Ben drove home without any music. Throughout the journey his eyes kept darting from side to side, checking over his shoulder. He didn't slow down and I was thrown around the car as he drove over the rough terrain.
Headlights are the only thing illuminating the dark forest. I prayed that I would see a series of red and blue lights flashing behind us, but it never happened.
The bottle is tucked into my sleeve. My knuckles hurt from holding the ends of my sleeves so tightly. I didn't want that pill bottle to bounce because of Ben's chaotic driving.
Finally arriving, Ben grabbed his duffel bag. I hurried out and followed him into the cabin. He tossed the duffle bag onto the couch and pulled off his scarf. I watched him peel the layers of clothing off his sweaty skin. He untied the dirty gauze from his body.
I gasped when I saw his scales. The skin is bright red and swollen. Thick yellow pus oozed and had spread to cover his pale skin. Ben looked up when he heard my words. He unzipped the bag and began arranging the bottles he had snatched.
"Give me a glass of water," he said. "And a warm towel."
I took off my sunglasses and hat, walked into the kitchen and poured him a glass of water. I put the glass on the coffee table. Ben sat down and swallowed two pills from a bottle. I walked into the bathroom and grabbed a towel. I took the bottle out of my sleeve and stuffed it into a cupboard in the bathroom, behind a pile of shampoo bottles.
Ben leaned back on the couch, eyes closed. As I sat next to him, one of his eyes opened. I handed him the towel and he washed the scales and pus off his skin. He gritted his teeth every time he touched the inflamed skin.
"You should see a doctor." I said.
Ben rolled his eyes and went back into the duffel bag. He took out a tube of cream.
It turned out to be another antibiotic.
"You know it's dangerous to use too many antibiotics," I said.
"I know," Ben said. "But we are in a desperate situation."
I took a deep breath and stood up from the couch. I washed my hands and grabbed the last roll of gauze.
Ben had already cleaned himself up. I squeezed some cream onto my fingers and spread it on his belly. He cried out in pain. He grabbed my wrist and pulled my hand away.
"Be careful,"
"You asked me to make an appointment for you," I said.
"Yeah, but you don't have to be so rude."
I raised an eyebrow. "Rude? I barely touched it."
Ben let go of my wrist. I let my fingers brush against his skin.
The cream was cold, but heat radiated from his skin. I wiped the remaining mixture of cream and dried pus onto a towel. He leaned forward and I wrapped gauze around his body. When it was all over, he leaned back on the cushions of the sofa. He combed back his sweaty hair.
"How long do you think it will take to get to work?" I asked.
"I should feel better in a few days," he said. "Alec had an infection once. It cleared up the next day, but it wasn't that serious and she was given intravenous antibiotics."
My stomach twisted at the sound of Alec's name. Her family likely never found out what happened to her. They must believe she died in a fake car accident. She probably just wanted to see them, like I wanted to see Mom and Marcy, but she never did. When I get out of trouble, I make sure they know what happened to their daughter.
"What's Alec's last name?" I asked.
Be
He didn't open his eyes, but his brows were knitted together.
"Why do you ask this?" he asked.
"A few years ago, a girl went missing from our high school," I lied. "Her name is Alec too. Is this the same girl?"
He said. "No. She's from England and she's backpacking on the West Coast."
"oh."
I watched as Ben's breathing slowed to a rhythmic pace. I focused on the bottle of medicine I had stolen. I have to find a way to get them into Ben.
I can't pretend they are his antibiotics. They vary in color and size. And two pills weren't enough to cause him to overdose. My hunch was that I should turn them into a bunch of powder and hide them in his food. He usually stays in the kitchen with me while I make lunch and dinner. I can't mix it into his food without him noticing. I had to convince him to stay on the couch and read a novel while I cooked.
Ben woke up from his sleep. He turned his head from side to side and muttered something. His eyes flew open and his breath hitched. He put the heels of his hands into his eyes.
"Let's go to bed," he said. Without waiting for my reaction, he grabbed my hand and pulled me up from the sofa. Suspicious guy!
He kept an arm around my waist all night. Afraid. . . . . . . I lay in bed, thinking of ways to poison him.
Ben let me shower in front of him. I haven't figured out how to get the pills into his food. The only thing I know for sure is that these pills had to be ground into powder.
When I got out of the shower, I pulled out a bottle of hydromorphone. I put a paper towel on the counter and pulled out six pills. I needed something strong to break down the pills.
I opened the cabinets and looked through the various things Bethany had collected. There was a heavy bottle of mouthwash that had not been opened. I put it on the tablet and then pushed it off and twisted it. I lifted the bottle and saw that the pill hadn't broken yet. I looked at the bottom of the bottle and saw that it was recessed in the middle. Second, I placed the bottom edge over the two pills.
When I twisted the bottle, two pills shattered. From side to side. A smile formed on my lips as I watched the pills burst.
The bottle slipped and hit the counter. I cursed under my breath and started crushing the other pills on the tissue. The bottle slipped a few more times.
Ben knocked on the bathroom door, my heart pounding in my chest. I panicked and almost pushed the pills off the counter.
"Diana, are you okay?" he asked.
He must have heard the crash. "Yes," I said. "I'll be out in a minute."
I crushed the last few pills. I folded the paper towel so the powder wouldn't fall out. I hide it behind all my shampoo bottles.
When I left the bathroom, Ben was in the kitchen. He was slathering peanut butter on a piece of toast.
"How are you feeling?" I asked.
"Much better," he said. "I'm supposed to be obsessed with common raccoons!! Will be back to normal soon."
I put two slices of bread into the toaster. Ben looked at me as he ate. He smiled at me.
"What are you staring at?" I asked.
"You," he said. "I'm so happy to have you. I'm so happy that we left Bethany and Oliver together. It's everything I could have hoped for."
My lips twitched into a smile. I couldn't let him see me trembling, and his words made my heart sink deeply into my stomach. "Maybe one day we can even visit your family," he said.
"Once this all settles down"
"Thank you," I said.
Ben put his plate in the sink. He tucked my wet hair behind my ears and kissed my cheek. My toast popped out of the toaster and Ben walked over to the couch. I spread butter on toast and eat it on the counter.
Ben took two more antibiotics. Then he took out a novel. He put his feet up on the coffee table and leaned back in his chair to read.
I wash the dishes silently. I wiped my hands with a rag and was about to go and sit down next to him.
"Dee, can you make me a cup of coffee?" Ben asked, without looking away from his book.
Deal with him?
I can put the powder in Ben's coffee. He was so focused on his book that he didn't see me put it in. Hot liquid will dissolve the powder. Coffee having such a strong flavor can also mask the taste of medications.
"Yes, of course," I said.
I plugged in the kettle and pulled out a can of instant coffee from the cupboard. I poured some into the cup and scooped another spoonful, making sure to mask the taste.
I rushed to the bathroom. She closed the bathroom door behind her and grabbed the powdered paper. I folded it again and tucked it into the sleeves of my cardigan. I ran a comb through my messy hair, thinking I had gone to the bathroom to freshen up. When I returned to the kitchen, his eyes were still on the book. I pulled the tissue from my sleeve and unfolded it. I poured the light green powder into the cup. I mixed it with ground coffee. The kettle whirred and I poured hot water into the cup.
"What's in the coffee?" I asked.
"Sugar," he said.
I added a spoonful of sugar and mixed in the coffee. I was worried that the little white specks of the medication would float to the top, but that's not the case. It looks like a regular cup of coffee. into the cup.
I lifted the cup, my hands shaking as the coffee sloshed from side to side? I took a deep breath and placed the cup in front of Ben.
