Chapter 96
The policemen pulled out the radio with one hand while keeping Sandeep pinned to the ground with the other.
“Avery, this is Logan”
“Everything ok?”
“I found your man in Iris Celati’s room”
“Did you stop him?”
“He is handcuffed and unconscious”
“I’ll head there now. Make sure the man doesn’t get away”
“You bet”, the guy said, and stuck the radio back onto his belt
“Are you all right miss”, he asked, looking up at me, but before I could answer a nurse cam rushing into the room
“I’m perfectly fine, the man was just talking to me, not menacing me in any way”, I said as calmly as I could, talking to both the nurse and the policeman
The nurse shot an alarmed look at Sandeep and then at the machine blipping beside me, counting every one of my heart beats. Their rate had increased, I think, or maybe they had been like that when I was sleeping and I hadn’t noticed.
The nurse rang the bell and after a moment another nurse arrived. When he saw Sandeep on the floor a shocked expression shot across his face.
“What happened?”, he exclaimed, “I’ll go get a doctor!”
“No, get a stretcher first. We’ll get the doctor after bringing the man to his room”, the senior nurse replied authoritatively
I didn’t like her, but she seemed to have a strong hold on the other nurse, a trim boy much younger than she was. He left swiftly and came back before I knew it, bringing away Sandeep, followed by the police officer.
“What will happen to him?”, I asked
“I’ll give you some tranquilizer”, said the nurse instead of answering my question, and produced a syringe that she filled with fast precision
“Take care of the man on the floor that was lying on the floor rather than stuff me with drugs!”, I replied angrily
“You are in a critical condition”, the nurse insisted, “and we must make sure your conditions don’t deteriorate”
“I realize that, but if you overdo the drugs my reaction to those that are really needed might be very different from what you expect…if there can be any expectations at all, considered that the stuff I synthesized and ingested does all but what it is expected to do on cells and organs”
“I can’t force you, although…”
“Thank you, but I do not want the tranquilizer for now”, I interrupted
“As you wish. Call me if you need me”, she told me, leaving the room with quiet steps
I lay with my eyes closed, hearing the voices in the room as if I was listening to them from elsewhere. I had the perception that someone had came close to my bed, but I kept my eyes shut. And then it was silent again.
I lay in bed for an indefinite amount of time, losing track of the hours, not sleeping but unable to formulate consequent thoughts. What Sandeep had told me kept rolling in my mind, and I was angered by the brutality of the policeman. If only Avery had been there instead of that caveman…but wasn’t she supposed to be here by now, I wondered? Certainly she would come see me, and I would tell her what Sandeep had told me before he got smashed on the floor. I felt I was the only one Sandeep would talk to, and that I had to see him again to get the pieces of the puzzle together. The doctors would object, maybe Avery and Jack would object too, but I needed to know. “Because you were involved – unknowingly – in killing her sister”. The words pounded in my mind till they knocked me down into a restless sleep.
I woke up to the sound of light steps coming into my room. I saw Avery walk in and hesitate halfway through the door.
“It was about time you came”, I groused with a low voice made hoarse by sleep
“I am sorry I wasn’t here before”, Mariam replied apologetically
“It’s ok, I’m sorry…Sandeep was telling me unexpected things, before your colleague jumped on him and knocked him unconscious”
“What did he say?”, Avery asked, and listened to my account without interrupting
But when I stopped speaking she said, “But something is not quite right”
“What do you mean?”
“So there’s a doctor who tests experimental cures on relatively healthy patients. He takes your polymer and uses it on someone who then dies”, she summarized
“Yes”
“So why go after you rather than after the doctor?”, she asked
“I hadn’t thought about it…maybe the cleaning lady was planning to but chose to start from me?”
“Maybe, but something is telling me we are missing something. I’ll try to find Jonathan Woods and see what he has to say”
“But is Sandeep still unconscious?”, I asked
“He is sedated now, I’ll try to talk to him tomorrow”
“I should talk to him tomorrow”, I said, marking the “I”
“Theoretically you shouldn’t…”
“But you realize it would make things easier, much easier”, I insisted
“I do. But how are you feeling?”
“Not as good as I would if I knew the whole story”, I replied
Avery expression clouded, and she was silent for a while
“I need to know”, I iterated
“I am worried that what you are going to learn is going to be too hard on you”, Avery said at last
“And you are not to blame for the misuse of what you produced without intention of circulating it without adequate testing”, she added
“I don’t need sugar coatings, but facts”, I answered dryly
“Ok Iris”, Avery said, with a soft fondness in her voice
“I wonder why you care…”, I said
“Care about what?”
“About me”, I replied
“I am doing my job, that’s all”, Avery replied, her tone hardening
Avery was that type of woman who had feelings but didn’t want you to know, out of an instinct of self-protection I suppose
“So you’ll bring me some news tomorrow?”, I asked, trying to pull back and give Avery the space she needed
“I will if I have them”, she said curtly
“Thank you”, I replied with a remissive tone
“Thank you for the information”, Avery said softening, “and be well”
When Avery left the room I was saddened by her sudden coolness. I felt that what I said triggered something in her, but I couldn’t understand what. Or was I imagining it all?
I fell asleep shortly with the image of Avery frowning upon me, and emerged from sleep to Jack’s worried frown, observing me through the red rims of sleepless eyes.