Behind Closed Doors

Chapter 8

Lana's POV:

What the fuck did I just witness? Lana's mind swirled around, as she clung onto the toilet bowl, emptying the last remnants of her stomach. The bitter taste of last nights vodka burning the back of her throat.

On shaky legs, the brunette stood, using the wall for support as she unlocked the cubicle door. Greeted by the steady sound of heels tapping against the floor, announcing Nurse Ratched's presence; a mixture of annoyance and amusement plastered on her porcelain face. Red lips biting back a smirk.

At first, Lana didn't acknowledge her presence, refusing to give Mildred the satisfaction of knowing just how much of an effect she had on the younger woman. Of course Nurse Ratched probably had some idea.

"I didn't have you down as the squeamish type, or was it the copious amounts of alcohol you consumed last night?" Ratched said, a complacent note to her voice.

The brunette glanced up, catching dark chocolate eyes through the mirror. "What I do in my own time has nothing to do with you." Lana stated, her voice quiet and raspy as she washed her hands in the sink, throwing some water on her face in the hopes of waking her up a little.

"It does when it effects your working ability, you can't expect to treat patients hungover now can you?"

The sound of rushing water filled the room as Lana chose to ignore the other woman's remarks. Wondering if the intense migraine she was currently suffering from was actually down to her hangover, or if it had something to do with being in the presence of Nurse Ratched. The tall red head was the equivalent to a headache.

"Here," Mildred broke the silence, offering Lana a glass of water and 2 pills. The brunette eyed the other woman suspiciously. "For the nausea." Ratched sighed impatiently.

"No thanks, wouldn't be surprised if you're trying to drug me." The brunette scoffed, switching off the tap, wiping her hands on her uniform.

Nurse Ratched stepped forward, placing the glass of water and pills gingerly on the side. "If I wanted to drug you.. I wouldn't make it so damn obvious, Miss Winters."

Lana still refused to accept anything Mildred offered her, knowing the woman was practically capable of anything. Drugging her in the bathroom definitely sounded like something the nurse would do.

"For goodness sake." Mildred mumbled as though she could read Lana's mind. The nurse picked up a pill, eyes glued to the younger woman. Her movements slow, intricate, as she placed the pill inside her mouth and swiftly washed it down with some water; tongue briefly flicking over her lips, lapping up tiny droplets of water. Ruby red lips stretching out into a patronising smile. "See." A perfectly sculptured eyebrow rose as she held out the glass for Lana to take. "Contrary to what you might think, I'm not a complete bitch."

The brunette eyed the other woman, gaze momentarily dropping to the subtle stain of red lipstick that lingered on the side of the glass. Eyes flicking back up, swallowing the lump in her throat. A trembling hand reached out, slender fingers closing around the glass. Their hands brushed against one another before Mildred lowered hers, picking up the last remaining pill and handing it to Lana.

It was gone within the blink of an eye, the brunette forcing it down with huge gulps of water leaving herself slightly breathless as she wiped her mouth with the bank of her hand, and discarded the glass on the side of the sink.

"Thank you." Lana's voice was barely audible, nothing but a timid whisper. Suddenly feeling very exposed and rather flustered under Mildred's piercing dark eyes. They were stood so close to one another, in such a huge bathroom, but Nurse Ratched chose to stand only an inch away from the younger woman. Heat radiating off her body, deepening the crimson that painted Lana's cheeks, adding just a sliver of colour to her otherwise pale skin; making it rather noticeable under Mildred's watchful gaze.

"You're welcome," there was a pause, the corner of Nurse Ratched's mouth twitching into a lopsided smirk. "But don't make a habit of turning up to work hungover, Miss Winters. Next time I won't be so generous." She added, smirk quickly disappearing behind a tight lipped smile.

Just as quickly as the older woman had offered a morsel of kindness, it had vanished, her usual cold and domineering persona taking over. Lana opened her mouth to speak, but instantly snapped it shut when words failed her.

Suddenly, breaking the tension and silence that hovered above them, the bathroom door swung open; revealing Nurse Bucket on the other side. The woman seemed even more daunting than Nurse Ratched.

Her gaze jumped from Mildred to Lana and back again, brows furrowing as though questioning what she had just interrupted. What intense discussion the women could have been having that promoted them to be stood so close to one another, invading each others personal space, and why Lana looked like a deer caught in headlights.

"Yes?" Nurse Ratched spoke, voice holding a note of impatience as did the expression she held on her face.

Nurse Bucket ignored Mildred's question, eyes drifting back towards the young brunette. "Miss Winters," Lana inwardly cringed at the way her name was spoken, dragging out the 'S' on the end of each word a second longer than necessary. Then she thought about the way Mildred spoke her name, how different each syllable rolled off her tongue, causing chills to run down her spine. She quickly shook the thought away when Nurse Bucket spoke again.

"Dr Hanover would like to see you in his office. Now." She added, refusing to meet Mildred's gaze.

For some unknown reason, the brunette felt herself looking to Nurse Ratched for permission to leave. But then the other nurse interrupted her thoughts, growing more impatient with every passing second. "Come on Miss Winters, I don't have all day." Her heels tapped lightly on the floor as she turned to walk away.

For a moment, Lana's legs refused to cooperate, gaze snapping back towards Mildred.

"Go on then. You heard her, she doesn't have all day." Her voice was mocking, a small hint of amusement behind her usual crisp tone, and Lana couldn't help but smile as she hurried after the older nurse.

—
Hello fellow humans, I am still taking a short break from writing but I started this chapter like a week ago and had to finish it. I have no idea what this is but I hope you enjoyed it. I'm still going to try to write some more for my other stories but I'm not going to push myself to update. If I manage to finish a chapter then I'll publish it, but if not I'll hopefully be posting again next week. Hope you're all having a good day/night!
~T ♡~