Machine Man (serial)

I wheeled back into Lola’s room. No change: she was still lying on her side, staring at the window. Actually, not the window: the wall near the window. That was even worse. I wheeled myself around in front of her. “Lola?” Nothing. I moved closer. I felt tense, like she might leap up and bite me. I was still shaky from watching Cassandra Cautery cry in the hallway. That had been a horror movie.

I reached out and touched Lola’s shoulder. Still no reaction. “Lola, it’s okay,” I said. “Everything’s okay.” I began to relax. I stroked her hair for a while. Sometimes I repeated: “Everything’s okay.” I was soothing myself.

Just as I was drifting off, Lola’s hand closed over mine. Our eyes met. She was the person I knew again. Before I could even think to bring it up, she said, “I need to tell you about my heart.”

51.