The Anatomy of Killer

Chapter 14 - In Morphino Veritas

     I was sitting in a chair pulled up to Noah's bed in the hospital, waiting nervously for him to wake up. I wanted him to, but at the same time, I didn't. I was afraid that he was angry at me, which was totally ridiculous because he had no idea that I'd sent Lily after hi,. I was also afraid that he'd heard something about who I really was when we were in that abandoned warehouse.

     He looked terrible. His face was covered in bruises and cuts from the struggle to get him into the warehouse. I couldn't see it, but his entire torso was covered in bandages from the various cuts made in his skin. He was pale from loss of blood, too, on top of all of that.

     "Damn it, Noah," I whispered to his sleeping form. "I'm really sorry."

     I was silent for a while after that. I'd only just been discharged and had been told that I couldn't go back to work for a few days. I wasn't complaining, though. The pain from the wounds that Lily had given me was too much to do anything remotely strenuous as well as I don't think that I could've handled the bravado from my coworkers just yet. As soon as I was discharged, I went to see Noah, but he was sleeping and I didn't have the heart to wake him.

     "Evelyn?" Noah asked quietly. "Are you okay?"

     I laughed away my alarm at his sudden question. "Am I okay? Have you seen yourself recently?"

     "Okay, listen. I saw her with you. You weren't looking so hot."

     "I always look hot," I protested.

     "While that is true, I was worried about you."

     I blushed. "Caleb told you that I was okay," I replied.

     "Who?"

     "The nurse who came to check on you when you woke up," I said, realizing that Noah probably didn't know his name.

     "Yeah, but I meant emotionally. Your best friend turned out to be a serial killer." Noah's voice was filled with sympathy.

     The thought of Lily's betrayal hadn't even crossed my mind. Honestly, I hadn't known her for very long and I'd not trusted her as much as everyone thought. I was more worried about what she had said about me not being meant to be alive again. 

     I sighed. "I'm okay."

     "Are you? Really?" Noah asked, shifting his position in bed. He winced in pain.

     "Yes! Why do you even care?" I snapped.

     Noah sighed before answering. "Because you're my friend," he said.

     Caught off ground, I took a deep breath. "Really, I'm fine."

     "Okay." He didn't sound convinced.

     "I'm so sorry about everything that's happened to you," I whispered.

     "It's not your fault. Why are you apologizing?" Noah's face was strained. I could tell that the morphine was wearing off.

     "I sent Lily after you when you left the station the other day. I sent a serial killer after you," I swallowed back tears.

     Noah was silent for a moment. "Why in the world would you think that it was your fault?"

     "I should have known. I should have solved the case faster. I should have known that she wasn't who she said she was."

     Noah grabbed my hand, startling me. "You are insane," he said endearingly, his eyes meeting mine. "This isn't your fault." I could see the pain in his eyes from his injuries.

     "Noah - "

     "Just stop, Evelyn. You saved my life back there." He squeezed my hand. A thin sheen of sweat had formed on his forehead.

     "You're in pain, Noah," I said quietly.

     "I noticed," he hissed sarcastically.

     I took my hand out of Noah's and reached for the morphine pump, grinning. "I hope you say some crazy shit when you're high."

     I turned up the amount of morphine as he laughed. "I'll try to entertain you with my drugged self," he said jokingly.

     I smiled at him while the pain faded from his face as the morphine took effect. His face became peaceful and unfocused.

     I rested my chin in my hands. "Have I ever told you that you're extremely sexy?" Noah slurred a few minutes later.

     Against my will, my face heated up. "All right, Cassanova. I think it's about time for you to go back to sleep," I said, smiling. My heart fluttered into my throat. Get it together, Anita, I told myself.

     "You're blushing," he said.

     "Shut up!" I cried, blushing harder.

     He reached up and stroked my face gently. My breath caught in my throat. "It's cute."

     "You're not going to remember any of this when you're sober," I said, absolutely mortified.

     "You wish," Noah said, his eyes starting to droop closed.

     "Thank God. I thought that I was going to have to start singing you a lullaby if you didn't go to sleep. You're embarrassing yourself." I laughed.

     "I think that the only one that I'm embarrassing is you, Eve." He drifted off into a drug-induced sleep.

     I sat by his bed for a while, thinking about what he said to me. I mean, in vino veritas - or, well, in morphino veritas...

     I guess that I fell asleep sometime in the time between being utterly mortified by Noah and being rudely jolted awake by Caleb walking into the room.

     "Hey. Why don't you go home, have a shower, and get some sleep?" he said, touching my shoulder. "He's not going anywhere in the few hours that you'll be gone.

     I yawned. "Maybe that's a good idea."

     "I am a doctor, after all," Caleb said, smiling. He opened up Noah's file.

     "You're a nurse," I deadpanned.

     "Okay, first of all, screw you," Caleb said, glaring playfully at me.

     I smiled, standing up and stretching. "I'll see you later then."

     "Looking forward to it," Caleb said, barely glancing up from the file.

     Sorry that this chapter is a bit short.... I have no motivation to write something else. I wanted to run a title idea by you guys.... What about The Diary of an Ex-Assassin? Oh, I almost forgot to tell you that I changed the concept of this story just a little bit. Rather than her being a serial killer, she's more of a killer for hire. Anyway...

Questions, Questions

1. Ooh, Noah thinks Anita is sexy... What do you think? (Honestly, I don't blame him)

2. Do you celebrate Christmas? If not, what do you celebrate, if anything?

3. When does your winter break start? (Mine starts Friday I'm so excited)

     Thanks for reading (I feel like I'm talking to a wall at this point)! Please comment, vote, follow me, add this to your reading list, or, better yet, all three!

     Hope you enjoyed

      xxCelia