With Her Wrists I Tremble Ch 2
Chapter Two
Pete paced back and forth in the hospital waiting room, his mind racing with conflicting thoughts. He tapped his fingers against his leg. Whistling followed soon after.
Claudia sighed. “Dude. Could you stop that!’
Pete sat down beside her. “Sorry.” He sighed and leaned forward onto his hands. “ You saw the car, right?”
“Yes.” Claudia spoke through gritted teeth.
“You know whose car that was, right?” Pete glanced at his younger partner.
“Yes. I know whose car that was and I don’t care.” Claudia blinked back the tears in her eyes.
Pete got to his feet again. “How can you not care? She is here! We have to find her and bring her back!”
“She doesn’t want us to find her. Trust me, I’ve tried! She is completely off the grid. I should never have taught her how to hack!” Claudia has hated herself ever since she started looking for her.
“Come on Claudia! It’s not your fault! We all missed the signs; no one could have known she was just going to run off like that! But she is here, so shouldn’t we at least try to find her! You saw that car crash! She could be hurt or… or something….” Pete sat down next to Claudia and held his head in his hands.
Claudia rubbed his back, trying to soothe him. She tried so hard to make them believe that she didn’t care that Myka was gone, but she probably missed her more then anyone. She was like a mother and an older sister all in one. More then a few times, Leena found Claudia curled up in Myka’s bed. She had obviously spent the night there. Leena would smile sadly and close the door again not letting on that she knew.
Leather loafers smacked against the linoleum floor. A doctor, with short hair swooped to the side, walked toward them. He carried a clipboard and held his head high with self-importance.
Pete got to his feet. “Hey Doc, how is she?”
******
Myka peered around the hall into the waiting room. She saw Pete speaking to the doctor and Claudia standing beside him, her arms crossed. She watched them for a moment, their backs toward her. She slipped back down the hall until she found the room she was looking for. The girl she had rescued before was lying on the hospital bed. She was still asleep. Myka took the opportunity to read her chart.
Olivia Renwhite was her name. She was a student at the University of Toronto. She had a broken rib and a dislocated shoulder. Myka looked up at Olive and felt a pang of concern for this girl she had literally pulled off the street moments before. She heard a moan from the bed and glanced up to see Olive’s eyes blink open.
“Hey,” Myka’s voice became soft. “How are you feeling?”
Olive took a deep breath. “I hurt.”
Myka sat in the chair beside the bed. “I know, but you are safe now. There are some friends here who are going to take good care of you.”
“Who…” Olive cleared her throat. “Who are you?”
“Myka. Myka Bering.” Myka forced a smile on her lips.
Olive saw this woman before her and recognized the sadness in her. Myka was broken and it didn’t take a genius to see that. Olive didn’t know how, but she knew she was going to be working with this woman, doing whatever she does, helping her. Maybe even become her friend, trustee. Myka’s eyes grew wide at the sound of people talking outside the door. She recognized Pete and the doctor’s voice.
She jumped to her feet and rushed towards the bathroom. “Olivia, don’t tell them I was here! Trust me. I’ll explain everything later.”
Olive nodded, trusting herself to this woman she barely knew. Myka closed the bathroom door behind her just as the doctor, a comical looking man in a business suit, and his short red headed companion strolled into the room.
******
Helena made her way through the large Victorian house. Gas lamps cast long shadows across the walls. She knew what was going to happen; she had lived it all before. Her heart had hardened around it. Her little Christina sat by the fireplace playing with her dolls. She glanced up as Helena entered the room, but didn’t recognize her as her mother. Helena studied her daughter, memorized her smile, her laugh, the way she crinkled her nose when she was concentrating, but then her gaze wandered to the clock and she knew it was time to leave.
Helena got to her knees in front of her daughter. “Christina, darling, we have to leave now.” She spoke in a voice that was not her own.
Christina smiled. “Okay! Where are we going?”
