Total pages in book: 118
Estimated words: 110492 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 552(@200wpm)___ 442(@250wpm)___ 368(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 110492 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 552(@200wpm)___ 442(@250wpm)___ 368(@300wpm)
“This one needs to be put in restraints.” O’Toole nodded at Torri, who was still trying to protest. “She’s havin’ some kind of episode—she might hurt other patients too.”
“No—I never bit her! I didn’t—she bit herself!” Torri shouted.
“Now why would she bite herself?” O’Toole gave her an incredulous look and then looked up at the head nurse. “You hearing this? Why, she’s got Tanya’s blood all over her mouth and she’s tryin’ to say she didn’t do it!”
The head nurse shook her head as she looked down at Torri.
“And she was doing so much better. Well, it just goes to show you never can tell.” She sighed and looked at O’Toole. “I’ll send someone with the restraints. After you lock her down, you’ll need to fill out an incident report form and the paperwork for the restraints. Tanya, stop that screaming and come with me so I can treat your arm,” she snapped.
“Yes, Ma’am.” Tanya nodded her head, suddenly meek as a lamb. She shot Torri a triumphant look as she trotted out of the room after the head nurse.
“You’ll never get away with this!” Torri said, glaring up at O’Toole, her heart racing. “I’ll tell Dr. Burrows everything I’ve seen you doing! I’ll tell him what you’re doing now!”
O’Toole barked an ugly laugh.
“Who do you think told me to stage this little one-act play we got goin’ here, darlin’?”
“What?” Torri felt some of her anger change to abject fear. “What are you talking about?” she demanded.
The big orderly gave her a triumphant sneer.
“You ain’t never gettin’ out of here, bitch! Not when you’re bitin’ other patients and actin’ crazier than a shit-house rat. You’re gonna stay right here where Dr. Burrows can keep an eye on you forever.”
At that point, another orderly came in with the thick leather restraints and they began strapping Torri to the bed.
“Help me!” Torri begged the other orderly, who was holding down her arms and legs as O’Toole buckled the restraints in place around her wrists and ankles. “Help me—I didn’t do anything! I’m being framed!”
“Yeah, right.” The other orderly, a scrawny man by the name of Sam, with a scraggly goatee looked bored with her pleas. “I know, I know—you’re not really crazy—they just made you look crazy, right?”
“That’s right!” Torri struggled against the thick, padded leather restraints. “Let me go—please!”
“Now, now, darlin’—can’t have you getting up and hurtin’ any more of the other patients.” O’Toole’s eyes sparkled with malicious glee. “Thanks for the help, Sam,” he added, speaking to the other orderly. “I’ll finish up here. Let Kathy know I’ll be in to fill out that incident report form and the paperwork for these restraints in a minute.”
“Sure.” The other orderly shrugged and left, leaving Torri alone with O’ Toole.
“Now you’re all ready for my next visit, darlin’,” he murmured, and leaned down to kiss Torri on the forehead—a wet, cold kiss that smelled like cigarette butts.
“Get away from me!” Torri tried to squirm away from him, but the thick leather restraints around her wrists and ankles held her fast, spread-eagle to the four corners of her bed.
“I’ll leave you alone—for now. But I’ll be back later, when things quiet down a little. Then we’ll have a little date.” O’Toole grinned at her nastily. “I think you know what that means, darlin’. Oh, and don’t worry about your big friend interfering,” he added. “I made sure his door was locked, and you know we always lock the door between the men’s and women’s areas at night. So that’s two locked doors keeping him away, which means even if you scream for him, he’s not coming. In fact, nobody is coming. It’s just gonna be you and me allllll alone together.”
“If you touch me—” Torri began.
“Oh, I’ll do more than touch you, bitch.” The big orderly leered at her. “When I’m done with you, you’re gonna be to sore to walk for a week.”
Then, with a final nasty laugh, he left Torri alone in the darkness with Tanya’s blood drying on her mouth and helpless fear filling her to the brim like black water.
Nineteen
“Come on…come on!” Vic stared at his right hand, concentrating, willing it to do its job.
Along with the right half of his brain, his right hand was part of his positronic network. But when the connections in his brain had broken, so had the extra functions of his hand, leaving it no more than an ordinary appendage.
Now that the positronic part of his brain was slowly repairing itself, it ought to work again as more than just a hand. Desperately, he pressed it to the lock on his room’s door, trying to force it to cooperate with him.
He had known something was wrong the moment Torri was torn out of the dream they were sharing. It wasn’t just the fact that she had woken suddenly— he was so attuned to her that he could hear her heart beating a frantic rhythm, even from several halls away. He heard her voice too—though it was difficult over all the noise the female called Tanya was making. It sounded as though Torri was protesting her innocence and begging someone—anyone—to listen to her.