Chapter 19

I didn't know where I was at first. My mouth was dry, my eyes burned and my head seemed to contain an entire concert of Stomp.

I was lying on a mattress, a fluffy pillow under my head. I could just make out a table and lamp beside me, though nothing looked familiar. Obviously I was in a hotel room, but my memory was a bit fuzzy about the details.

I remembered riding in the back of Morgan's Mustang, its engine a comforting rumble as we sped south. I couldn't see anything out of the pitch black windows, the tinting darker than a limo.

Chadwick drove, Morgan sitting in the back with me. I was too worried and anxious to sleep and my companions were quiet so I was left to my thoughts, the last thing I needed.

Sunrise arrived, though it brought no relief from my troubles, the sunshine barely lessening the gloom inside the vehicle or inside my mind.

Morgan began insisting I sleep when I refused to eat, but I knew the events of the past twelve hours would only follow me so I kept shrugging her off. I ended up laying my head on her lap, my legs tucked up on the seat, to placate her.

I still didn't sleep, even though her cool skin was comforting against my over-heated body. Sometime later, Chadwick asked my opinion about a few places.

"Stillwater is a college town, both Oklahoma City and Tulsa are large; I wouldn't recommend Guthrie." My voice was utterly bland and exhausted, slightly hoarse from swallowing my tears.

"What about an airport?" he asked.

"Both OKC and Tulsa have them, Will Roger's World and Tulsa International respectively."

"Are the isolated?" he continued to question me and I thought for a moment before answering.

"Will Roger's is part of OKC, I think Tulsa's is on the outskirts. I've only been to Tulsa a couple of times," I told him, "I've only ever flown from OKC." I fought through the fog that had enveloped my brain. "Why do we need an airport? Are we flying somewhere?"

"No," Morgan answered, running her cool fingers through my hair, "but its better to have a back-up plan close by." She started humming softly and, combined with her soothing hands, I finally fell asleep.

I vaguely remembered Morgan supporting me as we entered a cool lobby, the weak sunlight disappearing over the horizon, but not anything else.

I pushed a button on my digital watch and squinted at the sudden light, barely making out the time: 4:02am. I hit another button and found that it was early Monday morning. Somehow, I wasn't surprised that a trip that had taken my father and I a few days, we made in one. Not needing bathroom breaks, food or sleep can make a trip a lot shorter.

I sat up and switched on the lamp, wincing from the sudden light and muscles long since gone stiff. I was still wearing Josephine's clothes, which had become twisted in my sleep and I smelled, very faint now, the perfume she'd sprayed on me.

Taking a look around myself, I noticed that I was alone, though I could hear talking coming from another room. I also spotted a half-open door across the room and, after untangling myself from the covers, hobbled over to it eagerly.

The bathroom was large, sporting both a bathtub and a shower stall, a stack of fluffy white towels and name-brand supplies.

After taking care of urgent business, I went back into the room and found my stuff stashed in a dresser drawer. Digging out clothes, I took them into the bathroom and took a really long shower. I felt grimy, washing everything three times before I was satisfied, my skin pink and hair squeaking.

I was still exhausted but felt better being clean. Leaving my hair wrapped, I brushed my teeth, got dressed and left the safety of the steamy bathroom.

There was a light tapping on the other door, then it opened and Morgan came in, looking me over.

"You should sleep more," she told me, but I shook my head. I walked over to the window, parting the curtains. I could just make out the large complex of buildings and overpasses that led to the airport. At least I knew where I was.