Surrogate for My Brother-in-law - Chapter 27: Chapter 27

The next day, I received a message from Ethan. Luckily I was alone when the phone buzzed. I kept it on silent just in case.
Ethan's message simply read, “I think I've found her.”
My heart stopped for a moment. I read the message three more times. Ethan had a lead on my mother.
My fingers shook as I sent back my response.
“Where?” I typed.
Ethan proceeded to explain that he'd found records of her being transferred to a sanatorium in pack's territory. It would be a bit of a drive, but we could reach it in under an hour. He suggested meeting at the empty house, if I could reach it safely. I said I'd text him when I got there.
I needed an excuse to get out of work. Luckily Eva was spending the day shopping with her mother. She wouldn't want to switch with me.
So I just needed an excuse for Leo. He would have a list of chores for me after I brought up his lunch. I could maybe convince the archivists to let me slip out of the house during my evening shift.
But I couldn't wait that long. Not when I finally had a chance to find my mother. Not when I was so painfully close.
So, I would have to lie. I couldn't claim to be sick. Leo would take me to the healers himself. But maybe I could try another cover story.
I wrapped a tension bandage around my left ankle, and limped to Leo's room. I knocked on his door. He opened it and looked down at me.
“Tessa?” Leo tilted his head, and his brows drew together. “What's wrong? Why is your ankle bandaged?”
“I tripped,” I lied, “and I twisted it. I'm sorry, I need the afternoon off.”
“Of course,” Leo said. “I can carry you to the healer.”
“No,” I was quick to protest. “It's just twisted, nothing for the healers to bother with. I'll be fine if I just put some ice on it and keep it elevated.”
“Are you sure?” Leo asked.
“Yes, Alpha,” I said.
The truth was, even if I really was injured, I wouldn't go to the pack healers. They always acted like it was an insult to be asked to treat a half-blood for anything.
“I don't mind taking you,” Leo said.
“I appreciate that, Alpha,” I said, bowing, “but I know better than to waste a healer's time. I just came to explain why I can't work today, that's all.”
“You walked here on that?” Leo asked. He looked worried.
“Well, limped, yes,” I said. “It's not so bad if I move slowly. It's just that I don't think I should carry laundry baskets and food trays. I could maybe work in the archive.”
“No, no someone would drop a book on your foot for sure, with your luck,” Leo said. “Wait here one moment.”
He vanished into the room. I waited, uncertain. I hated lying to him, but I hated the idea of waiting any longer to see my mother more.
Leo reappeared with a sturdy wooden cane in his hands.
“Here,” he said, holding it out. “My beta carved this for me when I was first injured by the Rouge King.”
“Oh.” I hadn't realized he'd been injured badly enough to need a cane. I accepted it and balanced on my unbandaged leg. “Thank you, Alpha. I will return it tomorrow.”
“Keep it until your leg stops hurting,” Leo advised. “Trust me, it's better to use it a little longer than you think you need it.”
“Okay.” I bowed, a little awkwardly because of the cane. “Thank you, truly. And I'm sorry.”
“Don't worry about it,” Leo said.
I continued to fake a limp as I returned to my room. There, I washed the make up from my face and unwrapped my leg. I switched to my “Dr. Angel” clothing and tied the mask over my face. I hid the cane under my bed so no one would see it.
Then I slipped out of the manor. I was careful not to be seen by anyone. It was easy to move unseen as Tessa the maid; the pack was used to ignoring me. It was only a little more challenging as Dr. Angel.
Outside, I ran through the woods between the manor and the empty guest house. Once I made it onto the covered porch, I texted Ethan. He responded immediately that he was on his way.
Ethan arrived only a few minutes later. I climbed into the car and he peeled out of the guest house driveway.
“You found a clue to my mother's location?” I asked as soon as we were on the road.
Ethan nodded. “I think so. You were right; your mother was, briefly, at my hospital. But she was transferred a while ago.”
“Transferred? Why? To where? You said something about a sanatorium?” I tried to keep the desperation out of my voice, but I'm sure Ethan heard it.
“Clear Sky Sanatorium, specifically,” Ethan said. “The transfer record states it was at the behest of the family, but I'm gonna guess that's not quite true.”
“I never signed anything,” I said.
“That's what I thought. Hang in there, we'll know more as soon as we reach the sanatorium,” Ethan promised.
The rest of the ride was silent and tense. Ethan tried to strike up a conversation a couple of times, but all I could manage was to nod or shake my head. All I could think about was the chance to see my mother.
Ethan pulled the car up to the sanatorium. It was a grim, imposing building. There was a high fence around the property, topped with razor wire. The black iron gate opened after Ethan identified himself to a small speaker.
Inside, the lobby was clean and shiny. A neatly dressed woman sat behind a wide desk labeled “Information.” I nearly tripped over my own feet to reach it.
“Hello, I'm looking for a patient here,” I said.
“Name?”
“Melinda Carter,” I gave my mother's full name. She'd never taken the pack's surname.
“That's a human name, isn't it?” the nurse asked.
“Yes, she's a human. She was injured in a Rogue attack, and has been in a coma ever since,” I explained.
“Oh, that's awful,” the receptionist said. She tapped a few keys on her computer. “I don't see her on our patient listing.”
“What?” I asked.
“She's not here,” the receptionist said, “but I do recall the nurses talking about a human patient.”
“Could we talk to them?” Ethan asked. “Please.”
“Well, I'm not supposed to let non-family members back.”
“I'm her daughter,” I protested.
“And if she were a current patient, that would matter,” the receptionist said. She looked over my shoulder at Ethan. “But, well, exceptions can be made, and an alpha does, of course, have the right to inspect any medical facility in their territory. Go right on back.”
“Thank you,” Ethan said.
Ethan was tense and clearly unhappy as we walked through the halls. I watched him peek into several patient rooms and his face grew more and more thunderous. Something was wrong.
We found the nurse's station. There was only one nurse on duty, and he was lightly dozing. We hadn't run into any more staff, despite the fact that it was a full ward. I knew that couldn't be right.
“Hello,” Ethan said, slamming his hand onto the desk to startle the nurse awake. “I need to talk about a patient.”
“Oh. Uh. Alpha! I, uh, of course,” the nurse shuffled to his feet. “Which one?”
“Melinda Carter,” I said.
“Um, sorry, she's gone,” the nurse said.
“What do you mean gone?” I asked.
“Family came in, just a couple days ago. Had her transferred to another facility. They didn't say why.”
“What facility?” Ethan demanded.
“They didn't say. They handled the transfer themselves, so we don't have any transfer documents. Sorry.”
I slumped over the desk, crushed. I was so close! Only a few days too late.