A/N: Sorry for the summer hiatus my lovelies ...if you've been following my story from the beginning, then you know I can't get ANYTHING done during summer break when my kiddos are home! But, they are winding down now that school is just two weeks away (happy mom dance) and now I've shifted back in gear. Hope you enjoy this installment - Chapter 38 is already in my editors hands and will follow shortly! xoxo - Lis
Beth blinked her eyes, engulfed in darkness, fighting the panic pumping through her veins, she scrambled to get her bearings, gripping the railing of her hospital bed, using it as an anchor to tether her back to reality. It was just a dream. Releasing a hefty a breath, she pushed herself up on her elbows to peep at Judith nestled safely in her new bed, peaceful in her slumber, as Beth realized she must have dozed off after her shower and slept straight through to lights out.
Wondering why Dawn the control freak hadn't roused her, and hoping Tara was okay, she eased back down on her side, hugging her pillow against her chest and tried to remember what her nightmare had been about. Terrifying as it was, the memory eluded her, as if her brain had tucked it away, instinctively protecting her from herself.
Clutching her pillow tighter, Beth trembled as an involuntary shiver worked its way down her spine. The hair on the back of her neck rose, and instinctively she knew that she was not alone in her room. Cursing herself for hiding the gun so well it was of no use to her, she peered over her shoulder, straining her eyes against the darkness, as the beds' mattress sank to accommodate the weight of another. A moment later, she felt the pressure of someone's hand resting on her hip. Beth immediately recoiled from the touch, sitting straight up in bed and yanking the covers up to her chin.
"Shhh shh shh," A hushed voice whispered to her. As her eyes adjusted to the dark, she could make out his silhouette, taller than almost everyone, even in a sitting position, it was Gorman perched on her bed, invading her privacy as he thought she slept.
"How did you get in here?" She demanded, gripping the blanket so hard her fingers began to numb.
"Shhh," he hushed her again. "Keep your voice down." He pressed himself closer in the bed, his hands reaching out to clasp her shoulders.
"Don't," Beth whimpered, trying to shrug out of his grasp, unsuccessfully.
"I ain't gonna hurt you," Gorman did his best to reassure her. "Don't you think if I was going to hurt you, I would have done it by now?"
Beth considered his words, but refused to let her guard down. True, he hadn't harmed her - quite the opposite since her arrival, but that still didn't change the fact that he had snuck into her room while she was sleeping, or that he had his hands upon her right now. "What do you want?"
"What happened in the kitchen today ...it's gonna keep happening," He said, his features becoming more clear as Beth's eyes became more adjusted to the darkness.
"It won't," Beth snapped, wishing instantly she could take her words back, her mind immediately dredging up the image of Forbes' lifeless body shoved in the locker.
"It will," Gorman insisted. "That's the way things are around here. A pretty lil' thing like you ...It's hard for the men to keep their cool."
Beth cringed, repulsed by his words. These men were so-called officers of the law - sworn to protect, not take advantage of their power or the weakness of the people under their care. "What do you want?" She asked again, sure that she wouldn't like his response.
"I want to help you," he sighed, pausing briefly before he continued. "I can't always be around ... But, if you were under my protection, no one would bother you. Not even Dawn."
"Under your protection?" Beth repeated him.
"Yes," he nodded, slowly sliding one of his hands up her shoulder to tuck a loose curl behind her ear, like he had the right to be so familiar with her.
Beth winced, as if his touch pained her, sinking back further into the mattress, trying to elude his hand. "Please ... Don't," she whispered, her eyes darting to Judith, then back to Gorman.
He immediately withdrew his hands, easing himself back a safe distance. "I told you I won't hurt you, and I won't. I won't touch you either ...not until you ask me to."
"What does that mean, exactly?" Beth narrowed her eyes, certain now that she would not like his answer.
"C'mon sweetheart ...nothing is free. Not here. Not anywhere." Rising from the bed, he straightened his uniform, adjusting the gun hanging at his hip. "You're a smart girl. If you want my protection, I'll be wantin' something from you in return."
And there it was ...the underlying reason for his kindness to her. He was far worse than the others - at least they didn't bother hiding who and what they were. "Get out," Beth hissed through clenched teeth.
