Chapter 7 The Phoenix #2
Dinner followed the same routine as the other two meals had, except that Brandon was still not with the group.
Thelma had woken up just as we lined up next to our rooms for a head count before going down to the cafeteria.
Fried chicken, mashed potatoes, green beans, and a brownie were served onto our trays for dinner, tasting just as good as the other meals had been.
Thelma even managed to eat a little bit of her food without feeling nauseous, Kendi encouraging her the entire time.
Neither of them had any visitors coming tonight, so after dinner, they both headed to their respective rooms to unwind while I waited in the lounge.
In the main lobby, outside of the large metal doors that lead to our wing, were small private rooms with no doors used strictly for visitors during the appropriate hours.
Two nurses sat at the desk in the center of the room at all times, close enough to hear what was being said and watch for any violations of the clinic’s policy.
Cindy told me once my sister was through the check-in process, they would find her one of the empty rooms and then come to get me.
All visitors had to undergo a rigorous search before coming in to see a loved one.
No jewelry was allowed, —nothing with ties, including shoes or clothing items. Visitors could be turned away or offered slipper socks if they were wearing any laced shoes.
The only thing the visitors didn’t have to do that the patients did was strip down and have photographs taken of their naked bodies.
Cindy also let me know that any belongings or clothes my sister brought me would have to be searched before they would be allowed in my room, when I had told her Micky would be bringing me some comforts from home.
At five minutes past six, the nurse who had taken over Cindy’s shift, Shemar, came to let me know that I had a visitor waiting for me.
He was a pleasant, soft-spoken man who I would have guessed to be in his early forties.
Shemar gave me the rundown of rules one more time as we made our way down the hallway and towards the metal doors.
I wasn’t allowed to physically touch a visitor, I had to stay within sight of the nurses on duty, and if there were any issues, I was to go directly to their station and wait until one could escort me back to my wing.
The similarities between this place and prison seemed to be almost parallel, though it was only my best guess since spending the night in prison wasn’t exactly on my bucket list.
He swiped his badge and led us out into the main lobby, where a few other visitations were already taking place, with patients from other wings of our floor.
The room my visitor was in was located closer to the end; the other rooms were already occupied.
Visiting hours were only from six to eight, so they were limited to thirty minutes per visitor to give other patients a chance to see their loved ones with such a limited space to share.
My heart lightened at the thought of finally getting to see my sister after the time I had spent alone.
The company of the other patients wasn’t comparable to the companionship of her.
Even if I wouldn’t be able to hug her, just being able to talk to her and see her face was enough to make the weight on my shoulders lessen.
Shemar stopped at the second-to-last visiting room and waited for me to approach the open doorway. Anticipation prickled along my skin.
“Here we are, Miss Devlin,” he said, holding his arm out to indicate the room to me.
I stopped short as I stood and faced the visitor in the room, my body leaden, preventing me from entering the space as my heart rate skyrocketed.
Craig was sitting calmly in one of the chairs in the visitors’ area, smiling at me like we were a normal couple and he was picking me up for a date.
I couldn’t believe they let him in the clinic, let alone as one of my visitors.
My heart sank into my stomach as my dinner threatened to make a reappearance.
I could feel the belt around my neck like it was never removed.
It was stuck there, growing tighter and tighter as he squeezed and squeezed.
His wolf-like grin was not noticeable to anyone but me, I knew what he was after, I alone knew what he wanted.
“Miss Devlin?” Shemar’s voice sounded far away, as if I was trying to listen to it underwater.
I was drowning internally from my own blood, my heart was pumping too fast, it was going to start pushing it out of me until it was no longer in my chest cavity, but beating on the floor while I slowly died.
Because right now I was dying, and there was no one there to help me.
The shaking wouldn’t stop, no matter how hard I tried to will it away.
Just so I could run, get away, escape as far from the man who tried to kill me as I possibly could.
My knees gave out as I tried to move backwards, causing me to hit the ground hard.
Shemar was by my side, trying to understand what was going on, but Craig had stepped out of the room and was approaching me.
I tried to scream against the invisible belt constricting my throat, but no sound would form.
Gasping noises were all I could create from the terror taking over my body.
He was there to finish the job; he had to be.
There was no other reason why he would have come down here.
If he didn’t kill me, the panic taking over me would.
My fear was a force of its own, taking control and evicting me from my own body.
Shemar was able to get an arm around the back of my shoulders; he must have abandoned his clipboard, but all that did was make it worse.
Now I could no longer back away from my would-be killer.
Now he was kneeling down in front of me, smiling while talking in a calming voice.
That sickening sweet voice, worse than nails on a chalkboard, that I knew was fake.
“It’s okay, baby, this is why you’re in a place for people to help you. These episodes might kill you one of these days.” The threat lurking beneath his smooth voice was clear, so why didn’t anyone else seem to notice that he was promising to finish the job right in front of them?
“Get away! Get away! Get the fuck away from me!” I screamed as he tried to touch me. Shemar must not have known I was talking to him or Craig; he didn’t move from his position around me, but he also didn’t make Craig back away. His arm around my back held me firmly trapped between the two men.
The elevator dinged in the distance, but it could barely be heard over my screaming. Patients and their visitors were starting to take notice, sticking their heads out of their rooms to watch the scene unfolding.
“What’s going on?” a strange baritone voice interjected. I couldn’t see his face as he stood behind me, I didn’t care, the only thing that mattered was to get as far away from Craig as I possibly could. I started to try to hit Shemar, pleasant disposition be damned if he wasn’t going to let me run.
“He tried to kill me!” I bellowed, finally able to form a sentence around my labored breathing.
“Shemar,” barked the new male voice, “call security and have this man removed now, or I will do it myself, and you won't like having to clean up the mess.” He stepped around me and placed himself between me and Craig.
It was difficult to tell his height from my angle of half lying on the ground, but he was taller than anyone present in the chaos.
“Who are you to say I can’t see my girlfriend?
I’m the one who admitted her into the hospital; I saved her life.
” Craig's knowing smile stayed on his face while he tried to reason with the newcomer.
His charm fell into place as easily as pulling on a sweater.
He was an artist, and no one around him could see through the carefully crafted charade he had in place.
“I don’t give a fuck who you are. If you cause this type of reaction with any of our patients, their well-being ranks above your wants. So get the fuck out of this hospital now before I have charges pressed against you.”
Craig took a step towards the new guy, obviously not intimidated by his stance on trying to make him leave, but the unknown man never backed down.
Shemar must have called security like he was asked to do because not a second later, two uniformed men came to escort Craig off the property.
I didn’t see him putting up much of a fight, but that didn’t mean some type of revenge was brewing in his mind.
I knew how he worked, how he operated, and I knew all too well what that smile meant.
The unknown man finally turned around once security had disappeared with Craig sandwiched between them, and crouched down on the floor beside me. My chest heaved with the lingering panic.
“Are you okay?” He asked, not getting too close as Shemar helped me to my feet, the nurse’s lithe frame nothing compared to the giant of a man next to him.
“No,” I paused, trying my damnedest to breathe, “H— tried—to kil— me.” I spoke as steadily as I could without being able to take a complete breath.
If my body was determined to make these moments my last with the panic coursing through it, then I was going to continue to do my best to get someone to listen to the truth.
“Miss Devlin, you’re here because of a suicide attempt,” started Shemar, but the new guy cut him off.
“Could you please go get new bandages, Shemar? Miss Devlin seems to be bleeding.” I glanced down at my arm. The man was right, in my attempt to get Shemar off me, I had torn off the dressing covering my stitches, ripping a few out in the process.