Her Wicked Plan

47. Leo

One minute we were having sex, and the next, she was asking me to run away with her. To escape the asylum that has trapped her and then me.

She left me alone in my office, shocked by her proposal and confused by the emotions that ran through me in a swirl of chaos. A tornado had touched down in my brain and made a complete mess of my thoughts.

I needed a distraction again.

I needed Veronica.

Then the need for her turned into anger since she wasn’t listening, and that anger burned the fire brighter when Scarlet let herself into my office.

Close fucking call.

What would I have done if I hadn’t pushed Veronica under the desk? How would we have explained the situation? Scarlet walking in and finding Veronica on her knees with my dick free from my pants?

If we were to leave here, we wouldn’t have to worry about someone walking in on us or having to sneak around every time we wanted to see each other outside of a session.

How nice would it be to kiss her whenever I felt the need to? How great would it be to wrap my arms around her and hug her without worrying that we could get in trouble?

Am I seriously considering this?

Feeling anxious, I run my hands through my hair and quickly pace around the office. I have time to think about this. To come up with a list of pros and cons. Let’s be real; there will be more cons than pros. I make up the list in my head.

Pros- I’d have her whenever I wanted.

Cons- We’d have to be on the run. If we get caught, I’ll lose my job. Fuck. I’ll go to prison.

I can’t run with her. Even if we were to escape without getting caught, what would I tell my family?

I take out my phone, unsure of what I will do now that it is in my grasp. Staring down at the device, the black screen mirrors my panicked expression.

I blink several times, my eyes removing themselves from the screen, and look at the window. I don’t want to witness the fear written on my face because of the emotion that crawled into my body and dug its claws deep within.

I have to talk to someone about this to help clear the idea from my head, to help me avoid bad decisions. The only person I am safe talking to, the only one who knows about this messed-up situation, is Myles.

Instead of calling him—he is most likely at work, and I can’t bear to hear his voice when I tell him about this—I text him.

Hey, man. Are you busy?

A couple of minutes go by, minutes pretending to be an eternity before I see those three dots appear.

I’m in a meeting right now. What’s up? Is your mom okay?

I talked to her earlier. She said she was feeling better, but this isn’t about mom.

What’s going on?

I chew on the inside of my lip, copper dripping into my mouth once I break the skin. The tip of my shoe tapping annoyingly on the ground. Just rip the bandaid off. If you don’t get the words out there, it will drive you insane.

Veronica wants to run.

Okay? So take her outside and let her run a few laps.

His confusion makes me laugh a little. He can always bring light to a dark situation, even if he doesn’t realize how dark it is.

No, like... she wants us to run. To leave this place and be together.

There is a moment of silence as I await his response. Three little dots appear, letting me know he is typing. It’s deafeningly quiet in the office.

A ringing begins in my ear, pumping up to the same volume as the wind outside. It’s roaring today, the sound strong enough to hear through the closed window.

Jesus Christ, Leo! I can’t skip out on this meeting to call you about this! Tell me you told her no.

I haven’t given her an answer yet.

Dude, you were worried about even sleeping with her because it would risk your job, and now this?

It’s not a good idea, man, and this is coming from me. You know I’m serious.

I sigh and shut my eyes. I know he is right. I feel it deep down in my bones. If I agree with what he is saying, then why am I second-guessing it?

Why the hell am I even considering running with her? Because I like her? A lot. When I shouldn’t.

It’s stupid. So, so stupid.

Leo . . . please tell me you aren’t going to tell her yes.

I stare at his words. Multiple emotions grip on my arms, tugging me back and forth. My thumbs hover over the letters on the keyboard, unsure which ones they want to use to form a response. Eventually, they type before it can catch up with my brain.

I’m going to tell her no. You’re right. Being with her how I have been is risky, but this? I’d be asking for the consequences.

Thank fuck! I thought I would have to keep an illegal situation a secret, and you know how I am with secrets. I miss your face. Let”s get drinks soon. We both need it.

I miss you too, man.

I lock my phone, knowing now that the conversation is over and that he won’t text back because of the meeting he is in. Leave it to Myles to talk actual common sense into me.

I almost let my feelings for this woman, feelings that I shouldn’t have in the first place, override my sense of judgment. Those emotions almost made me listen to the devil that sits on my shoulder, shouting in my ear to drown out the angel opposite of it.

I inhale a deep breath, clearing my head before turning around to focus on anything but what I am going through. I sit in my seat, picking up the manilla folder Scarlet brought in for me.

Who knows if Dr. Bennett and Edith were in a meeting? Surely, they could have been, but I wouldn’t put it past Scarlet to offer to bring these files herself.

The thought of her entering the room while Veronica was on her knees. How I maintained a conversation with Scarlet while being jerked off is astonishing to me. I held my ground.