"I'll give ya some time to think it over," Gorman replied, unmoved by the venom in her tone. He crossed the room, laying his hand on the knob before turning to address her once more. "Don't take too long, though. My offer expires by this evening." And then he was gone.
Beth drew in a deep breath, grabbed her pillow and fought the urge to scream into it, sinking her teeth into its softness, instead. Knowing she would never be able to fall back to sleep, and feeling more isolated than ever before, Beth rose from the bed and gently tugged Judith from her crib, careful not to wake her. Cuddling the infant closely against her, Beth laid back down in her bed, drawing the covers up around them, cocooning Judith in the crook of her arm and rested her chin on the babies soft fuzzy head. How much more of this could she possibly take?
"Christ Daryl, how hard did you hit him?" Rick asked, coming to check on their unconscious guest for the third time since they arrived.
"Hard 'nuff ta make sure he wouldn't try nuthin' funny," Daryl replied, biting at his fingernails.
"It's nearly dawn," Rick pulled the heavy window drapes back, casting his eyes towards the sky, the darkness was already beginning to dissipate. "We're all packed and ready to go, but we'll have to hold out until tonight."
"Rick -"
"I know that's not what you want," Rick interrupted him, dropping the drapes. "It ain't what I want, either. But it ain't about what we want, it's about doing it right. We need the cover of darkness if we're gonna take them by surprise."
"Shoulda just dropped the bastard," Abe grumbled from where he was crouched in the corner, leaning his forehead against the tip of his rifle.
"What if he was tellin' the truth?" Maggie chimed in. "He was honest about his weapons."
"Yeah, and he was honestly tryin' ta steal one of our rides too," Abe reminded her.
"But he didn't," Glenn said, tossing the strangers backpack into the center of the room. "There's nothing but the basics. A flashlight, couple of maps, some energy bars, water and an envelope full of photographs."
"Photographs of what?" Rick asked, kneeling by the pack and retrieving the envelope so he could have a look.
"Houses," Glenn answered with a shrug. "Steel walls and a garage loaded top to bottom with shelves of food."
Rick thumbed through the pictures, then stuffed them back into the envelope and dropped it on the pack. "What's his story anyway?"
"Says he's lookin' fer his partner," Daryl answered. "Says they got in a wreck and our buddies in blue got 'em. Figured if he was tellin' the truth, Noah might know 'em."
Rick nodded. "Sounds reasonable."
Daryl returned the nod and stood, cautiously maneuvering around the group that was scattered around the room, most of them attempting some sleep while they waited for Mr. Rogers, as Abe had dubbed him, to regain consciousness. Daryl eyed the man that they left bound on the floor, feeling anxious to move. He hadn't realized he'd even hit him that hard, but if he didn't come to soon, a bucket of water would be the alternate solution.
Heading back towards the kitchen, he quickly bypassed his room, refusing to even cast a glance at the doorway. It hurt to much ... All the happiness and comfort he had felt there, and now it was ...gone. Just gone. Empty.
Eugene was in the kitchen, and it was a damn good thing that they were leaving, as he'd made a hell of a mess. Newspaper was strewn about the floor and counter tops and some strange gel-like liquid was floating in the sink. With neon yellow rubber dish washing gloves up to his elbows and bloodshot eyes from lack of sleep, he looked like a mad scientist, crazy hair and all.
"Tha hell?" Daryl asked, startling Eugene who was focused on the task of whatever the hell he was doing.
"Makin' homemade smoke bombs. Thought they might come in handy," Eugene replied, picking up one of the newspaper sheets and folding it several times before submerging it in the gooey liquid.
"Fifth grade science experiment?" Daryl asked, leaning against the kitchen door frame.
"Third actually," Eugene said, laying the saturated sheet down on the counter. "Hand me that string there?" He asked, nodding his head towards the counter space by Daryl, thanking him as he obliged.
"How ya s'posed ta make wet paper burn or smoke?" Daryl asked, seriously intrigued.
