The Advocate (The Advocate Series) (10 page)

Sabre and Bob followed her into Carla’s room, where they saw an attendant sitting in a chair at the foot of her bed and Carla on her twin bed in a fetal position. She lay up against the wall on top of her pillow with her knees in her face and her arms wrapped around her long legs, whimpering like a hurt puppy. The drawers were open on her dresser. Papers and clothes were strewn across the room. On the wall, in big black letters and in Carla’s handwriting, read the words, “I’m here. Come find me.”

Sabre sat down next to her and cautiously placed her hand on Carla’s back, fearful of how she would react. She had never seen her like this. Carla let out a little whimper, but she didn’t pull away. Sabre stroked her arm and back, saying, “Carla, it’s Sabre. I’m here to help you. It’s going to be okay now.” She continued to speak to her in the same tone she always used on the phone.

Carla seemed to be comforted by her voice. Her whimpers decreased and she mumbled, “Budfries.”

Everyone else looked puzzled, but Sabre knew what she wanted and she began, “Butterflies and green pastures are all around you. In the distance is a sea of golden buttercups. The butterflies are everywhere, dancing on the thick, green grass. Oh, so much color . . .” After about five minutes, the whimpering had ceased and all they could hear was Carla’s breathing pattern, the soft sound of slumber.

Sabre continued to sit with her for a few more minutes in silence. She sighed as she stood up and looked around, trying to assess what happened. As she walked around the room, picking up Carla’s things and putting them away, she read over and over again what she had written on the wall, but she couldn’t make sense of it.

They left the room; only the attendant remained in her chair, keeping an eye on Carla. Phyliss, Sabre, and Bob walked in silence until they reached the waiting room at the end of the corridor. Sabre said, “Do you have any idea what she was looking for?”

“No, but it was as if she saw something or someone when she ran from the dining area. I think when she got to her room, she created the mess looking for something to write with, but I’m guessing. None of us can figure what she tried to convey with the message she wrote on the wall. We may be trying to put too much logic into it, but she’s never acted like this before. She rants for awhile every day, but for the most part she’s not a problem.”

“Did she say anything to anyone?” Bob inquired.

“Not really, at least nothing that made any sense. When she ran out of the dining area, she screamed, ‘run, run, run’ over and over again. She continued screaming as she ran through the hallways looking in rooms. Even after she was sedated, she kept saying it over and over.”

A door opened and closed at the opposite end of the hallway. Without a word, Sabre jumped up from her seat and ran towards it, but her high heels slowed her down. Without stopping, she reached down and pulled them off and ran in her stocking feet toward the door. Bob and Phyliss glanced at each other with puzzled looks, then ran after her. Bob yelled, “Sabre, what is it?” She didn’t stop until she reached the door. She threw it open and surveyed the room until she focused on a man standing near the microwave.

Sabre stood there staring at him as Bob and Phyliss rushed through the door, both breathing heavily. The man looked up at the three people all looking at him. He glanced around, as if to see what he had done wrong. He spoke, “What did I do? Am I not supposed to use the microwave?” When no one answered right away, he continued, “They told me this was the staff lounge, and I could eat in here. Am I wrong?”

Phyliss said between breaths, “No, you’re fine. You’re in the right room. Everything is fine.”

Sabre, still staring at the tall, blond man about ten feet from her, heard Bob say, “Sabre. Are you okay? What is it?”

“I . . . I’m okay,” Sabre said, not taking her eyes off the man. He stood about six feet tall, had prominent cheek bones, and a physique that only comes from working out.

Though mesmerized, Sabre heard Bob’s attempt to lighten the situation. “Sabre, he’s not a bad looking guy, but chasing him down the hallway is a little much, don’t you think?” Bob stepped around Sabre and reached out his hand to the man who appeared to be more than a little confused. “Hi, I’m Bob Clark and this is my twitter-pated friend, Sabre Brown.”

The man extended his hand to Bob. “Corbin Steele. I’m new here.” He took a step towards Sabre, reached out to shake her hand, and managed to catch her before she hit the floor.

When she came to, the man leaned over her and said, “Can you hear me?”

