Free 4 You Say Tomahto and I Say You’re Dead by Gale Borger

 
    Chapter 1
     
     
    "You can do this, girl, so quit farting around, and walk through those doors."
    Spaz looked at the door in front of her. She eyeballed the slowly turning panes of glass and shivered. "Why do hospitals always have those stupid doors that keep going around in circles? Am I the only person on the face of the earth they creep out?"
    "'Scuze me." Someone shoved her out of the way and hopped into the half-moon space. They slowly circled around. Spaz watched as they calmly walked out the other side and zipped down the hall.
    "Spaz, you moron, look how easy it is. What's the matter with you?"
    A little kid squealed like a stuck pig and Spaz jumped. The little sucker skipped past her. He waited for the rotating door to come around. When an opening appeared, he squealed again and hopped into the half-moon space. "Come on in, lady! It's fun!"
    An elderly man pushed a wheelchair through the opening. He stepped to the center and the door stopped. The lady in the chair smiled up at Spaz. "Come on child, we'll wait for you."
    "Uh, no thanks, you go on. Maybe next time." She took a shaky breath. The old man stepped away from the center. Once again the door began its slow circle.
    A gentle touch on her elbow made Spaz spaz . She whipped her head around and a woman smiled at her. "I hate those doors too. I use the side door over there." She pointed to a normal looking door off to the right. "Come on, I'll walk with you."
    "Thanks." Spaz looked at the woman and sucked in a breath. The woman stopped and stared. "Are you all right?"
    "Yeah, I am. I just noticed you're really very beautiful."
    The woman laughed. "Is that all? Why thank you very much. So are you."
    "Yuh. Right. Uh, thanks, I gotta go now." Spaz pulled her arm away from the woman. She yanked on the handle and walked through the door. She headed for the information desk and watched the woman wave to her as she went toward the elevators.
    "Wow."
    "I beg your pardon. May I help you?"
    Spaz looked up and asked. "I need to find a friend of mine."
    "Name please?"
    "Name?" Spaz swallowed hard. What the heck is Bean's real name? It's kind of hokey and well, Irish. "Uh, well we call him Bean."
    "Bean? Is that a first or a last name?"
    "Uh, both I think."
    The woman looked mean. "Young lady, I really don't have time—"
    "Wait, he's a kid who got shot. He's uh, Irish. Real Irish. Green eyes, and uh, I guess he's not totally a troll."
    A girl about Spaz's age walked up behind the woman. She tapped her on the shoulder. "I think she means Ryan O'Sullivan in 349." She winked at Spaz. "He's awesome, isn't he? You his girlfriend? You're like, so lucky 'cuz Ryan is so totally hot!"
    The woman scowled at the girl. She clapped a hand over her mouth. She gave Spaz a "thumbs up" and slid out the door. The woman turned to Spaz. She sniffed her nose as if Spaz smelled like yesterday's fish sandwich. Face burning red, Spaz said, "Thanks a lot. Uh, I guess I'll go up and see Br-uh, Ry-uh, whoever now."
    She backed away from the desk. She hurried to the bank of elevators and punched the "up" button.
    Spaz leaned to her left. She could see the information desk from there. The woman was still glaring at her. Spaz ducked back around the wall and punched the elevator button again. "Hurry up."
    The door swooshed open and Spaz plowed in. Two nurses and an old guy stepped in behind her. Spaz reached for the third floor button and the man tapped her hand.
    "What?"
    He smiled at her. "My job. I'm trying to be polite." With a bow, he swept his hat from his head. "Where would you like to go, young lady?"
    Spaz glanced at the nurses. They giggled and nodded toward the old man. Spaz turned pink and tried to smile. "T-Third floor, p-please."
    The man punched the third floor button. "There you go Missy."
    He winked at the nurses and Spaz clutched her backpack to her chest. Dirty old coot. I've seen enough of his kind to make me puke. Can he tell I'm an h—
    "I hope you lovely ladies are having a nice