"We don't use it when it's wet," Eugene replied matter-of-factly. "We wait 'till its dry," he continued, picking up one of the dried pieces and folding it once more, he tied the string around the middle to keep it in place, then handed it to Daryl. "Just light the end and it'll be like a bad eighties Cheech and Chong movie," he smiled, attempting an odd, awkward joke that was lost on Daryl.
"Ya sure?" Daryl asked, taking the dried lump of folded newspaper and turning it in his hand, examining it.
"Worked in third grade," he shrugged.
Daryl shook his head, laying the smoke bomb on the counter. "What's that shit?" He jerked his head towards the goo in the sink, curling his lip in distaste.
"Ammonium nitrate," Eugene replied. "Watered down. I took it from the ice packs from the first aid kits, since we won't be using them," he explained, jerking his thumb at the cut open packs by the sink. "Wanna try one out?" He asked, the corners of his mouth tilting up in a mischievous grin.
"Maybe later," Daryl answered, pushing himself away from the door frame, not missing the fleeting disappointment in Eugene's stare. "Ya did good, though," he added, clasping him on the shoulder. "Real good."
Eugene puffed up at the compliment and resumed his task, as Daryl turned and headed back the way he'd come. He craved solitude and the only way to get it was to go to the one place he kept avoiding. That, and he had yet to pack up his and Beth's belongings. With a heavy sigh, he pushed open his bedroom door and dropped his crossbow by the wall, as he'd always done. He turned to close the door when Willy let himself in, jumping up on his spot at the bottom of the bed, he whimpered, looking up expectantly at Daryl. With another heavy sigh, Daryl shut the door and sunk down beside the dog, reaching to scratch the scraggly mutt behind his ear.
"Miss 'er?" He asked. The dog whimpered again, as if replying, then plopped down and closed its eye.
"Yeh, me too," Daryl said softly, then taking a page from the dogs' book, dropped backwards and flopped down on the bed, staring up at the ceiling. Just a few more hours, he thought to himself. He was exhausted. Mentally, emotionally, physically. He began counting the cracks on the ceiling until he felt his eyelids drifting shut.
"You wanted to see me?" Dawn asked. She spoke in clipped tones, not bothering to hide her annoyance as she shuffled Beth into her office. "Come in, shut the door. I've only got a moment."
Suddenly nervous, Beth stammered, "I-Uh ...last night ..."
More rude than usual this morning, Dawn rolled her eyes. "Jesus Beth, out with it already. I'm busy. Just say it," she demanded.
Beth took a deep breath. "Gorman came into my room last night," she blurted out, but Dawn seemed unmoved.
"And?" Dawn asked, quirking a brow. "He touched you? Hurt you?"
Beth worried her hands, feeling uncomfortable under Dawn's scrutinizing gaze. "No. Not exactly ..."
"Then what?" Dawn asked, impatiently folding her arms over her chest.
That isn't enough? Beth thought to herself in disbelief. "He propositioned me."
Dawn laughed. A dry, bitter, cackling sound that grated on the last reserves of Beth's patience. "He propositioned you? That's what you came to cry to me about?" Shaking her head, Dawn walked around her desk and reached for her clipboard, jotting down something as she continued to laugh at Beth's expense.
"You're not going to help me, are you?" Beth asked, not sure why she was even shocked over Dawn's behavior.
"What would you like me to do?" Dawn snorted, dropping the clipboard back down on her desk. "Spank him? Put him in time out? Even if Gorman gave a rats ass about what I had to say, I don't upset the balance here. The wards keep my officers happy, the happier my officers are, the harder they work to keep this place going. The only difference here is that Gorman gave you a choice instead of just taking what he wanted. Use that to your advantage."
"What?" Beth could not believe what she was hearing.
"Don't be so obtuse," Dawn rolled her eyes. "You wouldn't be the first woman in history who spread her legs to cement herself in a better position." She shrugged, "Use what you got."
Beth remained silent as her brain tried to process the horrible things Dawn was telling her. She wasn't actually suggesting that she should allow Gorman to rape her? Wrap a bow around it and try to make it pretty, but that's exactly what it would be, choice or not.
"If that's all, I'd appreciate it if you got back to helping Edwards with his rounds," Dawn huffed, herding Beth towards the door. "As I said, I'm very busy and now I'm ten minutes behind schedule."
