Chapter 23

It was seven o’clock when they first pulled up to the hospital parking garage. They both signed in at the visitor center and got their red and white visitor tags. Mina stopped in the gift shop and bought the cheapest stuffed rabbit she could find and carried it up to Nan’s room.

Visiting mostly consisted of sitting quietly next to Nan and staring at the door waiting for nurses and doctors to make their rounds. It was boring, but Brody didn’t mind at all. He was the one who kept speaking to Nan and acting all concerned when the first nurse came in to check her vitals.

Mina never told Brody her full plan, she just told him enough to make it believable. She said she knew that Nan was going to wake up if Peter and Brody were both there to apologize. She knew it wouldn’t work, but she wanted to be there when anybody walked into her best friend’s hospital room.

When the first nurse came in, Brody stood up and let her approach Nan. Mina sat in a corner chair and pulled out her laser pointer keychain. When the nurse turned her back, Mina ran that laser pointer all over the nurse, head to toe, waiting for a waver or a change of any kind. Nothing. This nurse wasn’t Fae.

After she left, Mina waited twenty minutes then asked Brody to push the call button. A different nurse came in and asked what the problem was. Brody lied beautifully and said he thought Nan was waking up.

Mina scanned this nurse with the laser pointer as well and was actually caught by the nurse, who only gave her a disapproving stare. When she left, Mina felt helpless. “This is never going to work; I have to get more nurses and doctors in here at one time.”

“Why?” Brody asked.

“Because I think one of them is a fraud, and I don’t believe they are here to help Nan,” Mina said it without really believing Brody would understand.

“You think it would really help Nan?” he asked.

“I know it would if I could just see all of them that are assigned to Nan. I know I can find the fraud.” She slumped back in her chair.

“And you can tell this just by looking at them?” he asked. She nodded. He took a moment and thought about it long and hard before standing up and walking over to Nan’s heart monitor. He looked at Mina and smiled. “Are you ready for Armageddon?” He reached for her chest.

“Brody! What are you doing?” Mina gasped.

“I saw this in a movie once. You may want to stand back. I’m about to get in serious trouble.” He winked at Mina and reached for the heart monitor wire that was stuck to Nan’s chest. With a quick tug, the adhesive released, and the beeping stopped. The monitor flat lined, and an alarm went off.

Brody jumped away from Nan but wasn’t quick enough as nurses ran into the room, followed by Dr. Martin.

“Now, look carefully,” Brody whispered loudly as he backed away from the bed.

Mina used the distraction to wave the laser pointer over everyone that entered the room even Dr. Martin, who was on duty, when he rushed inside, but nothing. They were all human. When one of the nurses found the detached wire, she attached it and gave both of them a loud and angry warning.

Dr. Martin turned to Mina and Brody and was surprised by their presence. “What are you two doing here?”

“We are worried for Nan. I think someone is trying to hurt her,” Mina rushed out.

Dr. Martin looked disgusted by Mina’s outburst. “I told you that if you did anything that would influence or harm my future daughter in law that there would be serious consequences.”

“But, Dr. Martin,” Brody cut in. “We didn’t harm her.”

Dr. Martin exploded. He took his clipboard and threw it on a chair. “How dare you stand here and tell me that you didn’t harm Nan?” He pointed his finger angrily at Brody. “You crashed a car with her in it. And you!” He turned to Mina. “I don’t care what anyone else says, you are no longer allowed to see, speak, or talk to Nan. Do you hear me?”

Nurse Diedre walked in and looked at the commotion that her boss was causing. Dr. Martin motioned to the large nurse. “See that these two leave the building. They are never to enter this room.” He plopped himself down into a chair next to Nan’s bed and rested his face in his hands.

Brody and Mina were forced out, and their guard, the surly Nurse Diedre, took absolute pleasure in walking them out down the hallways and out the front doors. She spoke very little, but when they both stepped onto the sidewalk she spoke one sentence. “Stupid Gimp, always causing trouble.” She turned with a victorious smile and walked back into the hospital.

Mina gasped out loud, pulled the laser out of her pocket and flashed it across Nurse Diedre. At first nothing happened. Then her white uniform began to waver, and for a split second Mina could see something underneath the uniform-SCALES. Nurse Diedre was the Reaper.

“It’s her,” Mina cried out grabbing onto Brody’s shirt. “She’s the one that’s going to hurt Nan!”

Brody reached out and pulled Mina toward him in an embrace. “Not if we can help it.”

***

Three hours later a very large and expensive tour bus pulled up to the hospital parking lot. Mina and Brody jumped up from the curb and ran to greet the Dead Prince Society tour bus. The doors opened, and music blasted from the speakers. Naga, wearing skinny jeans and a black vest, strode down the steps and opened his arms wide, addressing his sparse audience.

“Did someone call for a tall glass of hotness?” Naga howled motioning to himself and jumped down to the sidewalk. He strutted around looking for fans, and his shoulders dropped when he didn’t see any. He reached up to tenderly touch his white striped mohawk.

“Relax, you look beautiful darlin’,” Constantine teased Naga as he swung out of the bus. “I’m sure you will knock the nurses dead.” Naga turned to take a swing at the long haired band member who ducked at the last minute. Magnus stepped out and immediately asked if the cafeteria was open, followed by Peter who looked half dead.

His hair looked as if it hadn’t been washed in days, and his clothes looked like he had slept in them. Brody walked over to him and asked if they could speak in private. Brody spoke quietly, and Peter nodded his head and ran his fingers through his hair.

Brody’s shoulders slumped, and Mina could only guess that he was admitting to Peter that he was the one driving the car that led to the accident. Peter’s body stiffened in anger, and he turned and punched Brody in the face. Brody wasn’t expecting it and was knocked to the pavement.

Peter stood above Brody, yelling down at him. “I blame you for this, and I will talk to you about this later. But right now I want to know how we can help Nan.” He turned to face a stunned Mina and his band mates.

“Are you up for making a little bit of noise?” Mina asked hopefully.

“At this time of night, we will probably draw in complaints and bring the cops.” Magnus had found a bag of chips and was crunching them loudly. A moment later a van pulled up behind the bus, and their stagehands got out to see what was going on.

Naga shrugged his shoulders. “I ain’t afraid of no coppers. It will get us on TV, no doubt.”

Constantine went to the storage compartments under the tour bus and unlocked the first unit, pulling out a large speaker and guitar. “Let’s do it,” he answered. Constantine handed one of the waiting stage crew a box of microphone cords. “I’m ready for an impromptu concert. What about you, Pete?”