The next morning, Sibylla's mom showed up at the school with two dresses for each girl to choose from. When their decisions had been made, each girl had a beautiful party dress that would be perfect for dancing the night away.
Evening finally came and all of the girls were dressed and ready. All of them had taken turns doing the other's hair and nails and even a little makeup. Ella opted for no makeup because she had never been around it, but she had to admit, she loved getting her hair and nails done. She didn't think she was stepping too far out of bounds by having them done either. She left her nails a natural color and her hair was piled on top of her head in an "up do". She had never been dressed up like this and she felt like a princess. She looked at herself in the mirror and was surprised at what she saw. Her dress was black and relatively short at being a little above her knees. It had long sleeves and was sort of form fitting to her body. Ella was a little alarmed when she first tried it on. She never had anything on that hugged her body the way this did. It wasn't tight though, and it did have a full front so her decolletage was covered and that was important to her. Her hair had been put up by Lucy, and Ella was impressed by what a good job she had done. She decided she was quite happy with the way she looked.
The other girls were dressed just as beautifully, and they were all ready to take their journey to the club. They found out that even though the location was reserved for the school, the owners were still going to allow guests from the public in. This had been discussed with the leadership of the school, and they were comfortable with this, because they had many chaperones that were going to be there. Also, only those students 18 and older were allowed to go to this particular event. There were other events that had been planned for the younger students.
They took their turn to ride to the club in one of the limousines that was provided for the event. Ella had never ridden in anything like it, nor had she ever seen the inside of a club, not even in any of the movies she had seen since being at the school. This was the most exciting thing she had ever done. Once they got inside, she was mesmerized by the lights and all of the glimmer and sparkle of everything. The music was loud. She thought, almost too loud, but she wasn't going to let that bother her. There were a lot of people there and she knew there were a lot that weren't associated with the school, by the way they were dressed. There were many beautiful ladies in very short and skimpy dresses. Ella was shocked at how revealing some of the dresses were. There were quite a few that left nothing to the imagination, and she didn't understand how any women could wear something that showed her body off so brazenly. The men weren't as easy to distinguish between. She recognized many male students and staff, but there were others that she had no idea if they were from the school or regular patrons of the place. The girls settled into a small table and watched as the people danced and drank. Of-course the students from the school were not allowed to drink any alcoholic drinks, but they could have fancy virgin drinks. Ella thought it was funny how they were called virgin drinks. When the reasoning for it was explained to her, she understood, but it was still odd to her that they would be called that. Each of them decided on a drink and also accepted several items from a tray of hors d oeuvres that had been sent to their table. Ella decided even if she didn't dance or talk to anyone other than her friends, she would still have a great time. Just being there was thrilling enough. She loved watching everyone too. It was quite entertaining.
As the evening went on, the girls got out on the dance floor and danced. No one asked them to dance, but that didn't matter to any of them. They danced with each other. Ella wasn't sure about her friends, but the thought of someone asking her made her cringe. She didn't want to dance with a boy, but she didn't want to hurt anyone's feelings either. It would be best if no one asked. It wasn't long before Millicent announced she needed to make a trip to the lady's room so they decided they would all go. They knew this meant they could lose their table, but they knew they could find another, even though it wouldn't be in as good of a location. As is typical of many ladies' bathrooms, there was a line. They made the best of it and laughed and talked while they were waiting.
"Do you know who I just saw right before we walked in here?" Sibylla almost couldn't wait for them to answer.
Before anyone answered, Ella was already afraid of what the answer was.
"Let me guess...It's the doctor!" Lucy answered in an excited voice. She wanted to see him in dressy clothes. She, like the others, was of the opinion that it was best to watch him from afar. Usually, the less attention one drew from him, the better off they were. He had always been nice to her, especially when she had her allergic reaction, but she only spoke to him if he asked her a question in his class, or if she was not feeling well and needed a doctor. Other than that, she admired his good looks from a distance. Of course, poor Ella wasn't as lucky. And since Ella had been there, they had all gotten more attention from him than they were used to. He had always been nice when he was checking on them. She knew his reputation of being such a monster was probably a little unfair, but she had seen him get angry at people, and it wasn't a pretty sight.
