NICK
I gripped the steering wheel until my knuckles turned white.
My stomach was doing something strange, a slow, twisting motion that felt like illness.
This is just an inconvenience, I lied to myself. That is all this is. He is a problem that needs to be solved. I am a solver of problems. Once I find him, this feeling will stop. This is nothing.
I exhaled sharply through my nose, trying to force the air back into my lungs. The hospital came into view, a giant block of glass and light against the dark sky.
I didn't park the car properly. I just left it and moved. I didn't use my measured, professional walk. I moved with the speed of a man who had stopped performing for the benefit of his colleagues.
I entered the building and headed straight for the elevators.
"Dr. Bennett?" someone called out. I recognized the voice, but I didn't turn around. "Wasn't your shift over hours ago? Is everything alright?"
I didn't answer. I didn't even look.
