Authors: Sharon Sala
****
Anson paced the kitchen with his cell phone at his ear. He hated to be put on hold. Doing business face-to-face was always in his favor because no one ever made him wait when he turned on the charm. When his call was finally answered, he let them know by the tone of his voice he wasn’t happy.
“Mr. Poe, what can I do for you?”
“Don’t keep me waiting like this again.”
There was a moment of silence that stretched to the point Anson thought the man was going to hang up, but then he finally answered, his voice low and restrained.
“Today is Sunday, a day of rest, and I was at the dinner table with my family when you called. Is there a problem?”
Anson frowned. “You need to know that the painters will be finished tomorrow. I expect you to hang draperies and curtains the next day.”
“I already have another client scheduled for Tuesday. I can be there on Wednesday.”
“I’m on a tight schedule here. I want this done—”
“I understand,” Blakely said. “But I have my reputation to consider and breaking my word on an appointment is not the proper way to conduct business. I’m sure
you
understand.”
Anson sighed. “Yes, all right, then Wednesday it is. And don’t forget those matching bedspreads.”
“Of course not, Mr. Poe. They’re at the top of my list.”
Anson hung up in the man’s ear. No need swapping good-byes when neither one of them liked the other, but the appointment had been set. As soon as this last step in the renovation was finished, he was going after his wife and daughter.
When the grandfather clock in the hall began chiming, he decided to drive into New Orleans to get something to eat and began gathering up his keys and turning off the lights.
Lisette’s good food crossed his mind, and he wondered if the one-eyed bitch and her upstairs whores had set up shop anywhere else. Damn shame about Frenchie’s burning down or he might have been inclined to stop in for some of Chef Jean Luc’s blackened sea bass, and a big side of red beans and rice.
Amused by his own humor, he was smiling as he got into the truck. But the smile disappeared when he caught a glimpse of himself in the rearview mirror. Sunlight was brutal, to both the ravages time and the hard living etched on his face. He wasn’t as pretty as he used to be, but what the hell. He was on top and in charge, and the rest of it no longer mattered.
As he pulled out of his driveway, he caught the flash of sunlight on a windshield up in the trees across the road. So, March’s men were still tailing him, which reminded him he should thank the sorry bastard next time they crossed paths. Their presence had been most beneficial in keeping his ass out of jail.
****
It was late afternoon. Julie had been awake and asleep a half-dozen times since her family’s visit, and each time she woke, it was from reliving the nightmare of her attack. Every time she came to, gasping and crying, Brendan was reaching out and calming her fears. But this time when she woke, she woke up screaming.
He was so shaken by the terror in her voice that his heart was still pounding, even as a nurse came running.
“What’s wrong? What happened?” she asked.
“She’s dreaming again,” Brendan said as Julie kept grabbing at his hand and sobbing.
The nurse put her hand on Julie’s shoulder to let her know she was there.
“Good afternoon, Julie! I’m Kay. I’ll be your nurse this evening.” The nurse began checking Julie’s IV and asking her questions.
Her voice was shaking as she tried to answer, but she couldn’t focus for trying to get the bandages off her eyes.
“Take them off. Please take them off. I can’t see him coming.”
Brendan had been trying to stay out of the way, but when her comments began to sound confused, he couldn’t stay quiet any longer. He moved to the side of her bed and took her hand.
“He’s in jail, Julie. I promise you, he’s in jail,” Brendan said.
“No. He’s in my head. I can’t get him out. Take the bandages off my eyes.”
“Can they come off?” Brendan asked.
Nurse Kay checked her watch. “Doctor is making rounds right now. I’ll ask. In the meantime, do you need something for pain, Juliette?”
“I don’t want to go back to sleep. That’s when he comes, when I’m not looking.”
Brendan frowned. She
was
talking out of her head. Nothing she said made sense, which was new. Maybe the bandages were causing some kind of paranoia. Before, Walton had tied her up so she couldn’t move, so maybe she felt helpless all over again by not being able to see. When she kept pulling at the bandages and flailing her arms as if she needed to fight off something coming at her, it hit him.
“Is she taking any new meds?” Brendan asked.
Kay checked the records.
“No.”
