The Bad Guy's Doctor

TWENTY FIVE

"Five minutes until it should kick in, Althea." I drop the bullet onto the tray, exhaling as my hands shook. The mask I had on seemed to swirl in my vision as I blinked, letting the pliers drop to the tray.

"Patch him up. I gotta go," I say, stalking out of the room as another surgeon took my place. The floor swan and my stomach rolled, the blaring lights suddenly too bright. I strip the gloves off and toss them into the hazard bin, closing my eyes to take deep breaths as I pulled down the mask. A hand lands at my shoulder and I open my eyes, Arsenio gazing down at me. "Fever. At the fourteenth hour, make sure they inject the antidote. I'll be in and out of consciousness. No food. At all, nothing down my esophagus, only through the IV." I squeeze my eyes shut, my head throbbing.

"I heard you," He picks me up and I fall limp in his arms. His golden eyes are so clear. "Do you want to stay here or go home, beautiful?" I feel my consciousness wane and I drift off, not missing the slight hint of panic in his eyes.

- - -

"I've been thinking about what Zakel said," I hear from the edge of my consciousness. I understand immediately through the numbness I feel in my entire body. Arsenio is talking to me. I've regained consciousness, but only for so long. He doesn't know. "About keeping you."

How long have I been out?

Is there anyone else in the room? "I don't want to hurt you. I don't like seeing you in pain. It makes me feel nauseous." I try to move, but my awareness stays behind closed eyes and a paralyzed body. "Finding you was terrible. Every time I think of your blood, I vomit."

A fear of blood... but just my blood? His obsession unnerved me beyond comprehension.

"To break you seems like too much." Arsenio seems to pause, almost as if he were thinking out loud. "But... nothing is too much if it means that you'll stay with me forever." Chills run down my spine. I can't move. Can't respond. "To have you all to myself." I hear him shift. "I want to isolate you. Trap you away from everything else. Cut everyone off so that you would only look at me, speak to me, think of me. Like I do with you." Arsenio sighs. "Is it so bad that I want you to love me the way I love you?"

"You drive me crazy, it's not..." Another pause. "Althea?" My blood chills. Did he know I was awake? I feel a light touch against my pulse point and the air prickles with tension. Then, his fingers relax, caressing my skin softly. "Please wake up." I feel myself drift away once more.

- - -

My eyes open. I can finally breathe, my chest rising above the standard breath. I exhale, raising my hand. I look over at the edge of my bed, a familiar head of hair tipped back onto the edge of the mattress. Honey eyes slide to my own and widen, a loud clatter against the floor alerting me as he rises to my side. "Althea, oh," I push myself up and he helps me, sitting me up in my bed. "How do you feel, love?

He reaches for me, pushing the hair out of my face. I point a finger at the door without another word. Arsenio retracts his hand, brows furrowing. Dark circles underlined his eyes, an exhaustion within them that signified just how long he was here. He probably didn't sleep a wink while I was out. "Did I make you mad already?"

"Out." My voice is soft and shaky. And it seems to overwhelm him, through and through. His brow furrows, eyes widening at the sound of my voice. Probably because he hasn't heard it in some time. He opens his mouth to speak, but nothing comes out. The villain stares at me for a moment longer before breaking his gaze, glancing quickly toward the ground.

"O-Okay." Arsenio swoops down and picks up the gun that fell to the floor, tucking it into his shirt. He opens the balcony door, the darkness shielding him. He almost seems flustered. "Call if you need me, darling." He gives me one last glance, before disappearing into the night.