CHAPTER 18 - A NEW APPOINTMENT PART III
Melanie's senses went on high alert.
She knew the girl standing at her door. She was the medical assistant who watched over the drawers overnight. She was also the one who passed by in the early morning hours when Melanie would covertly make her way into the drawers car and stand outside Layton's drawer. The first two nights the girl simply walked by without a word, with the exception that as the sun began to lighten the sky she walked by simply stating the shift would be changing within the next hour. Melanie had expected some reprimand from Pelton or Klimpt. But when none came, on the third night she had given the girl a soft 'hello'. The girl answered in kind, then moved on quickly. But the same warning came just before sunup. And still no reprimand came. On the fourth night Melanie had quietly whispered 'Thank you' to the girl. The only response had been a slight nod as the assistant went about her duties
Most of the time Melanie would stand outside of Layton's drawer and talk to him. Tell him about the council meeting that day. She had felt pretty sure the assistant thought she was insane, talking to someone in stasis. But on the fourth night, on her third pass for checking the drawers, the assistant left a small folding stool behind and quietly advised Melanie that if she sat and leaned down a little closer to the drawer, he likely could hear her voice better.
Melanie always tried to keep the talks upbeat. She never talked to him about how badly his fellow council members were behaving in her opinion, but instead gave him the general run down of the events discussed. And she always tried to stay at least a few hours. When she ran out of council matters, she just talked to him about things in general.
But why would the girl be coming to see her this early, unless...?
"What's going on?" Melanie asked, trying to keep the rising panic out of her voice. "Has something happened? Is Mr. Layton all right?"
The assistant nodded quickly. "Dr. Pelton sent me to get you." The young girl replied. "They're going to bring Mr. Layton out of stasis tonight."
Several questions crowded into her mind as Melanie quickly followed the assistant back to the medical clinic.
"But it's only been five days!" Melanie stated. "Way are they taking him out of the drawers early? And why at this time of night? And why even have me there? I'm not his health surrogate."
"You'll have to talk to Dr. Pelton, Ms. Cavill." Was the only answer she got.
Melanie kept up with the assistant as they made their way to the medical clinic, sometimes even out pacing the girl as she hurried her along. Whatever was waiting for her, she was going to meet it head on.
Once at the medical clinic the assistant led her directly to the area containing the drawers where a masked Dr. Pelton was waiting for them.
"Dr. Pelton." Melanie greeted the woman with a slight tremor in her voice. "What's happened? Is Mr. Layton all right?"
"He's far from that." Pelton answered her. "That's the reason Dr. Klimpt and I decided to bring him out of stasis."
"But...what's happened? I thought he was doing well."
"He was. The problem is we can't seem to keep him calm. In fact, the only times his monitor showed any relaxation was at night...when you would come and talk to him."
Melanie stood very still for a moment, unsure of how much trouble she might be in for going against Zarah's instructions that she was not allowed near Layton. "I...thought perhaps it would help." She finally stated when Pelton didn't say anything more. "I know how much Mr. Layton hates being in the drawers...for any reason. So I tried...I thought maybe...if he could understand me...I could explain to him why you did this. Make him understand he was safe. That he just needed to rest. To get better."
"And while you were there, Ms. Cavill, talking to him, he apparently did listen."
Melanie gave a small laugh. "But he can't really. He's is stasis. He is, for all intents and purposes, asleep. I know how the drawers work, Dr. Pelton. I made them."
"And as long as he's been in the drawers, he's never been completely under, Ms. Cavill. A side effect of continuous Kronole use. No matter how long ago, or how long the subject has been off of it, it remains in the body residually. Unfortunately, the amount we would have to use to get him completely under could be very detrimental to him health-wise. But then we...learned of your nightly visits. At first I thought to put a stop to them as they were in violation of his wife's orders. But after checking his vitals on the monitor during those times, they clearly showed those were the only times he relaxed.
In short, Ms, Cavill, he liked your company."
"But you said that it was dangerous for him to be out of the drawers. He was safer being in stasis."
"It's more dangerous to his health that he keeps waking up, Ms. Cavill. So far he hasn't reached total consciousness, but he appears to be aware enough on some level to know where he is. And as you already said...he doesn't much care for it. The last time was what convinced us to simply wake him up. He nearly did regain full consciousness at that point, he knew exactly where he was, and he nearly tore the drawer apart from the inside before we got to him. So we decided the best thing was to simply do what his body is fighting to do anyway, which is wake up. We've been mainlining antivirals into his body for five days. And he has shown improvement from that. On the plus side, if he's awake we can get more accurate information on his progress as he will be able to tell us directly how he's feeling."
