Page 20 of It’s Kind of a Bunny Story (Hey There, Hop Stuff #3)
T he moment the helicopter rails touched down on the roof of the hospital, doctors and nurses rushed from inside the building, ready to help move their patients inside.
With the type of expertise that came from years of practice, the medical team on the helicopter swiftly unfastened the stretchers.
They removed my mates, their I.V. equipment, and oxygen machines from the helicopter without tangling or tripping over a single cord or line.
I’d been worried the alpha might have assigned someone specifically to guard me, and I’d been trying to come up with excuses that would give me a chance to sneak away. Maybe I’d pretend to go to the bathroom, or make a private call. But I needn’t have stressed over it.
As the staff worked like a well-oiled machine, moving the men from the helicopter across the roof of the hospital, and through the hall to the private wing for shifters, I was swept along with them.
They relayed information about my mates, no one paying me any attention.
It was in that bustle that I found it easy to slip away.
Ducking into a doorway in the wide, stark white hallway, I held my breath as the staff rushed past. My lip wobbled as I took a last look at my mates’ deathly pale faces.
I prayed the doctors would figure out how to counteract the toxin, but I would not sit around and wait.
Spinning on my heel, and without a backward glance, I headed for the stairwell and made my way down to the ground floor of the hospital.
The stairwell door opened into a parking garage, and I shivered. Was it just me, or did walking around a dark parking garage make everyone feel as though they were the lead actress in a horror film?
And why was there always a flickering overhead light adding to the terrifying ambience? Was that part of the garage building code, along with the depressing gray cement? Had anyone thought to suggest bright paint, disco ball lighting, and cheerful music?
Wrapping my arms around my waist, I wished I’d brought one of the guys’ hoodies with me.
I eyed every car with suspicion, feeling sure there could be a knife-wielding serial killer waiting to pop out.
It reminded me of how much anxiety I’d had as a kid whenever I saw a Jack-in-the-box.
A door slammed a few rows over, causing me to nearly leap out of my skin.
Deciding I didn’t want to stick around to find out if I was going to get a podcast dedicated to me, I bolted. The moment I was on the street, I moved into the shadows, hoping to avoid security cameras as I headed down the sidewalk.
Once I was far enough from the hospital that I was pretty sure I wouldn’t be immediately spotted by anyone who might have been sent to look for me, I slowed. Glancing up and down the street, I searched for a taxi or rideshare driver dropping off a passenger.
Bradford was a big city, and it would take a long time to get to the farthest side, which was in the direction of the burrow.
The burrow was close enough that I could’ve made the walk on foot, but far enough that it would have taken most of the night to get there.
By then, my absence would have been noticed…
and it might have been too late for my mates.
A driver pulled up to a small Chinese restaurant a few feet from where I was standing. Two young women stepped out, laughing and chattering. The sticker on the back windshield marked the vehicle as being used as part of a rideshare company. Bingo.
I didn’t have a phone I could use to book a ride, but I had some cash Fletcher had tucked in my pocket, and I hoped that would be enough to convince the driver to accept an off-the-books trip. Hurrying over before the car could pull away, I tapped my knuckles on the driver’s side window.
Pushing away all my stress and worries, I forced an easy-going smile to my lips.
“I’m sooo sorry to bother you! My phone was stolen and now I can’t call any of my friends to come pick me up.
I can’t even use the app to book a ride.
” I held up some of the cash. “Is there any way I could hire you to take me home? I have the money, and I can pay upfront for it.”
The driver hesitated for only a moment before nodding. “Sure, I was about to get off anyway, so I don’t see the harm in giving you a lift.”
Clicking a button, I heard the locks click. “Hop in.” She grinned up at me, jerking her thumb toward the backseat.
I scrambled inside, not wanting to give her a chance to change her mind.
The driver adjusted the rearview mirror so that our eyes met. “Alright. So where are we headed?”
I didn’t exactly have an answer to that since females weren’t allowed outside of the burrow, so I’d never visited Bradford. But I knew which direction I needed to head in.