Biting back the icy retort clinging to the tip of her tongue, Beth clenched and unclenched her fists as she turned and left Dawn's office, slamming the door behind her. It was clear that the only person Dawn was interested in helping, was herself. Squaring her shoulders, Beth marched down the hallway towards Dr. Edwards office, not making eye contact with anyone. She would not cry ...she wouldn't. She'd be damned if she gave any of them the satisfaction.
Edwards was extra chipper this morning, attempting to make small talk several times, but Beth remained tight-lipped and impassive, refusing to do anything more than what was expected of her. She followed him dutifully from room to room, changing the saline bags on the infusion poles and handing him whatever tools he required.
"You wanna tell me what's on your mind?" He finally asked her outright when they were on their last patient.
"It doesn't matter," Beth shot back, unable to mask the loathing in her voice. "You either won't help or you can't help."
"Well that depends," he replied, tucking the clipboard back in its slot at the foot of the elderly woman's bed, the woman still staring blankly at the wall as she had done the day before. "Have you talked to Dawn about it?"
"Like I said," Beth repeated herself, "you either won't help or you can't help" Reaching up to drape the saline bag on the infusion pole, Beth tucked a stray strand of hair behind her ear and excused herself, wanting to get her work done so she could have her free time with Tara and Judith.
As she had earlier, Beth kept to herself, not making any eye contact as she mopped the hallway and then dusted Dawn's office, thankful that Dawn wasn't there while she completed the task. The morning passed quickly, with Beth's heart sinking further into despair with every tick of the clock and no answer in sight.
Finishing up Dawns office, Beth flicked off the light switch and let herself out, keeping out of the way as Joan skirted past her pushing a cart filled with lunch trays for the wards. The thick scent of hot food, stew maybe, teased her nostrils, causing her stomach to growl, reminding her that she had unintentionally skipped yet another meal. Perhaps it was best, she thought to herself, not wanting to be indebted to Dawn any further and doing her damnedest to ignore the rumbling protests of her empty stomach as she headed in the opposite direction.
Halfway down the hall, she changed her mind and backtracked towards the stairwell leading to the kitchen, the prospect of seeing Eric only sweetening the deal of easing her hunger pains. She picked up the pace as she passed the medicine closet, her thoughts immediately dredging up the lifeless form of Forbes and his dead eyes staring blankly up at her in an accusatory way as she shoved him in the locker. Thankfully, Edwards hadn't needed anything from there today, but she was running out of time ...
"Hey," Eric greeted her less cheerful than yesterday and she knew he was thinking about Forbes too. Dipping his ladle into the large pot simmering on the stove, he sloshed some of his stew in a styrofoam bowl and handed it to her.
Beth nodded her thanks, not bothering with a spoon and brought the bowl immediately to her lips, her hunger overriding the fact that the broth was scalding. It burned a fiery path down her throat but she didn't care, draining the bowl almost halfway before breaking only for necessity, to draw some air into her lungs.
"You must be hungry because this is awful," Eric stared distastefully into the pot in front of him, giving the thick broth a stir with his ladle. "Chicken noodle with no chicken."
"Honestly, I can't remember the last time I ate," Beth replied, dragging her arm across her mouth to wipe it clean. "How are you?" She asked before bringing the bowl back to her lips and draining its contents.
"I've had better days," Eric answered with a shrug, attempting nonchalance as he continued to stir the soup in an effort to keep his nervous hands busy. "How about you?"
"Much better, now that my belly has something in it," Beth lied. Her stomach was already doing somersaults and threatening to force her lunch back up. She could see the unease in his stance and couldn't bear to worry him more.
"More?" Eric asked, lifting the ladle.
Beth shook her head, tossing the bowl into the garbage. "No thanks, I'm good. I better get back upstairs ..."
"Oh wait!" Turning to grab a prepped lunch tray from the counter top behind him, he turned back to her. "Joan asked me to get it ready for Edwards, said he told her he'd be down for it, but he never came. Do you mind?"
"Sure," Beth replied, taking the tray. "See you later."
"Yep. See you," Eric said, returning his attention back to stirring his soup.