"Yes!" exclaimed Sibylla. She could tell by the look on Ella's face that she still wasn't completely over what had happened in the cafeteria the other evening. "I'm sorry Ella...I'm not meaning to make you feel bad. You shouldn't feel bad about any of that though. He does scare people. Maybe he needed to hear that."
"Oh, no, you're not at all." Ella answered as convincingly as she could. "I promise. I'm over that now." She was able to muster up a weak smile. She had to admit that down inside, she was glad to hear that he was at the dance.
"When we all get out of here, maybe we will walk around a little. I think our seats will be taken anyway." Millicent was wanting to see if she could catch a glimpse of him too, but she didn't want the others to necessarily know that. She was just curious to see him outside of school.
The girls made their way out of the bathroom one by one. Ella was the last of the four of them to be in line. She was still in there and it was moving slowly. Standing so long in line made them want to sit again for a few minutes before starting their walk. The shoes they were all wearing were not very comfortable. While they were waiting for Ella, Millicent noticed that their table was still available. It was not that far away, and for a few seconds through the crowd, she had a clear view of it.
"You guys our table is still empty. My poor feet are killing me. Let's go sit down for a few minutes and then we will walk around some. I'm going to go tell Ella to come back to the table when she is done." Millicent went back into the bathroom to find Ella. The music was being piped in and it made it louder in there than it was out in the main part of the club. Right as Millicent entered back into the bathroom, Ella was just starting to go into a stall. She got Ella's attention and yelled as loud as she could that they were going back to their same table. Ella nodded her head, yes and Millicent nodded her head, yes, to verify that Ella had heard her. Again, Ella nodded her head. She walked out and went back to their seats with the other girls.
When Ella finished up, she came out of the bathroom and looked around for her friends. She was confused because she didn't see them. She realized that maybe Millicent hadn't said what she thought, because she knew they wouldn't leave without her unless there was a reason. She stood there for a moment watching for them, but there were still a lot of people there, and that made it difficult to see very far.
Ella decided to walk around a little in that area to see if she could spot them. Only a few people away from Ella, were three men that were looking for someone in the club that had been part of a small-time crime ring they were all involved in. The young lady, who apparently bore a strong resemblance to Ella, had skipped town earlier in the year when she was supposed to have been bringing a large sum of money to them. They had heard that she was back in town and supposed to have been at the club tonight. One of the men spotted Ella, and mistakenly thought it was her and got the other men's attention. Ella was so concentrated on finding her friends, that she didn't notice as the three men were walking toward her, with their eyes directly on her. Finally, right before they got to her, she noticed them. One of the men tried to catch her by the arm and told her she was to go with them. She was completely confused.
