Bill fell silent then, didn't say a word as we travelled the short hallway past a large pair of doors to what had to be communal bathrooms and out into the main corridor again. Had my own silence cut off his willingness to speak? I didn't know but hadn't the strength to put him first when my stomach churned about as fast as my mind.
Helped to look around and force myself to be curious, even a little. This whole area, while tidy and finished, didn't have the kind of polished perfection of the main lodge. Plain gray carpet and ordinary white walls with a few signs dotting the emptiness with directions to bathrooms and the main lobby were punctuated by someone's vain attempt at décor with a few stock photo posters in cheap frames. Clearly the builders hadn't thought esthetic appeal important
