Lost Horizons

Chapter Twenty Eight

She raked her brain for some words of comfort but she had never been good at that. That was one of the reasons why Sienna never had good friendships. She wasn't a people person. What could one say to someone who was suffering from anorexia? Sienna had her own mental issues so she knew that the simple 'don't worry' it's going to be okay' wouldn't help her. Sienna knew how tiring and irritating those words were. She had heard them so many times from nurses, doctors and family members and they never gave her any comfort.

Sometimes words were not the answer. Since Sienna couldn't think of anything she simply pulled Ana close and hugged her. It was a warm, loving hug that said 'I'm here for you'. It was the best thing Sienna could think to offer.

Ana was taken aback at first but then she seemed to relax into the hug. She then wrapped her arms around Sienna as if saying 'thank you. I got your back too'. It was one of those moments when no words were necessary. After the heartfelt embrace, they untangled and Sienna thought of something she could say.

"Ana you can beat this if you chose to. It's all in your head," the words of her last doctor at the hospital. When she had heard them the first time she had been angry. The doctor was acting as though she had a choice in the matter. How could Sienna beat the voices? It's not as if she wanted to hear them. But later on Sienna had begun to understand what he meant. The voices only had power over her if she let them. She didn't know if Ana would comprehend the meaning behind her words right away but she hoped that someday she would remember them and it would help her.

Ana didn't shed any tears, to Sienna's surprise, but she could tell Ana didn't want to be alone. Sienna suggested they go back to her room and so they did. Some girl time was something Sienna was looking forward to. Ever since Scarlett had backstabbed Tristan and her she hadn't really talked to anyone but Tristan.

Up in her room, they sat on the bed and shared some chips. Ana decided to open up and tell her a bit about her life and how she had become anorexic. Sienna could tell that just talking about it was making her feel better. It was as if a weight of grief was slowly being lifted from her shoulders. Sienna wished she could be honest as well but there was too much at stake. She couldn't risk anything this close to the end.

Still it felt good to help someone feel better. That was enough to cheer Sienna up a bit. For once since finding out about the plans of the school from Tristan, she could distract her mind and think about something different. She had all night to worry about tomorrow's event anyway.

The nurses froze when they heard the distinctive clicking of heels echoing through the halls. The sound was like a warning bell for the staff. Mrs. Hale was approaching the perimeters. There were rumors about her that circulated around the office. No one could confirm them but what was known was the strong dislike all the employees had for the cold hearted woman. She appeared to have no mercy for anyone, she never showed any kindness and she was all about business.

"I trust all shots have been checked and are ready to be packed up. They must be shipped off to Oak Wood tonight. We need everything to be set for tomorrow morning." Mrs. Hale instructed as she tapped the black pen against the clipboard. She sighed in annoyance when no one said anything. She could smell the fear in the room like a shark could smell blood. "Where is Dr. Lucian? He should be here with the confirmation." She was greeted with the same impending silence once again.

She rolled her eyes and muttered something about having to do everything around here.

Dr. Lucian had been missing all day. She didn't understand how he could go missing at the most crucial moment of the whole operation. He was supposed to be supervising the nurses and checking the syringes and the dosages for the patients. The medication needed his approval before being packed off.

"Don't just stare. Back to work everyone!" she yelled when she noticed all the nurses' eyes were on her. They quickly followed her command and continued their work. A lot still needed to be done if they were going to have everything set for tomorrow.

Mrs. Hale marched over to the conference room where the team of doctors would probably be. She expected Lucian to be there.

When she walked in, all eyes turned to her. The doctors didn't fear her as much as the nurses did but they were still apprehensive with her arrival.

"Hello Hale," one of the doctors said to her as he adjusted his glasses.

"Where is Lucian?" she demanded not bothering to reply back to the greeting. She didn't have time for such trivial and unimportant things.

"There has been no sign of him today," another doctor replied.

"How is this possible? He was supposed to be here monitoring the medication. It needs to be shipped out tonight. Today is the most important day on our agenda. Dr. Smith have you been verifying the dosages?"

"Of course. Here are the reports. Everything appears to be fine," he handed the papers over to Hale. He waited as she scanned over the documents. Everyone stopped what they were doing. Tension filled silence descended upon the room as the group of doctors and researchers awaited the powerful woman's approval. The doctor watched her emotionless face, which in Hale's world meant satisfaction. He was about to relax and get back to his work when he heard one single sound of displeasure.

"These dosages are too low," Mrs. Hale commented with a raised brow and a cold glare.

"These were approved by Dr. Lucian himself." The doctor explained.

"And this is why he should be here to explain to me why they are so low! What if it isn't enough? We can't be conducting these tests every few days. We can't afford to take these risks. It is enough of a hassle to get the board to approve and get all the patience together at once." She explained in annoyance.

"But ma'am we have been conducting tests on patients for months now. We are quite sure this dose will work. Dr. Lucian himself-"

"That's what he said last time and yet the effect on the patients only lasted a few days. We can't have the board thinking we have failed. We need them to trust us. Need I remind you how much is at stake? Increase the dose. We need more permanent effects. I can't have this failing on me again. This time we need to be sure," the determination in her voice was almost frightening.

"But ma'am increasing the doses could harm some of the patients. As you've seen they don't all react the same way,"

"That's a chance I'm willing to take," she replied calmly.

"I really think we should run this past Dr. Lucian first, ma'am,"

"Dr. Lucian is not here. You do not answer to him, you answer to me. Now do as I say. I expect the changes to be ready by 7:00 o' clock sharp. Don't disappoint me," she barked before she left the room.

A/N: Short chapter. Next one will be longer. I just wanted to post something so you guys wouldn't think I was abandoning the story or anything like that. My goal was to finish it before the new year started but due to a bunch of unplanned circumstances i wasn't able to do that. However the book is coming to an end very soon. We only have a few more chapters left.

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