The Phantom Limb (16 page)

“What happened next?” DCynthia asked.

“Well, Joey's grandparents put all of their trust in the person taking care of him—Candi. She has this strange power over people,” Isaac continued. “Joey's grandparents let her be in charge of his whole treatment.”

“So why are you telling us this? What do we care about that kid?” Destiny asked him.

Isaac figured he had already told them this much, he might as well continue. Everybody on the unit already knew about Candi—even Dr. Ciano was beginning to get suspicious. And the more people who knew, the more likely it was that someone would find out everything in time to stop her.

“Because she's trying to do the same thing to my mother. All she had was a seizure disorder when she came in here. Now she has a bad bruise on her arm that wasn't there when she was admitted. And it's getting bigger. The computer says that she has bone cancer, just like Joey. I caught Candi putting
something on the bruise today that was so caustic, she wouldn't even touch it herself—she had to wear rubber gloves. Dr. Ciano is finally getting suspicious too. But then she got called away for emergency brain surgery and hasn't come back. My grandfather and I have to get my mother out of here before Candi kills her. We've got to find a way to escape. And I could really use your help. Please.” He was only saying this because he was desperate.

Destiny wasn't buying it, of course. “How do you know that's what Candi's doing? Maybe there
is
something wrong with your mother's arm, and she's just trying to help. If Candi really did stuff like that, the hospital would find out and she'd get in big trouble. You're just paranoid because you're a wimp. Count me out.”

She was being worse than usual, probably because she was bored and resentful about being at the hospital, where she was forced to help people. She needed to amuse herself by taunting him.

Isaac shrugged. “Fine. Believe whatever you want. But my grandfather
and
Dr. Ciano agree with me about Candi. Even Vicky sees that there's something wrong with her. And
you
know Candi's weird.”

“You expect us to feel sorry for you?” Destiny said.

It was hopeless. “Sorry to bother you,” Isaac replied, and he turned to leave.

“Wait!” DCynthia said. Destiny shot her a threatening look.

Great. What now?
he wondered to himself. They probably just wanted to torment him more, for their own entertainment.

“Why did you say you could really use our help?” DCynthia asked. “Why can't your mother just check out voluntarily?”

“Candi has made it impossible—she told the staff that she's too fragile to be moved. My mother's been unconscious or asleep for most of the time she's been here.”

“What about her doctor? Doesn't she have more power than Candi?”

Isaac shrugged. “She did check on my mother, and she became very suspicious of Candi. But then she got called away for emergency brain surgery. Candi's still in charge here, somehow.”

“It's a
Candi
unit,” Destiny said, laughing. But DCynthia didn't laugh.

“What were you saying about saving your mother?” DCynthia asked him.

“Well, if the doctor doesn't come back soon and do something to stop Candi, I'm going to have to help my mother escape, and fast. I don't think there's much time, the way Candi's treating her.” He didn't try to hide the tension in his voice. “We're going to have to get her out of here in some way that nobody will expect, and some way that's fast too, so nobody will have a chance to stop us. They all know that stopping us is what Candi would want them to do.”

“I'm going to the café,” Destiny announced suddenly and stomped away.

“What do you want us to do?” DCynthia asked Isaac when they were alone.

He shrugged. “I need all the help I can get, and people are used to seeing you around here. The problem is, we have to do it when Candi's not here. And preferably in the middle of the night, when there are fewer people around. There needs to be a diversion that will occupy the staff. I think the two of you would be good at doing that.”

“I know I shouldn't—I could get into major trouble with the hospital and my sister—but I'll help you,” DCynthia said.

Isaac squeezed her shoulder. “Thanks,” he said softly.

Then he noticed that people were wheeling trays of food into the rooms: dinnertime. He was hoping that Vera had woken up and might be able to eat something. “I'll be back in a minute,” he said, and he hurried back to her room.

Vera was awake and her dinner had already arrived.

“You'll have to try to eat something. It'll make you stronger, and help you fight those sleeping drugs she's been giving you,” Grandpa said.

Vera sat up a little as Grandpa uncovered the largest plate. “Macaroni and cheese,” he said. “Not much they can do to ruin that.”

“Oh, hi, Ize,” Vera said sleepily.

“Maybe you can help her eat,” Grandpa said. “I'll get some sandwiches for us down in the café in the main lobby. I'll get Vera some coffee too while we've got the chance. See if you can get her to eat as much as possible.” He left the room.

Eating would make her stronger, giving her a better chance to escape.

“If we're going to get out, you've got to eat and get your strength back.” Isaac sat down in the chair beside the bed. “That stuff doesn't look so bad. Can you eat it yourself? Or do you need help?”

“I've … got to try to do it myself,” she said. She picked up a fork shakily and managed to get some macaroni and cheese into her mouth. She chewed slowly, then swallowed with difficulty. “Could be worse.”

“You want some ice water?”

“That would help.”

Isaac filled a glass with ice at the nurses' station and poured water into it from a bottle in Vera's room. Vera made some headway on the macaroni and cheese and uncovered a dish of salad. “Iceberg lettuce, of course,” she said disdainfully, her voice sounding a little stronger.

