my face. We both know what’s going on.”
Smirking, the halfling crossed one black Van over her knee and slung her arm across the backs of the chairs lined up against the wall.
“If you’re trying to scout this place because you don’t think it’s the best place for me to be,
