In The Dark

69 - November 9th (Continued)

Geri slowly pushed the door to Melanie's hotel room open and stood for a moment in the threshold. The room was still and quiet with a small amount of sunlight sneaking in between the curtains. The room was tidy and made up and Melanie's suitcase was up on the luggage rack displaying her neatly folded clothing. There were a few Nike trainers lined up along the wall and her jacket was hanging from the back of a chair. Geri sighed and walked into the room, letting the door slowly close behind her.

The stillness in the room was a stark contrast from the busy hospital where they'd spent most of the day. They had all been in a state of worry for hours while Melanie was in surgery. After a few complications the doctors were finally able to get Melanie stable and get her cerebrospinal pressure under control by drilling a hole in her skull and inserting a tube to drain the excess fluid. She was given a private room where she woke up for small periods of time, but was too groggy to converse with anyone and didn't seem to even realize her friends were in the room with her. She was more lucid by the evening, but wasn't herself at all. She was confused and distraught and kept trying to pull out all of the tubes threading in and out of her body. In the end, the nurses had to administer a light sedation to keep her calm, knowing restraining her wasn't an option due to her prior experience in the cabin. They'd also sent most of Melanie's friends home, allowing only two to stay with her at a time. Emma and Brian had stayed back while the rest were taken back to the hotel.

The entire day had been incredibly stressful for everyone and it was somewhat of a relief to leave the hospital and take a break. Everyone had been unusually quiet on the drive back to the hotel and they split up as soon as they arrived, going to their rooms, the pool, or the gym to decompress. Needing something to do to occupy her mind, Geri had decided to put together a care package of things Melanie would need once she'd recovered. She found an Adidas rucksack hanging in the closet and she gathered a few of Melanie's toiletry items from the washroom, then set to selecting a few things for Melanie to wear. She chose a jumper from the top of one of the stacks of clothes within Melanie's suitcase, then carefully lifted one stack of shirts out so she could look at them without unfolding them.

She frowned and set the pile of clothes on the dresser next to her, her attention pulled from her task as she spotted a large bottle of acetaminophen at the bottom of the suitcase. She picked it up and popped the lid open, finding it completely empty. The lid of another bottle was sticking out from under another stack of folded trousers and Geri pulled it free, shaking it to see if there was anything in it. It was empty, too. She slid her hand under the clothes, pulling out two more empty bottles. Her jaw dropped and she stared at the bottles with shock.

Her heart was racing as she abandoned her task and gathered the bottles into her arms, quickly leaving Melanie's hotel room to search for Simon. She found him in his room, speaking with someone on the phone. He looked at her curiously, seeing the bottles she was carrying, and he apologized to the person on the phone before ending their call.

"What are those for?" Simon asked, getting up from his chair and walking toward Geri and taking one of the bottles, frowning as he shook it, not hearing anything inside. "Did you..." he looked at her fearfully.

"They're Melanie's," said Geri, too concerned to get cross with Simon for thinking she'd done something stupid. "She had them hidden away in her bag."

Simon cursed under his breath, taking another bottle and shaking it.

"Where did she get these?" he gasped, popping one of the bottle open in hopes that his ears were deceiving him, but both bottles were empty. "How long has she had these?" Geri shrugged.

"She's always with us," Geri stated, setting the bottles on the table and sitting down. "How did she get these without us knowing? Do you think she nicked them from somewhere?"