She pinched the bridge of her nose until it hurt. Then she lowered her hand and looked across the door of the room where Mrs Mckade lay. She could stand here for another hour or two staring at that door, but eventually, she would have to carry out Dr. Stevenson directive. The longer she put it off, the more she would think about it, and the more she thought about it, the more contemptible it became.
She approached the door with all the alacrity of a ninety year old. Her tread was leaden as she grabbed the door knob and pushed it open.
The room was stifling.
She approached the bed where a weak Ella lay, her eyes opened but her body weak with the amount of sedative she had been injected with in the space of twenty four hours.
"Who are you people?" She asked in a faint voice, blinking only once.
Grace took a deep breath as she placed the tray, which held a syringe and a bottle of sedative, on the trolley beside the bed. "When I took this job, I was told you were I'll and needed care. I didn't know they would treat you this way."
Ella groaned. "T-they?"
"I don't know who Dr. Stevenson is working with." She shook her head. "And I can't tell your family without getting in trouble."
"H-help me."
Grace sighed again as she reached for the syringe and the small bottle. Inserting the needle into the tip of the bottle, she pulled the bottom of the syringe back until the bottle became empty. Placing the bottle in the tray, she turned to face Ella, whose eyes was beginning to water.
Her heart squeezed painfully.
Just then the door opened. One glance over her shoulder confirmed that it was Dr. Stevenson. Grace reached for Ella's right hand and pressed the syringe into it without meeting her eyes.
As Dr. Stevenson approached he said, "How's she doing?"
"She's sleeping now." Grace replied in a loud voice as she pocketed the sedative bottle.
Dr. Stevenson gave Ella a cursory examination. He listened to her heartbeat, checked the chart for her blood pressure and temperature, all without at her face or right hand. Her eyes were closed. Good. It meant the sedative was already kicking in and would keep her unconscious until the boss said otherwise.
"She became agitated a while ago and began crying," The nurse reported. "She begged me to let her get up. Dr. Stevenson, if she feels strong enough, I don't see-"
"Thank you, Ms. Kelly."
"Doctor, I'm sure you know best, but-"
"I'm sure I do too." He gave her a stern look. "I will no longer tolerate this this second-guessing, Ms. Kelly."
"I'm only considering what's beat for the patient."
"You don't think I am?"
"Of course, you are, Doctor. I wasn't implying that at all." She drew herself up straighter. "But I am a well trained nurse with years of experience."
"Which is why you were retained for this position. But you're overstepping your bounds."
"Mrs. Mckade is overly sedated. If you ask me-"
"I didn't!" Dr. Stevenson shouted.
"Furthermore, I think her lithium dosage is dangerously high."
"You see the lab reports. Her lithium blood level is exactly where it should be."
"Then I don't trust the lab, and I don't believe the reports."
Grace's heart was pounding against her ribs. Her knees turned to jelly when Dr. Stevenson turned with to her with a evil glint in his eyes. Her pulse her throbbed behind her eyes, and she knew her face was red.
Forcibly calming herself, she said stiffly. "If you don't stop doing this, I would tell her family and report you to hospital director about usage of sedative illegally."
Dr. Stevenson approached her until there were barely a foot apart. "You services are no longer, Ms. Kelly. Please pack your things immediately and vacate the hospital premise. I'll have someone return you to West Mercer immediately."
She splayed her hand over her chest. "You're firing me?"
"You no longer fit in to Mrs. Mckade program. Now,if you'll-"
She shook her head stubbornly, and glanced over his shoulder in time to see Ella slowly pushing herself upright in bed. "I won't go. She's my patient. I refuse to leave her in this condition. If you want my honest opinion, I think she's toxic and near comatose."
"If you won't go, I have no choice than to have you physically removed from this premises." Dr. Stevenson closed distance between them. "And if you tell anyone about this I would make sure you don't live to see the next day."
Grace thrust her chin out defiantly. "I don't care you do with me as long as she's okay and out of your clutches."