Melanie paused for a moment. "Will I be able to visit him still?"
Dr. Pelton simply stared back at her for a few seconds before answering. "I'm a busy woman, Ms. Cavill. I can't monitor what goes in in this clinic all the time."
"But Zarah..."
Pelton's look left no question of her opinion of Layton's ex-wife's involvement in her husband's recovery. "Mrs. Layton hasn't been here once to visit her husband since he came in. And I'm fairly certain, on that note, she wouldn't be coming late at night."
"But if she knows he's awake...?"
The look remained. "The only question Mrs. Layton has had for us regarding her husband's health over the past five days is 'Is he still alive?'" She replied flatly.
Melanie gave a small nod. She supposed they knew what they were doing, but it still sounded like a lot of guess work to her. But if Layton ever did regain full consciousness while in the drawer, she couldn't even imagine what might happen.
She knew he had good reason to be afraid of being in the drawers. She had installed that fear in him by committing the worst act of betrayal between them to date. When they had their 'fights', or better, their 'sparing matches', as she called them, it was one of his strongest points to throw at her. That she had betrayed his trust and locked him in the drawers.
So this would be another small point of redemption for her with him. To be there when they woke him up this time.
Josie had been the one to be there the first time he came out of stasis.
When Melanie had had her in the Hospitality room, the girl had ranted on and on about what it was like for Layton. How he struggled to come out from under the influence of the drug. The hallucinations. The fear. All of it Melanie silently sat back and let the girl rattle off to her. All of it being tucked away for future reference. It would prove useful in the future. After all, her main goal was to find Layton, and put him right back where she perceived he belonged.
But the girl suddenly seemed to realize what was going on and shut her mouth.
Well, no matter. She had told Melanie enough about the incident.
But she hadn't told her what she needed the most.
Melanie closed her eyes against the memory, forcing it out of her thoughts. She needed to concentrate on the present. Not the past.
She knew with a shuttering fear she would need to face down with him one day what had happened in that room.
But today was not that day.
"Ms. Cavill?"
A voice called her out of herself. Opening her eyes, Melanie found Dr. Klimpt had now joined them. Both were staring at her with mild concern.
"Are you all right?"
Melanie favored them with a small smile as she nodded. "Yes. Just thinking."
Klimpt gave her a slight nod in return as he handed her a mask and slipped on his own. "We've already begun to pull back on the amount of Kronole he was being given, so he's likely to come out of this fairly quickly. But he's also likely to be extremely disoriented when we open the drawer. Possibly violent. So be prepared for anything."
Melanie gave another small nod as she watched Dr. Klimpt begin pushing several of the buttons on the outside of the drawer as Pelton watched the monitors. Within a few moments a soft hiss proceeded the drawer sliding open.
It was only by sheer reflex that Melanie was ready for Layton's reaction the moment the drawer opened. For the first few seconds he lay in the drawer as though he were still asleep. But the moment he was sure he had a clear escape, he bolted upright, attempting to pull himself free of the confining space.
Melanie grabbed hold of his arms, trying to hold him down. "Layton" She yelled at him the first time to get his attention. But the second time she lowered her voice, leaning closer to him. "Layton. Calm down. Please, you have to calm down. Everything is all right now. You're not in the drawers anymore. Look," she pointed to the hallway around them, "you're drawer is open. You're not going back in it. You're perfectly safe."
Layton settled down a little. Enough that he now sat staring back at her. But none of the fear had left his eyes.
Melanie fixed her stare on him. "Layton, can you hear me?" She asked.
Very slowly he nodded his head to her.
Melanie gave him a small, reassuring smile. "That's good, Layton." She told him softly. "Now, do you understand me? Do you understand that you're safe?"
Layton didn't answer her this time, but simply kept that fearful, wide-eyed stare locked on her.
"Layton," she tried again, "do you understand where you are?"
Layton slowly broke the fixed stare he had on her as he turned and looked around slowly.
But as he did Melanie could feel the muscles under her grip tightening in agitation.
"Layton?"
But the body suddenly twisted in her grip as he fought to escape.
"NO!"
Melanie held onto him with everything she had. Thankfully he was still weak or she had no doubt he would be halfway through the train by now in an effort to escape.
"Layton! Stop!" She yelled at him again. 'You're not being put in the drawers. We're taking you out. Do you understand?"
The body in her grip slowly stopped struggling as she watched comprehension struggle to take hold in his brain. But after a few moments he slowly turned back to her, meeting her stare once again.
"You're being taken out of the drawers. Not put in." Melanie repeated in a slow, firm voice. "Do you understand?"
