Page 83 of The Unraveling of Julia

“Okay. Are you from New York?”

“No, Philadelphia, but it’s near New York.”

The receptionist’s eyes lit up. “Someday I’ll go.”

“We’d be happy to have you.”

“Grazie.”

“Prego.” Julia smiled, then went back to her chair, sat down, and started praying.

“Miss? Miss?” The receptionist hovered over her, and Julia woke up with a start, realizing she had fallen asleep in the chair. The morning sun was shining through a wall of windows in the front of the hospital. The waiting room was full.

“Miss, your friend is out of surgery and recovery. They have movedhim to the GICU, the General Intensive Care Unit. His status is critical.”

Julia felt her stomach tense. “Is he going to be okay? Do they have a prognosis?”

“I don’t know. This is all the computer says. I must go, my shift ends at seven o’clock.”

“Can I see him?”

“You’re not family, are you?”

“No.”

“Then, no. Only family members may visit GICU, two at a time. They have strict rules. Sorry.”

“I understand.” Julia tried to think. “I’ll wait here.”

“No, they won’t let you. It gets too crowded in the morning.”

“But how can I find out how he’s doing? What if he takes a turn for the worse, or the better?”

The receptionist hesitated. “I have a friend on that floor. If you give me your number, I will text you. Don’t tell anyone. I would lose my job.”

“Thank you so much,” Julia said, grateful. “I won’t tell, I promise.”

“Please, go now. My boss will come by soon. You cannot stay.”

“I don’t understand.” Julia looked around the waiting room, which was full. “Why can they stay?”

“They’re waiting for the testing center to open. They need their results before work.”

“Testing for what?”

“Some Covid, mostly drug and alcohol.”

“Really?” Julia asked, wondering.

46

Julia entered the testing center, a small, brightly lit room barely big enough to hold a nurse at an institutional desk and a crowd of people sitting in chairs or standing along the walls, looking at their phones. There had to be thirty of them, and it struck her that even though she was in a crowd, she didn’t feel as anxious as usual. Her heart beat a little faster, but she wasn’t afraid. Her mouth was a little drier, but she didn’t want to leave. She didn’t know why the change, but she didn’t have time to sort it out now.

Julia crossed to the front desk and got in line. She wanted to confirm that Anna Mattia had been drugging her. It was likely, given what happened to Bianco, but she had to make sure. She wanted to know whether her seeing Caterina was a hallucination or real. The answer felt like a question of her own sanity.

Julia waited her turn, then walked to the desk, where an older nurse looked up with a pat smile. She had a halo of gray hair and wore pink scrubs covered with rainbows. Julia asked her, “Excuse me, how do I get a drug test?”

“Here, fill this out. It’s in English. Then take a number.” The nurse reached behind her and pulled a paper from a series of black plastic trays. “Which test did your employer request?”