My face was probably flush, but Scarlet could have taken that as an expression of anger towards her being in my presence.

If I close my eyes, I can almost feel the warmth of Veronica’s mouth on me, but then my eyes shoot open when I realize I didn’t warn Veronica to stay away from our unexpected visitor.

Veronica had threatened her that if she came to me again, then Veronica would get physical.

Shit.

I pinch the manilla folder between my fingers and stare blankly at the patient’s name, neatly written in the upper corner. The letters blur together when my eyes lose focus.

I should get up and tell Veronica to keep to herself. Then again, she didn’t seem angry when she left my office. Scarlet was the last thing on her mind. I’m safe for now.

I hope.

With that thought in mind, I open the folder and start reading.

The patient”s name is Olivia, and she has been in Ward R since she was first admitted. My eyes scan over some words that hold no importance until I find the space where it shows the reason she is here.

She has schizophrenia. Almost like Eliza’s diagnosis, who hears voices, but Olivia sees things too. In a statement, she describes the things she saw as monsters—scary, tall black figures with hollowed-out eyes. The image I’m giving myself sends a shiver down my spine.

Olivia told her doctor that these hallucinations would tell her what to do, and their orders were violent. She didn’t want to do anything the monsters told her to because even though she could see the wrong in them, they threatened her family.

If Olivia hadn’t held up her end of the deal and hadn’t gone through with the awful orders the creatures gave her, nothing would have happened to her family.

She didn’t know that. Those monsters rooted themselves deep into her mind, causing her to act out and hurt innocent people, even those whom she loved.

Olivia has been here for four years, and three years in, they have finally found the right medication. There have been no incidents with other patients, and nothing physical has happened with her doctors or nurses.

The medicine was doing its job right, and now it’s rewarding her to come to this ward. She will be fine here as long as she continues to take the medicine.

It’s nothing I can’t handle—she, Ruby, and Veronica. However, the latter will be upset that I’m taking on another patient rather than having free time for her.

Who am I kidding? Her being upset about this is no comparison to how frustrated she will be when I dismiss her offer.

How the hell am I even going to do that? I’ll take the time she told me to think about it to find a way to tell her I’m not running.

Here I go again. Thinking about the situation.

Closing the folder, I head to Dr. Bennett’s office to ensure I can take on Olivia. Turning right out of my office, I take my time down the hall to his. It’s quiet down here—almost too quiet—and on any other day, I wouldn’t mind, but today? It’s utterly silent, and the devil”s wicked words are attempting to flood my ears again.

Twitching my head, I shake the thoughts away and lightly knock on the opened door. Henry is sitting at his computer, scrolling through emails, I’m sure, given how bored he looks. When his eyes meet mine, they light up.

“Leo! To what do I owe the visit?”

I hold up the manilla folder in my hand. “Scarlet brought this to me, and I wanted to tell you I’d be happy to take Olivia on as a new patient.”

His head tilts, confusion dulling his eyes. “Olivia?”

“Yeah...” I say hesitantly. “I was informed she was doing better and was being brought down to this ward. Scarlet said you mentioned me being Olivia’s new doctor.”

His eyebrows raise in slight recognition. “Ah, yes, Olivia. Sorry, there are so many patients here to keep track of.” He takes his glasses off, setting them beside his laptop. “As happy as I am to hear your interest in taking Olivia on as a patient, I never suggested you be her doctor.”

My hand drops to my side, still holding the folder. “What?”

“Well, I knew Olivia was coming to this ward, of course, but I was going to give her to Dr. Calton. I figured that with you focused on Veronica and Ruby and all the progress you have been making with each of them, you wouldn’t want to take on another. I didn’t bother suggesting it.”

“But Scarlet specifically said that you were the one who proposed that I’d be a good fit.”

“I’m not sure why she would say it when it’s untrue, but she isn’t wrong. If you’d still like Oliva to be under your care despite how things came about, I would be more than happy to allow you of that.”

I suppress the anger that seems to have found a permanent home in my body. “Yes. I would like that very much.”

“Wonderful! She won’t be coming down to this ward for another two weeks. That should give you time to set up scheduled sessions with her. Rearrange the others if you have to.”

“Okay.” I nod once. “I’ll be going home this weekend. If something comes up here beforehand, I would appreciate it if someone could take my place. I need to see my mother.”

“Of course,” he responds thoughtfully.

With that settled, I tell him goodbye and go to find the woman who lied to me. Hopefully, she isn’t back in her ward, but if she is, then it looks like I will be visiting Ward R.

Scarlet was in her ward. It’s four floors up, far away from the doors to the outside, and it is one of the most dangerous wards in the building.

The building is older meaning the elevators are out of order until further notice. I guess that it’s not an important issue on Dr. Bennetts”s to-do list.

