California Moon

“How did you get to work today?” He jabbed her with the gun barrel. “Did you take the bus or what?”

“Yeah, the bus.”

“Liar.” He spat the word like a curse and pressed the gun into her back so hard it hurt.

“Okay! I drove my car.”

“That’s more like it. Where are the keys?”

“In my purse,” she answered. Before he even bothered to ask the next question, she said, “It’s in the drawer to the right of the computer.”

“Get it. Then how far down this hall to the medicine?”

“The door next to the stairway exit,” she replied, pointing to the lighted red Exit sign.

“Just keep your cool.”

Nodding, Shannon noticed that no one was at the nurses’ station. They’d been severely shorthanded that afternoon and tonight was worse. As the only other RN still in good health, Chelsea had been forced to take on another shift. John was safer than he knew.

“Make it quick,” he demanded as they reached the station.

Shannon grabbed her purse, then withdrew the pharmaceuticals-room key from Nancy’s personal drawer.

He snatched the purse from her.

“What?” She stared at him.

He rifled quickly through the bag. “Just checking.”

“For what?”

“Mace. Pepper spray.”

She shook her head. “I don’t have any.”

“Let’s go.”

They hurried down the hall, but just as they reached the pharmaceuticals-room door, Shannon heard Chelsea’s voice coming from next door. “I’ll get you some cranberry juice, Mrs. Raymond.”

Shannon fumbled with the key.

Hissing, John warned, “Don’t try to be a hero.” He pressed the gun solidly into her back for emphasis.

Shannon’s mouth had never been so dry. She didn’t realize she was crying until a tear fell onto her shaking hand as she finally inserted the key in the lock and pushed the door open.

Just as Chelsea turned into the hall, Shannon and John slipped quietly into the pharmaceuticals room. Hearing Chelsea’s rubber-soled shoes slap against the linoleum as she walked past, Shannon finally expelled a sigh of relief.

“Get plenty of painkillers.”

“Okay,” she said, stuffing the bottles into her purse. When she finished, she nodded at him.

There’s still hope we’ll be seen. If I can just get away from that gun so that if he did fire, the bullet would miss me, I could make a run for it.

Suddenly, the doorknob jiggled. Then there was a knock. “Shannon? Are you in there?” Chelsea asked.

“Yeah, I am.”

“I thought I saw you disappear in there. What are you doing? You’re not authorized to dispense medication.”

Stepping quickly behind the door, John kept the gun pointed at Shannon. Whispering, he said, “Get rid of her. Now.”

Nodding, Shannon choked back her fear, put on a plastic smile and opened the door.

Chelsea was clearly upset with the breach in protocol, and she liked throwing her weight around whenever possible. With Nancy gone, Chelsea was totally responsible for the floor. “What are you doing, Shannon?”

“We’ve only got a skeleton crew tonight so I thought I’d help you out by preparing the cart.”

Chelsea took two steps forward, obviously hoping to push her way past Shannon, but Shannon kept her hand on the open door and barred Chelsea from going any farther.

John glared at Shannon and cocked the gun. She saw the hard glint in his eyes. Though she’d never cared for Chelsea, she realized she could never live with herself if anything happened to her.

“You don’t even have a cart.” Chelsea tried to glance around her and into the room.

“Yes, I do.” Shannon turned her body, indicating the two-tiered metal cart behind her.

John’s hiss was a deadly whisper. “Get rid of her.”

“You better take care of Mrs. Raymond, Chelsea.”

“Yeah, I guess so. Thanks for your help, Shannon. But don’t you dare ever let it slip I allowed this. My ass would be in a sling for sure.”

“And I’d be in that sling with you.”

Chelsea’s eyebrow arched suspiciously over Shannon’s uncharacteristic camaraderie. “Yeah, I guess so. Thanks.”

Shannon sensed John’s finger squeezing the trigger. She shivered, thinking how close Chelsea had come to death.

When she closed the door, her knees were trembling so hard, she thought they’d give out.

John darted behind Shannon and took up his arm-hold on her. He pushed her toward the door. “Is the hallway clear?”

Cautiously, Shannon eased the door open. “Yes.”

“Let’s go.”

They raced around the corner and through the door to the stairwell. Shannon prayed no one was on the stairs while they made their escape down the five flights to the basement tunnel that led to the parking garage. Assuming the other floors were as quiet as the fifth, Shannon believed they’d be safe.

But just as they reached the first floor, they heard voices, both male and female, coming from the underground-tunnel stairway directly below them. John froze. Shannon listened to the conversation and realized the couple was having an argument.