Helena couldn’t help but smile back. She tucked a dark curl behind Christina’s ear. “It’s a surprise.”
Her face lit up immediately. “I love surprises!” She got to her feet, hugging one of her dolls in the crook of her arm.
Helena held Christina’s other hand. It felt small and fragile in her grip. As they made their way to the foyer, Helena heard a faint click. Just then the door burst open in front of them. Helena felt her heart seize in her chest. They were early. She pulled Christina behind her and got into a fighting stance. The men, who were obviously not expecting people to be there, rushed at Helena, trying to knock her aside.
Helena whipped around, but she was unfamiliar with this body. The maid wasn’t as fit as she was and her movements were slower. She had enough time to push Christina into the living room. Helena was so distracted by the men coming towards her she didn’t hear the sickening crunch of bone against wood. She gained her footing.
She looked up and found that she was no longer in the maid’s body. She stood in the corner of the living room. Mr. Kosan appeared beside her, clutching her elbow. Helena didn’t notice him; she didn’t even care about him. He was staring at the small crumpled form on the carpet. It didn’t move, it didn’t breath; it just lay there as the shell of a person, that once was.
Helena wrestled her arm out of Mr. Kosan’s grip and fell to her knees in front of the body. She couldn’t touch her, she wasn’t actually there, Helena knew this.
“Helena.” Mr. Kosan placed a hand on her shoulder as he came up behind her. “Those men didn’t murder your daughter. Do you understand me?”
Helena let out a staggered breath, her lungs felt tight in her chest. Tears made hot, wet trails down her cheeks. She heard her counterpart run into the room, the men had disappeared. She saw the maid turn Christina over and clutch her to her chest, rocking her back and forth. Blood flowed freely from a wound on her forehead. Just one small act, one error in judgment had taken everything from her.
Mr. Kosan clicked the pen closed and they were back in the concrete cell. Helena was kneeling on the cold stone floor, facing away from her interrogator. Her knees started to bruise from the impact, but she didn’t notice.
“Helena, do you understand what I am trying to show you?” Mr. Kosan turned to leave, his session was done for today.
Helena didn’t move, her voice was lifeless when she spoke. “I killed Christina.”
******
Myka sat on the cold tiled floor for what seemed like hours. Checking her watch, she was surprised to see that only thirty minutes had passed. The mumbled voiced had died away and Myka crept slowly towards the door. She froze as the door handle started to turn. The door opened and Olive stood there, dragging her IV stand behind her.
Myka let out the breath she had been holding. “You shouldn’t be out of bed.
Olive smiled. “I’m alright. Morphine does wonders.” She pushed herself back onto the bed. “Your friends are gone.” Olive did air quotes when she said ‘friends’.
“Thank you for not saying anything.” Myka crossed her arms across her chest.
“You’re welcome. Can you tell me why I did that?” Olive fixed the covers over her feet.
“Olivia…” Myka sighed.
“Olive.” Olive interrupted.
“Olive?”
“Olive.” The look of resolve was plastered on Olive’s face. She was going to find out exactly what was going on, if it killed her. “Secret Service agent, my ass.”
Myka smiled, Olive’s attitude reminded her of Claudia. “Olive…” She was interrupted by a loud bang coming from the hallway. She peered through the doorway and was horrified by what she saw. There stood a man or what she thought was a man in the middle of the hallway. His hair was falling out in patches on his head. His face was deformed and his skin was covered in severe burns. He wore white cloth costume gloves on each hand and he held them away from each other, careful not to bring them too close together. The air around his hands seemed to vibrate with radiation. Hospital staff ran past her, trying to get as far away from the creature as possible.
“OLIVE! HOW DARE YOU LEAVE ME! YOU BITCH!” It seemed to snarl out its words, like a rabid animal.
Myka looked back at Olive, now sitting straight up in the bed, horror glazed her eyes as he stared at the doorway. “Who is that?” Myka whispered.
