Authors: Mercedes Keyes
Lena snatched herself from his arm and gritted out harshly. "Nooo!" She stopped then, the sound of her voice foreign to her own ears as she stared up at him. She didn't want to yell at him, she just wanted what she must have, and that was her medicine. "The medicine works for me, and if it works, why should I try anything else?"
'Stay calm Lena, just stay calm, he'll give it to you. He loves you, he'll give you anything ... especially something you need, like that medicine ... you need it – he'll give it to you…because you need it.'
Lena swallowed fearfully, it was the pain! Not her that needed it, the pain did.
"I wish you could see yourself right now. It's not like you to be so unreasonable. Why are you fighting for this so hard? It's just a means to an end, an end that could have many means of being dealt with, Gaitsu may be the better remedy… please, for me, try him out."
"That works! Do you hear - that works! Now give it to me!" She demanded with her hand out for it, unable to look him in the eyes.
"No… it's no longer working for you but against you…no."
"You're the one working against me! Why are you deliberately being mean to me?! I want you to give me that cup! Do you hear me?!" She bit out angrily, finally looking him in the eyes, her calm pretense slipping quickly.
Manny could see the nervous fright in her eyes, the tick in the pulse of her temple and throat throbbing. It was clear that she was on the verge of panic, no matter how she fought with herself to maintain control.
Lena ran her hand over the right side of her face down to her neck with her fingers going into the hair at her nape, it felt as if something was crawling on her skin, rapid prickly sensation of tiny feet running over her scalp, a tremor came over her as perspiration beaded on her brow and upper lip. Suddenly she closed her eyes and turned from him, she had to think! She knew she couldn't force him but everything within her wanted to try, no matter how in vain the attempt, yet the act would only frustrate her even more. She would explain to him, about the pain, he would understand that, he had to. "Manny...um...I'm sorry. You just don't understand, that's all, I know that, so it's not your fault." She said, turning back to look up at him. "You see, it's not for me but for the pain I have without it."
"Where'd the pain come from?" He asked reasonably.
"I don't kno-o-ow! I'm no physician but a physician prescribed it for me."
"Gaitsu is like a physician; let him see if something more can be done."
"
Manny listen to me!!"
She yelled up at him. "I can't stand what it does to me – if I don't have it! You can ask Sandra, she'll tell you ... the medicine is fine ... so ... so don't worry ... don't worry, just believe me I know what's best for me."
Manny stared down at her with such a dread it threatened to overcome him.
'My God, who gave you this? What have they done to you?'
"Lena...I want you to listen to me dear-..."
Lena's eyes pinched closed with a shiver of pain and profound agitation, she didn't have the patience for this, she had to think fast, she had to come up with a plan to get her medicine and get away from him, or else he would keep it from her, she was on the verge of screaming but held it back. "First of all, I do understand about the pain and the methods we'll use to rid ourselves of it but that medicine is not the cure of it hun', it's the cause. You know I love you and would never hurt you or see you suffer-... Lena...?" Manny stopped, realizing she hadn't heard a word he said. "You want the cup Lena?! Fine!"
His voice switched from
understanding to harsh, seeing how inattentive she was in her preoccupation. Lena sighed, hearing him give in as she looked up, wincing to see his face so hard. "Here's your cup." She eagerly reached for it, but as she closed her hand around it, he turned it upside down, pouring the contents onto the floor. "Your cup."
"You bastard!!" Lena shouted and then sucked in startling herself.
Manny felt a lump of pain almost choke him, the expression of pure horror that sprang to her face at seeing the liquid hit the floor, was like one expected from someone witnessing their child being dropped.
"So... I'm a bastard am I? Because I poured out that poison."
"Manny I didn't mean it! Really I didn't... you shouldn't have done it, I told-…"
"That’s it, let’s go!" It was a serious, harsh order not to be ignored.
