his office. “I’ll see you around?”
He nodded again and watched her leave. Instead of getting right to work, he closed the door and laid his head against the frame. “Stupid, stupid, stupid.”
The severity of his reactions was making him physically ill. At the same time, if he didn’t pull himself together he was going to draw unwanted attention.
“Twins,” he whispered, and backed away from the door.
Josephine had never mentioned she had a sister. It’d had been more than sixteen years since he’d seen her, but he was pretty sure he was right about that.
If he was wrong, he had just kidnapped a schizophrenic patient and left her alone with Ecaterina. He walked over to his desk and grabbed the phone.
A quick rap on the door interrupted him. He turned as an agitated Geena, one of the institute’s older RNs, entered the office with her pudgy hands clamped on her plump waist.
“There you are. Your eight o’clock family counseling session just left. Mrs. Banks said their time is just as valuable as yours and they would come back when you remember how to tell time.” She pushed up her wire-frame glasses on her button nose. “Can’t say that I blame her.”
“I deserved that one. But Geena, I’d appreciate it if you could leave the attitude at home.”
She straightened. “Will do.” Geena turned with a sly smile and left his office.
William picked up his phone again and called Ecaterina. After he counted fifteen rings, he hung up, and feared the worst.
#
The patient had a splitting headache.
At the moment, all she could do was lie still and hope the room would stop spinning. After a while, she grew tired and closed her eyes. A second later, she heard a door open.
“All right now. The electricity is back on, and it’s time for something warm to eat,” a woman’s heavily accented voice said.
Frowning, the patient struggled to open her eyes.
“I’m glad you’re awake,” the elderly woman said, smiling down at her. “William thought you’d be out of it for most of the day.”
William?
“Let’s get you feeling better,” the woman said, easing the patient back against the pillows. “I told him you’d probably be hungry before he came back. I know how these flu bugs can be. You’ll need plenty of fluids, so I made you some chicken noodle soup.”
“W-where...?” the patient forced the question out of her parched lips and winced when her throat burned from the effort.
“Ooh. You really are out of it,” the woman chuckled and then spoon-fed soup into the patient’s mouth.
After a few sips, the patient relished her newfound warmth. However, the older woman’s slow feeding became an agitation and she grabbed the spoon and shoveled the hot soup greedily into her mouth.
“My, you’re hungry.”
She ignored the woman and concentrated on emptying the bowl. After a while, she did away with the spoon and simply lifted the bowl and drained the remaining contents.
“Okay.” The older woman said, reaching for the empty bowl. “Maybe I should get you some more.”
The patient nodded and wiped her hand along her mouth and struggled to focus on her host. “Who...?”
The woman fluttered a blue-veined hand across her chest, and then flattered the patient with a belated smile.
“Of course you don’t know who I am. What was I thinking?” She patted the patient’s arm. “My name is Ecaterina. I work for your cousin Sheila’s brother-in-lawI think.” She laughed at herself. “I get confused whenever I try to decipher things like that.” She chuckled again. “I’ll just run and get you some more soup.”
The patient frowned and eased back against the pillows. Cousin? She struggled to think, but her head ached.
“Sick,” she groaned, pulling at the covers. However, she couldn’t seem to untangle her feet from the bedding. The spinning grew worse while the soup seemed to slosh around in her stomach. “B-bathroom,” she whined as she teetered on the edge of the
He nodded again and watched her leave. Instead of getting right to work, he closed the door and laid his head against the frame. “Stupid, stupid, stupid.”
The severity of his reactions was making him physically ill. At the same time, if he didn’t pull himself together he was going to draw unwanted attention.
“Twins,” he whispered, and backed away from the door.
Josephine had never mentioned she had a sister. It’d had been more than sixteen years since he’d seen her, but he was pretty sure he was right about that.
If he was wrong, he had just kidnapped a schizophrenic patient and left her alone with Ecaterina. He walked over to his desk and grabbed the phone.
A quick rap on the door interrupted him. He turned as an agitated Geena, one of the institute’s older RNs, entered the office with her pudgy hands clamped on her plump waist.
“There you are. Your eight o’clock family counseling session just left. Mrs. Banks said their time is just as valuable as yours and they would come back when you remember how to tell time.” She pushed up her wire-frame glasses on her button nose. “Can’t say that I blame her.”
“I deserved that one. But Geena, I’d appreciate it if you could leave the attitude at home.”
She straightened. “Will do.” Geena turned with a sly smile and left his office.
William picked up his phone again and called Ecaterina. After he counted fifteen rings, he hung up, and feared the worst.
#
The patient had a splitting headache.
At the moment, all she could do was lie still and hope the room would stop spinning. After a while, she grew tired and closed her eyes. A second later, she heard a door open.
“All right now. The electricity is back on, and it’s time for something warm to eat,” a woman’s heavily accented voice said.
Frowning, the patient struggled to open her eyes.
“I’m glad you’re awake,” the elderly woman said, smiling down at her. “William thought you’d be out of it for most of the day.”
William?
“Let’s get you feeling better,” the woman said, easing the patient back against the pillows. “I told him you’d probably be hungry before he came back. I know how these flu bugs can be. You’ll need plenty of fluids, so I made you some chicken noodle soup.”
“W-where...?” the patient forced the question out of her parched lips and winced when her throat burned from the effort.
“Ooh. You really are out of it,” the woman chuckled and then spoon-fed soup into the patient’s mouth.
After a few sips, the patient relished her newfound warmth. However, the older woman’s slow feeding became an agitation and she grabbed the spoon and shoveled the hot soup greedily into her mouth.
“My, you’re hungry.”
She ignored the woman and concentrated on emptying the bowl. After a while, she did away with the spoon and simply lifted the bowl and drained the remaining contents.
“Okay.” The older woman said, reaching for the empty bowl. “Maybe I should get you some more.”
The patient nodded and wiped her hand along her mouth and struggled to focus on her host. “Who...?”
The woman fluttered a blue-veined hand across her chest, and then flattered the patient with a belated smile.
“Of course you don’t know who I am. What was I thinking?” She patted the patient’s arm. “My name is Ecaterina. I work for your cousin Sheila’s brother-in-lawI think.” She laughed at herself. “I get confused whenever I try to decipher things like that.” She chuckled again. “I’ll just run and get you some more soup.”
The patient frowned and eased back against the pillows. Cousin? She struggled to think, but her head ached.
“Sick,” she groaned, pulling at the covers. However, she couldn’t seem to untangle her feet from the bedding. The spinning grew worse while the soup seemed to slosh around in her stomach. “B-bathroom,” she whined as she teetered on the edge of the
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