Olive swallowed the lump in her throat. “My ex-boyfriend…”
Pete paced back and forth in the hospital waiting room, his mind racing with conflicting thoughts. He tapped his fingers against his leg. Whistling followed soon after.
Claudia sighed. “Dude. Could you stop that!’
Pete sat down beside her. “Sorry.” He sighed and leaned forward onto his hands. “ You saw the car, right?”
“Yes.” Claudia spoke through gritted teeth.
“You know whose car that was, right?” Pete glanced at his younger partner.
“Yes. I know whose car that was and I don’t care.” Claudia blinked back the tears in her eyes.
Pete got to his feet again. “How can you not care? She is here! We have to find her and bring her back!”
“She doesn’t want us to find her. Trust me, I’ve tried! She is completely off the grid. I should never have taught her how to hack!” Claudia has hated herself ever since she started looking for her.
“Come on Claudia! It’s not your fault! We all missed the signs; no one could have known she was just going to run off like that! But she is here, so shouldn’t we at least try to find her! You saw that car crash! She could be hurt or… or something….” Pete sat down next to Claudia and held his head in his hands.
Claudia rubbed his back, trying to soothe him. She tried so hard to make them believe that she didn’t care that Myka was gone, but she probably missed her more then anyone. She was like a mother and an older sister all in one. More then a few times, Leena found Claudia curled up in Myka’s bed. She had obviously spent the night there. Leena would smile sadly and close the door again not letting on that she knew.
Leather loafers smacked against the linoleum floor. A doctor, with short hair swooped to the side, walked toward them. He carried a clipboard and held his head high with self-importance.
Pete got to his feet. “Hey Doc, how is she?”
******
Myka peered around the hall into the waiting room. She saw Pete speaking to the doctor and Claudia standing beside him, her arms crossed. She watched them for a moment, their backs toward her. She slipped back down the hall until she found the room she was looking for. The girl she had rescued before was lying on the hospital bed. She was still asleep. Myka took the opportunity to read her chart.
Olivia Renwhite was her name. She was a student at the University of Toronto. She had a broken rib and a dislocated shoulder. Myka looked up at Olive and felt a pang of concern for this girl she had literally pulled off the street moments before. She heard a moan from the bed and glanced up to see Olive’s eyes blink open.
“Hey,” Myka’s voice became soft. “How are you feeling?”
Olive took a deep breath. “I hurt.”
Myka sat in the chair beside the bed. “I know, but you are safe now. There are some friends here who are going to take good care of you.”
“Who…” Olive cleared her throat. “Who are you?”
“Myka. Myka Bering.” Myka forced a smile on her lips.
Olive saw this woman before her and recognized the sadness in her. Myka was broken and it didn’t take a genius to see that. Olive didn’t know how, but she knew she was going to be working with this woman, doing whatever she does, helping her. Maybe even become her friend, trustee. Myka’s eyes grew wide at the sound of people talking outside the door. She recognized Pete and the doctor’s voice.
She jumped to her feet and rushed towards the bathroom. “Olivia, don’t tell them I was here! Trust me. I’ll explain everything later.”
Olive nodded, trusting herself to this woman she barely knew. Myka closed the bathroom door behind her just as the doctor, a comical looking man in a business suit, and his short red headed companion strolled into the room.
******
Helena made her way through the large Victorian house. Gas lamps cast long shadows across the walls. She knew what was going to happen; she had lived it all before. Her heart had hardened around it. Her little Christina sat by the fireplace playing with her dolls. She glanced up as Helena entered the room, but didn’t recognize her as her mother. Helena studied her daughter, memorized her smile, her laugh, the way she crinkled her nose when she was concentrating, but then her gaze wandered to the clock and she knew it was time to leave.
Helena got to her knees in front of her daughter. “Christina, darling, we have to leave now.” She spoke in a voice that was not her own.
Christina smiled. “Okay! Where are we going?”
Helena couldn’t help but smile back. She tucked a dark curl behind Christina’s ear. “It’s a surprise.”