The doctor growled and lunged forward; wrapped his hands around her neck and presses down hard,blocking her windpipe. Grace clawed at his arm in a desperate attempt to get free. But that only made him press harder.
"You made you bed,Grace, you'll lie on it." He laughed maniacally.
From the corner of her eyes, Grace saw Ella stand to her feet. Her fist curled tightly around the syringe and she limped forward as fast as her weak body could allow. Spots began to dance in her vision and she felt the cold hand of death slowly crawl up her spine.
Her head began to spin and waves filled her ears. Her feet grew cold and her fingers began to numb from lack of oxygen. Just as she was about to surrender to the darkness, the hands on her throat fell away abruptly.
Grace sank onto her knees, gasping coughing and spluttering. She took large greedy gulps of air,ignoring the burning in her throat as air flooded her lungs and her body. When she finally got her bearing and the spots cleared away.
The first thing she saw was Ella, who was laying on the floor panting from the energy she used to push herself out of bed. Next was Dr. Stevenson; he lay a foot away from Ella with his eyes closed and the syringe protruding from neck. Blood was slowly spreading out from behind his head and staining the white tiled floor.
Crawling forward, avoiding to touch the doctor, she came to stop beside Ella and pulled her trembling form into her arms. Grace cried along with her and slowly rocked the both of them. Her mind was still reeling from near death experience. She felt naked and scared.
At first she didn't notice anything wring about Ella,until her body began to shake uncontrollably. It took her few seconds to register that she was convulsing.
Scrambling to her feet, Grace hit the emergency button beside the bed. Then returned to Ella after grabbing the spoon on the trolley beside her bed. She forced the spoon between her clattering teeth,then turned her on her side; Ella began to vomit, but because she hadn't had any solid food, spittle and water poured from her lips. Soon enough, the room flooded with doctors and nurses.
They pushed Grace out as they struggled to stop the convulsion. Another doctor rushed past Grace and disappeared inside the room.
Grace sank onto her knees and rested her back against the wall facing the room. Her throat clogged up as she thought that perhaps she was already too late and Ella would die just as Dr. Stevenson and the boss wanted.
It was there Will found her. The had been called by the hospital infor -ming him of Ella's seizure. Grace scrambled to feet when he came to a stop beside her.
"Ms. Kelly, where's my wife? What happened?" Will grabbed her arm and shook her with each words he uttered.
Grace burst into a sob. "It's my fault. I should have spoke up sooner. I should have!"
"What. . . what are you talking about?"
"Dr. Stevenson was administering sedative to Ms. Mckade after she woke up from coma two days ago." Grace sobbed.
"Wha-what?" Will released her arm and took a step back. He shook his head in disbelief. "Y-you... H-he..." A noise of disbelief escaped his lips.
"I'm sorry!"
Will shook his head not wanting to believe what he was hearing. He remembered how Ella was struggling to speak two days when he returned from cafeteria two days ago and how he had told her not to rest. He choked out another sound.
He had failed Ella,not once, but twice now.
The door to her door opened and a doctor dressed in white scrubs stepped out with a somber look on his face.
Will shook his head. "S-sshe's fine, right?"
The doctor sighed. "I'm sorry."
Will collapsed against the wall,his whole body trembling from what those words implied. He didn't want to belief it. It was a dream. He would wake up and laugh at the absurdity of Ella...
"W-what d-do you-you-you mean?" He grounded out through gritted teeth.
"We tried our possible best,Mr. Mckade." The doctor said. "She fought also,but. . ."
"No." He shook his head again. "No!"
"We lost your wife."
° ° °
She considered leaving Brown eyes at the kernel overnight but decided she needed the company. Besides, she hated to keep in in confinement any longer than necessary. Not after Annie had entrusted the dog in her care.
Merry had gone to visit her daughter and returned a day late than she expected. And she felt bad for wanting to leave the dog in the kennel overnight.
