Girl Eight: A Mercy Harbor Thriller

by Melinda Woodhall

  Kara wanted to protest, but something in the therapist’s cold stare made her swallow her words.

  I’ll just wait and talk to Ms. Winthrop. She’ll believe me.

  Apparently satisfied that the matter had been settled, Dr. Bellows picked up the pitcher of ice water by her bed and pulled what looked like a small envelope out of his pocket. He opened the envelope and shook out two white pills.

  “This is the follow-up dose to the antidote.”

  Kara stared at the pills in dismay. Pills had gotten her into her current mess; she felt sure more pills would only make things worse.

  “I feel fine, Dr. Bellows. I don’t need any more pills.”

  “So, you’re a doctor now, Kara?”

  His sarcastic words brought a flush to her cheeks, but she shook her head and didn’t reach for the pills.

  “Okay, I can’t force you, but if you won’t follow my orders than I can’t be responsible for your well-being. We can’t let you back in Hope House if you won’t follow the rules.”

  Dr. Bellows gave a resigned shrug of his shoulders and set the cup of water on the table. Kara watched in dismay as he turned to leave.

  “Fine, I’ll take the antidote,” Kara called out, “but I’m not taking any more methadone.”

  Dr. Bellows stopped and turned around, his expression impassive as he picked up the cup of water and held it out to her along with the pills.

  “We’ll discuss your treatment plan when we get to Hope House.”

  Kara swallowed the pills as Dr. Bellows retrieved a shopping bag that he’d left by the door.

  “I’ve brought you clean clothes and a toothbrush. Get dressed and we’ll get you out of here.”

  “You mean, like, now?”

  “Yes, now. We need to get you back into treatment before they have you committed.”

  “Committed? What do you mean?”

  “I mean the staff here have a legal obligation to report you as being a risk to yourself if they determine you tried to commit suicide. If that happens you’ll end up in a locked psychiatric ward.”

  Cold fear flooded through Kara’s body at the words.

  Will I end up in an asylum like my mother? Is that my fate, too?

  “They can’t do that,” Kara protested, but she grabbed the bag and stood. Her legs felt weak and shaky as she walked to the small bathroom. “I didn’t do anything wrong.”

  Closing the door behind her, she untied the hospital gown and let it fall to the floor. Opening the plastic bag, she saw a white cotton sundress and sandals, along with underclothes, a comb, toothbrush and toothpaste. She pulled out the dress and held it up, noting the frilly ruffles around the neckline.

  My size, but definitely not my style.

  The dress would have to do for now. She’d get back into her usual jeans and t-shirts when she was back at Hope House.

  She got dressed, brushed her teeth, and ran the comb through her long, dark hair with a trembling hand. Looking into the small mirror, she noticed faint circles under her eyes and saw that her pupils looked tiny.

  Am I really well enough to be discharged?

  A wave of dizziness forced her to lean her head against the closed door. After a few minutes she felt able to open the door and walk out.

  “Okay, let’s go,” Dr. Bellows said, taking her bare arm and guiding her to the door.

  “I’d like to say good-bye to the nurses. They’ve been so nice.”

  “Sorry, they’ve asked that we vacate the room immediately. A new patient is already on the way.”

  “Oh, well, okay then.”

  Kara let Dr. Bellows lead her down the corridor toward the elevators. He moved quickly and kept a firm hand around her shoulders to keep her from stumbling.

  “I thought they took patients downstairs in a wheelchair,” she said, worried that her legs may buckle underneath her at any minute.

  “I told them I’d assist you. No need to be dramatic in any case. We’ll leave the wheelchairs for people who actually need them.”

  Kara was surprised at the anger in his voice and the harshness of his words. Had she said something to offend him?

  The elevator opened onto a busy lobby and Dr. Bellows hustled her quickly out the big glass doors. She was surprised when he approached a dark blue van with a disabled parking tag hanging on the rearview mirror. He took a key fob from his pocket and unlocked the door before helping her into the front passenger seat.

