Patient Twelve

Chapter Twenty - Six

My lips curled into a smile as I let my head roll to the side to rest against the bed frame. This was finally going to be over.

"I should have sold you," he said. "I should have given you to Dr. Alexander before he found out how difficult you are."

"It's too late," I said. "They're going to find me."

Oliver shuddered as I spoke. He turned his back to me and shook his head.

"I'll have to go upstairs and try to fix this," he said. "You better hope nothing happens to Colin. I don't know when I'll be down again."

Oliver didn't turn around before heading up the stairs. I had to shimmy my wrists up the bed so that I could get onto my knees. Colin was still unconscious, but I could see his chest rising and falling with each breath. I fell back against the bed. The muscles in my shoulders were already beginning to ache.

I listened to the beeping of Colin's heart monitor as I imagined the police barging into the house after tracing the call.

--

I spent hours sitting on the floor. The sharp pain running up my back and down my legs grew worse with every moment that passed. I closed my eyes and would fall asleep. My eyes fluttered when I heard a groan and then a clang of metal. I jumped off of the floor and turned so that I was facing Colin. I was able to rest my elbows against the mattress. Leaning relieved some of the discomfort in my back.

"Who's there?" he asked. His voice was hoarse.

He tried to grab the bandages on his face. He fought against the handcuffs. I managed to cover his one hand with mine.

"Diana," I said. "I am the girl from the cafe."

"The sick one?" he asked.

"I'm not actually sick," I said. "The doctor is the sick one."

"Your eyes," he said. "They aren't contacts, are they?"

"No,"

Colin jerked his wrists as he tried to claw the bandage off of his face. I tried to hold onto his hand, but he pulled away from me. He twisted his back as he tried to rip his hands free. The beeping on the heart monitor picked up.

"He did that to me too, didn't he?" Colin asked.

"Colin, calm down," I said.

"You're fucking crazy," he said.

"Your friend Quinton called," I told him. "I answered and told him to call the cops. They must be able to trace the call."

"He blinded me."

"But he won't kill us."

"I'm such a fucking idiot."

Colin took in a sharp breath. The glasses were knocked off of my face when Oliver punched me. Colin was fairly blurry, but I believed that I could see a few tears escaping from under the gauze.

"How could I not believe you?" he asked. "I was trying to help you, and this happened to me."

"Listen, we're getting out of this," I said.

Footsteps echoed above us as someone was walking around upstairs. Colin sniffled back a sob. Oliver must have heard the two of us talking and wanted to check on his progress. We listened as he moved around.

The door creaked open. I looked over my shoulder at the blurry figure coming down the stairs. Colin was wiggling against the restraints as his anxiety grew with each audible step. I looked back over to him, and his grip tightened on my hand. I ran my thumb over his knuckles.