For the past week, Epps had been making friends- friends who could help her
get out of the hospital. Not all of the patients at the Fairview Alaskan
Psychiatric Hospital were insane; they claimed they were there because
their superior intelligence couldn't be comprehended by 'normal' people.
This intelligence is what Epps needed to get out.
Epps casually walked over to a table where three of these patients were playing 'Go Fish'; at least that's what the nurse on duty thought.
"I see you're five," said a burly man in his late fifties, "and raise you twenty."
"I fold." Marianna declared, tossing her cards on the table as she shook her auburn hair.
"Call." Sam replied, staring intently at his cards with icy blue eyes.
Epps silently watched the rest of the game from an easy chair near the table. Mike had won the game. Sam ran his hands through his black hair and admitted defeat. A few seconds later, Epps slipped into the only open seat at the table. The other players glanced at her and nodded solemnly. Epps nodded back and got up.
"Hey Epps! You don't want to leave without a lucky ace."
Mike held out a card from the deck; it was the ace of hearts. Epps walked over and took the card; she felt a hard piece of metal underneath as she gave a slight smile and placed the card and key into her pocket. "Thanks Mike."
Back in her room, Epps decided she was going to miss the hospital. She had no living relatives and her 'family' aboard the Artic Warrior was all killed. She had begun to make friends and she enjoyed the company of her nurse, Nancy.
Epps opened the closet door and rummaged through her clothes. She had a variety; the hospital allows certain privileges to certain patients. Epps was a certain patient. She wasn't considered dangerous and she'd been on good behavior for a long time. Of course, she did throw fits when she first was checked in, but that was a long time ago.
Tonight is the night, Epps thought, Soon. Soon.
Alexis sat at her desk typing a letter to a Mr. Howard Greenley, explaining the 'pause' that was put on the ship restoration exhibit, when a knock sounded on her dorm room door.
Getting up, she opened the door to see Lisa standing in the hall.
"Hey girl, I want to see those roses!" Lisa said, heading straight for the make-shift drinking glass vase Alexis put them in. "God, they're beautiful!"
"Read the card." Alexis replied, sitting back down at her desk.
Lisa picked up the card from the table and read it to herself. "Wow. I think he's really into you."
"Yeah, I thought that too." She said, putting the last finishing touch on the letter.
"He even said something about the way he acted; do you think that's why you didn't see anything in his eyes?"
The printer began to produce the letter, "I don't know. I had a couple of shots of vodka before I went out so that could've had an effect."
"Well there you go! It probably was the vodka; and besides, he even said his attention was elsewhere last night."
Taking the letter out of the printer and folding it into an envelope, Alexis replied, "I guess so."
"Are you going to meet him tonight?"
"Yeah, I think I will. Life is full of second chances right?"
Night had fallen on the small hospital. Everything was quiet and still. Epps lay on her back in bed, dressed in a stolen nurses' uniform, silently waiting.
Suddenly, there was high-pitched screaming. Quickly, as planned, Epps jumped out of bed and opened her door a crack. She saw Marianna's room fill with nurses as a man's yelling began. She saw the confusion and frustration in some of their faces as several broke away and went to assist Sam in his room across the hall.
Exactly one minute after Sam began yelling, Mike ran past Epps' door and down the hallway, naked. Epps tried to conceal a smile as she saw several more nurses and orderlies run after him. That was her cue. As planned, Epps slipped out her door and briskly walked down the hallway opposite of commotion.
Her destination was the stairwell; a nurse ran past her, concentrating on the problem at hand, not recognizing Epps as a patient. She let out a sigh of relief as she slipped into the stairwell. Once she made it down three floors, Epps pulled out the key she received earlier from Mike. She stuck it into the door leading to the main lobby. She held her chin up and walked purposely towards the main entrance. An orderly looked up from the main desk.
"Hey! Hold up there a minute!" The orderly was a young boy of about eighteen with dark brown hair.
Epps stopped and strode over to the desk, "Yes?" she asked in an irritated tone.
"You forgot to change out of you're uniform. Regulation rule number 465 states-"
Shit, Epps thought. "Young man, how long have you been working here?"
"Uh...this is my first week." He answered sheepishly.
"Huh, I expected as much. My name is Annette Cotswold, I am the sub- head nurse on the third floor. I imagine you haven't heard of me yet." Epps raised an eyebrow.
"Uh...no I haven't." the boy looked embarrassed.
"The third floor head nurse, Sara Gibbons, had a family emergency and I was called in to sub for part of her shift." Epps discreetly looked around for other orderlies and nurses, luckily, because of the late hour, no one was around.
"I'm sorry ma'am."
"Its not a problem; now you know. Besides, I always take my uniform home- I don't trust those young laundry girls with my expensive uniform. I lost it once and I'll be damned if I'm going to lose it again." Epps turned and walked towards the door.
