Invisible Killer

Chapter 14

The ambulance arrived at the other hospital near the Emergency Room. The paramedics opened the back door of the vehicle and immediately rushed Rachelle inside. Ryan and Lyndsay jumped out behind them. Ryan saw how upset Lyndsay was. He wrapped his arm around her and pulled her into his rib cage. They walked inside and sat in the waiting room. They waited patiently in the hall as the doctors got Rachelle situated into a room.
"Surely she'll wake up this time. Like, this isn't her time, is it?" muttered Lyndsay in depression.
"Lyndsay, don't say that. If she survived the other incidents, then she'll be able to survive a fire," responded Ryan.
"Didn't you see her arms?"
Ryan became concerned. "What? What's wrong with them?"
"She has fire burns on her arms."
Ryan titled his head in slight confusion.
"In other words, both of her arms were burned in the fire," Lyndsay added.
Ryan's eyes widened up.
"Well, let's not worry about her. She will survive...," he comforted.
Lyndsay laid her head on top of Ryan's shoulder. They began to snooze as they waited for Rachelle to wake up.
An hour and a half later, Ryan woke up to hearing a mumbling noise. He lifted his head up, looked into Rachelle's room, and saw her head rapidly moving side to side. Ryan picked up Lyndsay's head from his shoulder, slowly got up from the chair, and took a few steps into the room. He quietly walked into Rachelle's room. He got halfway to the bed and heard Rachelle mumbling.
"Lyndsay...Ryan...help...," she mumbled.
Ryan became aware that she was waking up and walked back into the hallway to get Lyndsay. Lyndsay was sitting sideways in a chair. Her head was resting on one arm of the chair and had her legs over the other arm.
"Lyndsay...," Ryan mumbled, rubbing her shoulder. Lyndsay slowly woke up from her snooze and saw Ryan.
"Lyndsay, she's waking up," Ryan added. Lyndsay smiled. She sat up and walked with Ryan into the room. Ryan stood at the end of the bed, and Lyndsay approached Rachelle's right side. Rachelle began to moan as she slowly became conscious again.
"Rachelle?...," mumbled Lyndsay. Rachelle slowly opened her eyes.
"Lyndsay?" she mumbled.
Lyndsay immediately bursted into tears as she squeezed Rachelle in a big bear hug.
"How are you feeling?" asked Lyndsay as she released the hug.
Rachelle was confused. "What happened? Where am I? This isn't my room." She saw that her arms were bandaged up. "What happened to my arms?" She began to freak out.
"The last hospital was sat on fire. You don't know, because you were knocked out with Chloroform," said Ryan.
Rachelle lowered her eyebrows in confusion. "I don't understand...," she mumbled in a quiet tone.
Ryan took a breath and proceeded to explain what had happened. "When you were at the previous hospital, someone apparently suffocated you with Chloroform. Then they sat the building on fire, leaving you there for the flames to burn your body into ashes."
"Okay...how did you know that I was suffocated if the building was sat on fire? I mean, the flames would've burned any and all traces of evidence."
"About that..." Ryan pointed a finger. "When the paramedics loaded you into the ambulance, they found a piece of cloth on the ground. They completed a DNA analysis on it and found drops of the Chloroform substance in its fibers. Chloroform's main objective is used to suffocate its victims."
"If you performed a DNA analysis for the substance, then you should've been able to locate some fingerprints on the one who suffocated me."
Ryan bit his lip. "Sadly, we didn't find any fingerprints. They must have used gloves when they did it."
"Okay...so here's my next question. If the paramedics were there at the scene, then how come I have fire burns on my arms? I mean, was I left in the burning building or something?"
Ryan lowered his voice in slight disappointment. "Unfortunately, yes. The employees at the previous hospital weren't aware that you were still in the building until Troy ran in and saved you."
Rachelle rolled her eyes. "Oh please...you're telling me that Troy ran into a burning building and rescued me? Like, he would've had man-up enough to actually do something like that. There's absolutely no way that Troy could've done it, right Lyndsay?"
She directed her attention to Lyndsay and immediately saw Lyndsay's black eye and bruises. "Lyndsay, what happened to your eye?...and your neck?" she asked, pointing to the purple spots on Lyndsay's fair-colored skin.
"I really don't want to talk about it...," answered Lyndsay.
Rachelle immediately became concerned. "Did somebody hurt you?"
"Yes..." Lyndsay took a breath. "But it doesn't matter. The point is that you're safe and alive," she finished, rubbing Rachelle's shoulder.
"It does too matter. Who hurt you?"
"Rachelle...," begged Lyndsay in a soft tone.
"Lyndsay, you're my best friend. If somebody abused you, then I need to know about it. I mean, it's not like I'm going to do anything to them. Then again, it's not like I can do anything to them."
Lyndsay looked at Ryan. She saw him raise an eyebrow and shrug his shoulders. She then looked back at Rachelle. "Rachelle, there wasn't anybody involved," she muttered.
