The Bellevue Program

4.

4.

She slowly opened her eyes, nothing was in focus. She could feel movement, whatever she was laying on was moving and bumping. She swallowed, her mouth was dry and raspy. She tried to look around but all she could see was a blue light above her. She wiggled her fingers and lifted her arm, only to have it stopped with a metallic clang. She tried the other hand, and it too was restricted, and her wrist began to throb and she sat upright, drowsy and confused "hello?" she rocked, too weak to hold herself up properly with the ride

"Lay back Miss Dean" a woman's voice came over a speaker "You are being transferred to Bellevue"

"Bellevue? Where is that?" she called up to the ceiling, squinting, still no solid forms shaping. It was dark, but there were monitor lights and dim floor lights. She could see another shape on the other side, another bed. She began to struggle, the cuffs clanged against a small metal bracelet attached to her wrist

"What is this?" she asked, panicked. Her legs were restrained too, and as she regained focus noticed a band around her wrist

"That is a sedative bracelet. If you keep this up i'll show you how it works. Lay down Miss Dean"

Her face was wet with tears and her hair stuck to her face. She layed down, blinking trying to clear her eyes. She felt ill still, her stomach empty and weak.

She closed her eyes, the last thing she remembered was laying in her prison bed feeling overwhelming drowsiness, like she was on a boat in heavy waving seas. She remembered heaving, her abs now sore from the efforts. She squeezed her eyes tight and sniffed back her tears. When she opened her eyes again she could make out she was in some sort of ambulance blacked out and barred windows.

On the other bed she could make out it was a man, his face was turned the other way, he too was restrained. "Hey" she whispered "hey, hello?" she spoke a little louder

Just then a sharp hot poke on her wrist from under the bracelet pricked her skin

She yelped

"Sweet dreams" She heard over the speaker, before her world went black again.

***

When she woke again the room was white and very bright. She was propped up with pillows and had an IV in her arm, although she still had on the cuffs. She could feel some sort of lip balm, she was clean and her hair was wet. Her eyes focused clearly, so clearly she could read the index card on a clipboard hanging on the wall on the other side of the room, with her name, inmate number and dates of intake and expected release date. 2056.

Her mind sharpened and she took in the room. The door was closed and most likely locked and guarded, there were no windows at all. The room was empty except for the hospital bed, and a chair next to it and her IV pole with a beeping monitor. She could hear the sounds of muffled voices and footsteps outside the room. Her wrists burned from the bracelets poke, and she could feel a surge of energy rush though her and she wanted answers. The monitor indicating her heart rate was up alerted whoever was outside the door, then She heard a keycode being punched in and braced herself for whoever was about to enter.

The door opened, a man in a lab coat came in followed by security in a black tee shirt and black cargo pants and army boots "Good afternoon" he smiled warmly, white perfect teeth gleamed and the ice blue eyes amazed her momentarily.

She shifted back into the bed as far as her restraints would allow

"Where am i?" she asked looking between the doctor (she assumed) and the security guy, who was not moving and strong in place.

"You are at Bellevue facility. You were transported here because you fit the criteria for our program"

"What program?" she hesitated. This could be a type of rehab, but being that she had already been in prison for three months, her system was clean

The doctor came closer and looked over her monitor, then her wrist

"The specifics will be explained to you" he marked some things on his chart

 "when" she demanded, paying attention to avoid too much disturbance, she remembered the warning before the bracelet injected her.

He nodded back at the security guy who opened the door and let him out then followed behind, the door beeping as the metal bolt clanged.

She had never heard of Bellevue before. Her mind scanned the details, she fit the criteria? What program? Where is Bellevue? she wondered about the guy who was on the truck with her. She sunk back into the bed, and watched the door, straining to make out words in the muffled voices outside the door. She began to differentiate between female and male voices, there were 3 people she could tell now. The man who had come in and two females. The security guy could be there too, but he made no sounds if he was.

He was relaying information, they responded and he left, footsteps following, heavy ones.

She heard a code being punched in again, and immediately sat up in defense. Two nurses, in pale blue fitted scrubs entered. They were beautiful, it struck her how perfect they looked. The brunette with her long hair curled perfectly over her shoulder didn't smile, but her dark and sultry eyes stared at her, studying. She was curvier than the strawberry blonde, who stood at the same height, but looked more like she stepped directly from a swimsuit edition of perfect bodies. There was not a thing out of place, and even in this situation she couldn't help but feel self conscious in their presence.

"Ms. Dean" the blonde spoke gently

She shimmied back, tense once again, there was something not right about the four people she had seen, they reminded her of those Stepford people.

"Are you ready to get your answers?" She folded her hands at her waist, eyeing for a response

"Yes"

"First you need to know, that that little device on your wrist" she pointed from the foot of the bed  "that device is under our control, it has a dose of tranquilizer inside. I see you have already experienced that yesterday"

"Yesterday?"

"Yes" the brunette looked her a clipboard "at 1:17pm, on transport" she checked

"What time is it?" Sydney asked

"Its 4:45 pm, may 9th" she seemed to glory in the strength of the drug, and nodded back at the brunette, who left the room and waved in 2 orderlies with structures of pure muscle, and chiseled features and they began work of moving the bed.  The nurses stood aside as she glided down the hall. 

 They had wheeled her to double elevator doors but didn't speak, they stood around each corner of her bed, waiting for the doors to open. A green light flashed about the elevator, and the doors opened to a large platform with mirrored walls. For the first time she saw herself, strapped  on a hospital bed, surrounded by four people who paid her no mind. They silently stood, as the elevator went down. He skin was clear, her hair now a mousy brown which she hadnt seen herself in for years - she had bleached it religiously ruining it, usually stringy and dry was now vibrant, her blue eyes striking against it

"What is this place" she finally asked as the elevator came to a stop and doors in front of her opened to a much less bright hallway. Dim lighting revealed scuffed walls, not as presentable as the other halls and all the way down the end another security officer in all black stood beside a door.

"This place?" the blonde said, not looking at her, but directly at the man guarding the door "this is a place is your new home"