Free How I Got Here by Hannah Harvey Page A

he’s lying to her.
    ‘I’m going to the hospital.’
    ‘You just said you weren’t going to work.’
    ‘So? You know sis the hospital does still exist when I’m not on duty, the building doesn’t vanish into thin air.’ He shrugs his shoulders, pulling his phone from its charger and dropping it into his bag, he can tell by the look on is sisters face that she isn’t pleased.
    ‘Don’t be so sarcastic, I hate it when you do that. Just be serious for a second.’ Amanda rolls her eyes, ‘I realize that the hospital still exists when you aren’t on duty, what I don’t understand is why you would chose to go to the hospital, not only for long shifts every week, but on your day off as well.’
    ‘I’m going to visit someone.’
    ‘You don’t know anyone in New York, who are you visiting?’
    ‘Amanda it really isn’t any of your business where I’m going, why I’m going, or who I’m going to see.’ He pulls the bag up onto his shoulder.
    ‘You’re going to see that patient of yours aren’t you, the one you’re so obsessed with.’
    ‘I am not obsessed Amanda.’ He counters sharply, ‘She’s a girl who needs my help and I want to help her, she needs someone to talk to, and she feels like she can talk to me, which is a huge step in her recovery, so don’t try and make out like it’s a crazy obsession of mine, because that , that isn’t obsession, I just care what happens to her.’ He ends the conversation by walking out of the apartment, pausing for a moment outside, and leaning against his door, dropping his head against the wood and closing his eyes, calming himself by breathing slowly.
     
    He pulls into the parking lot five minutes before he is due to be meeting River, it’s been a week since they went to the park, a week since she had the panic attack, a week since she told him she’d almost drowned once, and a week of visits where she’d begun to put her walls back up. Today, he was expecting there to be another letter, he wasn’t sure what made him think that, he just had this feeling that she would have written something for him today. It’s that eagerness that is pushing him to run towards the ward. At least it was partly the eagerness to receive a letter; his rush also had something to do with his plans. It was hot today, the hottest day of the summer so far, and he had a plan to get her into the sunshine. He wasn’t going to risk taking her to the park again, not so soon after the last visit, because the staff at the hospital were already suspicious about her disappearance, he had tried to explain that he had taken her out into the hospital grounds, but if they kept on going off site then the staff would get even more suspicious. More than that though, he was afraid that she would have another panic attack, still he knew he needed to get her out again, so that she could enjoy the summer weather. He had seen how relaxed she’d become down at that little pond, he could tell that being outside agreed with her.
    He made it to her room just in time, slightly out of breath and needing to sit down, it was far too hot outside to be running, but he didn’t want to be late. To him it felt like he would be letting her down if he turned up late, even if it was just a few minutes late. River had already been let down by so many people, he didn’t want to be one of those people.
    ‘Did you run here?’ She clutches her notebook to her chest, her eyes widening slightly at the thought of him running to meet her, and at his slightly disheveled appearance. He takes a moment to get his breath back before speaking, gratefully accepting the glass of water she holds out for him. Then once he has recovered enough, he places the glass down and clears his throat.
    ‘I didn’t want to be late.’ He shrugs as if it’s no big deal.
    ‘You didn’t need to run up here, I wouldn’t have fallen apart if you were a few minutes late.’ She teases, ‘And it is a big deal, that was really sweet of