Julie kept picking at the bandages. “Brendan, I can’t see. Am I blind? What’s happening? Where is he? Where is the troll?”
“He’s in jail, honey. You have bandages on your eyes. That’s all it is… just bandages. Leave them alone, okay?”
She finally let go of the bandages, but he could tell her cognizance was impaired. She kept running her hands all over her body, marking the lashes she’d suffered by tracing them with her fingers, which amped Brendan’s concern.
“She hasn’t been acting like this. I think she’s having a bad reaction to something.”
Miranda headed for the door. “I’ll find Doctor Ames.”
Brendan was torn. Now was one of those times when she needed her family with her. He had no idea if this had ever happened before from a medication. He had no power to make a decision for her, and she was obviously in no position to be making them for herself. He was on the verge of calling her father when a doctor came in, followed by his nurse.
He eyed Brendan curiously as he introduced himself.
“I’m Doctor Ames. I was told she’s behaving strangely. What’s going on?”
Brendan began to explain. “I’m not sure why, but she’s begun hallucinating, or suffering some kind of paranoia. You do know what happened to her, right?”
Ames frowned. “Yes. I’m aware of her abduction and the condition she was in when they brought her into ER. I spoke to Doctor George at length about it, but she had just been given a sedative when I examined her eyes this morning.”
“And I left here a little before 4:30 this morning, right after her parents arrived. Your staff had just given her pain meds, but to my knowledge, no sedation. Then I was back here around noon. I didn’t notice anything at first, but as the hours passed, her confusion has worsened.”
As if on cue, Julie kicked at the sheets over her legs as if she was kicking at her abductor.
“Don’t touch me! No! No! No!” she screamed, then reached for the bandages on her eyes again.
Brendan grabbed her hands.
“No, honey… easy! You’re in the hospital. The bad guy is gone.”
“No, he’s here. I can tell. I can hear him breathing. I need to see. Take these bandages off my eyes. I need to see.”
The doctor frowned. “What are the pain meds that she’s on? That would have been prescribed and given to her down in ER
The nurse checked her records again.
“We have her on Demerol, Doctor, with no notation of allergies.”
Ames glanced at Brendan.
“Can you confirm the ‘no allergy’ info with any of her family?”
“Yes, sir. Give me a couple of minutes,” he said and stepped out into the hall, calling her father as he went.
He knew the call was going to scare Grayson and he was right. When Grayson answered on the second ring, his voice was shaking.
“Brendan?”
“Yes, it’s me. The doctor needs to know if Julie is allergic to anything.”
“What’s wrong?”
“She seems to be having some kind of hallucinations, or suffering from a kind of paranoia. They have her on Demerol for pain. Is she allergic?”
“Not that I know of, but then she’s never had to take anything like that before.”
“I’ll tell him. And I think you should come. I won’t be able to stay much longer, and she shouldn’t be alone.”
“We’ll be right there.”
Brendan went back into the room.
“Her father said she’s not allergic to anything they know of, but she’s never had a reason to take this pain medicine before.”
Ames nodded. “I think that may be what’s causing this reaction. It’s not a common occurrence, but some people do experience psychological problems when taking strong pain killers. I’m switching her pain meds to Tramadol. It’s not as strong and hopefully this behavior will subside.”
“In the meantime, is there anything you can give her to counteract this?”
Ames frowned. “I don’t like adding fuel to the fire by mixing pain meds. She’s already on an emotional roller coaster. It’ll be out of her system soon enough. First, I want to see is how her eyes are progressing. She could see some light this morning. If we can get her some visual acuity, some of the paranoia might subside.”
Brendan moved back to Julie’s bedside so she’d know that he was there.
When Ames began removing her bandages she jerked then cried out.
“What’s happening?”
Ames spoke quickly. “I’m removing your bandages. Just sit still for me, okay?”
Brendan put a hand on her shoulder. “I’m right here, Julie.” She grabbed his hand, gripping his fingers so tightly they began to go numb. “Your dad is on the way.”
The tone of her voice was barely an octave below a shriek. “I can’t see. Am I blind?”
He squeezed her hand. “Doctor Ames is removing the bandages from your eyes right now, remember? You tell me if you can see when they’re gone, okay?”
