Chapter Twenty-Six
"Dr. James said he thought you called once but that you hung up when he answered," Katelynn said over the phone. "He keeps asking me if I've heard from you yet and if I know where you are. What's going on, John?"
"I need to disappear for a while is all," I told her. "I don't want to become his guinea pig with this talent I seem to have acquired."
"You can disappear at the farm with me and Faith. I can get a job at the hospital in Duluth. It's only an hour's drive away from there."
"I'm sure your parents would be thrilled about that," I said. "Besides, Dr. James would certainly check that possibility out if he were looking for me."
Katelynn fell silent. I thought briefly about asking her to come with me but I knew that wouldn't be a good idea. What if it didn't work out? I couldn't ask her to uproot her life based on one emotional night in which she wasn't even sure at that time that she had much time left on this earth. And there was Faith, too. Running away to who knows where was not a good idea with a five year old. She would need a more stable life than I would probably be able to provide.
"Do you know when you plan on leaving the hospital?" I asked.
"My parents are picking me up tomorrow at noon. They are all staying at my house tonight. We'll be going back to my place for lunch before heading back to the farm."
"Okay. I'm glad everything went smoothly there. I will plan on being at you home around twelve-thirty then," I told her. "I want to make sure your numbers have changed."
"And what if they haven't?" she asked.
"I'm sure they have. I'm not worried about it and you shouldn't be either. I just need to make sure."
"Okay."
"And please don't tell Dr. James that you talked to me."
"I'll eat the scrap of paper I wrote the number down on," she said sarcastically. Once again, this time along with a pang in my gut, I wished for a moment I could take her with me. "Where are you staying? Harry wouldn‘t tell me."
"Probably better you don't know, at least for now," I said. "Then you don't need to lie. But I will see you tomorrow before you go, Katelynn. I promise."
"Okay, John. But we'll talk more then. Okay?"
"I'll tell you what I can."
* * * * *
"I thought you were going to eat the number," I said. It was just after five of the same afternoon I had talked to Katelynn earlier. I had heard Randi come home and drop off some things in her room next door to mine before returning back downstairs and a little while later, I heard Harry go in and out of his room across the hall. I had remained in my room all day watching TV and trying not to think about too much of anything. I took occasional smoke breaks between shows that I really hadn't paid any attention to. I was just waiting to see Katelynn tomorrow, then make arrangements with Harry on the sale of my house. I was hoping I could sign a few things and then the rest could be completed after I had already left.
"I memorized it," Katelynn said. "I couldn't wait until tomorrow to talk to you and I didn't know how much time or privacy we would have then. Who is Harry? How do you know him?"
I explained to her that he had been a friend of Benny's, the third patient that I had met the day we had been testing my talents with Dr. James.
"Is that where you are staying? How did you end up with his phone?"
I had wanted to tell her all about my experience here at Paul's place but not over the phone. Yet like she had pointed out, I might not get a better chance, so breaking my promise to Harry (...tell no one, john) I told her about my visit to Benny's room and the message Harry had left waiting for me in his head instead of numbers. I told her all about Randi and her training me to use my newly found talent to read minds. I didn't tell her about the rest of the family or what I knew of their true mission, their belief that Lucifer was planning to take control of the world when the seven planets aligned in December. I left out the history Harry believed to be true, the sand show Harry had summoned from Shkarbala, or the fact that they thought I was number five of seven that God had told Harry he needed to do whatever it was that they were supposed to do, if that was indeed the significance of the number Gabriel had presumably passed on to him. As far as I was concerned, even if I accepted all that Harry had told me as fact, the number seven could have represented any number of things.
"Dr. James really wants to see you," she said. ''I guess the other person you saw died yesterday and he told me you had been right on her number, too. I hope you are right about my numbers changing."
"I'm sure I am, Katelynn, but we'll both know for sure tomorrow."
"Well, thank Harry for me for giving me a number to reach you with. He seemed like a very nice man."
"He is," I replied, "and I will. I feel very badly for Benny, though. He is Harry's best friend and seems to also be a really good guy. I guess he has a brain tumor, but that's just what Harry has told me. He visits him every day there at the hospital."
"I rarely work on the terminal floor," Katelynn said, "but I think I know who he is. He's been here for a couple months. I think he is one that Dr. Getz had wanted to operate on but couldn't get his permission to do so. I seem to remember him talking about that a couple of times shortly before he had his heart attack."
"That sounds like him, according to what Harry has told me."
"Maybe I'll stop by and meet him before I leave," she said.
"Just make sure Dr. James doesn't know it if you do. I don't want to get him involved in all this if I can help it. He may be helping me with my escape."
"I can't believe you a leaving because of this, John. I thought we might, you know, get to know each other a little better now that I know I'll have the time to do it."
"It doesn't have to be forever," I said, hoping she would accept that and let it go, let me go. "But I do have to go, at least for a while."
"How long?"
"I don't know."
* * * * *
"You still planning on being at my home tomorrow at one?"
It was a little after 9 PM, I had just been getting ready to go to sleep when Harry‘s cell phone had rung for the third time that day, but otherwise I had successfully managed to avoid contact with anyone else but Chancey since having breakfast with Harry early in the day. Chancey had knocked on my door after I hadn’t come down for dinner and delivered to me a couple of grilled cheese sandwiches and a bowl filled with seven different kinds of fruits cut into little squares, and a Mountain Dew.
"I’ll be there," I assured Katelynn.
"Okay. Just checking. Good night then."
"Good night, Katelynn."
* * * * *
Chapter Twenty-Seven
