CHAPTER 7
While Lisa’s body was perfectly happy to cooperate, a part of her mind was protesting. This wasn’t at all typical behavior for her. Jonathan was practically a stranger, someone she’d just met...but she wanted him. And it was obvious he wanted her.
Jonathan unbuttoned the top button of her blouse, then the next one. His hand slipped inside the gap in the material and started to stroke her skin. His fingers brushed against the scar.
“No!” Lisa’s eyes snapped wide open. “Don’t!”
“What’s the matter, Lisa? How did this happen?”
“I don’t want to talk about it.”
“I know you don’t,” he murmured against her neck. “But you need to. Tell me how you got this scar.”
She really didn’t want to tell him, but she did. She told him everything, in far more detail than she’d told Jackson. By the end of the recitation she was shaking and sobbing. Jonathan held her and petted her hair, stroking her back soothingly.
“It’s all right, Lisa. You’re safe. I can keep you safe from that bastard. He’ll never get another chance to hurt you.”
“I want...” She tried to think of exactly what it was she wanted. “I want it all to stop, to go away.”
Jonathan handed her the half-full glass of water. “This will help.”
Lisa drank thirstily, till the glass was empty.
“What do you want, Lisa?”
“I want to go home.”
“You can’t,” he explained patiently. “You have to stay here. But you have a choice. You can take your chances with Jackson, who doesn’t respect you, or care about you, or understand you. Or you can stay with me, and let me help you get better. Just trust me.”
“It’s hard to trust anybody anymore.”
“I know. There are so many deceitful people out there, waiting to take advantage of your kindness, isn’t that right?”
“Yep.” Lisa nodded. “You know what else I want?”
“What, sweetheart?”
“I want to stop talking. I want to go to sleep.”
He grinned. “I thought you wanted me to make love to you.”
“I do. But I’m so tired. I’m afraid I’m talking too much.”
“It’s all right. I like listening to you. You have a very nice voice.”
“So do you. I really like that about you.”
Jonathan’s face brightened. “What else do you like about me?”
“Everything. Except for the fact that you look like him. I really think you’re very attractive, but you remind me a lot of him.”
“But I’m not him. He’s not me. We’re nothing alike. So, who do you really want to be with?”
“I’m so tired.” She yawned, then settled sleepily into his arms.
He asked her again who she wanted. The answer didn’t really surprise him.
“Shhh. Rest now, Lisa. Go to sleep.”
In seconds she was dead weight against his body.
Reluctantly moving her unconscious body off him, he made her comfortable on the couch. It only took a few moments to cut the green wristband off and replace it with a red one. A few minutes at the computer and he had officially altered her status.
He called Security and had them send two orderlies. In
less than a minute he let the men into the room and explained the situation.
“...so I had to sedate her. I’m really worried she might try to harm herself. Please take her to one of the secure rooms and restrain her.”
“Yes, Dr. Crane. Straightjacket, or just strap her to the bed?”
“Hm, a straightjacket would be safer, but I think it would frighten her too much. Just restrain her to the bed, very securely.”
“Waist and neck straps as well as arm and leg?”
“Exactly. We don’t want her to hurt herself, deliberately or accidentally,” Jonathan added solicitously.
“Yes, Doctor.” One man went to get a gurney, then they carefully placed Lisa on it.
“I’ll go with you, and stay with her a while. If she wakes up alone in there, she’ll probably panic, and that won’t help her condition.”
“If you say so, Dr. Crane.”
They soon had Lisa settled into her new home, in a comfortable set of patient pajamas. The rusty red color complemented her hair. She would be safe there, protected by padded walls, floor and ceiling. The orderlies left, after Jonathan assured them he would be fine. He sat with Lisa for a long time, talking softly to her. Sometimes unconscious people could hear what was said to them, and might remember it when they woke up. He wanted to make sure she knew he would always be there for her.
Eventually he had to leave; he did have other patients who needed him.
<><><><><><><><>
Lisa didn’t know where she was, but she was uncomfortable. She felt weighted down by something heavy. She couldn’t even lift her head to try to see anything. The room was dark, and she shivered in her lightweight clothes. They felt wrong. Her arms wouldn’t move, or her legs. She knew she wasn’t paralyzed, because she could wiggle her fingers and toes, but she didn’t have enough strength to pull herself upright. Or something was keeping her down.
Trying to calm her mind, she focused on what she was feeling. Some kind of mattress underneath her, and wide, heavy bands of something across her ankles, waist, wrists, and neck. When she tried to call out for help, she realized her throat was sore and her voice was hoarse. No wonder, after all the talking she’d done...
Oh, God, what did I say? What did I do? Nothing was clear in her mind. Someone had come to see her, had come into Jackson’s apartment. Wait, it was his brother, Jonathan. He was a handsome man, almost as charming as Jackson could be, but very suave and sophisticated, and gentle... He said he would help her, keep her safe.
She tried again to call out.
“Jonathan! Please help me!” She’d developed a fear of enclosed spaces, ever since that fateful plane flight with Jackson. She didn’t want to be trapped like that ever again.
“Help! Someone, let me up! Please! Help me!”
A bright overhead light came on, and a disembodied voice said, “Calm down, Miss Reisert. Someone will be with you soon.”