At first she didn’t respond. Instead, she reached up, caressed his face and squeezed his shoulder. “Yes,” she muttered, as she tried to stand up.

“Lie still for a few minutes and then we’ll help you up. You fainted.”

“Are . . . Are you . . .” she asked, unable to finish her question.

“I’m Dr. Corbin Steele. I help out here one day a week. This is my first day.” He smiled. “I don’t usually have this profound of an effect on beautiful women, but I must say I’m flattered.”

As Sabre sat up she felt dizzy. The man cautioned, “Slowly, sit up very slowly.”

Her mind grew clearer and she apologized, “I’m so sorry. I guess I acted pretty strange, chasing you down the hall and then fainting.”

As if a light bulb came on, she glanced at Bob and then Phyliss. “I know what’s wrong with Carla. She must have seen him this morning,” she said, pointing at Dr. Steele.

“Who is Carla?” the doctor asked.

Phyliss spoke up, “She’s a guest here. She had an episode this morning. She appeared to have seen someone and went running after them, not unlike what Sabre just did. But Sabre, why would Carla do that? For that matter, why would you?”

“I can explain,” Sabre said. She took a drink of water Bob had brought her and breathed deeply. “Where’s my briefcase?” Bob handed it to her. Sabre pulled out a photo of her brother Ron, and handed it to the curious onlookers. “Look familiar?”

Their mouths widened with surprise. Phyliss spoke first. “Doctor Steele, he looks just like you. A few years younger, but this could be a picture of you.”

Bob moved closer to Sabre and put his arm around her. She knew he understood, more than anyone, what a shock this must’ve been to her.

Sabre felt validated by the fact everyone else saw the resemblance. Since Ron’s disappearance five years ago, she’d seen him so many times in the face of strangers, only to be disappointed. This time, it could’ve been his double. Still not convinced it wasn’t Ron, she knew how to find out. “Doctor Steele, I know this is a strange request, but I’m going to ask anyway. Could I see your right leg, just above the knee? Ron had a birthmark shaped like an hourglass just above the kneecap.”

The doctor must have seen the desperation in her eyes. “Okay, first you chase me down the hall and now you want to see my legs.” He joked as he lifted his pant leg and showed Sabre. “Sorry, no birthmark.”

“No birthmark,” she repeated. “I just needed to know. Thanks, and now I’m even more embarrassed.”

“Don’t be,” the doctor said. “It’s not every day I get to show such a pretty woman my legs.” He sounded sincere in his flattery.

Sabre took a deep breath, exhaled, and explained what had happened to her brother – how he had gone fishing five years ago and had never returned. She felt odd explaining this to his carbon copy. It felt surreal, like she was talking to Ron, yet she knew better. The more she heard him talk, his laugh – all of it confirmed his real identity, but his face made her heart ache.

“Sabre, what does this have to do with Carla?” Phyliss asked.

“Carla and Ron dated. In fact, they were quite an item. Although everyone took it hard when he disappeared, it seemed to take the greatest toll on Carla. They’d only been together a few months when he transferred to Dallas. They continued the relationship and managed to see each other at least once a month. Ron’s job brought him back here a lot, but at times when it didn’t, Carla went to Dallas to see him. She even made plans to move there. She loved him with all her heart. And she had already experienced so many losses in her life. Her father had a fatal heart attack when she was only seven years old. A few years later, her grandparents were bringing her little sister home from a visit at their house and a drunk driver struck their car. All three died in the crash. When Ron disappeared, I think it may have been one loss too many, especially since we weren’t sure he was dead. Carla just couldn’t let go. For months she’d go to the park and sit on the bench they’d once shared, waiting for his return. She’d arrive there just after dawn and stay all day. She would’ve stayed there all night if someone didn’t go after her. So, every day before dark, I’d go to the park and pick her up and bring her home.”

Sabre’s mouth felt dry. She reached for her glass of water and drank about half of it. Everyone waited in silence for her to continue. Finally, the doctor asked, “Are you okay?”

