Chase

by Kate Breuer

  “They raped you?” Mira looks at me in shock.

  I shake my head. “No, I don’t think so. My OB-GYN is a woman. I think they must have done it artificially. I don’t know why—no idea, to be honest. But I know they did it.

  “Technically, I can’t be fully sure Willow is even mine, but every part of me feels like she is.” I swallow the thought before I can follow it. I try not to think about this part of the story. “Anyway, she is definitely not Dale’s.”

  Dale grunts in dismay. He hates the fact that Willow is not really his daughter, and now our friends know.

  “We felt it was safest to pretend we didn’t know. We didn’t want to end up like the Bartons,” he says.

  Tien looks more confused. “Wait. What? I thought they moved away?”

  I tell them about the men who showed up for the Bartons after they bragged about their infidelity. When I finish, Mira and Tien both look as if they ate something rotten. Neither of them says anything. They just sit and stare at me.

  I tell them about Willow’s appointment today. Mira’s mouth falls open halfway through.

  After I’ve told them everything, I take a large gulp from my glass. Tien is standing, ready to jump into a plan, and Mira sits frozen in place.

  “We need to get her out of the city . . . hide her . . . something.” Tien takes a few steps toward the door. When he realizes none of us are following, he stops and turns around expectantly.

  Dale looks helpless. “We’d never get her out of the city. Plus, who knows what’s on the other side of the wall?”

  Tien hovers by the door for a moment before he sits back down, defeated.

  By the time any of us are able to think straight, the wine bottle on the table is empty, and all of us are yawning.

  “We have until next Friday to figure this out. Let’s meet tomorrow before one of us falls asleep at the table,” Dale suggests, and we get up, ready to call it a night.

  While I sleep, I never let go of Willow and am still holding her when I wake up the next morning. I won’t let anything happen to her.

  IV

  Saturday

  8

  Chase

  I am glad I don’t have to work today. Squinting through a bad headache, I drop Willow off at a neighbor’s house to play with their little girl. The two kids have been friends since they were babies. Willow won’t even want to come home when I go and pick her up later. I don’t envy the parents who will have two overexcited five-year-olds on their hands all day, but it’s perfect for me.

  When I get back, Tien and Mira have already arrived and are deep in conversation with Dale. Mira frowns at me. “Girl, did you get any sleep? You look horrible.”

  “Well, thank you.” I smile at her. “I don’t think I got much sleep at all. I’ll sleep when we have a plan.”

  I sit down at the table, and Dale hands me a steaming mug of tea. I accept it gratefully. As I sip the liquid, I slowly wake up enough to actually listen to the conversation around me.

  I can’t believe Tien and Mira didn’t hesitate to help us. They didn’t question anything I told them. They trusted me, though it must have shattered everything they thought they knew about the society they live in. I don’t know if I would have reacted as well. At the very least, I don’t think I would be able to cope with something this big as quickly.

  “Guys, can we pause for a second?” I ask, overwhelmed. They stop talking and turn to face me. I bury my face in my hands, and I feel someone’s hand on my shoulder.

  “What’s wrong, honey?” Mira asks.

  With difficulty, I stop hiding and look at each of them in turn. “Are you sure you want to do this? You accepted everything I said yesterday without any hesitation.

  “If they find out we know about any of this, we’ll be in trouble. If you help me do anything about Willow, you might find yourself in a place where you can’t go back.”

  I need them to understand. I need them to know I care about them and want them to be safe.

  “We know what we are getting into,” Tien says, and Mira nods. “But there is no way we’ll let anything happen to Willow. You’d do the same for us.”

  I bury my face, ready to cry. I don’t want them to get hurt, but I am more thankful for having them by my side than I can handle right now. The whole situation is overwhelming. Tien grabs my hand, and Mira gives me a hug.

  “We are with you, honey. We are here to help. You just have to let us,” she says softly.

