MADMAN'S DEMISE

19

Waiting for Roscoe to return, I was now seated opposed to Brandon by the table in the prosecution waiting room. The hour was nearly over, and instead, the continuous hours of the trial now awaited us. I knew Mr. Van Doren would set foot into the room any minute now, but still, I couldn't wait to ask Brandon further about Tandy Bellamy and their prior concern. Although I didn't dwell on the jealousy about him kissing her, I couldn't stop thinking of what he meant by her acting crazy. There was still something to find out about her, and I was too ridiculously curious to wait to hear of it until we were back at the institution. So, sniggering innocently, I asked him the straightforward question.

"What do you mean she acted crazy?"

"What?" Brandon looked at me, his eyes revealing that he was actually confused about my question and that he didn't act like a fool only to deliberately force forward my embarrassment of further explaining my questioning about his private past.

"Tandy... you said you had to kiss her because she acted crazy?" I formulated myself well, trying to get Brandon to understand that this in fact was not about jealousy, but burning curiousness about the mysterious woman who previously had been a part of my lover's life.

"Right..."

Brandon sighed, and allowed a moment for thought.

"I remember it was a Friday, and Tandy was working late. Apparently that night they were short of monitoring guardsmen in the wards. So as she followed me back to my room after the evening baths, we were alone in the corridor. Suddenly she started walking the wrong way, and I understood something was going on. She took me to the basement trapdoor near the ward 5 restrooms, quickly unlocked it, and told me to run,"

Brandon chuckled while shaking his head, very much aware this woman was completely out of her mind although he was the one supposed to be.

"I told her I wouldn't go. It was just mad... the suddenness... the coerced escape... it would never succeed. But she couldn't accept it, and she desperately started crying, pulling my arms and begging me. That's when I grabbed her shoulders and pulled her into a kiss. I needed to shut her up, and I needed a reason for her to accept my staying. She was adventuring her job, her reputation, both our safety... I saved her with that kiss, and myself as well."

I sighed loudly, my eyes wider than ever as I listened to the unbelievable story.

"It was on the following Monday her letter was found, and thereafter I never saw her again."

One part of me was surprised I never heard this scandalous story before. Although Brandon probably never told anyone about Tandy's precipitous escape plan and the dramatic course of it, I would have been certainly shocked if the disgraceful situation with the letter hadn't become a hot topic among the employed nurses at the hospital. It was not very abnormal with women gossiping, and I knew that, not least young ones working closely together.

But somehow I found myself relieved I wasn't ever told about Tandy, since maybe it was a sign my colleagues actually didn't live up to the prejudiced expectations of disrespecting one another by laughing and speaking behind each other's backs. It made sense somehow, despite the fact almost merely women worked at the hospital, they were all educated in secrecy and taught to respect people and their anomalies and deviant concealments. So as well as with any happening regarding a patient, the occasion with Tandy probably remained a rather silent matter.

Pleased with knowing the motive of Brandon's previous statement, I finally felt I could let go of the strange woman.

"And all this time I thought I was the mad one."

I smirked at Brandon who strained his eyes into my own across the table.

"Oh, Beverly... you are... just a little less." He grabbed my hand and kissed it gently, looked up at me with naughty, playful eyes. Determinately I tilted my head down, and narrowed my eyes to penetrate Brandon's soul.

"I'd watch my tongue if I were you... I heard people who live in glass houses shouldn't throw stones."

My lips betrayed the found confidence guising my face, and I broke into a smirk. Brandon did the same, and kissed my hand again.

"Are you threatening me, Beverly Frazier?" He inquired, big brown eyes radiating delight. I knew he found this diverting, as always with our bickering games.

"What if I am?" I raised my eyebrows, preparing for an answer of rudeness.

"Well, since we are in the House of Justice, I'm afraid I have no other choice than convicting you for it." He remarked. I parted my lips, pretended to appear rather surprised. He was so clever playing his games. Knowing exactly what to say to make it exciting and tense.

"Convicting me? What's my penalty then?"

Brandon remained silent, my hand still in his possession. The feeling of his lips brushing my knuckle was delectable. His mouth soft as a feather. Smooth as silk. His breath a gentle breeze against my light skin. The slightest touch by this man brought me into haze. There was no doubt about that any longer. And that was punishment enough. The way he affected my body and brought me to haywire behaviour whenever I was near him, was bad as it was. But I didn't get to find out what Brandon himself had in mind to do with me due to Roscoe who now entered the room and interrupted the exciting play between the two of us.

Swiftly I pulled my hand back as the advocate approached us, and Brandon adjusted his position on the chair.

"Mr. Barlowe. Are you ready to continue?" Roscoe looked at Brandon as he placed the file on the table, and Brandon nodded willingly. I raised from the chair and gently smiled at the respectable man.

"I'll see you out there." I said, and started tracing my way out the small room.