Necessary Evil of Nathan Miller

Part 8

EIGHT

Strange hands touched me again. This didn't hurt yet, but I called for him in panic.

I heard his voice clearly this time. "It's okay, Caitlin. You've been hurt and we're trying to help you get better."

A woman's voice, closer than his. It must've been her hands on me. "You're in hospital as a patient now and all of us on the clinical team here are doing our best to help you get better." She knew me. She knew I wasn't usually a patient in hospital. "Your roommate's sleazy and, if I were you, I'd wake up fast so you can ask for a room transfer."

Inwardly, I laughed. No matter how sleazy, there was no way I'd give in to anyone's amorous advances for a very long time. Mr Sleazy Roommate would give up long before that.

I could smell disinfectant now. Faint, but it was there. They were both quiet, so I heard the crackle of ripping paper and plastic, interspersed with the feeling of tugging on my skin, then something soft being smoothed back over it. Changing my dressings? I was aware of the edge of pain now, as feeling returned to my body.

The woman's voice was low and kind. "I'll get you some more medicine for the pain. That'll help." Another crackle nearby, but I couldn't feel anything touch me. "There, all done. Sleep well."

I felt my body fade away until I was just a consciousness in the dark again. Then even that slipped away as I fell asleep once more.