  “I have to admit, I should have known something is wrong with this damn city a long time ago,” Tien says. “Like Mira’s mom. Those damn doctors only seem to care about people who are young enough to add to the next generation.”

  Mira looks at him appreciatively. “You know I don’t like you putting yourself in danger to get her those painkillers.”

  “Where are you getting them?” I ask, unable to keep the curiosity in.

  “Work,” Tien says simply.

  At a look from me, he goes into more detail. “I had this case a few years back. I was running an analysis on a bar in the Middle Circle. Long story short, I found they were cutting some corners—keeping some revenue off the books. At that point, I had spent so much time chatting with the owner, I couldn’t throw him under the bus. I looked the other way.”

  He pauses and looks up at us, as if expecting a scolding. None of us object. Mira shrugs.

  “Let’s just say he’s done me a few favors over the years. Getting pills for Mira’s mom when she needs them is one. I don’t know where he gets them. I doubt his bar is exactly aboveboard in general, though.”

  I didn’t expect someone with a job as cryptic as a quantitative analyst could have connections like this. Not that I understand much of what he does.

  “Won’t you get into trouble if someone finds out?” I ask.

  “I guess. But in the meantime, Mira’s mom doesn’t have to suffer as much.”

  Mira looks uncomfortable. “I’m not sure I like this. I mean, I knew you must be getting them some shady way but—”

  “It’s fine. Really,” Tien answers. “Or do you want to tell me you’ve never done anything against the rules?”

  “You mean besides spending time”—Mira puts up air quotes—“with you after you’ve been matched?” She isn’t talking about friendship.

  Tien gives a bitter laugh. “Yeah, besides that.”

  “A few little things here and there. Like letting Chase into the studio to do her tattoo. She paid for the materials, but I wasn’t exactly supposed to bring her to the shop after hours or use the machines for any personal projects.”

  “See?” Tien holds out his hands as if Mira proved his point.

  “But none of this explains why you are willing to help us,” I point out.

  Tien places both hands on the table. “Look, Chase,” he begins, and the lightness is gone from his voice. “They tricked you into having a child. I can’t support a government that would do something like this.” He takes a deep breath. “Doing nothing would feel like supporting them. We need to help Willow. We can’t let them take her.”

  Mira nods her agreement. Tien looks at each of us in turn before going on in a stern voice, “And when she’s safe, we’ll figure out a way to expose what they did. They can’t get away with impregnating people and taking children from their parents.”

  I haven’t even thought past saving Willow. I’ve been so scared for her I didn’t stop to think this may have happened to other families. It’s terrifying.

  “We are with you. Okay?” Mira puts a hand on mine.

  I nod and let out a deep breath. “Thank you.”

  “How do we do this?” asks Dale after watching me for a moment.

  I shrug, and Mira looks helpless, but Tien gets up and paces while he talks. “I’ve been thinking, and the only way I see out of this is to break into the hospital.”

  Dale frowns. “You want to do what now?”

  “You told us this Mr. Goodman person won’t be back until n
ext Friday, and they are waiting for some blood work to come back and confirm something?”

  I nod.

  “If we can swap out Willow’s sample for someone else’s blood, it would come back negative. And then she would be safe. They wouldn’t be interested in her anymore.”

  “What about the two nurses who examined Willow?” Dale asks.

  “I don’t think they know anything for certain yet,” I answer. “It sounded like the blood test was needed to confirm a suspicion. So if the blood test is negative, that should end this.”

  “Okay, let’s say that could work. How are you planning to get into the hospital? It must be one of the most secure places in the city.”

  Tien resumes his endless pacing. “Well, that will be the problem to solve. But I think it’s the only way.”

  Reluctantly, I agree. I don’t want to think about the risk I am about to put my friends in. It makes my stomach churn, and I regret eating breakfast. I take a deep breath to calm myself and see Dale casting me a nervous look.

  “Your job might be able to get us in,” he points out.

  “I’m a seamstress. What good will that do?”