Four flights of stairs are nothing, though; it keeps my adrenaline pumping as I ascend the stairs to speak with her.

Normally, I’d let it go. The old me would have brushed off the fact that she lied, but I’m not the same person I used to be. I slide my key card in the slot using this option because I don’t know if they have a different code than ours.

The layout differs from my ward. Walking through the door, I am immediately met with a nurse”s station. It is square, with two entries on either side and four monitors sitting on the desk.

Two women pay attention to the screens while others walk around the halls. Doors line those halls, and as I approach the desks, I can tell that those rooms are the patient”s bedrooms. They don’t have their own hall like the patients in Ward B do.

As I stand in front of the station, the nurse”s eyes are still glued to the computer screen. I clear my throat, slowly pulling her attention away from whatever she was looking at.

When her eyes meet mine, they shine brightly. A smile tugs at her lips before she speaks, “Hi. How can I help you?”

“I’m looking for Nurse Scarlet Jeane.”

She eyes me up and down, a knowing look in her eyes. “She is with a patient right now but should be done any minute.”

“I’ll wait,” I tell her, glancing around the area. Patients don’t roam freely, and if they do, there is always someone at their side.

Guards follow the ones who walk around in case they cause trouble. Multiple of those patients stare at me, evil grins on their faces. One even calls to the nurse I was just talking with and says, “Is he a newbie coming to bless our eyes?”

I bite back my laugh. The nurse behind the desks rolls her eyes. “No, he is not.”

“Such a shame.” The patient tsks. “We could show him a good time up here.”

“Tessa, that is enough!” The nurse snaps. “Go find something else to do besides scare...” She pauses and then looks at me. “What was your name again?”

“Dr. Madden from Ward B,” I introduce myself.

“Ah, yes. Dr. Madden.” She grins. “I’ve heard about you.”

“From?”

Behind her, Scarlet emerges from a bedroom, eyes down on the chart in her hands.

The nurse turns her head to see what caught my attention, then spins back around to me. “The source herself.”

Great. Scarlet has been gossiping about me to her coworkers. I wonder what lies she cooked up.

Scarlet enters the station, setting the chart down before her eyes find mine. “Dr. Madden? What are you doing up here?”

There is a slight worry in her tone. I hold up the folder that still has yet to leave my hand. “I thought we could talk more about my new patient.”

“Right.” Her head dips. “Would you like to meet her?”

“At some point, yes.” I round the counter to where she has taken position. “But I have some questions to ask you before I do.”

Her jaw tightens. “Okay. We can talk in my office.”

I gesture for her to lead the way. Here, I thought that her office was in the same place as mine, seeing as she was always in that hall. Thinking about that now, it’s kind of dumb. Why would her office be down by mine when her patients are here?

She walks ahead of me, her steps quick as she types in a code, letting us into their hallway of offices. We are silent, the sound of our footsteps bouncing off the walls. The bottom of her heels hitting the floor overpowers my shoes.

Scarlet opens a door, walking into the room allowing me to come in last. She heads over to her desk as I shut the door behind me.

The office is almost like mine but different. It’s in the way she decorated it. It makes the space feel more like her. I help myself to the window where her view doesn’t comprise the lake like mine, but she has a view of the forest.

“So, what questions do you have?” she asks cautiously, as if she is afraid to be in the same room as me.

“The first question I have”—I turn around and stand opposite her, the desk between us—“is why you lied about Dr. Bennett suggesting I be Olivia’s doctor.”

Her eyes drop to the desk, where I let the folder fall. It lands with a soft smack, but it is enough for Scarlet to flinch. “I… I’m not sure. I just assumed it coming from me, you wouldn’t want to take her, and she is a good patient. She deserves to have someone like you as her doctor.”

I roll my lips together, nodding with ease. “Such a sweet talker you are.”

She raises her eyes to meet mine. “Leo...”

I hold up my hand to stop her from continuing. “My next question: Seeing as it wasn’t Henry’s idea, he didn’t tell you to bring me this folder. You just did it on your own?”

She squints slightly. “Yes. I mean, seeing as it was my idea for you to be her doctor, of course, I brought it to you because I wanted to.”

My hands find the smooth surface of her desk. Palms flush against the cool wood. “What have you been telling your fellow nurses about me?”

“W-what?” she stutters.

“The one I was talking to gave me this look like she was putting pieces of a puzzle together. A puzzle that you provided information with.” I stare at her. “Said she’s heard about me. From you.”

“When you and I first met, there was that spark.” She sighs. “I told her about you, how I liked you, and how attractive you were.”

A breathy laugh escapes me. I knew that was coming. “Did you tell her how you hit on my friend when I rejected you? Or how you kissed me after he ghosted you?”

Her head ticks to the side as she huffs. “No.”

