Page 4 of Mountain Freedom
“What do you mean she’s gone?” I asked, grabbing his shirt tighter in my panic.
“Gone, like I said,” he repeated, his words slurred in a gin-soaked haze. He forced his eyes open before trying to slap at my hands. “Her mama took her and left. Ain’t coming back. Now, go on and get out of here.”
I didn’t leave though. I backed up, shaking. It couldn't be true.
I ran down the hallway to Allison’s room and threw the door open. Her dresser drawers were open and empty. Her closet only held hangers. And the stuffed bear she slept with every night was missing from her bed.
I sank to the floor, feeling like the world was spinning too fast for me to stand.
Allison was gone.
Chapter One
Allison
Present
Nerves mademy fingers shake as I pressed the elevator button for the fourteenth floor. Fourteen floors didn’t feel like enough time for me to pull myself together. I needed to present myself as the confident, competent professional I was: a full-fledged doctor, finally finished with residency and ready to sign the contract for my dream job.
I didnotwant to present as what I really felt like inside: a nervous newbie who still felt like a child playing dress-up in a lab coat. My mentors had assured me that feeling would soon go away.
I doubted it.
“You’ve got this,” I whispered to myself, taking a moment to smooth my hair in the reflective elevator door. I had chosen my outfit to look professional. Smart. Successful. But with every second that passed, I grew more convinced that my pencil skirt, black-rimmed glasses, and blonde hair pulled back into a tightbun made me look like a child playing the part of a librarian. I quickly pulled out the bobby pins and let my hair down, tucking it behind my ears for a less obvious look.
It still didn’t change the fact that I felt like a total imposter.
A fresh wave of nerves made my breathing shallow when the elevator doors opened. I gripped the handles of my black leather handbag, plastered a confident smile on my face, and started walking toward Dr. Barkley’s office. My new heels—purchased specifically for this interview—clicked too loudly on the hospital floors, making me wish I had opted for my normal ballet flats instead. Since it was too late to turn back, I attempted to walk on the balls of my feet to keep the noise from echoing down the hallway, my face growing more flushed with every awkward step.
Dr. Barkley’s receptionist told me to have a seat until he called me into his office. I had to force myself not to tap my foot anxiously as I waited, ready to spring up as soon as he appeared.Slow deep breaths. You belong here.
Ididbelong here. I had earned it.
“Ah, Dr. Bell. Come on in.” Dr. Barkley poked his head out of his office, wearing a warm smile. “We’ll be starting in here today.”
I smiled back, finally feeling the tiniest bit of real confidence. Dr. Barkley had always been friendly. In fact, it seemed he had taken a personal interest in my success. Our first interview had been surprisingly easy, and he had let it be known he was rooting for me. As the department chief, he was the person who quite literally had the power to make or break my career at this hospital. It was a relief to know he was impressed by my work.
“Where are the others?” I asked, faltering as I stepped into the room. I had been told that this final interview would also include the assistant department chief and the assistant areamedical director—two people I hadn’t met yet, and who both had reputations for asking difficult questions in interviews.
Dr. Barkley gently squeezed my arm. “Relax. We’ll meet them in the conference room in half an hour. It’s obvious you’re nervous, though you shouldn’t be. You’re well qualified, and meeting with them is just a formality.” He leaned forward, lowering his voice. “In reality, the decision is mine, not theirs, and I’ve already decided the job is yours.”
I relaxed—slightly. “Really?”
“Really.” He gestured to the leather couch in front of his mahogany desk. “Have a seat.”
I sank into the leather and felt the tension drain from my shoulders. The job was mine. Knowing that took the pressure off, and I was incredibly grateful to Dr. Barkley for it. Nerves always made me so flustered that my voice would get shaky, I would mess up my words, and I would sometimes even cry. Put me in a room with a patient and it was a different story. I loved solving puzzles and figuring out how to help people. But put me in front of a panel for an interview or make me speak at a meeting and all of that confidence disappeared like it had never even existed.
“Here,” he said, heading to the liquor cabinet and pouring a shot of amber liquid into a glass before crossing to the couch and handing it to me. “Looks like you need this.”
“Oh, I shouldn’t.” I immediately protested, putting my hand up.
“Youshould,”he said, pushing the drink into my hand and closing his fingers over mine. The smile he gave me was warm, but for the first time, a frisson of discomfort ran through me. He sat next to me, entirely too close, and casually put his arm on the back of the couch.
“I’m not really a drinker,” I said, giving him an awkward smile before putting the glass on the table untouched.
He chuckled. “Are you not?”
“No,” I replied. I felt hyperaware of his closeness and had to fight my body to stay seated.
