Total pages in book: 24
Estimated words: 22436 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 112(@200wpm)___ 90(@250wpm)___ 75(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 22436 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 112(@200wpm)___ 90(@250wpm)___ 75(@300wpm)
“Whatcha looking at?” He snaps his book shut, and I notice a few people jump. The older security guy focuses his attention on us. “Is that you being scary?” I lean forward and click my tongue. “Cause you’re not.” I strum my nails on his chair's wooden arm, and his jaw clenches in irritation. I don’t know why I’m poking this bear.
Oh yeah, because I’m bored.
“I need you to do something for me.” He says this while still staring out the window.
“You’re not my type.” I click my tongue again.
“What?” He finally spares me a glance, and his eyes are solid black. I’m pretty sure he would enjoy killing me with his bare hands. No thanks. “I need you to make a scene.”
I blow a raspberry while thinking about it. It's not like I'm doing anything else. The only problem is, I don’t know what kind of trouble I might get into.
“Dr. Rourk is on call tonight. There, I answered your question. Now go over there and make a scene.”
“You’re bossy.” I hop up from my seat now that he’s said the magic words. Dr. Rourk. I haven’t seen him since I arrived, and it feels like eternity. “Any request?”
I perform a pirouette, utilizing the ballet lessons my mother insisted on. I used to love to dance until my mother tried to make it my entire life.
“Whatever it is, do it the fuck over there.” He waves his fingers and motions for me to move away from him.
I take a deep breath as the head orderly watches me, and then I start to sing. Loudly. I’m singing at the top of my lungs, and Window Licker covers his ears with his hands. Nora screams, and part of me wonders if I’m that terrible of a singer. I shrug it off and keep going then do a cartwheel. When I do another, I accidentally kick the head orderly, who is now holding restraints in his hands.
Kinky.
We both tumble to the floor, and the restraints go flying. I scramble to get them, but he beats me to it, and then one of the nurses comes out to help. While he’s securing me, I don’t put up much of a fight. I’ll save that for Dr. Rourk.
Although I don’t struggle while they strap me down, I continue to sing at the top of my lungs. If they’re going to keep me here, then I might as well play the part.
My mother always says that I should live up to my full potential.
Chapter Two
ROURK
It’s been a couple of days since Dr. James Crane was killed in the basement of this hospital, and things are finally starting to calm down. Once he was no longer in the picture, I became the senior physician, but I’m still only here temporarily.
I took this job as a favor to an old friend and colleague Dr. Penn Amarilla, who works on the opposite side of the hospital. He’s the head psychiatrist to the inmates who reside on that wing of Bellevue. They are the ones that are unable to stand trial for their crimes due to mental illness and are treated in this facility. This side of the hospital that I oversee is for those that have had a mental break and need rest or have been admitted because they pose a danger to themselves or others. They aren’t here because of a crime they committed, but that doesn’t make them all innocent.
Like Jamison Coy.
I didn’t want this job, and I sure as fuck didn’t need it, but Penn told me what he suspected was happening with Dr. Crane, and I couldn’t say no. Now there’s a new, permanent team coming in that will run the department. Once they take over, I’m done.
Dr. Crane left a mess even in his death, and now I have to deal with it. Thankfully some of the new doctors have arrived to start transitioning patients, but I’ll have to remain until the rest of the orderlies and nurses are transitioned out. No one that was previously employed is allowed to stay.
“Dr. Rourk, your next patient is here,” my assistant Mark says as he knocks lightly on my office door.
“Please show Miss Phillips in.” I purposely don’t look up as I say it and go back to taking notes in my notebook.
I can feel her enter before I catch her scent, and even then I don’t dare raise my eyes.
“Hi, Daddy,” Karmen says softly. It’s so low I doubt Mark heard her say it. And maybe even from where he’s standing it sounded like she said “doctor.”
The rush of blood to my ears makes it hard for me to hear anything after that, but I force myself to concentrate.
“Thank you, Mark. That will be all.” I wait for him to close the door before I place my pen on my notepad and finally raise my eyes to look at Karmen Phillips.