“After you eat, I want you to try to sit up more,” Isaac said. “Then Grandpa and I will help you to stand. It will be easier to get you into a chair and out of here.” He was hesitant to tell her about Dr. Ciano's suspicions and scare her more.

His mother lifted her hands, with the IV tubes still inserted. “How can I get out of here when I'm attached to these?” she asked him.

“The pole has wheels on it, but we can easily transfer the bags to the hooks on the chair.”

Then Isaac realized the basic flaw in his plan to
help her escape. He knew that none of the nurses, not even Vicky, would remove her IVs. Could he and Grandpa do it themselves?

“Well, if we can get those needles out of you, I have a plan,” Isaac said. “And one of those twins from school will help us.”

“Twins?” she said, still confused.

Isaac tried to control his impatience. “They're candy stripers on this unit. They know their way around. People are used to seeing them here. We need all the help we can get.”

“Why would they help us? Can you really trust them?” Vera said. “The hospital staff would notice right away.”

“I can trust one of them. We've got to try
something
!” he said.

Vera had managed to finish a lot of her food by the time Grandpa came back; she must have slept through lunch.

Isaac came up with another idea. “Listen, I've got to go home and get some stuff,” he said. “I'll be right back. And then I'll take over, Grandpa, and you can go home and get some rest.”

Grandpa nodded. He probably
was
tired, having been there all day, sitting in an uncomfortable chair.
On his way out Isaac stopped at the twins' table. DCynthia was still sitting alone.

“I have to go for a while,” Isaac said.

She winked and said, “We'll help your mother escape. I'll tell Destiny that if we work a double shift, we can have tomorrow off. We'll stay here until the middle of the night.”

Isaac left and went home. Now that he had a plan, there were still two essential things he needed to make it all work.

The spiral aftereffect and the mirror box.

 

SAAC WRAPPED THE MIRROR BOX CAREFULLY in a towel and tied it to his bike basket with heavy twine. He also secured the spiral aftereffect to the basket. Then he rode as quickly and carefully as he could back to the hospital.

For a change, Destiny didn't check his ID. “What's all that stuff you got?” she wanted to know.

“Just some things my mother wanted,” he said, looking at DCynthia.

The mirror box was cumbersome, and he didn't want to break it during the escape attempt. But he needed Joey's help with something this risky. And the
only way to reach him was through the mirror box. He felt safer having Joey along for the ride.

“What's
that
?” Vera asked him as he walked into her room.

“It's the mirror box. If I'm going to be here for a long time, I want the mirror box with me,” he said. “I also brought the spiral aftereffect. It worked at school.”

Vera looked at Isaac as if he were crazy. “Use that illusion for
what
?” she asked.

Isaac wanted to avoid the question. Luckily, Grandpa interrupted their conversation. “I'm really tired,” he said. “I need to go home and get some rest.”

“I think you should do that,” Isaac said. “I can take care of things here.”

After saying good-bye to both of them, Grandpa left.

If the IV needles were going to come out tonight, Isaac would have to do it himself. And Joey could help him—could show him how to safely remove them. He had a lot more experience with hospitals than Isaac or Vera did. And Joey would do anything to get back at Candi.

Vera was wide awake now. There was still no indication of Candi being anywhere nearby. But
there was no telling with someone like Candi. She could come back at any time.

Isaac put the mirror box, still wrapped in the towel, on a counter under the window. He washed his hands, then sat down in the chair next to the bed. He wanted to think of something to talk about with Vera, but at the moment he was too preoccupied. He needed to find out how to remove the IV needles. If Joey couldn't tell him, he'd have to somehow trick the information out of Vicky. He also needed to find an escape route. But at the same time, it wasn't safe to leave Vera alone, in case Candi came back. And now that she was alert, she was focused on him. He couldn't do either of the things that he needed to do.

It was barely seven
P.M.
and Isaac knew they would have to wait until midnight to try to make the break. Vera had been sleeping so much that maybe she'd be able to stay awake on her own, especially with more coffee—just as long as Candi didn't knock her out again. Was it safe to leave her alone long enough to get some more coffee? Now he wished he'd asked Grandpa to stay a few minutes more.

And then, to his immense surprise, Kravetz appeared in the doorway. “How's everything going?” he asked.

“Hey, what are you doing here?” Isaac said. “It's good to see you.”

Kravetz nodded at Vera. “Hi. You must be Isaac's mother. I'm Matt Kravetz. I'm in Isaac's class at school. How are you doing?”

“I'm feeling better now, thank you,” Vera said, with a genuine smile. “How thoughtful of you to take the trouble to visit.”

Isaac knew that Vera was happy that Kravetz had come. But he also knew she was probably even happier that he had made a new friend.

Kravetz shrugged, oddly shy in Vera's presence. “Well, I also know the Fitzpatrick twins, who work here.”

He and Isaac exchanged a look. They didn't have to say anything; they both understood. Kravetz wanted to stay in the twins' good graces so Destiny wouldn't turn her venom against him, the way she did against Isaac.

But even so, it would be very convenient to have Kravetz here, if only for a short time.