She arrived at the kennel minutes before closing. Both the personnel and Brownie were overjoyed to see her. "He's well behaved, but terribly spoiled," the young woman said as she relinquished the pet to his owner.
"Yeah, I know. But he's a prince amongst dogs." Merry knelt down and ruffled his muzzle while he enthusiastically lapped at her face.
His excitement didn't abate on the drive home. "I promise you'll get a treat as soon as we get inside," she told him as they got out of the car. "Just please calm down." She parked her car half a block away from her house, since someone had taken the parking space in front of the townhouse.
"Brownie,please!" Ninety pounds of dog strained at the leash. Knowing he was close to home, where a treat, he was nearly in a frenzy.
"Okay,okay." Merry removed the leash from his collar. It was either that or be dragged along with him. Once he was freed, he went airborne for a millisecond, then bounded down the street, his nails scratching the pavement.
"Go in through your doggie door," She called after him.
She leaned into the backseat to retrieve her luggage.
The concussion of the blast struck her like a giant hand and knocked her backwards to the ground.
A gigantic fireball burst into the night sky, washing the entire neighborhood with the eerie glow of hell.
"Ohmygodohmygod." She managed to get onto all fours. For several seconds, she could only gape at the inferno half block away where her house had stood. Black smoke roiled above it,blotting out a quarter moon.
For several moments she was too stunned to move. Then adrenaline kicked in. Swaying drunkenly, she cane to her feet and began running down the sidewalk. At least she tried to run. Actually it was more a stumble-lurch.
"Brownie!" Her scream was little more than a croak. "Brownie! Here, boy!"
She was unaware if the heat as she staggered up the brick walkway that had led to her front door.
"Woman, are you crazy!"
Restraining hands caught her from behind and held her back.
"Somebody help me," a man called out. "She's trying to go inside."
Then several pairs of hands were on her, holding her back. Merry struggled,but to no avail. They dragged her across the street and into a neighbour's yard, away from harm's way. She tried to make herself understood, but she could only sob. "Brownie. Brownie."
"I think Brownie's her dog."
"Not anymore."
"Does anybody know what happened?"
"Whose house was it?"
Merry was only vaguely aware of the voices around her. Neighbours poured from their houses. The sidewalk and street were now crowded with gawkers. From a distance came the wail of sirens.
When her well-meaning neighbours made sure that Merry wasn't going to bound into the conflagration, they released her and drifted away to watch fire. She shrank back into the hedgerow between lawns and watched in horror as her property continued to disintegrate. No one paid any attention to her. The bystander were chattering among themselves, trying to piece together the sequence of events.
"Here come the fire trucks. Can they get through."
"I hope they hose down our roof."
"Was anyone inside?"
"Only a pet. Somebody said it was the owner's dog."
Unheard, Merry whimpered, "Brownie."
That was her last word before a large hand clamped over her mouth and she yanked backward through the hedge.
She screamed ,or tried to,but the across her mouth only increased it's pressure. Merry dug her heels into the backyard grass,but her captor jerked her off her feet. When they reached an alley behind the house, she kicked his shins hard enough to make him relax his hold, but she was free only long enough to fall and skin her knees on the pavement. She screamed,but there was no way her scream could have been heard above racket and confusion and racket of the crowds and emergencies.
Her captor seized her by the ankle and dragged her towards him. Merry kicked and screamed; her nails against the pavement as a desperate attempt to grab something to hold on.
Her captor flipped her until she was laying on her front,then sat atop her. She couldn't see his face because of the mask he wearing. But she could his eyes and the malice in them.
"Should've just died in fire and make it easier for me." He tsked. "You're going to make me create a mess."
"No,please!" She tried to hit his face but he dodged it and rewarded her with a slap. Another scream tore out of her when her lower lip caught between her teeth; blood spilled from the cut on her lips.
"You're one feisty old lady." He behind him. "And as much as I love to play with you, I don't have time."
Merry only saw the glint of the meat cleaver before it buried itself deep into her neck.