Masquerade ✔

Chapter 52

Clara had never been so comfortable. She blinked open her eyes to brightly lit, white, clean surroundings. And most importantly, it was quiet.

When she, Ezra, and Benjamin had arrived at the hospital ship, Ezra had basically been unconscious. An army of doctors and nurses greeted the trio at the transport dock and immediately whisked him away. Clara had tried to follow, but one of the remaining nurses held her back.

"I need to check you out first, miss," he said.

Clara shook her head. "No, I'm fine. I just want to go with him."

"He is in good hands," the nurse reassured her. "Let us help you."

"Clara, you look dead on your feet," Benjamin advised her. "At the very least, you need rest."

The adrenalin of the confrontation was wearing off, and the fight leaving Clara's body. She nodded, giving in, and slumped in a wheelchair.

The nurse had brought her into a private room. After a thorough examination, he told her that she just needed rest.

Clara asked to clean herself up first. She hated feeling this filthy.

Clara nearly cried when the nurse brought her to a bathtub full of warm water. She usually cleaned herself from a bowl. Rarely had she taken a full bath.

Clara had sat in the bath for so long she almost fell asleep right then and there, but she managed to keep her eyes open long enough to clean off all the grime of the past hours and wash her hair. The nurse had given her soft, clean, white pants and a shirt, and after she changed, he led her back to the private room. The moment her head touched the hospital bed pillow, Clara felt sleep overtake her.

Now, Clara slipped on a pair of slippers that sat next to her bed and cautiously opened the door. She looked up and down the hallway, but then straightened up. She wasn't a prisoner, here. She didn't have to ask permission to leave.

And no one questioned her as she walked down the hall. Nurses and doctors hurried past her, but everything was still relatively calm. Still, Clara didn't want to ask anyone who passed her where Ezra was; they all seemed so busy.

Clara approached a desk that sat at an intersection of two main hallways. "Excuse me?" she asked the nurse who sat behind it.

The nurse looked up. "Can I help you?" she asked.

"I'm looking for my friend," Clara told her. "His name is Ezra. We came in..." Clara trailed off. She had no idea how long she had been asleep. "We came in together," she amended.

But the nurse was already nodding. "Ezra, yes," she said. "We're all aware. And you must be Clara" She got up. "Follow me."

Apparently, she and Ezra had caused a stir when they came in to the hospital. Clara couldn't think of another reason why a random nurse would know exactly where Ezra was and know who Clara was.

"He's probably still asleep," the nurse said as they walked. "The doctors didn't find any physical issues with him, just severe malnutrition, dehydration, and exhaustion."

"Only that?" Clara asked drily.

"Fortunately, those are issues that we can handle," the nurse assured her. "The doctors put him on fluids and nutrients and gave him a sedative." She stopped and gently knocked on a door. When there was no response, she opened the door. "Go on in. You can sit with him."