  Tien understands faster than me. A grin spreads on his face. “Brilliant, Dale! Chase, you can get us uniforms. Don’t you do regular deliveries to the hospital?”

  Convinced, Dale says, “It should get us through the door, at least.”

  I feel like we are forgetting something. We don’t know enough about any of this. “Sure, I can get us uniforms, but the place is gigantic. We’ll never find what we are looking for.”

  Mira is ready for this problem. “My mother.”

  I raise an eyebrow at her. “I’m not getting anyone else involved.”

  “She doesn’t have to come along. But she knows the place like no one else. She spent so much time there after my dad, you know . . .” She trails off.

  After a moment, she pulls her shoulders back and continues, “And no arguing about including her. She’ll want to help, especially with any plan against the hospital. She thinks they could have saved Dad if they had cared a little more. Plus, the way they treated her when she came to them for help with her migraines. She really hates the place.”

  I open my mouth to object, but she holds up a hand. “She won’t be in any danger. I won’t let her actually come with us. She’ll just tell us what we need to know and stay safely at home.”

  “Let’s at least not tell her what we are doing, okay? Let’s just invite her over and talk to her. Maybe we can manage to get some information out of her without telling her why we want to know,” I suggest, and the others agree.

  We spend the rest of the morning choosing disguises for each of us. When it’s time for lunch, Mira leaves to get her mother, and the rest of us set out to get a meal ready.

  “How’s the match going?” Dale asks Tien, and I can tell he waited for Mira to be gone to ask it.

  Tien’s face falls. “Man, ever since you mentioned the Bartons last night . . .” He looks deeply uncomfortable. “We really don’t like each other and have been avoiding spending any time together since getting matched. I’m not sure that’s wise now.”

  He pauses and massages his hands in anger. “But the idea of spending one more minute with her . . . We have nothing in common!” He throws up his arms in frustration. “Nothing. I don’t know why the hell they would match us. How am I supposed to pretend I even like this woman?”

  Dale puts a hand on his arm. “I’m sorry, man. I really am. But you need to be careful.”

  I’ve been looking for a way to warn Tien about this for weeks and am relieved he finally knows about how far this society will go to uphold appearances. I hope it will make him more cautious in the future.

  “How’s Mira handling it?” I ask.

  Tien looks up with a thin smile. “I don’t know. She’s finally starting to open up to me, but now it feels pointless.”

  “Please promise me you guys will be careful—whatever you do,” I urge.

  “I would never do anything to put her in danger.”

  By the time Mira returns, accompanied by her mother, lunch is almost ready.

  Mira’s mother hands me a biscuit cake for desert and sits down heavily in a chair. She looks exhausted from the walk over. She resembles her daughter in many ways but with longer, straight hair and more weight around the middle.

  “Everyone, this lovely woman is my mother, Nina.” Mira turns and introduces each of us in turn. “This is Dale and Chase. And, well, you know Tien.”

  Nina props herself up on the table and shakes Dale’s and my hand. She waves over Tien and pulls him into a hug.

  I’ve known Mira for years, but as we usually hang out here, I’ve never actually met her mother. I haven’t met anyone from Tien’s family either, but that’s because Tien doesn’t speak with his parents.

  The timer for the pasta goes off, and Dale turns to take care of it. Nina barely has time to compliment our apartment—something I don’t particularly think worthy of praise—before Dale sets down a steaming pot and fills our plates. My stomach gives a low rumble. With everything going on, I didn’t realize I was hungry until now.

  “This looks lovely,” Nina says when she accepts the plate from Dale. “Thank you for the invitation. It’s such a nice change, not having to cook.”

  Dale waves her off. “The pleasure is ours. Enjoy, enjoy.”

  “Mom, Chase has to take her daughter, Willow, to the hospital for another blood test next week,” Mira says through a forkful. “She’s a little nervous about it.”

  Mira’s mom leans over to me. “Why are you nervous?”