"I'm not going anywhere with you!" she said loudly. She jerked her arm from his and she started making her way around people and through the crowd looking behind her. She saw that they were close to her but because the floor was so crowded, they were being held back just enough for her to get some leeway. She was starting to feel a little better, thinking she had lost them, when one of them came from her side and grabbed her by her arm again, in a much tighter grip. She was trying to make him release his grip on her, but no one seemed to notice because there were a lot of people standing so close to each other that the struggle was being obscured by all of the bodies. She became more terrified when she realized he was pulling her in the direction of the exit. Once you go out, there is no entrance back in and there was no attendant standing at the exits like there were at the entrances. This gave her the burst of determination she needed to get away and she dug her fingernails from her free hand as hard as she could into his arm. With a shriek he pulled his arm away, releasing her and she pushed through the crowd again, not caring this time that she was pushing people rudely out of the way. The crowd was thinned out in the area she had gotten to, and she could see ahead of her, in the distance, a sight she thought she would never be happy to see. It was the doctor. He was standing there with some of the other professors watching the dance floor. He had a drink in his hand and was apparently laughing at something one of his fellow professors had said. She couldn't help but notice that he looked so cheerful and carefree. For a second, she wasn't even sure if it was really him, but she quickly decided it was. By some stroke of luck, even though he was relatively far away, he looked through the crowd, now just in time to see her looking at him, and his eyes told her he knew she was in trouble. She looked back again and could see the man making his way toward her again and another wave of panic began to rise up in her. She turned back around and looked in the direction that the doctor had been standing in, and he wasn't there anymore. Her already racing heart now felt like it fell into her stomach and a sinking feeling overcame her. She felt someone grasping at her arm and she knew it was the man. She turned to try to hit him, and she gasped as he grabbed her arm and roughly jerked her toward him. Before she knew it, she was wrapped up in his grip and being led in the direction of the exit, again. He spoke loudly in her ear, knowing no one around them could hear, telling her that he had a knife pressed into her back. By then, she could feel the sharp point pressing through her dress, so she knew he wasn't lying. He threatened that if she screamed or kept fighting him, he would stick the knife deep into her back. She stopped fighting for the moment, desperately trying to think of a way to get away from him. She devised a plan, that once they were back in an area that wasn't as packed as this one, she would allow herself to collapse and become dead weight for him. He may think she passed out, causing him to pull the knife away from her long enough for her to make a scene to get some help without getting stabbed. She looked in the direction he was taking her and realized the crowd was not becoming any lighter. She was becoming more alarmed because he was pushing the knife into her back so hard now that she was sure it had punctured her dress and was now cutting into her skin. Ironically, she was starting to see black spots in front of her and she was afraid she may really pass out. She knew if she did, he would simply carry her out, telling everyone that she had drank too much. She decided she had no choice but to fight, even if it meant getting cut. She looked down and had a good shot of his foot. Her heals were not very high, but they could still cause some pain. She mustered up all the strength she had and lifted up her foot and stomped down as hard as she possibly could. Using the spike of her heel she was digging it into the top of his foot. This caused him to yell and lighten his grip on her enough for her to pull away and escape the knife in her back. She tried to break away from him completely, but he quickly regained his composure and within another few seconds, had her firmly back in his grip. He angrily told her if she tried anymore moves like that, he would drive the knife deep into her back. He was so angry, that he wanted to punch her in her face, but he knew he couldn't...not with so many people around. She was starting to feel hopeless, and the tears were starting to well up in her eyes.
"Why are you doing this?" she yelled at him, the tears were running down her face. He glanced down at her but didn't answer. As he started moving toward the exit again, he was watching the crowd to see if they had drawn attention from anyone. He was halfway dragging Ella now because her legs were becoming weak and shaky. Her fear was starting to overtake her now and she was starting to sob. He had stopped and looked around briefly, to see if he could see his friends. They were supposed to be waiting near the exit for them. He looked down at her again and could see she was sobbing so hard that he was afraid someone would ask about her. "Quit crying, you stupid bitch!" As he turned his head back around, he was startled because there was a man standing there, looking at him but not saying anything.
"Get out of my way!" he growled at the man, who just stood there, with a stone-cold look on his face. "Are you deaf, or stupid?! Move before I make you move!" Still, the other man stood there, unmoving and the unwavering expression remaining on his face, not at all affected by the other man's threats.
Ella heard her captor threatening someone and she looked up to notice Dr Moustakas standing there. Seeing him made her breath catch in her throat, and she placed her hand over her mouth. The knife was still digging into her back, so she couldn't try to break away. He was back to his usual stoical disposition but there was something different in his eyes this time. There was something almost disturbing in the way he was looking at this man. It made a shiver go up her spine. She could only surmise that he was angry. She thought she had seen him angry before, but she had never seen him like this. He made no attempt to move or speak, but oddly enough, the man that held on to her, had not spoken another word since he threatened the doctor. Ella was starting to feel the grip of the other man loosening from around her and the knife was no longer stabbing into her back. Soon, she was able to pull completely free of him. She looked at the doctor and wasn't sure what she should do. He took his stare off from the other man and looked at Ella.
