Satin Princess(25)
But I feel her.
Her blue eyes are latched onto me, waiting for the perfect moment to creep out of the shadows and finish what she started.
“Where are we?” I ask faintly as the nurse counts out a number of pills and separates them into the open vials arranged in front of her.
“The Four Seasons,” she says with a kind smile. “Nicest place I’ve ever worked in. And I’ve worked in some nice places.”
I blink. Is that supposed to be a joke? I can’t tell.
She looks so sweet. Her features are naturally maternal, and the way she’s looking at me is both sympathetic and patient.
But I can’t trust it. I can’t trust my instincts anymore.
“Why don’t you have some water?” she suggests when I wait too long to answer. “You’ll feel better.”
She holds the cup up to my lips without waiting for me to respond. I jerk away so fast that the cup spills down onto the front of my clothes.
“Oh, dear!” she gasps. “I’m so sorry.”
She looks pained as she tries to clean me up. For the first time, I realize I’m not wearing the same clothes I remember putting on this morning. All I have on is a large cotton t-shirt and a pair of panties. Is it even the same morning? I don’t know how long I’ve been out for.
“We should change your t-shirt,” the nurse remarks. “I don’t want you catching a chill on top of everything else.”
I blink again, feeling stupider and stupider with every passing second. What does that mean: “on top of everything else”?
She walks away to busy herself with something on the far side of the massive room. I take note of my surroundings warily. The bed I’m on is massive. I could Stop, Drop, and Roll in every direction and still not tumble off the end.
Beyond the bed, the whole room is carpeted in a luxurious, camel-colored rug that looks deep enough to swim in. Matching blinds are parted to either side of a huge window that offers a jaw-dropping view of the city of London.
It’s beautiful, no doubt about it. But all I can think when I look out at the skyscrapers is, She’s out there somewhere. The woman who tried to kill my baby.
The nurse walks through a door to the right of the bar and walks back out with another t-shirt similar to the one I’m wearing.
“Here,” she says with a bright smile. “Let’s put this on.”
I shake my head and back away from her.
She frowns. “What’s the matter, dear?”
“W-where is she?” I manage to stutter.
“Who?”
“Freya. I mean… Marina.”
The nurse frowns and looks around the room as though she expects Marina to step out and reveal herself.
“Um, is that another nurse I’m not aware of?” she asks. “Because I thought only Carla and Ann were assigned to this job.”
“Please,” I whisper, looking around the room. “Please let me out of here.”
Her brow furrows. “Oh, dear…”
“I need to get out of here before she comes back. Please.”
“Dear,” the nurse says. “You must be a little disoriented. The only people here are the ones that have been taking care of you for the past two days.”
Two days. Now, that one has got to be a joke. Right?
Right?
“You’re lying.” I feel bad just saying it. This woman seems so legitimate. She says she’s a nurse and she certainly looks the part, but if I’ve learned anything in the last few months, it’s that I’m a shit judge of character.
It’s her turn to blink in confusion. “Why would I lie about that? Maybe I should go and get—”
“If you bring her in here, I’ll scream.”
“Honey,” the nurse says, reaching for my hand. I flinch back, and she looks at me with obvious pity. “You’ve really been through something, haven’t you?”
“Just let me go,” I whisper.
“I don’t think you’re being forced to stay, honey.”
I want to laugh out loud. If only that were true.
“Let’s just… let’s just get you out of that wet t-shirt, okay?” she tries again.
I shake my head and push myself into the farthest corner of the bed. The nurse looks at a loss for words. She’s spared from making a third attempt at helping me when the door opens and two people stride in.
The first is a man in a white coat and thick, round glasses with clear frames. The second is a woman with blonde hair.
Fear hits me so hard that I don’t even stop to look at her face. The scream leaves my throat instantly, and once I’ve started screaming, I’m not sure I can stop.
The room descends into chaos, everyone scurrying around. Through it all, the blonde nurse rushes towards me.
“Hold her down!” she barks in a commanding voice.
I’m so panicked that I can’t see. Can’t think. I’m convinced this blonde woman is Marina, and I refuse to let her anywhere near me.
“Don’t touch me!” I shriek when she tries to get closer. “Don’t fucking touch me!”
The woman steps out of range of my thrashing. “Take her arm. We might have to sedate her.”
“No!” I scream, tossing my arms and legs violently,