"Manny-…"
"I said let’s go!" He yelled, gripping her upper arm so tightly it made her cry out. "Manny you're hurting me!"
"Not as much as you're hurting yourself." He ground out, dragging her from the room. "Where are you taking me?" Lena wanted to protest but the pain was now climbing again, desperation was setting in. "To our cabin where you're going to stay until I bring Gaitsu to you." Between the pain and his angry strides, Lena thought surely she would fall to the floor and weep.
'Why
is he persecuting me? God help me please! Please!'
In their cabin, Manny placed her firmly in the center of the bed, with one knee leaning on the bed and her forearm tightly in his grasp as he loomed above her where she lay on her back, staring up at him and his scowl of anger. "Don't - you - move! You understand me! Don't you - dare!" He bit out fiercely as he stared down at her. Lena swallowed, even in the face his anger, she was thinking ahead to when he would leave her alone. His order didn't matter, nor his anger. All that mattered was that medicine in that other room, that's where her mind was, in that room, in that chest, opening it and removing that reticule, that held her reliever. Lena decided to lay still, to be patient and wait until he left her. Her arm was throbbing, but she paid it hardly any attention. She just wanted him to go, and quickly.
"I'll stay, I promise, go get Gaitsu...hurry, my head hurts Manny...get Gaitsu." She blurted suddenly.
Manny stared down at her a moment, hesitating, then backed off the bed looking down at her as he backed away to the door. Lena lay as still as death, watching him leave her slowly.
'Go damn you! Get out of here!'
She wanted to scream her thought but didn't dare. Manny finally turned and left the room.
Lena took nervous, scared gasps of breath, counting
the steps it would take him to reach the end of the corridor. When she felt he had, she was up and out of the bed in a flash, rushing for the door. It didn't help the throb in her head but the medicine would. She just had to get to it. Peeking out the door, she saw the hall clear and made a dash for her room as silent and quick as a mouse. She was sweating and reached up to wipe the moisture from her head as she reached her door, inside, she closed it behind her. Without hesitation she was at the trunk lifting it’s lid with the location of her reticule in mind. Shaking badly, she tugged the tie string open to remove an envelope, the second she had it in her hand, there was another hand there with hers, she looked at the larger white hand in shock as it snatched the reticule from her. Lena turned without thought, screaming,
"Nooooo!"
clamping onto his hand and the reticule, tugging and holding both to her.
"I knew it! Let it go!"
"Noooo!" Holding his hand firmly to her breast with a deathly grip, Lena didn't have to turn around to see who it was, all that mattered was what he was trying to take from her. It was her entire supply; there was no more, she couldn't let him have it! Her speed and strength shocked him, born obviously of desperation. He instinctively knew what would happen the moment he left her, she'd given up too fast, laying so still with an obvious “leave me look” in her eyes. He'd gone into the room and hid behind the door waiting for her; her eyes were for the trunk, she never looked left or right, just straight for it. Now there they were, in a tug of war, him trying to take from her the very demon that had possessed her. A demon turning her into someone desperate and fierce, demanding that she respect it, protect it, and fight for it as if it were her life, her child.
"Manny - pleeease - nooo!" She whimpered, clutching the sack and his hand, her fingers working to get into his to pull her supply free, uncaring of the scratches she inflicted on him. "Lena!! Lena!!! Give it to me!" He barked, growing impatient; she shook her head, wincing from the pain. "Nooo! Leave me alone! Leave me alone!"
"Dammit - I said - let it go!" He used his other hand to give aid to the one being abused by her, scratched up and bleeding as he bent over her; her back was against his shins as she sat on the floor. Seeing his other hand, knowing he was about to get it, Lena screamed out another, "Nooo!" and bent down to bite him.
"Goddamn it Lenaaa! Aaah shit!!" He snatched his hand away leaving the other to hold onto the sack, now she went for that one too with her teeth. He tried to snatch his hand away, tugging her across the floor for the sack to rip open, scattering the envelopes at his feet.