"Why are you not with your friends?" he questioned. He was definitely angry with her, but he had lost the look in his eyes from earlier.
She tried to explain how she had been in the bathroom and when she came out, they were gone. Meanwhile, she was still confused about this man that was standing beside her that had not moved nor spoken for a couple of minutes now. Ella looked at him, and he had a glazed- over look in his eyes. She noticed the other two men that had been with him earlier approaching fast. She was terrified at their site and cried out as she ran behind the doctor, taking his arm in both hands and stood there, hiding from the other men. Even though she was frightened, she couldn't help but catch the heady scent of his cologne and notice the hard muscles of his arm. The doctor turned and looked at her, with a softer more understanding look on his face and told her he needed his arm, but he wasn't going to let anything happen to her. She let go of him, but she didn't dare leave his sight just in case there were more than these three that were trying to abduct her. She had no idea why they would want her though.
The two men quickly spotted Ella and also their friend that stood there oddly still. They rushed over toward them and spoke to their friend. They both noticed he was not answering or even moving. One of them tried grabbing Ella from behind Dr Moustakas, and he immediately seized the man's arm as he reached out for her. The man gave a shrieking scream and fell down to the floor withering in pain. Ella looked down at him and realized his arm was broken so badly that it was obviously deformed. By now, the crowd was starting to notice the strange events that were happening. There were many on the planet that were not aware of the special abilities of certain people here. The other man, seeing his friends, took off running, but as security was entering the building, they saw him running and captured him. The doctor instructed one of the officers to contact the owner and manager of the club. The officer called on the radio and explained there had been an incident and the men needed to be contacted as requested. He then escorted the doctor and Ella to the office. While waiting, the doctor had Ella go over the events of the evening prior to when he became involved. She was upset but trying her best not to cry. She was ashamed that she had needed his help after the past few days. She wondered if he had any hesitation in helping her since he had heard her say the mean things she had. He, on the other hand, didn't seem like anything mattered except for what had happened during this evening. Once the manager and owner arrived, a detective was brought in, and Dr Moustakas asked her to explain the details of the ordeal to them as well. She was exhausted and it was difficult having to explain the events over and over.
The other girls had gotten worried about Ella because she never came back to the table, and they could not find her. They found another teacher and explained the situation to him. Once the messages were relayed, the girls found out that Ella was safe, and they were also escorted to the office. Once all of the girls were together in the office, Dr Moustakas eyed them all and was obviously not happy with any of them.
He looked at them all for a moment, with an angry scowl on his face. "Do any of you realize the seriousness of what just happened? Do you realize how incredibly irresponsible you all acted tonight? How are we going to keep something like this from happening again?" Even though he never raised his voice, you could hear his anger as well as see it in his eyes. Ella was very quiet. She didn't dare argue with him, but she didn't want to get her friends in trouble either.
"I'm sorry. It's my fault. I misunderstood what Millicent said in the bathroom. I didn't realize she said to meet back at our old table." She really had misunderstood, so she wasn't lying. She felt like he was always aggravated with her and there was no reason for them to be in his bad graces too. If anyone was going to take the bulk of the blame, she felt like it should be her. "When she spoke to me in the bathroom, I told her ok. There was no reason for her to think I heard her wrong."
He looked at her and she had to admit, she wished maybe she could have laid the blame on anyone but herself. She swallowed hard and the butterflies were back in her stomach. She could just imagine what he was thinking. She was constantly in some sort of dilemma.
"Do you realize what could have happened to you if they would have taken you out of here?
He looked at the other girls and firmly told them to go back to the table where they had been sitting and warned them not to stop along the way or talk to anyone either. They all looked at Ella with uncertainty.
"It's not Ella's fault." Millicent argued. She looked at the doctor with a pleading look. "I was the one that decided we should go back to the table. It's not her fault."