  I shrug. “She had her five-year exam yesterday, and they already want her to come back. I guess I didn’t expect to have to go back so soon.”

  Nina smiles wryly. “The place gives me the creeps, no matter how often I go. Don’t blame you for not wanting to go back.”

  I grab the opportunity to steer the conversation in the right direction, since I think that’s what Mira was doing. “You’ve spent a lot of time there, right?”

  Nina nods, and I can tell it makes her sad.

  “Sorry,” I add, but she waves me off.

  “Don’t worry about it. It’s true. I don’t hold the best memories of the place. Their lack of dedication when my husband was brought in—so badly wounded—still fills me with resentment.” Her fingers clutch her glass like a lifeline. “I am convinced they could have saved him if they had considered him more of a priority. At least he would have had a chance.”

  She sighs deeply and is lost in thought for a moment. None of us say anything, and we wait for her to regain her composure.

  “But that’s not what makes me hate the place as much as I do. It’s the way they treated me when I came in with the migraines. I don’t know what gave them the impression, but they actually thought I was faking in the beginning, thought I was looking for attention.”

  She shakes her head in disbelief. “They thought I was suicidal. Put me on antidepressants and sent me home. I’ve been in and out ever since. Sometimes I stay a few weeks for observation, sometimes I only go for a quick checkup.”

  Mira squeezes her mother’s hand. I feel bad for making the woman relive any of this.

  “I’m not suicidal,” she continues with a hint of anger in her voice. “I just want to get rid of these damn headaches. They never go away. And every few days, the migraines kick in. I don’t need stupid antidepressants that make me feel nauseous. I need real painkillers.” She turns to Tien. “Thank you, darling.”

  Tien smiles uncomfortably and shifts in his chair. “My pleasure, Nina.”

  We push her for little details, slowly getting a picture of the hospital. She’s even passed the blood storage room once. We take care not to look like we are interrogating her, but I have a feeling she’s caught on that we have an ulterior motive. She doesn’t ask any questions, however, and supplies us with answers. As the afternoon goes on, she gives more specific details, as if
she knows we won’t ask but might need them. I wonder what she thinks we want them for but am grateful we don’t have to tell her.

  It’s dinnertime, and I pick up Willow, who is reluctant to leave her friend but eager to meet Nina. She hugs the woman and asks her a million little questions. One of the most important seems to be if Nina likes elephants. She prefers giraffes, something that Willow finds acceptable.

  Shortly after, Nina excuses herself. “I feel another migraine coming. It was a pleasure meeting you today. Thank you for lunch and the pleasant afternoon.”

  She hugs Mira and Tien. She squeezes Dale’s upper arm, then turns to me. “Don’t you worry too much about that hospital visit, dear. I’m sure it will be fine.”

  She pulls me into a hug, pokes Willow on the nose, then turns to leave.

  Dale is giving Willow a bath, and we hear her giggle and splash water around while the rest of us flesh out a plan.

  “I think your mom caught on,” I say to Mira, who looks at me in surprise.

  “Yep, she definitely knew more than she let on. I wonder if she thinks we want to steal more pills for her or something.” Tien grins.

  Mira shakes her head. “No, she would never let us endanger ourselves for her well-being. She must think we have a much more noble reason.”

  An extra-loud giggle from the bathroom makes us smile.

  “Poor Dale.” Tien laughs.

  I grab some paper from Willow’s room and spread it out on the table. We try to recreate a floor plan from what Nina told us, each of us contributing what we can remember.

  Mira takes over this part. As a tattoo artist, she’s the only one here who has any talent to make the drawings look distinguishable. If I tried, it would look worse than the elephants on my fridge.

  We also write down any other details we remember from Nina’s stories. They might come in handy. By the time Dale has managed to get Willow into bed and returns to the kitchen, we have a plan.

  “Okay,” I begin to fill Dale in. “We shouldn’t have much trouble getting into the middle ring.”