In the basement of the hospital an orderly pushes a gurney with the body of Marquita under a thin sheet into the morgue. A folder of paperwork rests on her feet. The attendant looks up when he hears the door open and smiles. He walks over to the gurney and helps the orderly push it into place by an examination table.
“Hey Dave, what do you have for me?”
The orderly removes the paperwork from Marquita’s feet, and hands it to the attendant.
“Female. Sixteen. Didn’t make it out of surgery.”
Neither realizes Mechteld presence in a corner nook of the room, kneeling under a shelf with large bottles of bleach. Mechteld is once again in her hoodie, ball cap, and shemagh. Her bag is open in front of her with a small box poking out the top. As the orderly and the attendant make small conversation she takes out the box and opens it; letting it’s contents run across the floor.
The attendant braces himself against the metal counter and lifts his feet away from the floor.
“Was that a rat?”
Dave bends at the knees and watches the brown rat before it disappears under a table. “Yeah, a big one.”
Still leaning defensively against the counter the attendant says, “Shit, my supervisor is going to be pissed. We had a critical violation during our last inspection.”
Dave kneels lower for a better look.
“I can get maintenance for you.”
The attendant examines the ground carefully before stepping away from the counter. “I’ll go. I don’t want to be in the same room with that thing. I hate rats.”
The two men leave the room and moments later Mechteld crawls out from under the shelf. She momentarily walks out into the hall, but quickly returns with a wheel chair. She rolls it next to Marquita’s gurney and sets the brakes.
She goes to Marquita’s body and takes off the sheet. Marquita is motionless and still in her hospital dressing gown. Her eyes are closed and her head now has three long and connected stitched scars. Mechteld unties the top of the hospital gown and quickly dresses Marquita’s lifeless body into a long sleeve shirt with a faded design and a long brown skirt. Mechteld sits Marquita’s unstable body up and hooks her arm under Marquita’s knees. She quickly sits Marquita into the awaiting chair and adjusts the footrest of the chair before carefully placing Marquita’s feet in them. Mechteld grabs her bag and takes out the four remaining items: a black hijab, a pair of flip-flops, a medical facemask, and a pair of sunglasses. She finishes dressing Marquita and tries to steady her body into a less conspicuous position.
Mechteld releases the brakes on wheel chair and pushes Marquita near the door. She turns and takes the sheet and dressing gown that covered Marquita and throws them into a nearby linens basket. Before leaving, she collects the paperwork the orderly had brought and stuffs it into her bag. She opens the door and backs the two of them out and casually walks down the hall to the elevator. Mechteld backs the wheelchair into the elevator and presses the button for the lobby. She then takes out and puts on her sun glasses and adjusts her hood. When the elevator doors open again she pushes Marquita out into the crowded lobby. She keeps her face looking forward and aloof as she pushes Marquita to the exit. Without looking back Mechteld walks outside in into the busy afternoon street.
“Damn, it’s gotten hotter,” she says quietly to herself.
ns 15.158.61.8da2