His stare turned to her for a moment, and she felt her heart start to beat a little faster. She had always had a little more leniency from him because of her Aunt Mary being friends with Agatha, but right now, she didn't feel that mattered. She could empathize with Ella, because she knew Ella was always in some kind quandary with him. She couldn't imagine constantly being scrutinized by him.
"Millicent, what made you think it was a good idea for you to leave her by herself?"
Millicent looked up at him as if she was experiencing some of the same uncertainties that Ella was all too familiar with. She opened her mouth to speak, but she couldn't. After a few seconds, she spoke meekly "I...I wanted to get to the table before someone else took it. I didn't think it would be a problem since it wasn't far away. I realize now, it was a very bad and dangerous decision. We should always stay together, or at least there should always be two of us together at all times. I can only say, I...we will all learn from this and never let something like this happen again."
Ella looked at Millicent and was so impressed with what she said and how she said it. She may have started off shaky, but as she spoke, her voice got stronger, and she sounded much more confident. Ella wished she could answer the doctor like that. She felt like if she could, he would be less intimidating to her. She felt like it was her lack of self-assurance and self-confidence that made him constantly watch her. As if he didn't trust her to take care of herself. Maybe she couldn't take care of herself, she started thinking. Maybe she was incapable of being responsible. Mother Christina had always told her what a responsible young lady she was and how she could always trust her to carry out a job. Maybe she was just saying that, because she had done nothing but get herself into messes here. Ella was starting to get that feeling again. The one where she just wanted to stay in her room and cry. She felt like she could do nothing right, and she caused nothing but trouble. Now she had gotten her friends in trouble. She asked herself if this was self-pity she was feeling. She didn't know, but it felt horrible, whatever it was.
Now she was wondering if she was going to have to face him alone. Before Millicent spoke, he had told them to go back to their table. She desperately didn't want to stay with him, without her friends. Unfortunately, though, after he accepted Millicent's explanation, he sent them back to the table and kept Ella. She watched them get up and leave with a look of longing in her eyes. She was wondering what she was in store for now. That same familiar nervousness in her belly just amped up a little stronger, with her friends walking out.
She watched the door as they walked out until there was no sign of any one of them left. She even watched a little longer, hoping maybe one of them would come back, saying they needed to say something else, or ask something, or anything to buy her a little more time before the inevitable happened. She didn't know what the inevitable was, but it couldn't be good. She felt his eyes focused on her and she could not bring herself to look in his direction.
"Gentlemen, do you mind if I have a few moments alone with Ms. Xander? I will lock up when I leave here, unless of course, you want me to leave it open for you."
With those words, she started to feel the slightest little tremble deep inside her body and she wondered what was going to happen to her. After all the men spoke for a moment longer, she watched them, as they walked out, one and then the other. She wanted so badly to be dismissed along with the others. She didn't know for sure, but she was pretty sure he had been watching her the entire time the men were leaving. She finally realized no one was coming back into the room, though she was hoping someone, anyone would.
"Ella," he said her name, to get her to look at him. She hesitantly turned her head in his direction, still desperately not wanting to face him.
"Would you like to talk about what happened tonight? I know you were scared."
Still not looking at him directly, but looking at her hands instead, she spoke quietly. "I'm sorry about everything and I won't let it happen again."
"Look at me" he instructed, in a voice that indicated he wasn't going to tolerate anything except for her complying with his demand.
She did as he said, but it was difficult and before she knew it, the tears were starting to well up again in her eyes. She cursed herself silently, because she realized just about every time she was around him, except in class, she started to cry.
"Did I ask you for an apology? I asked you if you wanted to talk about it. I know you were frightened." As he said this, he handed her a tissue from the desk in front of them.
"No, I'm fine" she said as she put her head in her hands. Wanting to hide her face from him as the tears fell, but again.
