"I'm not leaving."
"Then I'll call our security and have you removed from the premises."
"Stone," Ally said her eyelids flickering, "it's okay. I want you to tell my mother I'm here. She's in room two‑thirteen, upstairs, the last time I saw her."
"You've got it. Don't worry. I'll take care of everything."
She heard him saying that, but then she thought she heard another voice inside her head begging him not to leave. It was the last thought she had before the world went entirely white.
Wednesday, April 8
7:39 p.m.
Ellen O'Hara watched the scene with mounting dismay. She'd overheard Dr. Van de Vliet talking to Debbie about the procedure scheduled for Alexa Hampton. Then she'd checked the schedule that had been put into the database. It turned out that Alexa Hampton had two procedures scheduled.
The troubling part was, one was identical to the procedure that had been performed on Kristen Starr several months back, or at least so it seemed. And that had resulted in what she'd just overheard Debra call "the Syndrome." By whatever name, it had produced some horrible side effects. Why on earth were they now repeating that with this new patient? Hadn't they learned anything?