Holding her gaze, Layton gave a cautious nod.
Melanie rewarded him with a small smile. "That's good." She told him. "Now, I need you to listen to me carefully, all right?"
Layton nodded again very slowly.
"You've been very ill, Layton." Melanie explained. "That was the reason you were put in the drawers to begin with. You're better now, but you're still not completely well. So we're going to move you to a clinic bed for a few days. All right?"
Very slowly, and with Melanie's help, Layton managed to pull himself into a sitting position in the drawer. Pausing for a moment, he slowly shook his head at her as he leaned over slightly.
"No? Why 'No'?" She asked.
"Home." He whispered.
Melanie sighed at the answer. "You can't go back to the cabin yet." She replied, then repeating what she had told him before to make sure he understood. "You've been very ill. That was why you were in the drawer to begin with. You're better now, but you're not completely well. So you need to stay in the clinic for a few more days. Do you understand?"
Layton sat in the drawer for a few minutes thinking over the situation, but finally gave a tired nod.
When he was finally situated in a bed in the clinic's isolation room, Melanie came to check on him once more to see if he needed anything.
"Busy day for you." She commented with a soft smile. "How are you feeling?"
Layton gave a tired sigh, but still managed to reach up and grab hold of the hand she had laid over the rail on the side of the bed.
Melanie laid her other hand over his. "You're going to be fine." She reassured him. "The doctors think you're over the worst of this. You just need to rest. And over all I think that will do you a world of good."
A very tired but frightened stare answered her as she tried to pull her hand free.
Melanie gave him a small sigh, but smiled just the same. "Just think of it." She encouraged him. "For the next few days all you have to do is lay in bed and sleep. No one asking anything of you. No one complaining to you. No meetings to run. No train to worry about..."
She had hoped trying to list all the positive things that came with his bed rest would get a smile. But instead a deep crease formed across his forehead as he frowned up at her.
"What's wrong?" She asked, then gave him another small smile. "Surely you're not going to miss all that?"
But before he could answer Dr. Pelton came into the room.
"So, Mr. Layton, all cozy in our bed now?"
Layton's frown remained, but was now decidedly directed to the doctor.
Pelton caught the look immediately. "Well, like it or not, you're our guest for the next few days. Time to say goodbye to your former caretaker."
In response Layton simply tightened his hold on Melanie's hand.
Melanie gave her hand a slight tug. "I have my own work to do, Layton." She told him. "Or do you honestly think I can just sit here all day?"
A small smile answered her.
"Well, I can't." She replied, pulling at her hand again.
Layton still refused to let go.
"Layton..."
The hold and the smile remained.
"I can sedate him if necessary." Dr. Pelton offered hopefully.
But Melanie shook her head as she leaned over the bed rail. "I can handle this." She replied.
Reaching down, she ran her free hand gently over his hair as Layton watched her with a suspicious stare. Suddenly the hand buried itself in the hair and tightly wrapped around several strands. All while the smile remained in place.
Melanie leaned a little closer over him. "Do we understand each other, Mr. Layton?"
If there was one thing living with the man had taught her, it was how much he loved his hair. While he complained about her time in the shower, she had equally criticized him in return on several mornings when he had spent far longer than his usual time in the bathroom, making her late for her shift.
"Did you run into that train I'm supposedly building in there and make a few additions of your own?" Melanie fumed at him once when he finally opened the door.
With a towel wrapped firmly about his waist, Layton had grabbed one shining stand of hair and waved it at her.
"THIS is prime, sleek, beautiful hair." He informed her. "And in order to stay that way, it requires very specific love, care, and TIME, Ms. 'I have a half hour long skin care routine'."
Melanie shoved him out of the doorway. "And the next time you and your prime, sleek, beautiful hair makes me late for my shift, I'll be waiting for you to fall asleep with a pair of scissors under my pillow."
Layton protectively grabbed his hair as he turned to the door sliding shut in his face.
Ever since that morning, Melanie had learned if she wanted to seriously back the man into a corner over something, all she had to do was threaten his beloved hair.
Melanie felt the warning work like it's usual charm as the grip on her hand slowly loosened.
As soon as her hand was freed, she withdrew her grip on his hair and, holding a few strands up in front of him, waved them at him.
"Oh, look, it's all still here." She stated with a devious smile.
Layton gave her a slight frown as she pulled back.
"I'll stop by and see you after my shift if I can." She promised, the hand that had been holding his hair now giving a gentle caress over his cheek.
The frown remained in place. "If?" He asked in nearly a whisper.