Her face lit up immediately. “I love surprises!” She got to her feet, hugging one of her dolls in the crook of her arm.
Helena held Christina’s other hand. It felt small and fragile in her grip. As they made their way to the foyer, Helena heard a faint click. Just then the door burst open in front of them. Helena felt her heart seize in her chest. They were early. She pulled Christina behind her and got into a fighting stance. The men, who were obviously not expecting people to be there, rushed at Helena, trying to knock her aside.
Helena whipped around, but she was unfamiliar with this body. The maid wasn’t as fit as she was and her movements were slower. She had enough time to push Christina into the living room. Helena was so distracted by the men coming towards her she didn’t hear the sickening crunch of bone against wood. She gained her footing.
She looked up and found that she was no longer in the maid’s body. She stood in the corner of the living room. Mr. Kosan appeared beside her, clutching her elbow. Helena didn’t notice him; she didn’t even care about him. He was staring at the small crumpled form on the carpet. It didn’t move, it didn’t breath; it just lay there as the shell of a person, that once was.
Helena wrestled her arm out of Mr. Kosan’s grip and fell to her knees in front of the body. She couldn’t touch her, she wasn’t actually there, Helena knew this.
“Helena.” Mr. Kosan placed a hand on her shoulder as he came up behind her. “Those men didn’t murder your daughter. Do you understand me?”
Helena let out a staggered breath, her lungs felt tight in her chest. Tears made hot, wet trails down her cheeks. She heard her counterpart run into the room, the men had disappeared. She saw the maid turn Christina over and clutch her to her chest, rocking her back and forth. Blood flowed freely from a wound on her forehead. Just one small act, one error in judgment had taken everything from her.
Mr. Kosan clicked the pen closed and they were back in the concrete cell. Helena was kneeling on the cold stone floor, facing away from her interrogator. Her knees started to bruise from the impact, but she didn’t notice.
“Helena, do you understand what I am trying to show you?” Mr. Kosan turned to leave, his session was done for today.
Helena didn’t move, her voice was lifeless when she spoke. “I killed Christina.”
******
Myka sat on the cold tiled floor for what seemed like hours. Checking her watch, she was surprised to see that only thirty minutes had passed. The mumbled voiced had died away and Myka crept slowly towards the door. She froze as the door handle started to turn. The door opened and Olive stood there, dragging her IV stand behind her.
Myka let out the breath she had been holding. “You shouldn’t be out of bed.
Olive smiled. “I’m alright. Morphine does wonders.” She pushed herself back onto the bed. “Your friends are gone.” Olive did air quotes when she said ‘friends’.
“Thank you for not saying anything.” Myka crossed her arms across her chest.
“You’re welcome. Can you tell me why I did that?” Olive fixed the covers over her feet.
“Olivia…” Myka sighed.
“Olive.” Olive interrupted.
“Olive?”
“Olive.” The look of resolve was plastered on Olive’s face. She was going to find out exactly what was going on, if it killed her. “Secret Service agent, my ass.”
Myka smiled, Olive’s attitude reminded her of Claudia. “Olive…” She was interrupted by a loud bang coming from the hallway. She peered through the doorway and was horrified by what she saw. There stood a man or what she thought was a man in the middle of the hallway. His hair was falling out in patches on his head. His face was deformed and his skin was covered in severe burns. He wore white cloth costume gloves on each hand and he held them away from each other, careful not to bring them too close together. The air around his hands seemed to vibrate with radiation. Hospital staff ran past her, trying to get as far away from the creature as possible.
“OLIVE! HOW DARE YOU LEAVE ME! YOU BITCH!” It seemed to snarl out its words, like a rabid animal.
Myka looked back at Olive, now sitting straight up in the bed, horror glazed her eyes as he stared at the doorway. “Who is that?” Myka whispered.
Olive swallowed the lump in her throat. “My ex-boyfriend…”