Conduit Read Online Free PDF

entered and offered her hand to Jimmie.  “Hello. I’m Dr. Ronson.”
    “I’m Lizzie’s guardian, Jimmie Abram,
and this is a family friend, Lev Walker.”  They shook, and Ronson grabbed the
chart to take a peek as she nodded to them both,
acknowledging the greeting.
    So what’s going on?” Lev asked,
unable to keep his curiosity in check.  He shoved his hands deep into his jeans
pockets just to keep them busy.
    “We think you’re right, Mr. Walker. 
She’s had at least one seizure.  What we are trying to do now is figure out
what is causing them and how serious they are.”  She looked at Lizzie.  “Does
she have any history of seizures?”
    “No,” Jimmie said.  “I’ve cared for
Lizzie since she was a child and she’s never had any seizures at all that I’m
aware of.  This is new.”  He frowned and tried to reconcile this information
with what Evan had said, knowing the truth was somewhere in the middle of
everything.
    “All right.  If that’s the case,
she’s probably going to be here a while so we can try to figure out what’s
causing this sudden health concern.  When the tests come back, we will
hopefully get some answers.”
    Jimmie nodded, wondering if they’d
find something, considering that all of this might have been caused by
something not of this world.
    “How long do you think she’ll have to
stay?” Lev asked, gazing at her worriedly.  A sheen of sweat covered her face,
and her lips seemed dry, dehydrated.
    “I don’t know for sure. It’s probably
going to take a few days to go through what we need, and once we get the
results back, we can figure out where to go from there. I’ll have the nurse
work on her paperwork to check her into the hospital.  There’s no point in
typing up an ER exam room when we know the tests are going to take longer than
today.  Are there any more questions I can answer for you?”
    While Lev stared blankly at Lizzie,
Evan appeared in the corner of the room, and while he could see his father, he
doubted anyone else could.  Lev shook his head.  “No.”  His voice sounded
small, rather like he felt just then.
    “The nurse will be in shortly with
paperwork to move her upstairs.  Be patient, and we’ll find the answers.”
    With those words, the doctor headed
out into the hallway. 
    “Regardless of how long she remains
in the hospital, they won’t find a way to explain the seizures because they
cannot be explained by illness,” Evan said softly, his eyes meeting Lev’s. 
    “What are dybbuks ?” Jimmie asked,
glancing between Lev and Evan, waiting for one of them to clarify.
    “They are souls who have either
refused a sojourn or have fallen through the cracks because of a sojourn which
went wrong.”
    Confused, Jimmie staggered backward a
step.  “Aren’t all souls forced to sojourn one way or another?”  He folded his
arms across his chest, trying to calm down.
    “In theory, yes, but sometimes things
happen…things even the best sojourners have no control over.”  Evan leaned over
and touched Lizzie’s face, and he frowned.  “Some souls just refuse to leave.  Most
of the time, sojourners can force the journey, but every once in a while the
souls realize that they have a choice.  Ultimately, the power is with the soul. 
They can continue to stay in the human realm without a body, but it comes at
the cost of their sanity.”
    “They’re ghosts?”  Jimmie’s tone
rose.
    “For all intents and purposes, yes.” 
Satisfied that Lizzie was as calm as could be, he stepped back.
    “What do they want with her?” Jimmie
asked, glancing at the clock.  Its loud ticking distracted him.  He wondered if
other patients minded it because surely every room in the hospital had one.
    “ Dybbuks are parasites,” Lev
snapped, glaring at Evan sharply. “They try to take over any host body they
think will support them.”
    “But why Lizzie, and why now?” 
Jimmie glanced from Lev to Evan, hoping one of them had some