“You only told her all the good things? Did you lie to her like you lied to me?”

“Yes.” Her gaze meets mine, narrowing and full of fire. Good. Get angry. “I did lie to her. Would you want me to tell her the truth about you, Leo?”

“If it makes me look like the bad guy and you the victim in her eyes. A woman with a broken heart who wants sympathy. By all means, go for it.”

A sudden smirk plays on her lips. “Oh, I wasn’t talking about that. I meant more about what is going on with you and Veronica, although that would still make you look like the bad guy.”

My face falls. Tension rolls through me as my teeth press down on one another. “What did you just say?”

Scarlet mimics my stance, palms on the desk as she leans forward. “You really think I didn’t know?” She laughs manically. “Veronica isn’t that protective over anyone. I thought maybe it was because she had a schoolgirl crush on you. I mean, I can’t blame her. Most of the women here have a crush on you.” She pushes herself off the desk, slowly walking around it. “That is what I thought until I heard the two of you.”

My heart is racing as panic settles into my skin. There’s no way she heard us. I made sure we were quiet.

“I went to your ward to speak with Dr. Bennett about a patient causing trouble. On my way out, I saw you and Veronica in the hallway. She had bottles of what looked like shampoo and conditioner in her hand, and you were leading her towards the door that houses the employee”s bedrooms. Now, why would you take a patient somewhere that is completely off-limits?”

No. I made sure to be aware of my surroundings before I took Veronica in there.

“I waited a few minutes until I heard the door shut, and then I got curious. Why would you be bringing her to your room?” She stops briefly to glance out the window. “My curiosity drove me to your door, and I heard the water running in the shower. It was quiet, but no one can mistake moans for anything but what they are.”

I want to say something, but no words come to mind. If she heard us, there was no way to get myself out of this.

“Then her sister came to visit.” She continues, getting closer and closer to me. “You didn’t see me, yet again, as she barreled out of the visitation room. You were so completely focused on calming her down that you didn’t even realize I was at the end of the hall. I assumed you were taking her to your office but took her to your bedroom instead.” She stops, inches away from me. “Again.”

What the hell am I supposed to do?

“Are you expecting me to deny it?” There is no point in lying.

“Why would you when you clearly got caught?”

“And yet you are the only one who seems to know.” I stand straight up, hovering over her to intimidate her. “How come Dr. Bennett hasn’t come knocking on my office door to fire me?”

She shrugs. “Maybe I’m waiting for the right opportunity to show itself. Unless we can come to an... agreement.”

“You’re kidding me.” I breathe out a laugh, full of annoyance and disbelief.

“Does it look like I’m kidding?” She stands tall, not showing her fear. “You and I could be happy together. We could be perfect for each other. That’s why you will stop that nonsense with her and start showing me the attention you’ve supplied her. If not, then I will tell Dr. Bennett.”

“Do you hear yourself? How insane you sound?” I lift my hands and press my fingers to my temples. “You’re jealous of what Veronica and I have so much that you let that heavy emotion blackmail me?”

“What you two have?” She scoffs. “You’re fucking her. Your patient! Don’t even sit here and tell me it’s anything more than sex.” I continue glaring at her, the answer sitting clear in my eyes. Her bright green eyes widen, a hand lifting to her mouth. “Oh, my god. It’s more than that? Wow, Leo. Stooped so low to sleep with the psycho and wound up catching feelings for someone who can’t even return them.”

I don’t realize it’s happening until it does. My hand races to meet her throat, fingers pressing into her skin. Her painted red lips part, and shock floods her expression.

“Let”s get one thing clear. Mine and Veronica’s relationship is none of your goddamn business. You only see the devil”s side of her because she hates you. I will not stand here and explain to you why I love her because it isn’t worth my time, but let me ask you this, Scar.” I lean down to get in her face. “What makes you think I won’t tell Dr. Bennett about your activities behind closed doors?”

Her face heats, and her cheeks turn almost the same shade of red as her hair. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Playing dumb isn’t a good look for you,” I say with fake pity. “Who do you think he will believe? You or his trusted doctor who speaks with him every day, someone who has a close relationship with him?”

Tears spill from her eyes. “You wouldn’t.”

I shrug. “You threaten me, I threaten you.”

Her lips tremble, and I feel her swallow hard against my hand. “You can’t tell him.”

“Then I think you and I have come to a new agreement.” I shove her back, releasing her from my grasp. “Threaten me again, Scarlet, and it will be the last thing you do.”

I slide the patient file from her desk and head towards the door.

“She doesn’t love you back, Leo,” she says in a cold tone. “If you believe she does, you aren’t as smart as I thought.”

I don’t bother with words. She wants to continue fighting, but I’m done.

Hopefully, I got my point across.

Only time will tell.