The Storyteller of Pain

  “Oh boy, Sugarplum, this just got so much worse!”

  Lily just stared at it, her hands flexing repeatedly.

  “We need to go Lily. We’ve been here so much longer than we should have been!”

  “You’re right again John!”

  Lily picked up Wilhelmina’s dairy put it in her bag and then closed the compartment.

  “Let’s go!”

  John wasn’t arguing with her.

  He grabbed her hand and said, “Don’t have to tell me twice!”

  They closed the bedroom door quickly and quietly walked down the corridor to the front door of Wilhelmina’s wing. One quick glance at Wilhelmina showed she was still sound asleep and they made their way quickly out of the house. No servants were around, luckily for them. They were able to get into John’s car and down the driveway without an issue.

  Only when they were off of Willow Wand Way did they even breathe. After three blocks, they were laughing and gasping for breath. They sat in comfortable silence all the way back to her house.

  It wasn’t until they were both sitting in front of Lilian’s marble coffee table, each with drink in hand, did Lily take out the stolen diary.

  John looked at her and asked, “I just got to know. Now that we got out of there alive, how did you know how to open that compartment?”

  “Elementary, my dear Watson!” Lily giggled and so did John at the Sherlock Holmes reference.

  “Sorry couldn’t help myself. Anyway, I knew it had to be a combination that couldn’t be affected by a maid cleaning the area. I knew it had to be easy to do because Wilhelmina has barely enough muscles to lift her teacup let alone some heavy mechanics. I knew from constant use it would have to show some look of discernible wear and tear that comes from the constant use. I also knew, that woman wouldn’t want to have to move around much at all, to make it happen, considering the laudanum she drinks.

  So I looked for what was the logical solution. The edge of the decorative scrollwork on the upper part of that bedpost has an unusual worn spot only on that one part. All the others were still gleaming Cherrywood. So since it was the bottom edge of the particular piece, I figure that must be it. There weren’t any worn marks on the rest of that piece, showing it must be turned side to side often, to cause only that placement of wear. You gave me the first part of it, otherwise we might still be there trying to figure it out.”

  John laughed heartily. “As easy as all that huh? Well I must say you were extremely impressive today, Kitten! I’ve never seen anything like it before.”

  “Thank you, John.”

  It came out a bit more of a purr than she expected but she smiled at him anyway, unashamed. She was on her third Jack and Dr. Pepper and she was quite impressed with herself as well. John looked over at the beautiful woman next to him and thought mission complete. He needed to know what those sweet lips tasted like and his entire being couldn’t wait another second. John put down his glass then turned to Lily and moved in closer. Reaching toward her, he took her glass gently out of her hand and put it onto the coffee table, without breaking eye contact with her. He was looking for the back off signal, the ‘no’ in her eyes but found no trace of it.

  He leaned in closer to her, inches from her face, and cupped each side of her face delicately in his big hands. Just that sensation, that slight contact, pulsed lust into each fiber of his being so strongly it overwhelmed him. He moaned ever so quietly against her lips before kissing them. The contact caused liquid fire to race in his veins. His hands pulled her face closer to him instinctively kissing her deeper as he did so. He felt her kiss him back and he was lost in their desire and lust.

  Passionately, he kissed those lips that had always driven him mad with longing. Her kiss was more intoxicating than the alcohol and after several minutes of heated kissing, he felt himself pull her on top of his lap. All he could think was, ‘I need to feel her completely against me. I need to get closer.’ Her hands caressed his hair as his hands caressed her body. Their lips never leaving each other’s, lost in their passionate embrace. Lost in the sensations of each other.

  John’s hands wrapped around Lily’s firm butt and squeezed. Lily moaned into his mouth. He held onto her like that and stood up, still holding her straddling his waist. They were finishing this in the bedroom as God intended he thought.

  Many hours later, exhausted and out of breath, they laid in a tangle of sheets and limbs completely content. Lily’s head was resting on John’s heart and he was alternating between stroking her long, loose hair and kissing her forehead.

