“I’m fine,” Wendy cut in. She really didn’t want to have this conversation, especially out in the open with everyone watching. “I want to be here, really. It’s a nice distraction.” Wendy tossed a nervous glance back over her shoulder.

Nurse Judy followed her gaze. Her lips set in a firm line. “Well, go on then. And you let me know if anyone gives you any trouble, okay?” Wendy nodded in reply. She slinked off to the recreation room as Nurse Judy barked at the other nurses, “You two must be bored if you’re just standing around! I’ve got some bedpans you can clean!”

Wendy ducked around a corner and pushed open the door to the recreation room. A wave of noise rushed over her as she walked in. Building blocks were stacked in a heap in one corner of the room. There were tables in the back with a flurry of construction paper and markers. Bean bags were piled up by the books and kids bounced around everywhere. In the far corner were two outdated desktop computers that the older kids sometimes ventured in to use. There was always at least one nurse there overseeing the chaos, but right now she was trying to wrestle a glue stick out of Cindy-Who-Puts-Everything-Up-Her-Nose’s hands.

Something crashed into Wendy’s knees. She let out a strangled yelp and stumbled back. Luckily, she was able to catch herself before toppling over.

“Miss Wendy!” the little girl squeaked as she attached herself to Wendy’s legs.

“Rachel.” Wendy breathed a sigh of relief. She did her best to give her a smile even though her skeleton had nearly leapt out of her skin. “You scared me!”

“Are you going to tell us a story?” Rachel asked, giving her a big smile. There was a large gap where her two front teeth should have been. Rachel had beautiful brown curls that her mother tried to force into ponytails, but they were always crooked and tufts fell out at the nape of her neck. Rachel liked to color and had a knack for getting rogue marker lines all over her cheeks. Her wild gesturing must have made her parents a nervous wreck, since Rachel had been in and out of the hospital getting procedures done to her eye.

“Of course I am,” Wendy said. She led the way to the corner of the room that housed a couple of short bookshelves. They were crammed with a rainbow of book spines.

Finding Peter would have to wait. Right now, she just needed to focus and get through her shift.

“Yes!” Rachel clapped her hands together before launching herself onto a beanbag chair.