Page 53 of Atlas
When the doctor arrived, she told me to avoid screen time, and not to drive a car, or ride a bike. “Let your body rest over the next days. If possible, don’t go back to work right away. Take some time to give your brain a rest.”
“What about flying? I have a trip to Europe in a few days.” I kept my fingers crossed under the blankets when I asked her.
“I didn’t know that,” Diane said.
“Atlas agreed that I could go with him to Ireland. I’ve never been.” I wasn’t sure how much Diane knew about his past, so I said as little as possible.
“Flying is fine,” the doctor told me. “But don’t read or watch movies on the way. Try to be mindful that your brain needs you to slow down for the next few days.”
“I will.”
As soon as the doctor left, Diane smiled. “I’ll bet you can’t wait to get out of that hospital gown.” Opening the small cabinet next to my bed, she pulled out the clothes that I’d been wearing when we evacuated the building. “Is this it?”
“I think so.”
There was a pair of tennis shoes, a t-shirt, my favorite black soft shorts that I loved to sleep in, and a thin hoodie.
“You can’t go out like that. It snowed this morning.” With frown lines on her face, Diane picked up her phone, and thirty minutes later, Brian came in with a bag in his hand.
“Brian, to the rescue.”
“Thank you. Did you find the sweats and the jacket?”
Brian handed the bag to Diane and climbed up to sit on the foot end of my bed. “You take this researching of psychopaths to the next level. Maybe don’t get involved with them the next time.”
“You know about it?” I asked at the same time that Diane gave him a reprimanding look and smacked her tongue.
“I told you, Jolene’s attacker was no friend of hers.”
“Yes, I know, but the amount of hatred he must have felt! I mean, traveling two thousand miles from California to Chicago to find her. It’s pretty obsessive.”
“Yes, it is. And now he’ll go to prison for it,” Diane said in a matter-of-fact tone.
The two of them were talking over my head, so I interrupted, staring at Brian. “How did you know about it?”
“Diane called me while you slept. It was a smart move of you to make her your emergency contact. I mean, it’s not like your mom or dad live close by.”
“I called Brian to let him know why none of us were coming into work.”
“Yes, and don’t worry. I did an excellent job at canceling all activities, and since I’m here, I might as well check up on Atlas.” He climbed down from the bed and headed to the door. “Where is he? I have a wonderful surprise for him.”
Diane told him where to find Atlas, and Brian left.
“Okay, let’s get you into some warmer clothes. This is a costume we used for a study last year, but I figured it would keep you warm until you get home and can change into your own clothes.”
I took out a pair of Adidas sweat pants, socks, and a sports jacket with a zipper.
“What kind of research was this involved in?”
“A compassion project. A test person would collapse in a public place, and we’d see how many were willing to help, and if that number was different depending on social status. This was the young athlete’s costume. Don’t worry; it’s clean. Just put it on top of your own clothes, and let’s go see Atlas.”
My movements were slower than usual, and Diane hooked her arm under mine when we walked to the elevator. “Do you need a wheelchair?”
“No, thank you.”
“Atlas is two floors up.”
“Typical.” My joke fell flat as people pressed into the elevator with us.
