Despite my protests, I’m admitted to Springside Hospital for an overnight stay.
“Observation,” the doctor intones, looking very serious right before she winks. I’ve known her all my life, and this isn’t my first trip to the emergency room. When she adds, “Your grandmother would never forgive me if something happened to you,” I know she’s sincere.
But I’m alone in my own room. No one will tell me how Sadie is. The room phone is out of my reach. I don’t have my cell—and even if I did, it’s probably broken—so I can’t call Malcolm. The television makes my head ache even worse. Someone with a sense of humor selected my hospital gown. I stare down at the print.
Dozens of little ghosts and jack-o’-lanterns stare back.
I wait, worry eating away at my insides. My head is throbbing, so I shut my
