SandBoxed Paradise...or is it a Prison

CHAPTER EIGHT

Dr. Jackson Steele stared at the full syringe on the table. He hadn't followed the medical mandate; and now that it was done, the unsettled feeling in his gut had grown in magnitude.

In truth, he had no right to put her in danger, the danger of what might have occurred if he had been wrong. He was here only to monitor the brainwave activity, not as the attending physician. It wasn't his call to make. He didn't even have access to that part of her medical chart or history; and yet, he couldn't stop himself. He had to see what would happen if he withheld the substance. Something hadn't felt right around here in a long time; and now, he was certain.

Tonight was the first and only night that Jackson had not been accompanied by Alexander "Xander" Saggito, the man that hired and brought him here. Night after night, Jackson had stood by while the man injected the syringe contents into her I.V. He said it was to help her during the transition, ease the pain and sedate her into sleep faster; but, something about the look in his eye was disturbing. There was almost a glimpse of sheer pleasure as she screamed in agony. Xander's overnight business trip provided him the first opportunity to prove his theory.

Whatever is in that syringe does not ease her suffering. Instead, it is the cause of her tormented screams.

He couldn't explain it, especially considering they had never even shared a conversation, but Jackson had fallen in love with her. She wouldn't feel the same. She didn't even know he existed, but he knew her well. He had watched and listened on more days than he cared to admit as she survived, solved problems, even conversed with herself. His breath had caught in his throat many times during his vigil as she answered her own question or responded to herself with the same words rolling off of his own lips.

Even though he would probably never get the chance to explore those feelings on a real level, he didn't want to jeopardize their time together. He also understood that if something nefarious was going on here... he was the only one that would help her. Everyone else had written her off. To them, she was an experiment: a Jane Doe that brought state funding and additional research to further their cause.

I need to dig deeper and somehow do it with no one knowing.

He wasn't sure what would happen if his snooping around was discovered, but most certainly he would lose his position. The thought of not seeing her again was more than he could bear. Still, he had to act. He couldn't just ignore his discovery.

Jumping to his feet, he quickly gathered what he needed and emptied the syringe into a vial. He had a friend that would discreetly analyze the contents for him, but that would take time. He would have to deliver it in person, and right now, he wasn't sure when he could make that journey. Not to mention, he feared what would happen if he wasn't watching over her.

In all of his time at S.O.S. he hadn't taken a single day off. His choice. Instead, he opted to sleep right here in the Penthouse Lab and use the building facilities. She was his main charge. This way he could easily monitor her scan feed during the two most crucial events, the daily entrance and exit. Besides, not like he had anywhere else to go, or anyone at home waiting for him. The attending night nurse had even been reassigned.