He gently placed his hand under her chin to raise her face up to look at him, once more. She looked at him again but kept moving her gaze downward every few seconds. She was trying so hard to stop crying. He looked at her for a second before speaking. "I know you were frightened. You have been through a lot tonight. I know I frighten you too, but I want you to know that anytime you need help, please know you can come to me. I do not mean to scare you. Although I can say that a lot of students are afraid of me, I do not necessarily do anything to warrant that." He slightly shrugged his shoulders. "But I also do not do anything to alleviate that either. Anyway, I hope you know that I would never hurt you nor would I ever allow anyone to hurt you. Do you understand?"
She nodded her head yes, and knew he meant well, but there was something so unnerving about being around him, but she couldn't explain that to him. She couldn't even explain it to herself. Maybe it was because he was the only man that ever saw her naked. That evening played through her memory at least a couple of times a week or whenever she couldn't suppress it . She was so embarrassed that he had seen her like that, that it was one of the reasons she didn't like to see him, but she couldn't tell him that. She wasn't going to remind him that he had seen her that way. She knew he was a doctor, but that didn't matter.
"Now, I know he had a knife. Would you turn around for me please."
She hesitated...she knew he was sticking the knife into her back, and it felt like it had gone through the fabric and into her skin, but she wasn't sure. She didn't know how the doctor knew the knife had been there. She couldn't very well disobey him though. She reluctantly turned around for him to inspect her back. She felt his hands on her back and immediately she felt a warm sensation go through her. It was hard for her to hold her eyes open for a second. She was glad he couldn't see her face and she hoped he couldn't tell what she felt.
"You definitely have a good-sized cut in the dress and there is blood on the dress. I will look at it better when we get back to the school."
"No really, I'm fine! I don't think it's anything to worry about. I can't even feel anything." Her words came out quicker and with more insistence than anything she had ever said to him before. She was embarrassed by her quick reaction to his statement, and she thought he looked as though he was trying to suppress a grin.
"Ella, I still need to look at it when we get back to the school. You don't have to come to the clinic. I can come to your room if that makes you more at ease. Also, I need to look at your records. You may need a tetanus shot."
Now another emotion came over her. One of fear, but not of him, but of a shot. She absolutely hated shots. And no, him coming to her room was not a better option. She didn't want him looking at her back. She wanted to go home and go to sleep and make the night end. She also had to tell Sibylla that her mother's dress was damaged. She would offer to pay for it, but she didn't have that much money. She wasn't sure what she was going to do about that. This was shaping up to be one of the worse nights of her life. Once they got in the limousine to go back to the school, she knew she had to tell Sibylla about the dress. She dreaded that, especially since she had no way to make it right. She thought maybe she could ask Mother Christina if she could have the money to pay for it, if she promised to work extra at something that would compensate for her giving the money. She was a little quieter than usual on the way home, but Ella wanted to tell her, because the longer she waited, the more awkward it would be. She finally worked up the nerve.
"Sibylla, I need to tell you something." She said it before she chickened out. Sibylla looked at her with a curious look on her face. She couldn't imagine what it would be. She already knew of the events of the evening. "Ok Ella, whatever it is, I can promise you, you don't need to be afraid to tell me." She could tell Ella was distressed, but with everything that had happened tonight, who wouldn't be.
"I think your mom's dress may be ruined. I think it may be cut in the back. I will try my best to pay for it. I need to talk to Mother Christina about it. I think I can work something out with her to get the money. I don't want you or your mother to be upset with me though. I will make it right, I promise."
"Ella, I'm not worried about the dress, and I promise my mother won't be either. What matters is that you're ok. I heard someone say that man had a knife to your back. I wasn't going to ask, because I didn't want to upset you, but is that true?"
"Yes, and I think he cut the dress."
"Oh Ella, I'm so glad you are ok! That is so scary! Are you ok? Did he hurt you?"
The other girls were just as distraught to think she could have been seriously injured by this man.
"Ella, I'm so sorry. I feel like all of this is my fault". Millicent was almost in tears.