  “Hey beautiful.”

  A gentle moan was the reply. John chuckled. Something about it made him feel so good, deep inside. “Promise me this wasn’t a one time only deal. I meant what I said in the car. I want to continue seeing you after this case. I’m hoping you’ll continue letting me see you, after tonight. I really don’t want this to be the only time I’ll ever get to hold you in my arms like this, get to kiss and taste you like I have tonight. I’m really hoping you feel the same way.”

  There was a moment when his heart felt like it stopped, like time itself stopped, waiting for that answer. It wasn’t until he had said all that to her that he realized just how true it was, how much he wanted to be her ‘one and only’. 3 months ago, hell, 3 weeks ago, he’d say he wouldn’t have a snowball’s chance in hell with a classy, beautiful, and sophisticated doctor like her. Here he was, in her bed, holding her dearly to him, praying for a possibility she could actually be his ‘one and only’.

  “I feel the same way John.”

  Her quiet, shy admission touched him so. He began kissing her forehead again, then her nose, then her delicate sweet lips. One taste of her lips and he was lost again. It was almost dawn when they finally were relaxed again in each other arms. They could hear the faintest sound of birds beginning to chirp.

  Monday morning was approaching fast and Lily had yet to sleep. She had to be at work in less than 3 hours. ‘Not possible for sleep today,’ she thought already exhausted at that notion. She didn’t regret a moment of their time together. She regretted the lack of sleep not the reason. She sighed and closed her eyes, content in his arms. It lasted about ten minutes. Ten delicious minutes in that handsome hunks arms until the damn alarm went off.

  “Oh geez Kitten, I’m sorry. You didn’t get any sleep and you have to go to work soon, don’t you? Fuck, buttercup I’m sorry I did that to you. Sorry for the lack of sleep before work, not the reason for the lack of sleep. That Kitten, fills me with pride, joy, and happiness. I wouldn’t have traded a moment of it.”

  He then kissed her forehead once more and said, “Want me to make coffee while you shower? I make a mean omelet too, ya know.” John winked.

  “I’d love that!” Lily said.

  “It’s the least I can do for my lovely lady.”

  John then kissed her on the head one more time, quickly. He got up and pulled on his underwear. John stood in her doorway and looked at her. She looked incredibly sexy. Her hair was all rumpled from their activities that night; she, only half covered by the bed sheet. If she didn’t have to get ready for work, he would have climbed right back in that bed with her again. Her eyes widened and looked down at his shorts. He loved the look on her face. ‘Oh, if only she didn’t have to go to work,’ he thought. Keeping himself in control he ignored her stare and asked, “What kind of omelet do you want?”

  “Um...”

  John chuckled. “Omelet, what kind do you want, Kitten?”

  “Oh, um...cheese, eggs and spinach?”

  John chuckled at her again. He already loved her reaction to him. It made him feel so incredible; she, made him feel so incredible.

  “Got it! Better hurry. Don’t want to be late, beautiful.”

  He walked out of the room without looking back. He knew if he did, he would make her very late for work. By the time Lily got showered and dressed she could smell coffee, eggs and toast. ’Mmmmmh,’ she loved breakfast. It was her favorite meal of t
he day. There he was in her kitchen, breakfast on plates, coffee in cups, waiting for her. This! She heard a voice deep within her cry out. I want this forever. She pushed that thought aside and smiled at him.

  “Thank you! This looks delicious!”

  “If you like this, wait until this weekend when you have more time. I do a mean Sunday Brunch. And you’re very welcome, beautiful! Anytime!” John walked over and kissed her cheek.

  They sat and had a wonderful breakfast together. A first for her. Never had a man made her breakfast before, she thought. The diary never was discussed. Instead he read the morning newspaper to her while she ate, and drank copious amounts of coffee. She was happier in that one moment than all her years previously combined.

