Every red light felt unbearably long. Every slow car seemed deliberately placed in my path.
By the time I reached the hospital, my heart was pounding.
The automatic doors opened, and I hurried inside.
Diane was waiting in the hallway with her arms wrapped tightly around herself. She did not greet me or even attempt to smile.
“Come with me,” she said.
I followed her past the reception desk and down a bright corridor that smelled of disinfectant.
“Please tell me what happened,” I said. “Did Aaron hurt someone? Did he say something to Lily?”
Diane continued walking.
“He crossed a boundary.”
I stopped.
“A boundary?”
She turned toward me.
“It didn’t end with him shaving his head.”
“What does that mean?”
“Lily is a private person. Now everyone on this floor is talking about her. People have opinions. People are telling stories. They’re looking into her room.”
