Chapter 549: Not the First
Mina found herself covered in wires and machines. Both Doctor Witts' wanted to monitor her sleep over an eight-hour cycle, and since it had been nearing normal bedtime hours, she decided that she should stay and allow them to observe her. Mina's mind was acting against her though, fighting her urge to sleep by reminding her that she would likely have a nightmare. Eventually she slept, unable to ignore the natural bodily function for long.
Mina slowly closed her eyes and opened them, she was back in her family home and Sadie was laying on the ground, her face covered in blood. Mina panicked, she dragged her sister's body into her bedroom, shutting the door before finding something she could use to clean off her face.
"Why didn't you fight back?" Mina cried. She was relieved when she saw that most of the blood she wiped away had come from Sadie's nose. "They are going to send me away," she whispered. Mina knew that if her parents came home to find Sadie in the state she was in, they would not hesitate to send her to whatever facility that evil doctor had convinced them was their best choice for her treatment. "Sadie please wake up; it's just money. I can make more, here you can have it."
Mina dug around her chest and pulled out some of the cash she had been saving. She had a few thousand dollars, not enough to make a significant impact in her daily life, but enough to put Sadie through school. She had been helping her sister study, and they had just found out that she had been accepted to a local college, despite having a full year left before graduation. Sadie claimed to have gotten a scholarship, but Mina was certain Troy was going to ask his family for money, and she did not want that.
Mina heard her parent's voices as they entered their home and she found herself wishing for death. She could not bear the anxiety, and she did not want to see how they were going to look at her. Even though she was just defending herself, Mina knew her parents would not listen. She rummaged around her room looking for anything sharp and settled on breaking her pencil sharpener. She shakily lifted the blade and went to rub it across her wrist, but a whimper from Sadie made her stop.
----
Mina sat up panicked by the dark, startled by the machines, and pained from the memory of feeling so helpless that she wanted to die. It was the only time she had ever truly considered taking her own life, and she had promised her sister that she would never do it again. Mina tried to stand, but Doctor Witt was already in the room pushing her back down.
"Does this happen every night?" Mina nodded weakly. "It has only been two hours. Do you get any rest at all?" She shook her head, still not sure if she could speak. "Can I sedate you?" Mina's breathing became heavy. "Fine, no sedation. I know I do not have to remind you that sleep is an important part in preventing vivid dreams, but I feel the need to tell you that Terrence was once where you are. The man you know now is a lot worse than the boy he once was." Mina choked back a sob.
"But what if… what if I dream the entire time?"
"Unlikely, but possible." Doctor Witt walked away and started to gather the materials he needed to sedate her. Mina was terrified, but the man rested the syringe on a nearby table and sat in the chair beside her bed without doing anything. "Close your eyes. I want you to recall your happiest memory." Mina did as she was told but struggled to pull up something happy for a long time.
"My mother is in the kitchen and I am sitting in a chair in the sitting room. Sadie is rubbing our father's feet and they are talking about their day. My mother calls me because she needs help. I close my book and give my father a kiss on the cheek. He pinches my nose, and I mock Sadie about it. My mother has cooked a lot because Sadie has been accepted into college early. I had been helping her study, forcing her really." Mina felt her eyelids grow heavy as she fell into slumber.
----
Ian was livid, not with Dom, he knew the man cared for Mina, but with Jeremey who had given the woman enough sedative to keep her out for at least fourteen hours. All Ian could think about was how much torment she would face, and he wanted to kill the man who was already on his second strike where Mina was concerned.
"President Lee, you know I would not have put her under without reason. She was about to break, and she needed the rest. You need rest as well. You both look as though you are emerging from a hostage situation."
"Can she be moved to a more comfortable room?"
"That is not ideal, Mina should wake up exactly where she last closed her eyes, and I will make sure I am the first voice she hears, because I was the last voice she heard." Jeremy stopped talking and walked up to his boss, not as a subordinate, but as a friend. "Ian, I can't imagine what you are feeling because I do not have those same sorts of attachments, but I can tell that your guilt is driving your actions. Mina needs sleep, not you." Ian could only hang his head. It had been years since Jeremy used his first name, so he knew the man was serious.
"What if she is worse when she wakes?"
"Then I will prescribe her something, but I doubt that will be the case. In the meantime, you should also rest, and call your father." Ian made a face, because he had been putting off talking to the old man, but now was as good a time as any. He dialed his father's number, surprised to hear conga drums from the receiver.
"You always did have impeccable timing." Ian smiled. His father had changed since finding out his time was limited, and it was not entirely bad. "Do I need to come back?"
"No, you and mother continue to enjoy yourselves. I have been busy, but I am closing in. Anything you hear or read about me, ignore; I have it all under control." Ian heard his father grunt.
"Any news of a daughter in law?" Ian looked back at Mina, who was peacefully sleeping, and a small smile graced his face.
"I am working on that too."
----
Mina felt her eyes lighten and she cracked them open to see Doctor Witt making notes on his clipboard. She opened her mouth, wanting to continue with her story, but her throat was so dry that her voice came out like a croak instead. Grasping at her neck, Mina made a gesture to the man, who brought her a glass of water. She gulped it down, finding herself parched, wondering why she felt so dehydrated.
"Sorry, I dozed off for a moment." Jeremy smiled, and Mina's brow furrowed. "Did I snore?" she asked, thinking the man was teasing her.
"Mina, it's been." Jeremy checked his watch before responding. "It's been about fifteen hours." Mina sat up, she had never slept so hard that she could not remember how much time had passed, but before she could panic, Jeremy explained it to her. "I put the sedative in your drip while your eyes were closed. That was the only way to ensure your mind was calm before you slept. Which brings me to this." Doctor Witt handed Mina a file that made her shudder when she saw the name on it. "This too will help." Mina took the file and flipped to the first page, shocked by the information. "Sadie was not the first girl he was obsessed with, and neither were you."