"Look what you did! Look what you did!" She screeched, turning,
she hit, clawed and punched at his thighs, while trying to grab at the envelopes. "Have you gone mad! Get away from'em!" He tried to push her aside but she was too strong and quick, desperately clutching four in her grasp. Manny tried to take them from her, but she balled her body inward with her hands to her stomach, her back rounded towards him.
With his feet planted on either side of her doubled over body, he tried to get his hands into the center of her, where she kept the drug tucked tight against her stomach, his hands were just too large to get them through her arms without hurting her. She knew once he got there, there was no way she would be able to stop him from taking it from her.
Breathing deep and hard, Manny finally stood angrier than he'd ever been at her. "Fine! You hold onto them – they won't last you long, I'll be taking possession of the others until you run out. By God I swear, if I have to stop this ship in the middle of the ocean to make sure you do! You will run out! Then what?"
She felt his feet move from beside her to go forward, as his
'Then what?'
came to mind, Lena's head snapped up, he would do it! If he got his hands on the others, he would get rid of them! She would need more, and she sprang forward landing on her stomach between his legs again as he was bending to retrieve the others, grabbing them from his path as fast as she could. Manny knew the greed the drug would instil and was ready for her.
Faster than lightning this time, he grabbed for her hands instead, snatching the envelopes from her as she picked them up. Lena began screeching and fighting, she rolled to her back because he had her hands, kicking up at him, trying to tug her hands away. Manny had to deflect her kicks by throwing his thighs inward from each side to protect his manhood, which was what she aimed for; his stomach was too hard and set for her to do serious harm to.
"Let go of meee! Damn you! Get away from meee!"
"You're going to fight me over it! Hmm? You're going to fight me!? You think you can win?! Either way!? Do you think you can
win
!! Who the hell do you think you are?!? Stop it!!" He railed at her through an angry set jaw, about to seriously lose his temper as she kicked and struggled, fighting him with all she had. Manny, still holding both of her wrists in his one hand, grabbed a piece of her skirt end and began twisting it around his hand and wrist until he had it wound up enough to tighten it around her calves as he used his knee and leg to knock her legs aside in their effort to kick at him. She still had two envelopes in her hand and Manny began squeezing her wrist to make her drop them. "Drop'em damn it!"
"L
et me gooo! You’re hurting me Manny! Ooow!! God you’re hurting me!!" She sobbed, still trying to fight him. "Drop'em!!"
"Nooo! I won’t! You have no right!! No right!! Give’em back!!"
Tired of being bent over her fighting, Manny stood, hauling Lena up with him, her wrists in one hand, her skirt tail in the other, half way up he laid her back against his thigh to turn her so he could get his arm around her waist, once he turned her, hoisting her up to his side, he turned her dress loose. With her held in his arm on his side, he went for the last two envelopes, ripping them from her hands. She then turned on him.
"Oooh! I hate you, I hate you, I hate you!" She raged, slapping him in the face, viciously raking her nails across his cheek, Manny tried to catch her flaying claws but couldn't before she’d delivered a blow to his mouth, busting his lip, and another to his nose. Tasting blood he let her go, she fell on her feet stumbling back a pace, corrected herself and ran up to him again, pounding his chest, scratching at his neck and face.
"Damn you sonofabitch!! Give’em to me!!" She tried to kick him but her skirt hampered her legs. Gritting his teeth, Manny's whole body screamed with the knowledge that he was in a fight and that a single clip to her chin would end it then and there but he couldn't bring himself to hit her. Instead he tried to grab her hands as she ripped and tore at his shirt, scratching his chest as she did. By then, Gaitsu was at the door, scared but fully aware without a word from Manny what was going on. Manny had talked to him over a week before about seeing her take something, asking that he intercede from fear of what it was. Only to face that eventuality, hurting and afraid, even ashamed that someone see her that way, Manny knew he was there but had to get control of Lena first.