Balancing the tray in her arms, Beth climbed the stairwell, steadying herself as she pulled open the double doors and headed towards Edward's office. As soon as the doors swung shut, she could hear a commotion just ahead. Picking up the pace, Beth rounded the corner just in time to see one of the Officers she was unfamiliar with holding one of the wards by the collar of his scrubs. An older man, about her Daddy's age, cowering in fear.
The hallway that was empty before was now buzzing with life, curious wards peeking out of their rooms to see what was going on, other Officers standing by gawking, but no one did anything. Throwing caution to the wind, her protective instincts kicking in, Beth neither knew nor cared what the disagreement was about, the little voice inside of her head told her not to intervene, but she ignored it. This was wrong.
"Stop it," Beth cried, struggling to balance the tray, she reached out to grab the Officers arm just as he raised it, prepared to strike.
"Stay in your own lane bitch," He snapped, swatting her off like a fly, she stumbled backwards, landing on her behind, the tray clattering to the ground sloshing soup all over her.
Beth looked up from where she had landed, covered in chicken-less chicken soup, her eyes roaming over all the onlookers who still stood by doing nothing, and then something snapped inside of her. In a burst of furry, Beth let out a feral scream, scooped up the empty tray and sprung to her feet, rearing back and slamming it against the Officer's shoulder blades with all the force she could muster. He staggered forward, releasing the old man, then turned to face her as the hallway turned deathly silent.
"Stupid cow," he growled, taking a menacing step forward.
Beth squared her chin and refused to back down, keeping a death grip on the lunch tray still held tightly in her shaking hands. Her legs felt like lead, she was certain she couldn't move even if she wanted to. Faintly, she heard the sound of a walkie-talkie over the pounding of her own heart, as Gorman advanced on the scene and stepped between them.
"That's enough Berks," he warned, "Dawn's on her way."
The Officer didn't budge, just continued to stare hatefully at her as Dawn rounded the corner and without even asking what was going on, raised her arm and backhanded Beth in the face.
The unexpected blow catching her off guard, Beth dropped the tray as Dawn grasped her roughly by the upper arm and shoved her towards her office, barking over her shoulder that 'the show was over', and for everyone to get back to work and clean up the mess in the hallway. Still reeling from shock, Beth allowed herself to be led, her feet clumsy beneath her as Dawn opened her office and shoved her inside, slamming the door behind them. Once the door was shut, her entire demeanor changed from anger to something bordering on concern.
"You wanna tell me what that was all about?" She asked, keeping her voice low.
"You might have asked before you hit me," Beth hissed, cradling her injured cheek.
"I had to do that," Dawn replied matter-of-factly, as if that was a logical explanation. "You disrespected Berks, and in front of the wards. He'd be expecting retribution. It was best for you that it came from me, rather than him."
"I disrespected him?" Beth fired back in exasperation. "He was going to pummel an old man!"
"Percy is his ward. You had no right to interfere," Dawn answered calmly, like her explanation was perfectly reasonable. "I thought I was pretty clear this morning. We have a system here Beth, and it requires a delicate balance. The wards keep my officers happy-"
"Yes, yes, I know," Beth cut her off, nodding her head vigorously. "The happier they are, the harder they work to keep this place going."
"Exactly," Dawn nodded.
"So maybe I don't have the right to interfere, but you do," Beth folded her arms over her chest, a flash of defiance shimmering in her blue eyes. "That man was elderly and fragile and he could have been hurt."
"I don't interfere," Dawn answered with a tone that made it clear she did not need to explain her reasons. "We all make sacrifices, and that's why our system works." Leaning an elbow against her filing cabinet, she ran a finger over a photo frame, making a distasteful face at the dust on the tip of her finger. "You need to brush up on your dusting skills," she criticized Beth, rubbing her fingers together.
Dust? The wards under her care were being mistreated and abused right under Dawn's nose, and the woman wanted to talk about dust? Beth took a deep breath, fighting to control her emotions, but it was brimming again, the quiet rage that she felt brewing deep down in her core. Dust!