"No, it is not! Millicent please don't say that. I'm sure it would have happened even if you all were there. The police found out they thought I was someone else. They had been watching us for a while. It was not anyone's fault."
"Are you hurt." Millicent asked the question again, since she had spoken before Ella could answer.
"I have a small cut on my back, I think. Dr Moustakas looked at it. He is going to look at it more at the school. I would rather one of you look at it. Maybe it's nothing. It could be just a scratch. I can't tell. I really don't want to see him again tonight."
"Let me try to look at it." Lucy requested since she was sitting next to Ella.
Ella turned to the side and let Lucy try to see her back. Lucy tried to use the illumination from her watch to see it.
"Oh my gosh Ella. There is a lot of blood there. I think you have a bad cut there. He needs to see it without the dress there. I think it may still be bleeding some. The dress is really wet and sticky."
This did not make Ella feel any better. It actually scared her. She tried to touch it, but it was just out of her reach. She did feel the wetness of the dress though and when she pulled her hand back to look, there was blood covering her fingers. She actually felt a little nauseated looking at it. She had no idea he had cut her that badly.
When they arrived at the school, she walked back to the dorm with the other girls and went to her room. She pulled off the dress and tried to see her back in the mirror. She wanted to take a shower but wasn't sure if she should. There was blood all down her back and even on her panties. She was shaking a little out of fear. She had never been injured beyond a stumped toe and had never seen so much blood that came from a wound on her body. She took a little comfort in knowing the doctor had looked at it quickly and did not seem to be too worried about it. She decided she wanted to get the blood off her body and try to wash away the memory of the entire incident. She gathered her things and went to the shower. When the warm water started pouring down her back, she immediately questioned her decision, because it stung horribly. She tried to wash it but could only squeeze a soapy washcloth down her back. As she did this, she saw the water at her feet turn red and again, a pang of nausea came over her. She quickly finished her shower and brushed her teeth and hair. As she stood at the sink, she noticed a small stream of blood that was running down her ankle. She was starting to worry about the amount of blood she might be losing, so much that she was eager for Dr Moustakas to look at her back again. She wrapped a towel around her upper back to keep the blood from getting on the floor as she walked through the common room. By the time she made it back to her room, she had a good amount of blood on her gown and the towel, and she was starting to panic. By then, she heard a knock at her door, and she quickly answered. It was Dr Moustakas, and he looked at her with a most concerned look on his face. Not out of concern about the cut, but she was looking pale and had a noticeably panicked look on her face.
"It's bleeding a lot." Ella couldn't control the urgency in her voice. She didn't care that she was standing there in front of him with just a nightgown on and her hair sopping wet. She wasn't sure how much blood she had lost and didn't know how much was too much.
"Ella, calm down. It's not bleeding as much as you think." He turned her around and pulled her hair to the side. "Come and sit in this chair." He pulled out the chair that sat at her desk and held her, easing her down to sit. He could feel her body trembling and he was struck by a sense of pity for her. She had not seem this frightened during the entire ordeal. He had a black bag when he arrived and had sat it down before helping her to the chair. "I'll be right back. Sit here and do not move." She complied and soon he came back with a couple of clean towels and Millicent was with him. At the site of her, she immediately felt a sense of relief. Just having her friend there made her feel better. Dr Moustakas had pulled another chair, like the one she was sitting in, into the room when he came in with Millicent. He sat it behind her and sat down in it. He then pulled her hair to the side, gently wrapping it into the towel, to keep it out of the way. Millicent sat on her knees, positioning herself right in front of Ella. She reached up and took Ella's hand, giving it a reassuring squeeze. "Now, unbutton your gown in the front as far as you can please." This made her unconsciously stiffen up a little. "I need to get to the cut, and I don't think your grown will come down anymore in the back as long as it's buttoned. Besides, it's soaking wet and has blood on it." Unless of course you would prefer to take your gown completely off. He wasn't trying to be sarcastic, but he was growing impatient with her hesitancy. She complied and unbuttoned it like he asked. She then felt a tug backward and she