Opening the door, I rush down the corridor to the nurses’ station. My fist pounds on the door, but there’s no answer. Moving around to the other side and peering through a gap in the curtains, I spot all the nurses chatting over tea and coffee. I bang on the window angrily, and one by one, they turn to me.
It’s Vera who gets up and opens the door. Hooded eyes reveal tiredness, her nightshift almost over. “Why aren’t you asleep. You can’t have any more medication, Heidi.”
“I don’t want pills,” I snap impatiently. “I need to see Milton Hood.”
She cocks an eyebrow. “Who?”
Is she kidding me?
“Milton Xavier Hood,” I repeat, pronouncing his name slower. “He has an office on the other side of the building.” I point down the corridor. “You took me to him the before, don’t you remember? I need to speak to him. Tell him it’s urgent.”
She scratches her head. “I don’t know who you are talking about.” Turning to the other nurses, she asks, “Do any of you know a Milton Hood?”
They all shake their heads.
“He’s here,” I say, exasperated that nobody seems to know who the fuck he is. “I will take you to his office right now if you let me go through those doors—”
“That side of the building has been closed down for fifteen years, Heidi.” I blink in shock. Disbelief. “Come now, it’s early. You should still be in bed. I will send a message to Dr. Rogue in a couple hours if you really have to speak to someone.”
“No!” I shout louder than intended. This is ridiculous. There’s no way I imagined him. Lifting my hand to wipe the sweat from my forehead, I sigh, “Please just listen. I don’t want to see Dr. Rogue. I want Milton Hood. He’s the only one who can help me. Please. Maybe if you contact Lisa, you’ll find him.”
“Lisa, who?”
“Calderway. She said if I ever needed to contact him, I contact her first.”
“Heidi,” Vera breathes, stress evident in her tone. “I really wish I could help you, but I swear I don’t know who you are talking about. Come now, I’ll bring you back to your room myself. You can watch some television.”
She tries to take hold of my arm, but I move back a few steps. “This is bullshit, Vera, and you know it. You know who I’m talking about…” I trail off, something reminding me of a particular gag order he tried to have me sign.
“Did he have you all sign that NDA?” She looks right through me. “He did, didn’t he? You signed—you all did, and that’s why you can’t talk about him.”
I laugh. Of course. How could I be such an idiot? And Vera here is in the wrong profession. What a terrific actress. But, of course, she shakes her head. “We didn’t sign anything. Come on, back to your room.”
“Stop making me out to be crazy!” She goes to grab me, and her hand catches my arm, but I pull away. “Why aren’t you listening to me?”
“Calm down this instant,” she scolds, taking hold of my arm again. “There are sick girls in bed who are resting. You are going to disturb them.”
“You don’t fucking understand!” Hot tears of frustration tumble down my face. “I have to speak to him. I need—”
Two other nurses join Vera to help, while others watch from afar. “This isn’t like you, Heidi,” one of the nurses says. “If I knew who this man was, I’d get him for you.”
I snort in her face. “No, you wouldn’t. You don’t give a shit. Nobody in this fucking place gives a shit!”
Vera steps forward and points down the corridor. “Back to your bedroom. There’s nothing we can do for you here. I will make sure you see Dr. Rogue later.”
That’s it.
I go for her, wanting desperately to get my hands around her neck. Before I can even touch her, two male orderlies that must’ve been sneaking up behind me grab me. “Get the hell off me!” I shout, bucking my body from their grabby hands. “You’re all damn liars! He’s real, and you know it!”
They drag me down the corridor, kicking and screaming, and put me into my bedroom. After dumping me on my bed, Vera and the brunette nurse enter. As hands hold me down, I scream when Vera holds up a syringe with a clear liquid inside—like something out of a godawful horror movie. Leaning over, she drives it into my vein, and she’s not gentle about it. It stings as she presses down the plunger, injecting me with poison. “He’s real,” I sob, the room getting hazy.
Sleepy. I’m sleepy…
Then the room fades to black.
Chapter Sixteen
They up my medication—an array of colorful tablets emptied down my throat twice a day to keep me subdued and unable to get out of bed. They stripped me of privileges and took my choices. All because I lost control. Had a meltdown.
The dose is strong, forcing me to be relaxed and tired. So tired. I drift in and out of consciousness, floating in an endless sky of clouds.
I think Dr. Rogue visits me at some point. What day or time I have no idea. Just know that she said things to me.
This is for your own good.
You’re going to be just fine.
Gabriella doesn’t come. Maybe they told her I have the flu or something. Who knows? They lie. Every single fucking one of them in this stupid place is a liar. All because I asked to see someone they know is real.
I don’t stop asking for him despite it making the situation worse. I never stop. They ignore me, roll their eyes at me, and tell me Milton has to be a figment of my imagination, which I made up for attention.
The more I ask, the more they sedate me. God only knows how much time has passed. A few days. Weeks. Maybe a month. And while I’m stuck like this, the clock ticks down the days