The boy smiled, "Have a nice night Ms. Cotswold."
"You too," Epps replied as she entered the darkness.
Epps casually walked over to a table where three of these patients were playing 'Go Fish'; at least that's what the nurse on duty thought.
"I see you're five," said a burly man in his late fifties, "and raise you twenty."
"I fold." Marianna declared, tossing her cards on the table as she shook her auburn hair.
"Call." Sam replied, staring intently at his cards with icy blue eyes.
Epps silently watched the rest of the game from an easy chair near the table. Mike had won the game. Sam ran his hands through his black hair and admitted defeat. A few seconds later, Epps slipped into the only open seat at the table. The other players glanced at her and nodded solemnly. Epps nodded back and got up.
"Hey Epps! You don't want to leave without a lucky ace."
Mike held out a card from the deck; it was the ace of hearts. Epps walked over and took the card; she felt a hard piece of metal underneath as she gave a slight smile and placed the card and key into her pocket. "Thanks Mike."
Back in her room, Epps decided she was going to miss the hospital. She had no living relatives and her 'family' aboard the Artic Warrior was all killed. She had begun to make friends and she enjoyed the company of her nurse, Nancy.
Epps opened the closet door and rummaged through her clothes. She had a variety; the hospital allows certain privileges to certain patients. Epps was a certain patient. She wasn't considered dangerous and she'd been on good behavior for a long time. Of course, she did throw fits when she first was checked in, but that was a long time ago.
Tonight is the night, Epps thought, Soon. Soon.
Alexis sat at her desk typing a letter to a Mr. Howard Greenley, explaining the 'pause' that was put on the ship restoration exhibit, when a knock sounded on her dorm room door.
Getting up, she opened the door to see Lisa standing in the hall.
"Hey girl, I want to see those roses!" Lisa said, heading straight for the make-shift drinking glass vase Alexis put them in. "God, they're beautiful!"
"Read the card." Alexis replied, sitting back down at her desk.
Lisa picked up the card from the table and read it to herself. "Wow. I think he's really into you."
"Yeah, I thought that too." She said, putting the last finishing touch on the letter.
"He even said something about the way he acted; do you think that's why you didn't see anything in his eyes?"
The printer began to produce the letter, "I don't know. I had a couple of shots of vodka before I went out so that could've had an effect."
"Well there you go! It probably was the vodka; and besides, he even said his attention was elsewhere last night."
Taking the letter out of the printer and folding it into an envelope, Alexis replied, "I guess so."
"Are you going to meet him tonight?"
"Yeah, I think I will. Life is full of second chances right?"
Night had fallen on the small hospital. Everything was quiet and still. Epps lay on her back in bed, dressed in a stolen nurses' uniform, silently waiting.
Suddenly, there was high-pitched screaming. Quickly, as planned, Epps jumped out of bed and opened her door a crack. She saw Marianna's room fill with nurses as a man's yelling began. She saw the confusion and frustration in some of their faces as several broke away and went to assist Sam in his room across the hall.
Exactly one minute after Sam began yelling, Mike ran past Epps' door and down the hallway, naked. Epps tried to conceal a smile as she saw several more nurses and orderlies run after him. That was her cue. As planned, Epps slipped out her door and briskly walked down the hallway opposite of commotion.
Her destination was the stairwell; a nurse ran past her, concentrating on the problem at hand, not recognizing Epps as a patient. She let out a sigh of relief as she slipped into the stairwell. Once she made it down three floors, Epps pulled out the key she received earlier from Mike. She stuck it into the door leading to the main lobby. She held her chin up and walked purposely towards the main entrance. An orderly looked up from the main desk.
"Hey! Hold up there a minute!" The orderly was a young boy of about eighteen with dark brown hair.
Epps stopped and strode over to the desk, "Yes?" she asked in an irritated tone.
"You forgot to change out of you're uniform. Regulation rule number 465 states-"
Shit, Epps thought. "Young man, how long have you been working here?"
"Uh...this is my first week." He answered sheepishly.
"Huh, I expected as much. My name is Annette Cotswold, I am the sub- head nurse on the third floor. I imagine you haven't heard of me yet." Epps raised an eyebrow.
"Uh...no I haven't." the boy looked embarrassed.
"The third floor head nurse, Sara Gibbons, had a family emergency and I was called in to sub for part of her shift." Epps discreetly looked around for other orderlies and nurses, luckily, because of the late hour, no one was around.
"I'm sorry ma'am."
"Its not a problem; now you know. Besides, I always take my uniform home- I don't trust those young laundry girls with my expensive uniform. I lost it once and I'll be damned if I'm going to lose it again." Epps turned and walked towards the door.
The boy smiled, "Have a nice night Ms. Cotswold."
"You too," Epps replied as she entered the darkness.