Melanie paused as she started to leave. "Zarah...felt maybe it was better if you didn't have a lot of visitors. That you got some rest."
Layton watched her leave, the same thoughtful frown on his face.
Layton had to admit the next five days weren't all bad. It took the first two for him to even become totally aware of what was going on all the time. And the first three days the majority of his time he spent sleeping.
But one of the things that made the whole time spent in the clinic bed more tolerable was dinner. It was always delicious, healthy, and warm, he could have as much as he wanted, he didn't have to prepare it, his roommate came down every night to eat it with him, and he didn't have to clean a single plate, pan, or fork afterwards.
All in all, being in the clinic wouldn't have been bad at all if not for one single factor.
He was bored out of his mind.
Melanie brought him the book to read from his nightstand, and made sure she visited every morning on her way to her shift and when she got off. And she tried to make sure she ate with him every night. All things he seemed to greatly appreciate.
But she couldn't be there all the time, and so the hours that she wasn't he tried to spend sleeping to relieve the boredom.
The general understanding was that because his illness had never been clearly defined, only those he had already had contact with were allowed to see him. But Pelton's reasons for the directive had another use. Mostly that she didn't want council members or anyone else sitting by his bed all day and night, plying him with problems, questions, and needed decisions.
But after five long days, Layton found himself released into Melanie's care and back in his wonderfully large, soft, warm bed.
When she had brought him back to the cabin, Layton had insisted on walking the entire way. Several people along the way, aware of his previous condition, greeted him warmly, expressing how glad they were to see him up and apparently doing better. Which was exactly Layton's reason for wanting to walk and not be pushed in a wheelchair or carried on a gurney as the doctors had advised. He wanted the train to see him up and appearing well on the road to recovery.
The train needed its leader.
But as soon as he stepped into the cabin he breathed a sigh of relief and headed straight for the bedroom, where he collapsed face first onto the bed, proclaiming his undying love for it and how much he missed it.
Laughing softly, Melanie came in behind him and helped him get situated for the night, eventually pulling the covers up over him and handing him his book.
"Read for a while." She offered. "I'll get something ready for dinner, then it's off to sleep for you."
But Layton quickly put the book down and stared up at her, patting the side of the bed.
"First let's talk." He said.
Melanie's expression shifted from her kind, accommodating smile to a slightly pensive look. "Talk about what?" She asked.
"Everything you haven't been telling me about the past several days."
Melanie carefully sat down on the edge of the bed. "Like what?"
Layton gave her a knowing smile. "You tell me."
Melanie shook her head at him. "Really, Layton, I have no..."
"When the cat's away, Ms. Cavill." He stated. "That phrase will permeate through every level of society. I remember growing up, both my parents worked. So my siblings and I often came home to no adult in the house. What do you think we did every afternoon as soon as we got home from school? Our homework? When we had the latest game for the video console in the house?"
Melanie managed a smile. "And your parents didn't check if it was warm when they got home?"
Layton returned her smile. "We knew exactly how long it took for it to cool off."
"Well, at least you learned something."
"So go on." He prompted her taking hold of her hand and giving it a slight tug. "What have the mice...and a few rats, I'm sure, been up to?"
Melanie gave a deep sigh. "Can't we talk about it tomorrow?" She asked. "It's been a long day for you. You need to get some rest."
"I need to know what's going on even more.
Melanie gave him a slightly stern look as she got up suddenly, pulling her hand free. "What? Suddenly you don't think I can hold this train together for a few days without you?"
Layton sighed as he shook his head. "I'm not questioning your ability to keep things together, Melanie." He stated. "In fact, I can't think of a single more capable person. But I also know how a lot of the people on this train see you now. They don't recognize you as having any authority over anything. And the fact that I didn't wake up to total anarchy just goes to prove, in my opinion how, even without being in charge, you can keep this train on the rails. So to speak."
Melanie sighed as she took her seat on the edge of the bed again. "All right. Fine. Yes, there were some problems. Besides the usual day to day squabbles and problems, there was some in-fighting in the council. Most of them yelling why they were the best choice to take over. But you're back now." She added. "And I'm sure things will settle down as soon as they see that."
Layton echoed her sigh as he turned to the end of the bed. " I thought I had everything worked out." He stated softly. "The train's new society. The leadership. The power structure. How to keep everything balanced." He turned back to her. "But the one thing I missed was the very thing that happened."
Melanie stared back at him thoughtfully. "What would happen if you weren't there to lead anymore." She replied. "So what's your answer?"
Layton gave her a quick smile. "I think it's time we put you back in charge of this train, Ms. Cavill."