My dad opened another drawer and was throwing her pants into the bag. He wasn't bothering folding or organizing her stuff.
"Probably years, we can't afford to lose track of her. We have to figure out what is going wrong and how to fix it."
My heartbeat filled my ears.
"So, she won't live here anymore?" my voice was weak.
My dad turned to face me with one of her shirts gripped in his hands.
"Why are you having such a hard time with this?" his tone was sharp.
"I love her." The words flew out of my mouth, and they almost sounded foreign.
I blinked a few times. The room filled with silence so thick that you could almost see it. My heart pounded like a second hand on a clock, ticking as I searched for what to say next. Did I love Madeline? Where the hell did that come from? Oh shit. I meant it. When did that happen?
My dad nodded his head.
"Then I'm making a wise decision by moving her into the office."
My dad grabbed the bag filled with Madeline's clothes and pushed past me into the doorframe. Why the hell did I say that? When did I develop feelings for her? The late nights curled up with each other. The laughter. The way she smiled at me. I leaned against the wall. I was screwed.
10
Madeline
My chest felt like I was wearing a too-small shirt for me as I struggled to breathe. With a ding, the elevator inside the center opened. Dr. Green was pushing me in a wheelchair down the hall. He wanted to show me to my room. We weren't in the lab or the conference room area of the center. I couldn't remember being on this side before. The hall was long and narrow, entirely covered in dull carpet. There were doors on both sides that had different names on them.
"These are where our offices are. I know it doesn't scream home." Dr. Green commented.
He had never seen my room at Dr. Vodola's house. Other than Ricky's house, I'd never been inside anyone else's home. So what did I have to compare it to, but my prison and the room that belonged to Ricky's sister.
"If staying in this room gets me out of the hospital, I'm happy."
Dr. Green chuckled as he threw his head back, and his dark glasses moved up his nose. "I get it. I promise the food here will be better as well."
I laughed. The laughter tickled my throat, and I started to cough into my hand again. Little pieces of white chunks were in my hand. I scrunched and whipped it on the side of the sweatshirt I was wearing. So gross.
"As time goes on, you'll be able to decorate the room to make it yours."
My face scrunched. "As time goes on?"
I looked over my shoulder at Dr. Green. His eyes got wide, and his face grew red, which only made his white hair brighter.
"Didn't Dr. Vodola tell you?"
"Tell me what?"
"That you were moving in."
"He told me that."
"No, like you will now live here."
My stomach dropped.
"What?"
"With you getting sick and whatnot, we thought it would be better for you to stay here. Your immune system took a big hit, and we don't want you to get sick."
My heart raced.
"So, I'm going to be locked up here." My voice came out in a high pitch.
I started to wheeze. Dr. Green stopped pushing the wheelchair and crouched down in front of me. His eyes were soft and grey. His face had life etched into it, and his hair was grey with a few streaks of white.
"This won't be like a prison, I promise. It will get better."
My eyes watered.
"I need you to take deep breaths, Madeline. If you get upset, it is only going to make it harder to breathe."
I gulped and nodded my head, unable to find the words.
Dr. Green went back to pushing the chair, but my eyes stung, and my throat burned. We stopped in front of a brown wooden door. My name was on the sign on it; this was permanent. He opened the door. The room had a brown chair in it. Off to the right, there was a desk, a laptop, and a bookcase behind it. It was clearly someone's office at one point, on the other side where a sofa might have been a full-size mattress with seafoam and grey bedding. There was a dresser next to the bed. Next to the bed was a silver mini fridge with a white and silver lamp resting on top. Then four big windows took up the opposite wall of the door.
"As I said, it isn't much, but it has potential. Think of it as having your own apartment."
Dr. Green pushed me further into the room.
"I'm feeling kind of tired. I think I want to take a nap." My voice came out as a whisper.
"I understand."
Dr. Green patted my head, and I heard the door click behind me. Pushing myself out of the chair, I took light steps to the window. Between the buildings, I could almost see the ocean. Turning around slowly, I wrapped my hands around me. I was somewhere new but told this was where I would be living from now on. On the one hand, Dr. Vodola wouldn't be able to harm me again with too many witnesses. On the other, Sawyer and were separated for however long.
I had dragged the computer chair to the window. My knees pressed into my chest as I stared out. I watched as the cars drove by. Even though it was January, a man rode by on a bike. The coughing was lessening. However, my nerves were still on alert as scientists went in and out of their offices.
