Page 22 of Possessive Doctor

He comes down the stairs and says, “I see you woke up. How’s your head?”

“It’s bad. It hurts. I think I need to go to the hospital,” I groan.

“No, we can’t go anywhere right now. I have some painkillers I can give you.”

“W-what happened?” I ask, pretending not to know he pushed me.

He looks me up and down, no doubt contemplating his answer.

“You tripped and fell down the stairs. Don’t you remember?”

“No, it’s all a blur. One second, we were talking, and the next, I was waking up on the floor.”

“Do you remember anything? Like anything from the past?”

“No, sorry. I still don’t remember anything.”

“Well, then. I’ll go get you those pills, and we can start walking down memory lane.”

I try to swallow the fear, even though my breaths are bursting in and out and beads of sweat gather on my forehead, back, and chest.

When he leaves, I remember my cell phone in my purse. It’s across the room by the stairs, and I don’t know if I can get there and back before he returns, but I have to try. The room spins when I stand, everything around me blurring while a heavy weight settles in the pit of my stomach.

Acrid bitterness rises in my throat, but I swallow it.

I take a moment to steady myself and move as quickly as I can to the stairs. I bite down on my hand to keep from crying out as I bend down to get the phone from my open purse.

Andrew. I need Andrew. He wrote his number on the note that he left me this afternoon. I shoved it in my purse before I left to meet Michael. I reach back into the purse and grab the note. I can hear footsteps moving back and forth across the kitchen, water running in the sink.

He’ll be back down here any minute. I have to hurry.

I type Andrew's number into the phone and send him a message.

“I need help. My neighbor has me. His house.”

I turn the volume off so Michael isn’t alerted if Andrew tries to call, and then shove it back inside the purse along with the note. I’ve just made it back to the couch when I hear Michael on the stairs.

My breathing is labored, and my hands are sweaty. I close my eyes and try to slow my heart rate. I don’t want to give him any indication that I’ve moved from this spot. But dear god, everything hurts.

He sits down beside me and says, “Open your mouth.”

I hold out my hand, hoping that he’ll drop the pills into it, but he repeats, “Open your mouth.”

He places two white pills on my tongue and hands me a glass of water. I drink and swallow, not knowing what poison he may be feeding me.

“Now, let’s talk. Since you don’t remember the past, it’s probably best to start with the future. Now that we’re together again, I’m not letting you out of my sight. Your new life starts right now and you’re going to make me a very happy man.”

He grabs my shoulders roughly, and I cry out from the pain. He lets go and says, “Sorry, I forgot you’re still a little broken. It’s okay. I can wait,” he smiles, a devilish glint in his eyes.

If I could, I would vomit on him right now, but it’s getting hard to see again. My head is spinning again. He drugged me. I try so hard to keep my senses about me. Who knows what he plans to do to me when I lose consciousness? God, I don’t even want to think about it.

“Lie back and rest. Everything will be better when you wake up,” he says softly as everything fades into black.

10

ANDREW

Finally finished with my patient, I head back to my office to collect my things. Getting home to a nice dinner with Amy is the only thing running through my mind when I see the message light flashing on my phone.

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