  She stared out the window at the people rushing in and out of the hospital as Dr. Bellows hurried around the van and climbed into the driver’s seat. He didn’t wait for her to fasten her seatbelt. He started the car and reversed out of the parking spot, before heading the big van toward the exit.

  Kara watched as the hospital receded in the side mirror, suddenly catching sight of a woman with blond hair that had stepped out of a car and was walking toward the hospital.

  Is that Eden Winthrop?

  Kara turned in her seat to look around, but the van swerved onto the highway and out of view of the hospital.

  ✽ ✽ ✽

  They drove in silence for several miles before Kara began to wonder where they were going.

  She wasn’t familiar with the layout of the city yet, having come to Willow Bay only a few weeks before being picked up by the police on a drug charge and ending up in the Hope House facility, but she knew that they were travelling west, toward the coast, instead of east toward downtown Willow Bay.

  “Where are we going, Dr. Bellows?”

  Kara’s throat felt thick and her words sounded slurred. She lifted a weak hand and motioned behind her.

  “Hope House is back that way.”

  “I told you to call me Doc, and we aren’t going to Hope House.”

  Kara’s head began to spin, and her stomach churned as she tried to focus on the road ahead.

  “Then where are we going?”

  A sudden thought took hold.

  Is he taking me to a mental hospital? Will he let them lock me up?

  Her hand instinctively clutched at the door handle, and she managed a feeble pull before realizing the door was locked. Turning to look at Dr. Bellows, she saw a satisfied smile spread across his face.

  “Here we are, then, safe and sound. No need to get upset.”

  Kara looked through the windshield, surprised to see they were no longer on the highway, but had turned off onto a winding driveway. The van continued around a bend before parking in front of an impressive two-story house.

  “Where are we? What is this place?”

  “Let’s just say this is a place we bring certain patients that need special treatment. It’s more secluded here.”

  Kara’s head began to spin again as she recognized the look of triumph in his eyes. She shrank back against the car seat and closed her eyes, trying to stop the spinning.

  He’s gotten me just where he wants me. But why?

  She heard the driver’s door open, and then a deep male voice spoke from somewhere outside the van.

  “I see you made it, Doc. Everything go to plan?”

  “Yep, mission accomplished, as usual. See for yourself.”

  Kara forced her eyes to open as the men walked over to the passenger window and looked in.

  She saw Dr. Bellows standing next to a big man with thick hair and dark sunglasses. He opened the door and put a hand under her chin, turning her face up.

  “She’s a beauty.”

  “Yeah, I thought you’d be happy. And she shouldn’t give you any trouble, at least not today. I gave her a little something this morning just to make sure.”

  “On top of the stuff you gave her yesterday? You trying to kill her before I even get her inside?”

  The big man’s voice sounded angry, and Kara recoiled, trying to pull away, but her body felt heavy and it was hard to move.

  “And you can carry her inside, seeing you got her in this state.”

  “She’ll be fine, Ace. Just wanted to make sure she didn’t try to get aw
ay or cause any problems. She’s stubborn. You might have a hard time breaking her in.”

  Kara felt rough hands seize her arms and hoist her toward the van’s door. She raised one hand high enough to grab a clump of Doc’s hair, pulling with all her might.

  He grabbed her wrist and gave a vicious twist, forcing her to release her grip.

  She felt her delicate gold chain break as he wrenched her out of the van and let her fall onto the hard concrete of the driveway.

  She clutched at her neck in panic.

  Oh no, my necklace. Where’s my necklace?

  Her mind reeled as she fought against the effects of the drugs and an overwhelming fear.

  Will I ever see Anna and Niko again? Will they ever know what happened to me?

  She struggled to keep her eyes open as the world began to fade around her. A pair of thick-soled work boots appeared in front of her and she tried to focus on a red splotch that marked one of the shoes, but it was no use.

  She was so tired, and her eyes were too heavy.

  Finally, Kara closed her eyes and allowed herself to escape into oblivion.