“I’m fine,” Sabre said. “That continued for months until one day I went to the park and she wasn’t there. When Carla realized he wasn’t going to return, she lost it. They institutionalized her for several months. When they determined she was harmless, they released her to live with her mother. When her mother died a few years ago, she came here. I would’ve taken her home with me, but I couldn’t give her the attention she needed.”

Sabre took a deep breath to keep from hyperventilating. She hated that she couldn’t take Carla into her home. “I know Ron loved her, too. He needed someone special to settle him down and I think he found her in Carla. Ron’s charm beguiled the women. They swarmed around him, never leaving a shortage of dates on his social calendar, but when he met Carla everything changed. He stopped dating other women and gave all his attention to her. They seemed so happy. They laughed and played like two school kids.”

Sabre stopped talking and sat there a minute reminiscing. A heavy silence filled the room until Bob spoke, “So Carla must have seen Dr. Steele and thought he was Ron. And when she ran through the halls looking for him, she yelled his name, ‘Ron, Ron,’ not ‘run, run.’”

“Right.” Sabre turned to look at Dr. Steele again. With panic in her voice, she said, “And if she sees you again, she’ll have the same reaction. Look how I reacted and I don’t have nearly the problems Carla has. She can’t see you. She won’t understand. It’ll devastate her. You have to get out of here.” She stopped. “I-I’m sorry. I can’t tell you not to work here, but if you had seen what it did to her you’d understand.”

Dr. Steele shook his head. “No, you’re right. We can’t let her see me right now. I’ll ask Dr. Hilton to finish the day for me, and then I’ll talk to Carla’s doctor about this to see what we should do.” He turned to Phyliss, “Will you please make sure Carla stays in her room for a few minutes? I’ll get my things and leave. We’ll work something out, but for today, I agree with Sabre. She doesn’t need to see me right now.”

Phyliss left the room to check on Carla. Dr. Steele said goodbye, shook their hands, and turned to leave. Sabre held on to his hand well beyond the appropriate handshake. When she realized it she let go suddenly, but her eyes followed him until the door closed. Bob picked up Sabre’s briefcase, put his arm around her waist, and they walked to the car. “I’m frazzled,” Sabre said. “I’m sure glad you’re driving.”

“Want me to take you home so you can rest?”

“No, just take me back to the office. I have a lot to do, and hopefully it’ll keep me distracted. I’ll be fine once the shock wears off.”

After thirty minutes in the office with nothing accomplished, Sabre decided she was wasting her time. She made one last attempt to reach Detective Carriage, leaving him a message to call her back, regardless of the time. Then she packed up and drove home.

Feeling safe and comfortable in her condo, she warmed up a can of tomato soup, toasted a piece of bread, and sat down to a late lunch. She ate about a fourth of the soup and didn’t touch her toast. Eating seemed like too much work, so instead, she drew a nice warm bath, lit four aromatherapy candles, and shut off the bright lights. She soaked in the tub until the bubbles dissipated and the water cooled. Then she donned a light pair of sweats and lay down just to rest for a few minutes. The next morning arrived before she awakened.

11

When Sabre awakened, she thought she’d been dreaming about the man who so resembled her brother that she had insisted he show her his bare leg and prove he wasn’t sporting an hourglass-shaped birthmark. It didn’t take long for reality to set in and for the pain she experienced the day before to return. She shook it off. Too much work needed to be done to waste another day.

In bright red numbers the digital clock by her bed read 5:10 a.m. She counted on her fingers, “6:10, 7:10, 8:10. Detective Carriage should be in,” she said as she dialed the phone.

“It doesn’t sound to me like there is a Mattie Sturkey, and the first grader named Mattie doesn’t fit into the rest of Alexis’ story,” he said, after they had chatted for a few moments.

“I’m surprised. Alexis sure sounded like she was talking about a real person. She rattled on for a long time about Mattie. You could see she really missed whoever she was talking about.”

“Well, ma’am, let’s look at what she’s told you. Mattie is her best friend. They went to school together and had the same teacher. Mattie had a hearing problem, and so Alexis wanted to learn to sign in order for them to communicate. They played with Barbie dolls together outside the classroom. Mattie stayed at her house sometimes.”