3. Chapter Three
Chapter Three
Benji
M y apartment wasn’t much, but it was home. Two bedrooms, a spacious living area with an open-plan kitchen and a dining area made up the space. I’d lived in this place since I was nineteen. When my nan had died, I’d used my inheritance to buy this place. There was only me. I was an only child, and my parents died in a car accident when I was five. My nan had taken in me in and cared for me, but she’d passed away six years ago now. I’d put myself through medical school and six years later, here I was, stood in my apartment with a box of my shit from work and wondering what the hell I was going to do next.
I dumped the box on the kitchen island and took a deep breath, exhaling heavily. I let the events of the day wash over me, but I couldn’t seem to wrap my head around the fact that I wasn’t going to work tomorrow. That was going to be a problem for tomorrow. There wasn’t much I could do about it today and besides, I had a night out at the Crypt to get ready for.
But first, I was going to treat myself to my favourite meal.
I grabbed my phone and wondered over to the sofa, disturbing my sleeping Birman as I dropped into the soft cushions. Maurice looked at me through narrow eyes and sent an irritated flick of his whiskers my way. He was such a moody puss.
“Golden Dragon, how can I help?” a soft voice drawled down the phone.
“Hey Maddie,” I said as I scratched Maurice’s ear.
“Ah, the lovely Benji. Want your usual?”
“Please, but can I have a double helping of prawn crackers?”
She laughed. “Bad day?”
“The worst.”
“I got you, babe. Double prawn crackers, coming up.”
“Thanks.” I ended the call and scooped Maurice up into my arms. He complained at being manhandled, but soon settled against my chest when I stroked through the long white fur on his back.
I told him all about my day, about how Dr Kingsly used the hospital like his own little playground and about my walk home that I don’t actually remember making.
Huh. That was weird. I remember leaving the hospital and making it to Jackson Avenue, but then nothing until I walked through my front door.
A sharp stab of pain lanced through the front of my brain, making me cry out in shock. Maurice fled my embrace as I pitched forward, images flashing before my eyes.
Ice-cold eyes.
Leather gloves.
Bloodstains.
Two orbs like the moon.
You didn’t see anything…
Then, as quick as it had started, the pain disappeared, and with it, the lingering images.
What the hell was that?
What didn’t I see?
I tried to pull the images back to the forefront of my mind, but the harder I tried to remember, the more my head hurt. I couldn’t quite seem to grasp any of the images firmly, and it was like chasing smoke that was caught on a breeze. Impossible and frustrating.
I grunted and fell backwards into the soft embrace of the couch. This day was turning out to be the worst.
A knock sounded on the door and relief flooded me. I was so ready to eat my weight in delicious Chinese takeaway. I plodded over to the door. “Hey Maddie. Thanks for—”
Maya stood on the other side, takeaway bags in hand and a grin curling her elfin features. “It’s time to partyyyyy!”
I winced. I loved this woman, but sometimes, she was a lot.
“What’s the matter?” she asked as she crossed the threshold.
“Nothing. Just a bit of a headache.”
She dropped the takeout bags on the side in the kitchen and dished them out into a couple of bowls. “Do you want to stay in tonight instead?”
“No. I want to get something fun out of this shitshow of a day.”
“Speaking of shitshows,” she said with her eyes brim-full of delight, “Dr Kingsly is pissed. ”
My eyebrows raised. That was an interesting development. “Why? The Pampered Prince not having his needs met?”
Maya giggled. “Word has got out about your meeting in front of the Board and people are starting to challenge Dr Kingsly.”
“Good.” And it was. If there was going to be anything good to come out of me leaving Misthaven Hope Hospital, it would be that Dr Kingsly was knocked down a peg or two. I just hoped that it didn’t make him a worse human being.
“You should have seen his face when one of the nurses told him to get something himself,” Maya said gleefully, her cheeks round like a hamster as she stuffed her face full of food. “I thought he was going to burst a blood vessel.”
I wish I could have seen that. Still, I worried that antagonising him would make him worse. “Just be careful. The guy is a slimy prick, but I wouldn’t put it past him to do something really horrid if pushed too far.”
Maya slammed her chopsticks down. “Well, then the Board won’t be able to look away. They’d have to do something about it.”
“At the expense of someone else?” I snapped and instantly regretted it. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to shout. This headache is just a bitch.”
“Are you sure you want to go out?” Maya asked softly as she placed her hand over mine.
“Yeah, I want to. This day has just been… weird.”
“Weird?”
I frowned and fiddled with my chopsticks on the table. “Have you ever done something but not remember doing it?”
Maya stared at me, concern knitting her brows. “What do you mean?”
I pursed my lips for a moment, debating whether to tell her everything. “I don’t remember how I got home.”
Guess I wanted to tell her everything.
“Okay…” Maya looked worried.
“I remember leaving the hospital, getting to Jackson Avenue and then nothing until I walked through my front door.”
“Everyone feels disassociation at some point, like driving somewhere and suddenly realising you’re at your destination. It’s not uncommon.”
Trust Maya to go into doctor mode. “I know, but this feels different. There are these flashes—”
“Flashes?”
“Of images. Things I’m trying to remember, but I just can’t quite seem to remember them.”
“Is that what’s causing the headache?”
I gnawed my bottom lip and nodded.
“That’s it.” She pulled her phone out of her back pocket. “I am calling Liv and ordering you a CT scan right now.”
“No, Maya. Please. It’s fine. I’m fine. I think I’m just tired and worried and stressed over today.”
She eyed me warily.
“Look, let’s go out and if it’s still bothering me in the morning, I’ll call Liv myself. Okay?”
“Fine,” she snapped. “But if you die, you better come haunt me so I can say ‘I told you so’ to your face every day.”
I laughed. “Yes, ma’am.”
“Now eat up, because then we are going to The Crypt to get shitfaced.”
“You can’t get shitfaced,” I snorted. “You’re on shift tomorrow.”
“Then I’ll watch you get shitfaced whilst I have a few measly shots.”
I had a feeling she was fooling herself with her commitment to those few shots. Sober Maya made good, solid decisions. Alcohol laced Maya made impulsive, wild decisions that usually landed us in some trouble, and someone had the potential to lose an eye.
Tonight was going to be fun.