"And what sacrifices do you make, Dawn? Sitting safe behind these walls ordering everyone else around? You send your officers out into to danger, allow the wards to be bullied and raped ...but it's okay as long as everything is nice and tidy, right?" Like a volcano, the words erupted from Beth's mouth, tinged with the hatred she felt for the people here who were supposed to be protecting those under their care. "It's disgraceful that some of you even still wear your uniforms! You have no right. You don't protect and serve. You used to put your life on the line to help others, and now you just stand by and watch, letting the other officers abuse their power. Aren't you supposed to be a leader?"
"You have no idea of the sacrifices I've made to keep things together here," Dawn spat back, instantly recovering from Beth's verbal assault. Stepping away from the filing cabinet, she took an authoritative stance. "Who the hell are you to judge me? What I'm doing ...it's for the greater good. I wouldn't expect someone like you to understand that."
"What's that supposed to mean?" Beth asked, picking up on the accusation in Dawn's tone.
"The weak," she spoke slowly, deliberately. "The ones who look for someone to save their asses while dragging everyone down with them. The stupid ones who get pregnant at the end of the world," she nodded her head towards Beth for emphasis, "who take their own lives when shit gets just a little bit too hard."
"That's bullshit," Beth shot back. "I am strong," she declared, raising her chin proudly, defiantly.
"It's bullshit, huh? What about this?" Dawn asked, grabbing Beth's arm and twisting it to expose the jagged scar on her wrist from her failed suicide attempt. "Huh? Is this bullshit too?"
"I'm not that person anymore," Beth remained defiant, jerking her wrist free from Dawn's grasp. She wasn't. She'd shed that scared little girl way before the prison had fell. She was strong.
Dawn chuckled, taking a step back, she regarded Beth with amusement. "Are you like me now, then? Willing to make the hard choices?"
"I'll never be like you," Beth ground out through clenched teeth. "You're not making hard choices, you're hiding from your responsibility like a coward, because it's easier to just turn the other way. That doesn't make you strong at all."
Like a switch had been flipped, Dawn's mood changed, her eyes turning black with anger as she grabbed the picture frame off of the filing cabinet and swung it at Beth's face with a force that snapped her head back, the sharp corner biting through the tender flesh of her cheek, and drawing blood. Maybe she should have been expecting it, voicing her thoughts with no filter and letting her mouth run wild, but that didn't make it hurt any less.
Beth's fingers flew instinctively to the stinging open wound on her face, but she didn't flinch, and she did not cry. "Hit me as much as you want, but that doesn't make it untrue."
"You think you're better than me?" Dawn asked, her breathing labored in her sudden burst of anger. She clutched the frame but did not raise her hand again.
"I'm not a bad a person," Beth replied calmly, removing her bloodied fingers and wiping them on her scrubs.
"I'm a bad person?" Dawn repeated her, having the audacity to crack a smile, as her mood changed yet again. "Well you're a cop killer. You took a life, Beth. So you're not a good person either."
Pulling a handkerchief from her pocket, she wiped down the frame, seemingly now delighted at Beth's shocked expression. "What? You didn't think I knew about that? Edwards and I found his body and disposed of it so the others wouldn't find out. We did that to protect you," she finished, replacing the frame back to its perch atop the filing cabinet.
"I protected myself," Beth insisted, feeling the blood trickle down her cheek, but she ignored it. "And I'll do it again if I have to."
"I'm counting on it," Dawn chuckled again, handing Beth her handkerchief that she reluctantly accepted. "You see, Forbes is no great loss. He was a hell of a shot, but that's about it. I won't spill any tears over him, that's for sure. But the other officers, they might not take so kindly to a ward putting down one of their fellow boys in blue."
"Are you threatening me?" Beth asked, pausing from gently blotting her cheek with the hanky.
Moving away from Beth, Dawn made her way to her desk, taking a seat in the rolling chair. "You could take it that way. Or you could take it as opportunity to ensure things go your way," she finished, smiling as she folded her hands in front of her.
"I'm listening," Beth moved closer to the desk, wary of the woman, but intrigued nonetheless.
