It's My Life

Chapter 14 - Suspicious minds want to know...

I had been led back to my room, the guards standing by the door as I entered holding my things, then the door shut and locked behind me. Looking at the bathroom door I noticed that the hole had been fixed, and I felt a little grateful. Still holding my clothes I grabbed my bag of toiletries and went into the bathroom, shutting the door behind me. I pulled the hospital gown off and crumpled it into a ball, tossing it into a corner of the bathroom, then started the shower. The water felt good, though not altogether satisfying, and I poured some shampoo onto my hand, my head going under the stream to dampen my long hair. My skin tingled where the shampoo touched it, the salt in the liquid making me sigh. I lathered my hair with the shampoo, tears mingling with the water that flowed around me. The sea water could only do so much for me in small parts, I needed to fully submerge in the ocean. I soaped up with the body wash, washing myself all over, and sighed as my skin felt alive. I didn't want to move, so I just stood there, the warm water cascading.

"Where is she?" Brad asked as he entered the observation room. The guard looked up at him, then went back to his book.
"In the shower. Twenty minutes and counting." The guard replied. Brad frowned.
"Twenty minutes in the shower? She only had her toiletries. I wonder what takes so long?" Brad speculated. The guard shrugged. Brad sat down and waited, frown lines growing deeper as the time passed.
"Shower's off." The guard advise twenty minutes later. Brad looked at him.
"How do you know?" Brad asked.
"We weren't allowed to put cameras in the bathroom, but there is a microphone in there, and the shower just stopped." The guard said. Brad nodded.
"I wonder why she needed to shower for so long." Brad mused, then left.

I was glad the hot water had lasted, though I probably had stayed in too long, causing more suspicion no doubt, but I needed it. I still felt dry, and I knew I couldn't hold out much longer. If  I didn't get to any body of sea water soon I would get sick, but I would rather die than tell the scientists that. I dried off and dressed, then went into the main room and sat on the bed, running a brush through my wet hair. The door opened then and a guard entered, then Brad and Shields followed, and another guard stood by the door. I stood up, putting my brush on the bed, pushing my wet hair back.
"What do you want?" I asked.
"There's no need to be rude. We just wanted to talk." Shields said. I folded my arms across my chest.
"We have nothing else to discuss. So unless your next words are that I can go home with my parents tomorrow, then I'm not interested in hearing anything you have to say to me." I said. Brad and Shields looked at each other.
"Tomorrow morning we are taking a bit more blood, then doing more testing. Like Dr. Thompson told you, you will be here at least a week, and so far it's only been one night. We are nowhere near done." Shields said. I felt as though the breath had been knocked out of me, but I fought to stay still.
"It feels like forever already. I have nothing to do, no one to talk to, and..." I stopped, my voice cracking. If I didn't stop talking, I felt I would break down. I stayed standing, eyes lowering.
"And nothing. Tomorrow there will be no panic attacks, no excuses. You will do all that you are told, and you will answer any and all questions put to you honestly. For every question you don't answer, we add an extra day to your stay here." Shields said. I gasped.
"You can't!" I cried.
"Why not?" Shields asked. I looked away, swallowing back tears.
"Why were you in the shower for forty minutes?" Brad asked. Shields looked at him, as did I.
"How do you know how long I was in the shower for?" I countered.
"The microphone on the camera in here heard the water flowing for that long. Why?" Brad asked.
"I like long showers, and the water stayed hot." I said. Brad sighed.
"Another lie. That's fine. Dinner will be brought in soon, and I suggest you eat it all, as you won't be getting breakfast in the morning." Brad said.
"Why not? Starving the truth out of me now?" I retorted.
"No. We are going to do a fasting blood test, and it can only be done if you haven't eaten in 8 hours." Shields said. I shivered.
"Might I trouble you for a blanket or cover? It gets very cold in here, or can you turn up the heat?" I asked. Shields frowned, but Brad nodded.
"I'll see what we can do. We do, at least, want you to be relatively comfortable here." Brad said. I sat down slowly onto the small bed.
"Thank you." I said. I looked at the floor, my still-damp hair hanging over my face. I felt their eyes on me a moment longer, then all four left. I heard the door lock, and then lay down, curling up and wrapping my arms around myself.