Chapter Forty-Five

Bob’s voice is muffled as he tries to say something. The mysterious figure pulls Bob away from the door and then pushes him up against the wall.
Bob sees an older man in his late sixties with graying hair and badly wrinkled skin around his eyes. The man looks tired and weary.
The man holds up a finger to his mouth motioning for Bob to be quiet and Bob nods his head yes as the man then reaches over and closes the door completely.
“I won’t hurt you,” the older man says. His voice is gruff.
Bob stays silent.
“I just need a place to think for a moment,” the man says.
Bob nods his head yes, but still remains silent.

Dr. Trask and Stephanie are stepping outside Violet’s room into the hallway as Stephanie closes the door behind them, but not completely.
“What’s going on?” Stephanie asks, almost in a whisper.
“I just wanted to let you know that Claire tried to come back to work,”
“Are you kidding me?” Stephanie asks. This time the woman’s voice was not a whisper.
“It’s a long story, but yes. But, I wanted to let you know that I’ve placed a restraining order against her and she was removed from the building by Officer Kirkland,” Dr. Trask states calmly.
A big grin forms over Stephanie’s face, “You go.”
“She shouldn’t be back for at least seventy-two hours anyway,” Dr. Trask says as she looks around the hallway as if to see someone else standing there. “This will give us a little time to find another way to get her out of here for good.”
“If I can do anything to help with that, let me know,” Stephanie says eagerly.
“I will,” Deb says, and then, “Have you even eaten anything at all today?”
“No,” Stephanie lets out a small laugh, “I haven’t even left the room.”
“That’s what I thought. I’ll get you something,” Deb says. “I’ll be back in a bit.”
“Thank you. I owe you,” Stephanie says before Deb walks away down the hall and Stephanie steps back into her mother’s room.

Ryan is stepping out from the stairwell and into the hallway as he radios Billy. “Hey Dr. Ramsey, I’m on Bob’s floor. I am about to check his room now.”
A static filled voice comes back over the walkie, “O.K. Thanks, Ryan.”
The security guard clips the walkie back to his belt as he approaches Bob’s room and looks through the window. Ryan looks through to see Bob sitting cross-legged on his bed smiling back at him.
Ryan gives a thumbs up to the patient and receives one in return with a smile across Bob’s face.
Ryan walks away not realizing that a mysterious man is crouched down in the room, just below the door's window.