Page 12 of Web of Lies
I start crawling, one hand and one knee at a time. I make it three feet before Anne's wrapping her arms around my waist and hefting me back into the bed.
“You need to be in bed, Mrs. Nash,” she grunts. “We don't want you to fall and hurt yourself.”
She keeps trying to pull me up and I keep fighting her. “What are you doing? You can't do this to me!”
Her hold on me loosens for just a second and I try to break away from her but then I feel a pinch on my thigh. “Did you just drug me?” I shriek. “What did you do?”
“You're out of control. After the last time, Mr. Nash told me to give you something to help you calm down quickly. To protect you from hurting yourself again. It will be okay, Mrs. Nash. You'll feel better in just a minute.”
“No!” I scream. “I am not out of control! What do you mean, last time?” This has never happened before.Never. I would remember something like this happening. Wouldn't I? It's been less than a minute and already my vision is darkening around the edges. “What did you give me, Anne?”
“Just something to calm you down, Mrs. Nash. Just relax. I'll be here with you.”
~
When I wake up it's dark outside and Adrian is sitting on the foot of my bed.
“I'm trying my best, Larken. I really am.”
I blink at him while I try to gather myself and my muddy, scattered, and slow thoughts.
“I'm doing everything I can think of to make sure the company stays in the good while taking care of you. I don't understand why you--”
“She drugged me, Adrian,” I cut in, hating how slurred my words come out.
He sighs. “She gave you your medication just like she does every morning. You're just confused. You can't try--”
“Why won't you listen to me?” I interrupt again, tears burning my eyes and throat. “Anne isn't helping me, Adrian. She hurts me.”
“How does she hurt you?” he scoffs.
“She pushes me around. She lies. She threatens me.”
“Maybe you need to be a little less difficult and a little more helpful.”
I take a breath to calm myself. I realize how paranoid I must sound to him and I need him to listen to me. “She keeps looking at the window. There's something up there. All I wanted to do today is call an ambulance. There's something wrong with me and I need a hospital.”
“Larken, she's allowed to look out the window,” he sighs. “And all you need is a little rest.”
“That's all I've been doing,” I spit. “Rest. Sleep. Not sleep. I'm exhausted and dizzy and I need to see a doctor.”
“You don't need to see a doctor because you're tired. Just go back to sleep. You'll feel better.”
I glare at his hand when he pats the top of my foot. “I just woke up, Adrian.”
“Don't get upset again, babe. We don't want another episode.”
“There has never been an episode.”
He smiles at me, but it doesn't reach his eyes. “You just don't remember.”
“No, I don't,” I agree. “Because it didn't happen. Just like I wasn't out of control this morning. There is something wrong with me, Adrian, but I'm not having those kinds of episodes. Just dizzy spells.”
“Oh, sweetheart,” he croons. “You really don't remember.”
“Remember what?” I ask, trepidation tightening my throat.
“Let me show you.” He picks up his phone from where it was laying on the bed and pulls up a video, then holds it out for me to watch.