"Gorman is becoming too big a problem for me, lately. I could never control him to begin with, and if the others sense I'm weakening, it'll be mutiny." Dawn eased back in her chair and with a nonchalant flick of her wrist, indicated for Beth to come closer and take the seat opposite of her. She paused, waiting for Beth to sit before continuing. "You're gonna take Gorman up on his offer. You're gonna take care of him for me. In return, I'm going to put your friend and your daughter in a car, return your weapons and you're going to drive away from here and never look back."
Beth remained quiet for a moment, considering Dawn's offer. She didn't trust the woman as far as she could throw her. "Why me?" Beth asked, skeptical.
"You really have to ask?" Dawn leaned forward, lowering her voice and looking Beth straight in the eyes. "You've barely been here for two days and already you've killed one of my officers, assaulted another and are causing chaos in my halls."
"Eric comes too," Beth blurted out, the words tumbling quickly from her mouth. She wouldn't leave her new friend behind.
Dawn shook her head no, "That's not part of the deal."
Beth leveled her gaze. "Really? What's stopping me from leaving this room and going straight to Gorman with what you just asked me to do?"
"What makes you think he'd believe you?" Dawn countered.
"He will," Beth said, feigning confidence she didn't truly feel. "If I run sobbing into his arms and bat my eyelashes at him, he'll be getting exactly what he wants from me. Use what you've got, right?" Beth said with calculated coldness, throwing Dawn's earlier words back in her face. "Lets renegotiate. Eric comes too."
Dawn was silent for a moment, her fingers tapping on the desk as she contemplated Beth's words. After a few minutes, she drew in a deep breath, a smile slowly spreading across her features. "Well played Beth. See," she jerked her head coyly to the side, "we're not so different after all."
Beth remained quiet, her poker face not wavering.
"Fine," Dawn shrugged casually, as if it mattered little to her, gambling someone else's life. "Eric goes too. But this happens tonight."
Beth nodded, doing her best to keep her emotions subdued as Dawn continued her instructions.
"Make your preparations. I'll have your belongings brought up to you. No weapons until you leave, but ..." She pulled the keys from her pocket and unlocked her desk drawer. Removing a sharp surgical scalpel, she slid it across the desk and into Beth's waiting hands, then stood abruptly, slamming the drawer shut.
Quickly tucking the scalpel into her pants, Beth stood as well, as Dawn sauntered to the door and swung it open so hard it banged against the adjoining wall.
"Now get out of my sight!" She screamed, loud enough for everyone to hear her.
Beth needed no such invitation. Clutching the handkerchief to her face, she bolted back towards her room, keeping her eyes lowered and speaking to no one. Throwing the door to her room open, she entered with lightening speed and closed it just as quickly, falling back on it before she finally allowed herself to breathe.
"It appears I saved your ass yet again," Gorman called from behind her.
Biting back her anger at the invasion of her privacy once again, Beth played nice. "I know," she agreed, keeping her voice soft as she slowly turned around to face him, spread out and lounging lazily in her bed as if he had every right to be there.
"What happened?" He asked, heaving himself off of the bed and rushing to her side.
"It's nothing," Beth replied, keeping her eyes lowered. He wasted no time rushing here to play the hero when he knew damn well he had sent her into the lions den.
"That bitch," Gorman spat, clutching Beth's chin in his hand, he turned her face so he could have a better look at her wound. "If you take me up on my offer, I swear she'll never touch you again," he insisted, caressing the side of her jaw with his thumb. "You just have to say the words, Beth. Tell me you want my protection."
He leaned closer, smelling of whisky and cheap cologne and Beth fought the urge to knee him in the jewels and run. She had to sell this. She had to! A lone tear slid from her eye and down her uninjured cheek as he moved closer still, pressing her body against the hard door at her back. His lips were so close she could almost feel them against her own as he urged her again to say what he wanted to hear. "Tell me it's what you want."
Beth nodded vigorously, unable to say the words, afraid that she might vomit if she even dared to open her mouth, as Gorman's serious expression twisted into a satisfied smile.
"Good girl," he crooned, running a long finger down the length of her pert nose, as a knock on the door interrupted him, turning his smile into a scowl when Dr. Edwards' voice announced he was there to treat her wound.
Reaching behind her, Gorman twisted the knob as he whispered in her ear, "Come to me tonight after lights out."