Thinking on my feet, I pressed my fingers against my forehead, pretending to concentrate. “I just got into town yesterday, and I’m terrible with names. It’s a big hotel on the north side of the city. Ugh! What is the name?”
The driver took pity on me. “Oh, you mean the new one they built just outside the city limit near the airport? Fordmoore Hotel is huge!”
And that was what I was going to go with…
“Yes, that’s it! The Fordmoore!” I exclaimed, trying to sound relieved. “I’m so embarrassed.”
“Oh, don’t be.” She laughed good-naturedly, putting the vehicle in drive and checking her mirrors before pulling out onto the street.
“The absolute worst part about moving to a new city is trying to remember all the new streets and buildings! It’s really easy to get turned around.
Don’t worry, though. You’ll have it down pat in no time. ”
“I sure hope so.” I sighed, leaning back in my seat as we merged with traffic and sped away.
She continued to babble cheerfully as I stared out the window, trying to memorize the unfamiliar street signs as they passed in a blur.
I’d hoped I could use them to make my way back to the hospital, but after ten minutes, my head throbbed with the beginning of a migraine.
Giving up, I decided I’d have to rely on finding another driver to take me to the hospital when I returned from my mission.
My palms grew sweaty as I played and replayed my plan in my mind.
The pain of my heat had receded, but a new discomfort was pushing to the forefront thanks to the miles that stretched further and further between my mates and myself.
The helicopter ride that carried me away from Fletcher had only been tolerable because of Copeland and Linc’s presence.
Just focus on the mission, Charlee. The sooner I get answers, the sooner I’ll be back with my mates.
“We’re here,” the driver chirped as she pulled into a parking place in front of a towering hotel.
Scooting to the right passenger door, I pulled the handle and stepped onto the sidewalk. Turning, I reached through the open passenger side window and held out a wad of cash toward the driver. “Is this enough to cover the trip and a tip?”
The driver wrinkled her nose and gently pushed my hand away. “Don’t worry about it, babes. I was headed home, and this was pretty much on my way.”
She was lying. This hadn’t been on her way home, but the unexpected kindness of the gesture had me swallowing hard. I’d gone from being the bane of my burrow, actively hated by most, and ignored by the few who sympathized, to having people care what happened to me.
Seeing that I was struggling to speak, the driver grabbed my hand and gave it a little squeeze. “I can tell you’re dealing with some kind of crapstorm. Us girls have to have each other’s back!”
This was not the time for me to start falling apart.
“Thank you,” I croaked, my throat tight. “Yeah. Things really suck right now.”
That was the understatement of a lifetime.
“Here.” The driver scribbled something on the back of a receipt and handed it to me. “That’s my number. If you ever need anything, call me. And don’t worry if it’s late, I’ll probably be up late studying for my college exams.”
I tucked the scrap of paper into my back pocket. “You have no idea how much I appreciate everything.”
“ Psh .” She waved me away. “Enough of that. Go get a good night’s sleep. Things will be better in the morning.”
I watched as she merged with the traffic and her taillights disappeared, feeling even more alone and hoping against hope that she was right.
When the car was completely out of sight, I stuck my hands in my pockets and trudged down the street, making my way out of the city and toward the mountains in the distance.
I covered my six-mile hike with ease. Having spent most of my life walking or running to avoid being anywhere but home, running in my human form was second nature to me. My trek ended at the shore of a large lake that sat at the foot of two large mountains.
The moon cast its beams across the surface, giving the lake and the surrounding woods an otherworldly glow. I squinted, searching for the lights of Blackberry Burrow, which was nestled in the valley between the two mountains, but the burrow was completely obscured by the thick forest.
If I’d traveled the road directly to the burrow, I would’ve had to cover nearly 25 miles thanks to the long, narrow lake that made it impossible to access the burrow any other way. But I had a shortcut.
I was going to swim across the lake, significantly cutting down my travel time.
Searching along the shore, I located a pile of rocks that had fallen, providing me with a place to hide my clothing. The last thing I needed was for a human to happen upon my clothes scattered on the shore and call in the police to search the lake for a drowned swimmer.