Never Read Online Free Page B

doctor rifled through the papers. “Now, I'll need you to clear something up for me. This is your sister's second visit to the hospital in how many weeks?”
    “Well she's been here—” Jon started, pausing when Chel kicked him. “Wait,” he said slowly, “why do you care?”
    The doctor flipped to a printout several pages in, and prodded the lines streaking down the page. “This is measuring your sister's heart rate and her blood pressure. Notice anything off?”
    Jon's lips tightened. “Her heart is beating too fast.”
    “Correct. Blood pressure this high…unmanageable fever…she is a prime candidate for an aneurism—or a heart attack—at this rate. Her brain is cooking in there, sizzling like breakfast bacon, but your father is nowhere in sight. His daughter is dying and yet…nothing.” Dr. Kensington tapped the file, expression grim. “Do either of you happen to know where he is?”
    “He's on business,” Chel said stiffly.
    “Wendy isn't eighteen—do you three have any alternate guardians?”
    “That's none of your—”
    “Because your father leaving you alone in a house, no way to contact him if there's an emergency…that's illegal. I doubt the State of California will look pleasantly on a man who leaves his three children to fend for themselves while he gallivants off for weeks at a time.”
    Jon glared at the doctor. “Hey! He's at work, ya'know, working , and we're not kids, we're plenty old enough—” Wendy wanted to kiss him for his gumption. Normally Jon backed down at any sign of authority but he was well and truly riled now, unwilling to bend.
    “Excuse me, Dr. Kensington?” The head nurse poked his headinto the room, a tablet held out in front of him as if it were a shield. Behind the nurse, in the hallway, a familiar figure stood with crossed arms, her blue hair shining in the stuttering fluorescents. Jenna, who had been waiting silently, took the clipboard and left the room, pausing by the blue-haired visitor only a moment. They spoke, and then Jenna turned toward the main desk, the squeak of her shoes fading as she hurried away.
    “Do you see her?” Piotr hissed, backing up to crouch in the far corner of the room. Lily and Elle pushed behind him, gripping their weapons.
    “I do,” Wendy muttered, hands in fists as she ducked down, Eddie bent low behind her. “Jane's got some nerve coming here now! What, is she trying to finish me off?”
    “Can't you see I'm busy?” Dr. Kensington demanded of the head nurse, glancing over his shoulder at Jane, his index finger flicking out in a “wait just a sec” gesture. Wendy could see the left half of Jane's body—mostly her leg and shoe as she shifted in and out of view—behind the doctor. Jane's foot was tapping impatiently. The doctor grabbed the tablet out of the head nurse's grip. “What is it?”
    “There's a code coming down the pike from Russian Hill—some drunk lady passed out and cracked her…head…open in her basement.”
    “Aren't there—”
    “You're the only free doctor on the floor, sir,” the nurse said pointedly. “We need you in there.”
    Sighing in irritation at the unavoidable delay, Jane nodded once at the doctor, tipped a wave, and turned on her heel, vanishing down the hall. Dr. Kensington growled and ran a hand through his hair. When he did so, the sleeve fell back, revealing an intricate tattoo twisting around his wrist. Piotr, Wendy, and Eddie exchanged startled glances and, as one, backed further away from him.
    “Fine,” he snapped to Chel and Jon. “You two! Get out of here. Go home. Expect a call from CPS tomorrow. Answer truthfully,unless you want your daddy doing jail time.” Then, as fast as Jane, he was gone, speeding down the hall and yelling for scrubs.
    “Yeah whatever, doc. Screw you,” Chel snapped as soon as he was gone.
    Once his footsteps had faded, Jon and Chel hurried for the exit; they had to dodge as an EMT team pushed through the emergency doors. The medics were