  Finally she had to leave for work. They agreed to meet that night at her office as usual. They both kissed each other passionately for several minutes before contesting they had to separate for the time being. Otherwise she’d never make it to work on time. One last kiss on her forehead and John got into his car and drove off toward his home. Lily made it to work with minutes to spare. She thanked God for that and walked into work.

  All day at work all Lily could think about was that diary. What secrets does it hold?

  Dr. Page walked past her after lunch. He paused for only a moment to wink at her and then continued on his very, merry way with a grin that truly sickened her. It seemed to Lilian, Charles was scanning her for some sign of something. It disturbed her enough to see him at all after that dream, but to feel like he was sizing her up, looking for some secret deep within her, was just such a lurid and vile feeling. She had checked. Mr. Rowlington was still alive. That made Lily glad at the realization it must have been just a seriously, sick nightmare.

  Later on, Lilian was working on her case files in her office, waiting on John’s nightly visit, when the alarm went off. That only happened when something major happened. Lily ran into the hallway trying to access the problem when the head male nurse came running towards her.

  “Doc, we need you! It’s Edwardo. He got a pair of scissors from somewhere. We got him cornered but he already got four patients and is threatening to kill himself unless he sees Doc Lil. Doc Lil or Death! He keeps screaming it!”

  “Oh shit! Ok I’m coming! What set him off? Who’s hurt? What of the other patients?”

  They were jogging down the corridor toward the male ward.

  “Doc, I promise you I did bed checks a half hour before bedtime like always. He was clean. I’d bet my life on it. I gave him his meds as I always do. He took them just fine. Calm as a cucumber. Went to bed fine. I get down towards the “extremes” and I hear the alarm myself. Doc I swear on my life, I locked him in securely myself. I don’t understand it or where the scissors came from. He sliced down both Bruno and Trevor. Slit Dane’s throat by the time I got to him.”

  They were closing in on the right corridor to the scene. She could hear the pandemonium from the patients locked in their cells.

  Edwardo was screaming, “Doc Lil or Death!”

  She could hear Hank saying, “She’s on her way buddy. Just stay calm. Doc Lil is on her way. She’ll be right here buddy. No need to hurt anyone else”.

  “Doc Lil or Death!” Edwardo roared.

  Lilian flew around the corner and yelled, “I’m here! Edwardo I’m here!”

  He locked eyes on her and was already calmer. The scissors lowered several millimeters from his own neck without him realizing.

  “Doc, I didn’t mean it! The mean man, he...voice...mean voice...made me do it! It’s evil, Doc! It made me, Doc. I have to finish, Doc. He won’t let me stop now...It won’t let me stop, Doc.”

  “Edwardo, hear my voice. Listen only to the sound of my voice. Put the scissors down. It’s ok now. You’re allowed to put the scissors down.” She moved slowly toward him as she talked.

  “No Doc. It won’t let me. It says I must die. Must be punished for being bad. It’s saying I have to Doc. You don’t understand. I have to Doc. I hurt good men. I must die!”

  “No! Edwardo that voice is a liar! Do you hear me? It’s lying to you. It said Doc Lil or Death, remember? Here I am. So no death Edwardo! No need for death now that Doc Lil is here. Ok Edwardo?” Lilian was so close to him now.

  “It’s... It’s a liar?” He sounded confused suddenly.

  “Yes. It’s lying to you Edwardo. I am Doc Lil and I’m right here. So No death, no more!”

  “No. It’s screaming in my head Doc. It says I must kill you Doc! I won’t! Doc Lil is nice to me. If not you, then it must have me! It must have Death!” he yelled. He swung his arms up, holding the scissors at his own throat again. Except Edwardo had given Lilian enough time to get close enough to snatch the scissors out of his hand before he plunged it into his own throat.

  The swift jerking motion sliced her hand wide open causing her own blood to spill out all over the floor. The male nurses lunged at Edwardo after Lilian had snatched the scissors away from him and simultaneously dropped to the floor, giving the nurses enough room to contain Edwardo, who was bellowing

  “Noooooooo! I must die!”

