Long Run

15

I sat in a room similar to a nurse's office after having stitches placed where Tom had hit me with what was apparently a very sharp rock.  I was given pain medication as well, and although I was hesitant to take it, the doctor wouldn't leave until I did.  And it definitely helped. The door open, but it wasn't the doctor returning like I had expected. 

"How are you feeling?" Alex asked me.

I stared at him, not wanting to talk but also remembering how ineffective that was when I did it with Jason months back.  "Better," I answered simply.

"Good, we don't want you injured on your first day."

"I'm sure you were very concerned," I said sarcastically.

Alex ignored the sarcasm and instead added, "And don't worry, Tom will be fairly punished for what he did."

"You think that makes me happy to hear you're gonna hurt him?" I raised an eyebrow.

"Well he deserves it, doesn't he?" he questioned.

I just shook my head in response and looked away from him, not wanting to talk.

Alex, however, did as he stepped towards me. "Funny, this is your, what...third time getting kidnapped? Fourth if you count being taken to the mental hospital." My eyes widened at the mention of the mental hospital, surprised he knew that. Reading my mind, he added, "Surprised I knew about that? I know everything about you Dr. Katie Hartford." I tensed at the use of my full professional name by him. "I know you grew up with a high IQ but given little attention.  You excelled in school, but your parents paid no attention to you other than to push you to skip grades and graduate early from Harvard. You became a psychologist for criminals, figuring your life couldn't be worse than theirs, and that's where you met my little brother," he summarized my life in a matter of seconds. He smiled, obviously proud of himself.

"You seem to have memorized a lot about me," I observed. It was uncomfortable and creepy how much he knew, and how I could do nothing about it.

"Well, you're a very interesting person, Katie. There's not many people who develop Stockholm Syndrome,"

"You can't be diagnosed with Stockholm Syndrome, it's not in the DSM," I corrected him, tired of hearing the term.

"Just because you can't be diagnosed doesn't mean you don't have it," Alex challenged, then leaning forward.  "Who knows, maybe you'll catch it for me."

I turned my head away and scooted back to create more distance between us, having a sick feeling in my stomach.

"Oh! I also remembered you need these," he pulled out a plastic container of pills that I immediately knew were for my anxiety. "It's nearly morning now, you might want to take one," he encouraged, opening it and handing one out to me.

I stared at the pill in his hand, knowing I needed to take one but also not trusting Alex. "I'm not taking some random pill from you, who knows what it is," I pushed his hand away.

He chuckled. "I get it, you don't trust me." I stared at him, being cautious as I had no idea what was running through his mind. He stared right back though, shrugging before taking the pill himself.

I gasped, instinctively grabbing his wrist to stop him. "You can't just take pills that aren't meant for you!" I raised my voice.

Alex gave me a look. "I've taken much worse. And if I take this pill then you know it's safe for you to take too."

"Let me know how safe it is in a couple hours then," I said, still thinking it could be some date rape drug or something.

"I will, nice to know you care," he teased.

I gave a disgusted look, pushing him away and sitting back again. He was definitely different than Jason, much more into playing with his victims.  He held up the bottle once again and shook it. "I'll have these waiting for you when you realize they're actually safe," he told me. "In the meantime, I'll send some people over to take you to your room." He began to walk toward the door.

"And then what? You're just gonna keep me trapped in here?" I questioned, making him stop n his tracks.

Alex turned back around to face me. "And then we wait for Jason to realize you're missing.  Which shouldn't be long since there were people who saw Tom take you," he answered, about to walk away but stopping once more.  "And it's not like you weren't trapped when you were living with Jason."