Read Online Crashing Down by Kate McCaffrey - Free Book Online Page B

triumphantly. ‘So this
is
a hospital.’ He looks at Lucy, nodding.
    She doesn’t know what to say.
    â€˜Do you know what day it is today?’ Petra asks, as she fiddles with a machine.
    Carl ignores her and turns towards Lucy. ‘My fucking eyes are killing me. What have they done to me?’ he whispers.
    â€˜Do you know where you are?’ Petra asks, shaking a thermometer.
    â€˜Do you know where you are?’
Carl mimics her nastily. ‘No, I don’t, you stupid bitch. But I bet you fucking do. Get away.’ He shakes his head from side to side and grits his teeth. ‘I’d stick that thermometer in your eye if you weren’t wearing glasses. And my hands weren’t tied.’
    â€˜Calm down, now.’ The nurse tries to soothe him.
    â€˜Fuck off, you fat slut!’ he screams at her.
    Lucy recoils. ‘Carl!’
    â€˜What?’ He looks at her, confused.
    â€˜Don’t be so horrible.’ Lucy feels close to tears. She watches Petra, who remains unfazed, pack the trolley.
    â€˜Sorry,’ Carl says churlishly. ‘You’re not really fat. More like pear-shaped.’
    â€˜Carl!’ Lucy says again.
    â€˜What?’ He frowns. ‘Look, it worked. She’s gone. So where were we? Tell me about yourself, then.’ There it is again, that slightly sleazy tone. ‘Where do you live, what do you do?’ He glares and drops her hand. ‘Who are you with now? That guy? Did you get married?’
    â€˜What?’ She rubs her hands together, trying to get the circulation moving again. ‘Married?’ She wishes she could laugh — she’s in
The Twilight Zone.
    â€˜To that guy?’ He spits as he speaks. She feels it on her face but is too scared to wipe it away.
    â€˜What guy?’
    â€˜You know.’ He turns from her. There is dirt all through his hair; the white pillow beneath his head is filthy.
    Nausea rises in Lucy again. Everything isoverpowering — the sight, the smell, the weirdness.
    â€˜That guy you dumped me for.’
    â€˜Carl.’ She reaches over to touch his hand, but she’s scared of what he might do. Her hand hovers in the air between them. ‘I never dumped you.’ And once the words are out, she immediately regrets them. They had almost broken up, hadn’t they? It was nearly all over that night, wasn’t it?
    He turns to face her and his black eyes glisten. He’s crying, she thinks. In their fourteen months together, she’d never seen him cry.
Real wogs don’t cry,
he’d say when she sat there, weeping over
The Notebook.
    â€˜Are you sure?’ He frowns and grabs her hand again. ‘Where have you been, then? How come I …’ He trails off and looks around furtively. His eyes fix on the smoke detector above them. ‘Why am I here? Do you know? What have I done? What do they want from me?’
    â€˜You’re in a hospital, Carl,’ Lucy whispers, engulfed by his paranoia.
    â€˜Yes!’ He nods triumphantly. ‘I figured. I think they keep experimenting on me. I’m not sure why. It was a total relief to see you. I figured you’d gotword and come here to get me out. You have, haven’t you?’ He drops her hand again. ‘You’re not one of them, are you?’ He pushes himself back against the headboard. ‘How do I know if I can trust her?’ he asks, as if to someone else in the room.
    â€˜Carl!’ She is horrified. What has happened to his brain? Who is he? Who is he talking to? ‘You had an accident. You’re here to get better.’
    â€˜Sure, yeah.’ His eyes narrow suspiciously. ‘Get me a drink?’
    She leaps to her feet, relieved to get out. ‘No probs. Back in a minute.’ She pushes open the curtain.
    â€˜Hey,’ he shouts. She flinches, ready to duck. ‘Make sure you do.’
    â€˜Do what?’ she says, steadying herself against the