One walks forward. His black boot makes a noise against the rug.
"Will you come with us?" He says softly.
He is attempting to talk to me as he would a child. It only scares me more. Will they all talk to me like this?
"We just need to get some vitals." He lulls. His voice is intentionally smooth and sweet.
"You are going to take me to a big building and shock me." I say, my hands shake.
"No, we won't," he says with a laugh, "who told you that?"
"My grandmother just did," I say with confidence.
"Was your grandmother in here?" The second man chimes in.
I nod my head.
"I told Noah," I say as I point to him.
He is now standing with the men and looking at me with the same doubtful face. They think I'm crazy.
"Right, Noah?" I plead. I need him to agree.
"Right, baby." he says. He shakes his head to the men and I feel betrayed. He wants them to take me away. He wants them to shock me. He hates me. This is what happens any time I love someone. They betray me.
"Why?" I ask him.
"It's ok," the man attempts to calm me, "just come with me."
I look at him. I don't know if I trust him. I can't be sure.
He puts his hand on my shoulder and fear rushes through my veins. I pull back my body as quickly as possible. I don't want him to touch me.
"I'm not going with you," I tell him firmly.
"We just want to help," the other man says.
"I don't need help."
"Just take her," the first man says. He pulls out a pair of silver handcuffs. My brain flashes back to the handcuffs holding me to Kane's bed. I get more scared. I can't handle this. I run to the edge of his bedroom and attempt to get away from the cuffs.
The man walks forward with them and I try to back up but I met with walls. He walks up to me and tries to reason with me again.
"I won't have to use these if you just come with us, ok?" He moves the handcuffs around in my face. He knows they scare me.
Noah looks nervous. I look at him with fear. He betrayed me but he is the only one in the room that I trust even the slightest bit. Tabitha is nowhere to be seen and I wish she would come rescue me from this.
He sees my eyes and softens, "Do you want to just walk with me for a bit?"
I nod my head. I hope he won't force me to go with him. He acted like he was going to before but his look of empathy made me trust him a little bit more. He walks over to me and the man backs up. Noah grabs my hand and we walk forward. We walk below the fan and I see my noose still dangling. It still dares.
You can try again once they leave.
Noah walks with me down the stairs and into the front room. 4 more men stand in the room. A hush comes over them when they see me.
"Why are they looking at me like that?" I ask Noah, "Do they think I'm crazy?"
"No," he says, "they are just worried."
Worried? About me? There is absolutely no reason for that. I wish they would stop because frankly, their worry makes me uncomfortable. I wish I could shake it off but when I look at their faces again, the look has only intensified.
"We can go outside," Noah tells me carefully. He still holds my hand but I feel his grip tighten. I look up at him. He looks down at me with love, then I feel a sharp pinch in my leg. I cry out and my knees bends. Noah tightens his grip more. He doesn't want me to be in pain. Then why am I?
I drop to my knees and I feel my whole body grow weak. My arms lose their strength and I fall completely on the ground. My arms grow numb and my legs twitch.
"What is happening!?" I cry out.
"It's just something to it make it easier for you to get to the hospital without getting hurt." One of the men in the white shirt tells me. A group of them walk over to my now limp body and pick me up. As I raised off of the ground, my vision grows spotty. I can see spots and I can't feel my bod-
PART TWO
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN: THE SAILOR
I gasp. My eyes open quickly and my body jolts. The air around me is cold and the room around me is not my own. I look around. There is an empty bed next to mine. The room resembles a shitty motel. I have no idea where I am or why I'm here. I really need to stop drinking.
I get off of the bed and I realize that I am wearing grey sweatpants and one of my tank tops. Did I change last night? I rub my stomach. I don't know why I drank while pregnant. I hope my baby is ok. I mentally scold myself. I am so fucking selfish sometimes. I get up and start walking out of the room. I really hope I didn't cheat on Noah. When I open the door, I am greeted with the clean hallway of a hospital. I take a step back. What?
Look what you did this time.
I grunt and hold my head. I want to let the thought through but my attention can't focus. I am try to sleuth my way into an understanding on my whereabouts. I walk into the hallway and my barefeet hit the cold tiles. It sends a shiver throughout my body. I cross my arms to hide from the cold. I walk gingerly through the hallway. Nobody stirs. I continue down passed the endless doors. Finally, I see a nurse walking towards me. When she sees my glance, she walks faster. She wears white scrubs and her hair is messily tied into a tired ponytail. I can tell she has been here for far too long.
"Are you Ana?" She asks, rushed.
"Um, yeah," I answer as she approaches me.
"Come with me." She says.
She starts walking into an adjacent hallway that is lined with more doors. This place is a huge maze of entrances with no exits. I follow her heels halfway down the hallway until we reach a nook in the wall. Assorted chairs and tables are scattered. It resembles a waiting room. I am more confused then I have been in a while. She sits on one of the chairs and gestures for me to sit in the across from her. The chairs are an ugly green. I grimace and sit.
She begins to talk, "Do you remember where you are?"
I shake my head.
"Do you remember how to go here?"
I shake my head again. If she keeps asking questions like this, my neck will snap before this conversation is over.
"Do you know what you tried to do?"
Tried to do? Her wording confuses me. I shake my head again.
"What is the last thing you remember?" I can hear the sympathy in her voice. It intimidates me. I don't know what point she is getting at.
"Um, Noah, my boyfriend, and I were having an argument and I walked out."
"Do you remember where you went after that?"
I try to think. I don't remember anything. I can't even conjure one memory of the last whoever knows how long.
I shake my head again.
"Ok, well, you are seeing a Doctor later today and he will explain everything." She puts on a fake smile for my sake and my sake alone, "You are in a mental health facility. Don't worry though, we will take good care of you."
"Thank you?" She managed to not clear up much of my confusion and in fact made me a little more confused.
She stands up and puts out her hand to help me up. I accept her help and rise to my feet.
"I'll bring you to the mess hall so that you can get some breakfast," she says cheerily.
"Ok?" I don't want food, I want answers.
I take a step and I feel my barefeet hit the floor. Should I really keep walking without shoes on? I stop and look up at the nurse. She sees me as I move my feet awkward and chuckles.
"Maybe you should get some shoes first." She says with a laugh, "I'll come back here in a minute and you can meet me after you get them."
I look at her. Does she really like I can get through this terrifying labyrinth of hell without a guide? She smiles at me casually and turns back around. She strolls aimlessly down the hallway and into the abyss of doors. Goddammit woman.