Death's Captive: Will she escape eternal confinement?

CHAPTER 17

It took me a while to track Jason down. I couldn't see his name on any patient lists on any of the wards, so the hospital must have listed him and his details as confidential, probably trying to limit the spread of gossip that would already be flooding the hospital. That meant I had to wander into every room in the hospital before I finally found him in a small private room at the end of a corridor. When I arrived Reeves was still unconscious, and Matthews was standing at the end of his bed reviewing his chart.

I'm happy to hang here watching him. It's not like I've got anything better to do, and I feel a little responsible for bringing him back when Niklaus clearly doesn't want him here. Part of me is also hopeful that being close to Jason might trigger more lost memories from my past.

Jason begins to rouse, and a spasm of pain flinches across his features as he tries to shift his limbs into a more comfortable position. His bloodshot eyes scan the room and he groans as he shifts his neck towards Dr Matthews. She moves to the seat beside the bed, clipboard in hand, and she begins to scribble some notes as Jason adapts to his surroundings.

"Evening Jason," Matthews says, without looking up from her clipboard.

"Is it still evening?"

"Sunday evening. You've been asleep all day."

Jason emits a soft groan.

Matthews continues. "How are you feeling?"

Jason leans back into the pillow, eyes shift to the ceiling and he seems to be assessing himself.

"Not great. My body is aching and my head thumping," he says while reaching his hand to his face and pressing the indentations on the ridge of his eyebrows.

Matthews reaches for a remote and presses the button then continues with her paperwork.

As the pain medication hit his veins, his hand drops from his face, and the tension eases from his face.

"Thank you."

She nods.

"What are you writing?" Jason asks.

"An incident report"

Jason's complexion goes white and his eye widen slightly. It seems the gravity of the situation he's in has just hit him.

"I need to know what you took last night, Jason."

Jason looks surprised. "You didn't do a tox screen?"

"No. That's why I need to know what you took." Matthews is blunt with her words and it's hard for me to tell what she's thinking. She brushes back a few loose strands of hair that had fallen in front of her face and looks at Jason for a response.

"Wellbutrin. I'm trying to quit smoking – I must have accidently taken it twice."

I believe him so I'm not sure why Matthews looks sceptical. Her face is a blank slate, and she gives nothing away on how she is going to deal with this situation.

Maybe she's remembering that doctor who was dismissed in disgrace a few years ago. Davies, I think his name was. He was caught smoking marijuana with the orderlies after his shift. Matthews never had much time for him because he wore his hair long in a ponytail – she used to call him the hippy – but I recall she was upset about him losing his job.

Matthews holds the power to make Reeves's life miserably tedious with mandatory drug testing and counselling. And she'll take a risk with her own career if she covers up his actions. I hope my intervention doesn't cause Jason a world of financial and legal hurt.