Stealing Perfection

Chapter 14

PART TWO

Hiding Perfection 

I snap my eyes the second I come to my senses, and take in a sharp breath. My head whips up, and a wave of nausea rolls over me. I decide it wouldn't be good to distress my already weakened body, so I look around the room. 

A sigh escapes my lips as I recognize myself in the compound. I am in one of the several infirmary beds. The room is quiet, and it smells like rubbing alcohol. I can't think of why it would; I haven't seen anyone in the infirmary for months. A broken wrist here and there, a sprained ankle. No one really is harmed to the extremity. 

I am lying on a white bed, dressed in a thin hospital gown. A blanket stretches from my feet to my waist. 

"You're awake." My head tips up, and I see the still body sitting in the chair from across the room. We are alone.

"What happened?" I ask him, and he sits silently for a moment before looking at me.

"You passed out." He says.

"I know that, but what happened after that?" His eyes stay fastened on mine, and a tingle shoots through my bones. "Lance?" He shakes his head, but it is not directed at me. He looks irritated. I feel like I am having a conversation with the wall. 

Finally, Lance leans back into his chair. 

"Did you know that Eagon left last night?" He demands, with hostility laced in his words. I study his features. His jaw is locked, which means he is upset. Those golden eyes are beginning to squint, a trait which I only see before he loses his temper and yells. 

"I heard." I reply, mirroring his belligerence. 

"Well, you should know that-"

The door to the infirmary opens, and a handful of people walk in. Kat, Gemma, Red, Grant, and Korla walk in. Gemma and Korla both reach my bedside first, and Red and Grant linger behind Kat further behind. 

"You gave us all quite a scare." Kat starts, while Gemma wraps a patch around my arm. She squeezes a round ball, and the patch enlarges. 

"What happened?" I say, with annoyance obvious in my words. There's a pause before I add, "If someone doesn't tell me how I got here, I'm going to turn into a psychopath and kill you all." 

A smile spreads on Kat's face, but it is merely an amusing one. 

"Korla has checked your blood, and found very evident traces of Phencyclidine - or PCP - in your bloodstream." Kat begins to explain, and turns to Korla for more.

Korla takes a deep breath. "PCP was used a long time ago as a surgical anesthetic, to put patients to sleep. After they discovered it caused hallucinations, deliria, and aggressive behavior. You were so delirious and your breathing was so distorted that your brain lost oxygen, and you fell out of consciousness. It was probably a good thing too, because the hallucinations would have began to take over your thoughts."

"How did it get in my blood?" I ask, my voice quiet and low. 

"We're not sure. We were hoping you would know that." Kat interrupts. 

"I don't even know what it is!" 

"It can be ingested, smoked, or inhaled." Korla says. "Has anyone given you anything to drink that you weren't aware of what it was, or given you anything funny?"

"No," I say. "No, of course not!" My head begins to throb. 

"Well, it got in your blood somehow." Kat snaps.