She choked on a sob. “Okay.”
At that moment, Brendan hated Chub Walton about as much as he’d ever hated anyone in his life, even more than Anson Poe.
Doctor Ames took the last of the bandages away, then carefully wiped each eye clean.
“Okay, Miss March. Will you open your eyes for me, please?”
Her eyelids fluttered as she blinked several times in rapid succession. She began breathing rapidly, but Brendan couldn’t tell if it was from excitement or fear. And then her lips parted, as if in surprise.
“How do your eyes feel?” Ames asked.
“They burn a little… and they feel weird.”
“They’re still swollen,” Ames said.
Julie’s voice began to shake.
“I’m in a hospital room. I thought I was still there with him.” She looked up. “Brendan!”
He smiled. “Yes, baby, it’s me.”
“Doctor Ames?”
The short grey-haired doctor smiled. “In the flesh.”
“I can see. I’m not blind.” She put her hands over her face and started to weep. “I was so afraid I’d be blind.” Then all of a sudden, she saw her arms and the panic on her face.
Ah shit.
“You will heal, Juliette.”
“Oh my God, oh my God,” Julie shrieked and ripped the sheet off her legs.
When she saw the damaged flesh and the blood pooled beneath her skin, despair pulled her under. She had wanted to see so badly, and now wished it had never happened.
“Why didn’t I die? Why didn’t I die?”
“Julie, don’t,” Brendan said, but she shoved his hand away and tried to pull the IV out of her arm.
He grabbed her hand to stop her, and when he did, she hit his lower lip. He tasted blood and then had to grab both her wrists to keep her from tearing off her hospital gown. He was still trying to reason with her when Ames sent a nurse after meds to sedate her.
Julie kept sobbing and talking in a high-pitched manic voice. “I’m ugly. I’m ruined. This is disgusting. I don’t know how you can stand to look at me.”
Brendan scooped her up into his arms, holding her close against his chest.
“I love you, Julie. I love you. I love you. Nothing will ever change that. You’ll get well. We’ll get through this together.”
“I look ugly. I am ugly. Just like my mother said.”
“You’re not ugly. You’re wounded. You’ll heal,” Brendan said and held her tighter, knowing he could be hurting her, but hurting her far less than she had tried to hurt herself.
Ames quickly added to Brendan’s assurances. “He’s right, Miss March. You will heal. The terrible thing is that you were brutally beaten. The positive aspect to it is that the man who did it was very skilled in causing pain without breaking the skin. The welts will heal. The blood beneath the skin surface is like a bruise. It will dissipate,” Ames said. “It will take time, but I think you will heal without visible scars.”
Julie kept moaning and weeping, and while Brendan was trying to console her, her eyes suddenly rolled back in her head and she went limp.
“What just happened?” Brendan asked, as he quickly laid her back down in the bed.
“That’s part of the drug paranoia,” Ames said. “Once the Demerol is out of her system, I predict this reaction will lessen considerably.”
Brendan was helpless to fix her and sickened by the emotional shock she was suffering.
The nurse came back, injected the meds into Julie’s IV, and then straightened her covers.
“We may need to restrain her,” Ames said.
Brendan turned on the doctor with a look of shock that quickly morphed into fury.
“Hell no, you don’t tie her down! That bastard tied her spread-eagle to a bed and nearly beat her to death. You do not fucking restrain her, do you understand?”
Ames paled. “Yes, I didn’t think. But we can’t have her hurting herself.”
“Then keep her knocked out until that shit is out of her system, because you cannot tie her down.”
And that’s what Grayson and Lana March heard as they entered the room. They saw the blood on Brendan’s lip and the hand he kept firmly on Julie’s shoulder as if he was afraid she’d fly off the bed.
“What’s happening here?” Grayson shouted as he strode into the room.
Ames introduced himself, then began to explain.
“She’s suffering some psychological issues which are a side-effect of the Demerol she’s been given. We’ve changed her meds, but until that’s out of her system, she may still experience some delusions.”
“He took the bandages off her eyes and she saw what Walton did to her,” Brendan snapped. “Don’t leave her alone. She tried to hurt herself.”