  He began crying uncontrollably while the nurses carried him to confinement and four point restraints. Lilian didn’t notice the blood nor the pain from her wound as the adrenaline was pounding through her. He could have killed her or himself. Thankfully neither happened.

  She suddenly realized she had to be in shock. Her hearing started tuning back in.

  “Doc? Answer me, are you alright Doc? Doc!”

  She heard another voice frantically yelled, “The Doc’s hurt! The Doc is down! Quick!”

  Her vision began to swirl and swim. She could hear people frantic, panicked, yelling but she could only see black and white fuzzies. She kept trying to say she was alright, that she was fine and to calm down, but she couldn’t get her mouth and voice to work. Last thing she remembered was the terrified sound of John’s voice coming toward her.

  “Oh God! No!”

  Then all was quite. All went black.

  Lily opened her eyes and realized she was in the medical ward for staff only and John Barkley was sitting across from her.

  “Hey, Sleeping Beauty. Glad to see you’re awake!”

  “Hey.”

  It was more of a croak than words. Her throat was very dry. John leaned forward with a cup of water complete with drinking straw and smiled at her. She gratefully took a cooling sip.

  “Boy, you scared the ‘BeeGeez’ out of me Sugarplum! You lost a lot of blood. Took damn near 150 stitches to close the wound. How you feeling?”

  “150?! He just cut my palm!” Lily exclaimed

  “No... he sliced you from palm to elbow baby.”

  Lily could feel and hear his caring and concern. It touched her heart. Lilian looked down at her arm for the first time in shock. It was bandaged from her elbow to the tips of her fingers like a mitt. She just stared at it in complete disbelief. She had remembered thinking she was glad it was only her palm before she blacked out, but obviously not.

  “I just thank God you’re alive. I come in to start my shift and heard the alarm. I went straight to your office. The door was wide open and your office was ransacked.”

  “What!” She choked on the water.

  “Yeah! Files flung everywhere; furniture overturned. I saw your pocketbook was inside-out and your briefcase was opened and empty. All your stuff was everywhere but no blood or nothing. So I locked your door and started running toward the commotion praying, ‘Please God let her be safe’ and there you were, lying on the floor in a big pile of blood, not responding. I feared the worst but thank God you’re ok. Turns out we both have the same blood type, O negative. How weird is that, huh? What a coincidence! So in all honesty if it wasn’t for my blood, you might not be alive. They didn’t have any here and I was the only match.”

  Lily kept blinking at him. She didn’t realize she was shaking her head at him. None of it made sense. The hospital had guaranteed her they would have her blood type i
n stock at all times for just these kinds of possible situations. Most people didn’t know that although O negative blood is a universal donor type for all other blood types, people with O negative can only get O negative blood.

  “Is your blood type on file?” Lily asked.

  “All that and that’s your question? Actually no it wasn’t. I was supposed to fill out that medical card and I lost it. I never actually went back to fill it out. Why?”

  “Was anything missing from my office do you think?”

  “I honestly have no idea. Too much chaos going on to be able to really check.”

  “Can I go home now?” Lilian said emotionless.

  “I’ll drive you! I’ll go to your office right now see if your keys are there and take you home. I’ll come back by taxi.”

  “My keys won’t be in there!”

  John froze.

  “What? How do you know that?”

  She blinked several times.

  “When the alarm went off I instinctively grabbed my keyring. It has all the work keys on it as well as my personal keys so I can never lose one or the other. I also remember, that out of habit, I locked my door before running toward the scene. I was taught to lock my door no matter what and always make sure you have two hands free during an emergency. So....”

  Lilian lifted her good hand and slipped it under her shirt, then under her bra. John heard a distinctive jingle sound then her hand reappeared with the key ring. John just blinked in shock several times.’ She hid her keys in her bra. The things women think of,’ he thought. It was brilliant and until she showed him, he would never have known her keys were there.

  He took a few breaths and smiled. “Ok then. I’ll get your purse and be right back.”

  “Forget it! I just want to get home and have a very large drink.”

  “Don’t you at least want your license?”