âmother,â who calls them sluts and whores. I canât believe Iâve been here for almost five months. Itâs like something out of Kafka. Instead of waking up as a giant cockroach, Iâve woken up in a penal colony.
The infirmary reminds me of the nurseâs office at my old school, except that here the odor of stale cigarette smoke hangs in the air. Thereâs a cot. A desk where the nurse sits. A curtain someone can get undressed behind. Oddly, an old metal safe. Sarah is lying on the cot. I frown at her. She mouths the word âcramps.â
A toilet flushes somewhere behind the curtain, and a gray-haired guy comes out zipping up a pair of faded jeans. Heâs wearing an orange, yellow, and green tiedyed T-shirt with a pack of cigarettes in the pocket, and his gray beard is braided. He has a gold earring, and tattoos on both arms. I assume heâs a workman, so Iâm caught by surprise when he sits down at the desk and gestures for me to sit in the chair beside it.
âName?â he asks.
âGarrett Durrell, sir ⦠Uh ⦠forgive me for asking this, sir, but are you really the nurse here?â
He raises his head and gives me an amused look. âWhat? You never saw a male nurse before?â
âNot one who looked like an outlaw biker, sir.â
âHa-ha!â He slaps his hand against the desk. âThatâs good! If this place wants me to look like a frickinâ nurse, they can pay me a nurseâs wage.â He blinks as if heâs just realized what heâs said and the trouble it could mean for him, then adds, âOnly, you didnât hear that from me, right?â
âI donât even know what youâre talking about, sir.â
âYou sure?â He narrows one eye suspiciously.
âScoutâs honor, sir.â
âYou ever a scout?â
âNo way, sir.â
He grinsârevealing yellowed, nicotine-stained teethâand offers his hand for a shake. Weâve formed a strange, nearly instant bond, as if our built-in BS detectors work on the same wavelength.
âMy nameâs Ted,â he says. âSo what can I do for you, Garrett?â
âSir, Mr. Sparks sent me here because I have a headache.â
Ted opens a drawer, takes out a small electronic thermometer, and sticks it in my ear. âYour temperatureâs normal.â
âI told Mr. Sparks it would probably go away, sir.â
âWant some OxyContin?â Ted asks.
I hesitate uncertainly.
âItâs the best thing for a headache,â Ted says. âTakecare of it in no time. What do you say?â
âOxyContin is an addictive narcotic, sir. Itâs not the sort of thing youâd be handing out here.â
Ted grins again. âGood for you, Garrett. You passed the test.â He gives me a couple of Tylenol, then turns to Sarah. âHow you doing?â
Sarah rolls her eyes.
âGlad Iâm not a female,â Ted mumbles. The phone rings and he picks it up. âYeah? What? Ah, for Godâs sake. No, donât move her. Yeah, Iâll be right there.â
He hangs up. âI gotta go check on a kid who fell and hurt her neck. Iâm only gonna be gone a minute, and Iâm trusting you two not to get into any mischief, right?â
Sarah and I both nod.
âDonât bother looking for the good stuff while Iâm gone, Garrett. Itâs all locked in the safe.â He goes out and closes the door behind him. Itâs hard to believe this guy is Lake Harmonyâs nurse, except that he must come a lot cheaper than a real RN.
Suddenly Sarah and I are alone. It appears that sheâs lost even more weight. Her elbows and wrists are bony, and her face seems longer, but itâs probably just thinner. Her skin has an odd, translucent quality, but her gaze is steady, and her blue eyes have an intensity I havenât seen in weeks. âYouâre never going to get out of
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