Rachelle became confused. "Then why did you look at Ryan?"
Lyndsay flashed a quick glance at Ryan and back to Rachelle. "I didn't...," she sarcastically giggled.
Rachelle's eyes bulged up. "You just did...again..."
Lyndsay didn't say a word. Rachelle's mouth dropped when she had a concept pop into her head. She looked at Ryan who was also speechless.
"Oh my God!" Rachelle began, rapidly flashing her eyes back and fourth to Lyndsay and Ryan. "Ryan abused you!" Her voice got higher and louder.
Ryan's mouth dropped. "No, no, no...that is not what happened...," he panicked.
Lyndsay held Rachelle's hand. "Rachelle, sweetie...Ryan would never lay a hand on me in that kind of way."
Rachelle squinted her eyes with confused thoughts. "Well if it wasn't Ryan, then who did it?"
"Rachelle...," Lyndsay began, breathing heavily. "I'm pretty sure that you don't want to know."
Ryan bowed his head off to the side and placed a hand behind his head.
"Lyndsay, you're my best friend. We're like sisters. We tell each other everything. You can tell me," said Rachelle.
Lyndsay froze. She looked over at Ryan for support. Ryan cautiously nodded his head, and Lyndsay received a signal that it was okay to tell Rachelle.
Lyndsay grabbed Rachelle's hand and held it tight. "Rachelle...," she began. She took a breath. "It was..." She took another breath. "Troy..."
Rachelle's eyes bulged up. "What!" She grunted her teeth.
"That's why I didn't want to tell you...," moaned Lyndsay in a tone of misery.
Rachelle directed her attention to Ryan with her eyes widened up. Ryan flashed a sly smile. He rolled his eyes off into the distance and shrugged his shoulders as he placed his hands down into his pockets.
"Hey Rachelle...," greeted Troy as he approached the door frame. Rachelle threw her head into his direction and didn't say a word. "How are you feeling?" He half smiled.
"You!" Rachelle grunted her teeth.
Troy saw fire in her eyes and immediately became concerned. "Are you okay there, Ray?"
"Get out of here you no good dirty little excuse of a friend!" Rachelle grabbed a pillow from behind her and threw it at him.
The pillow hit Troy in the face. "What's your problem, Rachelle?" he moan
"Get out of here you idiot! I want nothing to do with you anymore! We're done!" Rachelle threw another pillow at him.
"Dude, Rachelle...," pleaded Troy, holding his hands up.
"Nobody is going to hurt my best friend and get away with it!" Rachelle threw her cup of water, pitcher of water, and food at him. Troy dodged everything that she threw at him.
Lyndsay pulled Rachelle's arms down. "Rachelle, you've got to calm down."
"He really threw me over the edge this time. I'm not going to let him get away with it. He needs to feel my pain!" Rachelle hissed. She slid her side table towards him, hitting him in the gut.
"I'm getting out of here...," freaked Troy as he scurried down the hall.
Lyndsay had a feeling that Rachelle was going out of control. She called the nurse. The nurse walked in and saw Rachelle having a panic attack. She then called in a couple of more nurses in for some assistance.
"What's happening to her?" worried Lyndsay.
"She's having a panic attack. We're going to have to restrain her. Can I get some help in here, please? Now!" answered the nurse. Ryan held down Rachelle's legs. The nurse held down Rachelle's left arm, and Lyndsay held down Rachelle's other arm.
"Troy's a dead man! He's going down. I will not forgive him for what he did. He's dead to me!" Rachelle screamed while having her arms and legs pinned down.
The doctor came in. "We're going to have to put her to sleep in order to calm her down," he informed. Lyndsay and Ryan nodded their heads in agreement. "Someone is going to have to hold her mouth open so that I can get her to swallow this pill."
"What is it?" asked Lyndsay.
"It's just a Benadryl."
"Okay..."
Ryan approached the bed and kept Rachelle's mouth wide open. Dr. Baxter quickly placed the pill in Rachelle's mouth and gave her a sip of water. Rachelle officially swallowed the pill.
"Okay. She swallowed the pill, so we can let go of her now," announced the doctor. He faced Lyndsay. "It will take about 10 to 15 minutes before she falls asleep."
"Thank you," said Lyndsay. The doctor shook her hand and left the room.
Lyndsay sighed in depression. She lowered her eyelids as she watched the doctor walk away. She looked back at Rachelle in the bed and crossed her arms in distress.
"Hey...," began Ryan, rubbing Lyndsay's back. Lyndsay dropped her arms and went into Ryan's chest. Ryan hugged her tight.
After a few seconds, they released the hug. Ryan placed his hands on Lyndsay's shoulders. "Since...," he began. He dragged his head in Rachelle's direction. "Since she's asleep, why don't we get some sleep?"
"Okay...," mumbled Lyndsay.
"How about your take the couch, and I'll take the floor?"
Lyndsay nodded her head and laid down on the couch. Ryan plopped on the floor, and they both fell asleep.