felt her gown being pulled down past her shoulders. She quickly reached up and put her hands over her breasts to keep her gown from falling off from her there. By now, her gown was hanging down, completely exposing the full length of her back. He then asked Millicent to grab his bag that had been placed on the small table that was right inside the door. She did as he asked and placed it beside him on the bed. He opened it and picked out gauze, some sort of solution and another box that was closed. He also had pulled out a package that had a damp rag inside of it, that he thoroughly wiped his hands with for several seconds. He opened the gauze and saturated it with the solution. "Ok you're going to feel me cleaning the cut and it may sting some." She braced herself for the pain but was relieved when she realized it hurt less now than when she was in the shower. He then opened up the small box and out he pulled two small syringes that had two very long capped needles on them. Millicent's eyes got larger when she saw this, but luckily, Ella didn't notice. "Ella, you're going to feel more stinging now. It's likely to be worse than what you just felt. I need you to stay very still." Ella didn't want to know what he was going to do but couldn't help but ask him. "I'm going to inject around the wound with some medication to numb the area." Millicent helped Ella tuck her gown under her arms and took both of her hands again and squeezed them now with another reassuring squeeze. She held them both in a gentle but firm grip, to try to keep her from reaching back, when he injected the lidocaine. With the first stick, she sucked in her breath and made a small, quick cry. "I know that hurts, but it will numb up very soon." He was reassuring her as he went around the wound with the long, flexible needle. He picked up the next and then injected it into the wound. By now, she was not feeling the stinging as intensely and was able to relax some. "You're doing very good." He spoke to her but obviously was paying careful attention to the task at hand as he was suturing up the site now. It wasn't long before he was done, and he wiped the site clean of the residual blood. The wound was no longer bleeding, but he placed a bandage over it, to keep the sutures from being pulled by her clothes. The next site Millicent saw, made her flinch, but again, Ella didn't notice. She was wondering what the doctor was doing back there now and why he was being quiet. He didn't offer an explanation as he was pulling medication out of a vial with a syringe, then he did the same with a different medication and syringe and then another. He dreaded telling her what he had to do next, but there was no putting off an antibiotic shot and then there was a shot for pain, and one with nausea medication in it, for when the numbing medication started to wear off. "Ella, I have to give you a couple of shots. I know you don't like shots, but I must."
Ella swallowed hard and couldn't help but argue with him. "Can't I take the medication in a pill?" she was begging. "I promise, I'll take it all like I'm supposed to."
"No, these don't come in pill form. I will be done before you know it. I need you to be still like you did while I was putting your sutures in. Do you understand?"
She gave a nod, indicating she understood, but had a sense of dread stirring in her stomach. She felt him rubbing an alcohol swab on the skin of her upper arm and soon he was squeezing her arm, and then she felt a quick pinch and it was over. Before she knew it, he was cleaning the other arm, then a squeeze and then a pinch. The next thing she felt was him cleaning an area at the top of her hip. This made her jump. She was not expecting him to touch her there. "Just one more and we'll be done. Try to relax." His voice was sounding smooth and deep, this time as it vibrated through her. She was starting to feel very relaxed, and an overwhelming sleepiness was overcoming her. Before she knew it, he was telling her he was all done. She didn't even feel that one. She remembered hearing the door open and shut but didn't notice who went through it. She then realized Millicent wasn't sitting in front of her now and wondered when she had left. His voice was starting to sound more distant as he said something else, but she wasn't sure what it was. The next thing she remembered was her gown being lifted over her head and then another going back down over her head immediately after. She felt someone helping her to a standing position, then strong arms picked her up completely off the ground and then placed her into her bed. She remembers feeling so warm and content, as if she were in a dream and she wished this feeling could last forever. He tucked her in and kissed her on the forehead before walking to the door. Did she just feel someone kiss her on the forehead? No, she thought to herself. She must have been dreaming. In half consciousness, she heard the door open and shut again before she finally drifted into a deep, welcomed slumber.