  Chapter Seven

  Eden stared at the unmade, empty bed in confusion. She looked at the numbers on the door again. Yes, it was Room 324, the room Kara had been in the evening before. She walked to the open door of the little bathroom and looked in, knowing even as she did that Kara wouldn’t be inside.

  Eden studied the nightgown laying on the bathroom floor and frowned, pushing away a sudden sense of unease. She stepped back into the room and noted the half-filled cup of water on the table. The television was on and turned to the local news. It didn’t appear as if Kara had been discharged.

  They must have taken Kara to another floor for some sort of test.

  Eden pressed the call button on the bed and then sat in a wooden rocker to wait. Within minutes a harried-looking nurse opened the door and looked around the room, her eyes finally settling on Eden.

  The nurse’s name badge identified her simply as Morgan. Eden wondered if it was the woman’s first name or last.

  “Sorry to bother you, but I’ve come to visit Kara Stanislaus and she’s not here, as you can see. I’m wondering if she’s been taken for some sort of test? I can always come back if needed.”

  Nurse Morgan looked at the empty bed, then walked to the bathroom and peeked in. She moved to the foot of the bed and picked up the chart.

  “No, she hasn’t been scheduled for any tests, so maybe she went for a walkabout. Sometimes people get bored and want to explore. Especially the younger ones.”

  “Could she have been discharged?”

  The nurse wrinkled her nose and shook her head, making her blonde ponytail swing back and forth.

  “Her chart wouldn’t be here if she’d been discharged but let me go double-check at the nursing station.”

  Eden watched the woman hurry out of the room. She stepped to the doorway and looked up and down the hall, hoping to see Kara’s dark hair and slender figure approaching, but the halls were empty.

  Nurse Morgan reappeared, her brow furrowed.

  “She’s not been discharged, and no one has noticed a patient roaming around the halls.”

  The nurse pulled open a narrow cabinet and took out a see-through plastic bag. Eden could see jeans and a pink t-shirt inside.

  “These were the clothes she came in,” the nurse said, biting her lip. “And it looks like her hospital gown is on the floor in there.”

  Eden’s pulse started to race as she turned to the nurse, her voice urgent. “How could she have left the hospital without any clothes, and without anyone seeing her?”

  “I’ll call security. Maybe they’ll be able to track her down.”

  After Nurse Morgan had rushed off, Eden walked to the window and looked down at the streets below.

  She saw a line of cars waiting in the loading zone and noticed a woman in a wheelchair being loaded into a van. It made her think of Dr. Bellows and his wife.

  When she’d entered the hospital earlier she thought she’d recognized Dr. Bellows getting into his dark blue van outside the hospital. She hadn’t seen his wife, but she knew that the woman used a wheelchair, and had assumed he’d been taking her in for some sort of treatment or therapy.

  Eden felt a twinge of guilt that she hadn’t gotten to know Dr. Bellows and his wife yet, and still was unsure why his wife needed the wheelchair. She should have made more of an effort.

  Of course, the therapist had only been volunteering his services at Hope House for a few weeks, and during that time Eden had been busy getting the facility up and running. But she suspected her busy scheduled wasn’t the only thing that had kept her from getting to know the doctor.

  Something about the guy just rubs me the wrong way.

  Eden looked further west, wishing she could follow the blue sky all the way out to the coast, finding it hard to believe a tropical storm was swirling beyond the clear, cloud-free sky.

  She supposed that weather, like some people, could be very deceptive; it was dangerous to accept either at face value.

  ✽ ✽ ✽

  Eden turned into the Hope House parking lot, navigating her big, white SUV into one of the spaces reserved for staff before turning off the engine and jumping out of the driver’s seat. She saw Reggie Horn waiting inside the glass doors as she strode toward the entrance.

  “Has Kara shown up yet…is she here?”

  The words were out of Eden’s mouth before Reggie could offer a greeting.

  “No…no one here has seen her or heard from her yet. I asked all the staff and residents. Nothing.”

