Free The Nurse by Amy Cross

start.”
    “Mum!” I shout, turning and stumbling along the corridor, with my hands outstretched in case I bump into another wall. “It's me! It's Rachel! Mum, where are you? Something happened at the house, I felt -”
    Slipping suddenly on a wet floor, I tumble down and land hard on my right arm. Letting out a gasp of pain, I struggle to get back up.
    “Mum!” I scream. “Mum, help me!”
     
    ***
     
    “Are you sure you don't want me to come in with you?” the driver asks a short while later, as he helps me back to the house's front door. “Maybe I should call the police or -”
    “No, I'm fine,” I tell him, already fumbling to find the key. “I just made a mistake, that's all. I must have got the wrong office building.”
    “But is there anyone at home to help you?”
    “I'll be okay once I'm inside.” My hands are trembling, but I manage to get the door unlocked and then I quickly step inside. My heart is racing and I can't quite figure out what's happening. All I know is that my mother wasn't where she said she'd be, and I felt a face earlier. Except there can't have been a face, which means it must have all been in my head. “Mum?” I call out, hoping that somehow she might have already come back. “Mum, are you here?”
    Silence.
    “I don't feel right leaving you like this,” the driver continues. “If you -”
    “I'm fine, honestly,” I tell him, turning and smiling even though I'm not entirely sure where he's standing. “She'll be back soon. Maybe I wasn't paying attention properly when she told me where she was working. I guess I just had a panic attack, but...”
    I pause, thinking back to that moment an hour or so ago, when I felt a face staring straight at me. It was only there for a couple of seconds, and I'm starting to think that somehow I imagined the whole thing. I guess my other senses are maybe over-compensating to deal with the fact that I can't see.
    “As long as you're safe,” the driver says finally. He probably thinks I'm completely out of my mind. “I just...”
    His voice trails off.
    “Thank you for everything,” I tell him, as I swing the door shut. “I'm really sorry I bothered you.”
    Once I'm alone in the house, I stand completely still and listen once again to the silence. An hour ago I ran out in a panic, desperately trying to use my phone's voice app to call Mum, and then – when that didn't work – I called a taxi instead. Now I'm starting to feel that I completely over-reacted, and that I allowed myself to fly into a panic. Still, I can't help turning and waiting in case there's even a hint of another noise, but it's becoming increasingly clear that not only is there no ghost, but there's also no sign of Mum.
    “Hello?” I call out.
    No reply.
    I step forward, before stopping again as I realize that there's no way I want to risk playing the piano again. Not tonight, anyway.
    Taking a deep breath, I stumble toward the stairs and start making my way up. I think I've completely embarrassed myself tonight and let my fears run unchecked, and I need to get my head straight. By the time I get to the top of the stairs, I've managed to persuade myself that there's definitely no ghost here in the house. Whatever might have happened here in the past, it's long gone and over.
    I need to get a grip.
    “Stupid,” I whimper, feeling as if I'd be crying now if my tear ducts were still intact. “Stupid, stupid...”

Chapter Twenty
     
    Alice - Twenty years ago
     
    “It's okay,” I tell Father as I grab the tube and force it into his mouth, trying to suck out some more phlegm. “Just stay calm and -”
    He bites down, gripping the tube with his teeth.
    “Stop doing that,” I continue. “Please, you just -”
    Letting out a loud gurgle, he pushes me away and takes hold of the tube himself, forcing it further down his throat.
    “Dumb cow,” he gurgles, before adding something else that I can't quite make out.
    “That's dangerous,” I say firmly, pushing his