Lisa swallowed nervously. Her throat was dry, and hurt worst now. It might be smarter to conserve her voice.
It was hard to judge time, but it seemed like an eternity until someone opened the door and came in. Lisa had no idea who it was, since all she could see was the ceiling. Aside from the flourescent lights, all she could see were padded squares; what she could see of the walls looked padded as well. Not very comforting.
“Good, you’re awake.”
Lisa didn’t recognize the voice.
“Dr. Crane wanted to be notified as soon as you woke up. He’ll be here to see you when he has time.”
“When he has time?” Lisa echoed. “Please tell him it’s me, and I’m sure he’ll want to see me right away.”
The unseen man chuckled. “Yeah, every patient likes to think they’re special. All the ladies are real anxious to see Dr. Crane. He’s got a lot of other people to see, so just settle down and wait.”
Lisa bit back an angry retort. “Can you please tell me where I am? I think there’s been some kind of terrible mistake.”
“Oh, yeah?” The voice sounded bored.
“Yes. I’m not supposed to be here.”
“Oh, I see. That’s original.”
She realized how it must sound.
“Listen, I know this sounds crazy, but...”
“Now that’s funny.”
“I’m being serious! I do not belong here! Let me up right now. I’m sure Jonathan...Dr. Crane, will get things sorted out.”
“Yeah, sure he will. You think he doesn’t know you’re here?”
“But he...no, he was...what happened?’ Lisa was asking this last question of herself. She doubted very much the guard, orderly, doctor, whatever he was, knew exactly what happened. She just wished she had a better idea, herself.
“Like you said, I’m sure he’ll explain it all once he gets here. So why don’t you just calm down, relax, and wait for him? It shouldn’t be more than a couple of hours till he finishes making his regular rounds.”
“A couple of hours?!? I can’t stay here! You’ve got to let me out, or at least take these things off me!”
“I’d be happy to take your clothes off, if I could get to them. But the restraints are in the way, you see, and I’m not allowed to take those off. Too bad.”
Lisa shivered violently, this time not from being cold.
“Don’t try anything. If I am some kind of patient here, you can’t touch me.”
“Not now,” the man agreed.
It was annoying and more than a little scary that he wouldn’t come into her line of sight.
“You’re not one of them, are you?”
“One of who, lady?”
“One of Jackson’s brothers? Or Jonathan’s, or...damn, this is confusing!”
The laughter she heard wasn’t at all reassuring.
“No, I’m not related to any of them. Just stop and think about it a little while, Lisa. You know who I am. You remember me.”
No. It can’t be. He’s in jail! Lisa tried to keep her voice from trembling. “Please leave me alone now.”
To her surprise, he agreed. “Okay, be that way. I’ll see you again, later.”
She could see light from outside as the door was opened again, then closed.
Lisa tried very hard not to cry, but couldn’t help it. Had he really gone? Was she alone? She strained to hear any sign of someone in the room with her, but all was silent.
<><><><>
Lisa was still wide awake when Jonathan came in to see her. He thoughtfully moved up near the head of the bed so she could at least see him from her peripheral vision.
“Hello, Lisa. How are you feeling?”
How can he sound so calm? “I feel terrible! I want to get out of here! What’s going on, Jonathan?”
“What do you remember?”
She tried to concentrate. “I remember we were talking in your office. I think I was talking a lot, about all kinds of things, but I don’t remember what all I said. I hope I didn’t say anything too embarrassing.”
He didn’t answer, just watched her dispassionately.
“What did I say?”
“Do you remember asking me to make love to you?”
“I – what? No! I wouldn’t have – I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
He nodded as though he understood. “Denial can be very comforting, can’t it? When you don’t want to remember something, it’s easier to just pretend it never happened, isn’t it?”
“You can’t be serious! I didn’t – I never – damn it, let me out of here!”
He shook his head sadly. “I’m sorry, Miss Reisert, but I’m here to help you. It wouldn’t be productive to release you. You need help, and it’s long overdue. This really is for the best, you’ll see.”
“Please, Jonathan –“
”It’s Dr. Crane. Let’s try to keep things on a doctor/patient basis. Your fixation on me is natural, and understandable, trying to sublimate your feelings for my brother by projecting them onto me. But I hope to help you understand that what you want simply isn’t going to happen.”
Now Lisa remembered something alarming. The last thing she remembered them talking about was her making a choice, between him or Jackson. She guessed she’d made the wrong choice. It certainly seemed to have set Jonathan off. Was this all about revenge, for rejecting him? But how had they even gotten onto that subject?”
“I can see you’re still tired, Miss Reisert. Your attention seems to be wandering. Just rest now, and don’t dwell on all these things that upset you. We can talk about all that later. We’ll take all the time you need, until you’re mentally healthy again. That is, after all, what we do here.”
“Wait, don’t go!”
“I’m sorry, Miss Reisert, but I have a lot of things to do. I’ll talk to you again tomorrow.” He walked out of her line of vision.
“Wait! Jonathan! Dr. Crane! Come back here!” Lisa screamed in frustration as she heard the door close. She swore and screamed until her throat was raw, then tried to slow her breathing down. A part of her realized this wasn’t the way to convince people she was sane and rational and had no business being there.