  Eden’s heart sank at the words. After the hospital security guard had performed a search of the hospital and declared that Kara was no longer on the premises, Eden had hoped the girl would have somehow made her own way back to Hope House.

  She’d told herself that Kara must have called her sister after all. Maybe Anna had driven over from Orlando, or maybe Kara knew someone in the area who had stopped by for a visit.

  The thought brought new worries as Eden imagined Kara driving off with someone that may lead her back to the life of drugs and addiction she’d been fighting to escape.

  Reggie put a small hand on Eden’s arm and squeezed.

  “She’ll show up soon I’m sure.”

  But Eden saw doubt in Reggie’s deep, brown eyes, and her own doubt that she’d ever see Kara again began to grow. She looked toward the parking lot as a dark blue van pulled in and drove toward the staff parking area. An image of the same van outside the hospital that morning clicked into Eden’s mind.

  “Maybe Dr. Bellows saw her. Maybe he knows where Kara is.”

  Reggie turned to Eden, eyebrows raised.

  “Why would Dr. Bellows know where Kara is?”

  “Because he was at the hospital this morning. At least I think it was him. I saw him from a distance, but I’m pretty sure it was him.”

  Eden started out to the parking lot before Reggie could ask any more questions. She saw the therapist walk around to the passenger side and open the door. She approached just as Dr. Bellows was adjusting a backpack over one shoulder.

  “Dr. Bellows? Can I have a minute?”

  The therapist jumped at her words and turned toward her with wide eyes, obviously flustered.

  “Uh, I guess so. What seems to be the problem?”

  “I’m wondering if you saw Kara Stanislaus when you were at the hospital earlier. Perhaps you saw her or spoke to her?”

  “The hospital?” Dr. Bellows looked confused, as if he didn’t know the meaning of the word.

  “Yes, I saw you getting into your van outside Willow Bay General earlier this morning. You were in the disabled zone, so I assumed you were with, uh…your wife.”

  Eden felt a warm flush creep up her cheeks. She couldn’t remember his wife’s name even though they had been introduced only a few weeks ago.

  “Oh, yes. I had to take Terri in for her therapy session. We go to the atta
ched rehabilitation center, so I don’t really think of it as the hospital.”

  “Right, well, did you and Terri happen to see Kara while you were there? She’s left the hospital without being discharged and we aren’t sure where she’s gone.”

  “No, I didn’t see her, but I’m sure she’ll turn up sooner or later.”

  He moved his backpack to the other shoulder and turned back to pick up a stack of files as if the conversation was over.

  “Yes, I hope so, but it just seems so odd. Why would she leave like that without telling anyone?”

  “Why do drug addicts do anything? Because they are slaves of their addictions.”

  He shrugged his shoulders, giving her a condescending smile.

  “In my experience this type of behavior is quite common, so I wouldn’t get too worked up about it.”

  Eden bit her lip, refraining from telling the smug doctor what she thought about his callous advice, and instead moved aside to give him room to step back and close the car door.

  She dropped her eyes from his face, not wanting him to see her anger, and saw something shiny on the floor before Dr. Bellows slammed the door shut.

  As he turned to face her she noted that his hands shook slightly around the strap of his backpack.

  Her eyes flicked up to his face and she saw his skin was flushed and his pupils had dilated, his eyes wide and dark. Her indignation turned to concern.

  “Are you feeling okay, Dr. Bellows? You look ill.”

  “I’m fine. I just need to get into the session,” he said in a clipped voice, pushing past her in annoyance. “I don’t like being late. It sets a poor example for those residents who truly do want help.”

  Eden gaped at his retreating back, outrage seething through her.

  Was the man implying Kara didn’t want to be helped? How could he make such an assumption after only a few sessions with the girl?

  Even Eden knew that a true evaluation of Kara’s state of mind and a plan for recovery would take longer than a few hour-long sessions.

  She wondered if he was the right choice of therapist for the vulnerable women at Hope House.

  And why was he sweaty and shaking? He almost looked scared.