CHAPTER FIVE
Dr. Edwards rose and showered very early the morning of Erik's unveiling, as his patient called it. He towel dried his short hair and combed it down. Laying the comb down, Brad gave himself the once over in the mirror. Dark smudges appeared under his gray eyes and his cheekbones were a little more pronounced.
"You look just great, Brad. Like you've been run over by a truck," he told his reflection. He sighed and padded back into his bedroom to dress. The past couple days had been a real rollercoaster ride. After Mr. Giry had confided to him that he was from another time era and shocked the hell out of him with that eerie laugh, he'd only stayed long enough to tell Erik how much money he would have from the sale of his coins. Then he'd left, practically bolting from the room. When he'd arrived home that night he'd gathered up the burnt remnants of Erik's clothes and had taken them to a friend of his who was an anthropologist. Stuart Tyson had then in turn given them to a colleague specializing in the dating of clothing.
Brad hadn't waited too long before receiving the results. These clothes were definitely from the late 1800's and made from very fine material. The piece of rope had turned out to be what was called a Punjab lasso, a weapon of death usually used by a skilled individual. It, too, had been dated back to the mid to late 1800's. Lucky for Erik that it had been the hospital staff that found it or he would have been arrested for carrying a concealed weapon. That is providing that the police had known what the rope was. It was not like any other rope Brad had ever seen. There was a shine to the thin rope that was only about as thick around as a pencil and about six feet long. Brad shivered as he thought about Stuart telling him that the lasso was still in working condition and could strangle a large man with little trouble.
Everything was pointing to the fact that Erik had indeed traveled through time and landed in present day America. Brad was a scientist, a man of medicine and didn't believe in things that couldn't be explained rationally. But if he did believe that time travel was possible, it still didn't make sense that Erik would have ended up in a totally different country. How had that happened, if that's what had occurred? Brad knotted his tie and headed to the living room to grab his jacket. It was just starting to get warm out. The first week in October was proving to be very nice and Brad just draped the jacket over the passenger seat of his gray Geo Storm.
He drove to the hospital, his mind occupied by the events of the last couple days. He hadn't even been to see Erik, instead just reading his chart and ordering any changes in his care. There hadn't been many as Erik's health was rapidly improving. The truth was that he just hadn't had the guts to face his odd patient again. He had no choice this morning. When Dr. Stepanik had asked him to be present in case Erik's heart couldn't handle the shock, he couldn't refuse as Erik's doctor.
He parked in the doctor's garage and entered the hospital, promptly running into Jessie.
"Hey, Doc! Today's the big day for E, huh? He's all wound up, that's for sure. Didn't even eat his breakfast." Jesse regarded Brad with some concern when all he received was tight smile. "You ok, man?"
Brad nodded and started down the hall away from Jesse. "Yeah. Fine. Had a long day yesterday, that's all. See you later."
"Ok. See ya!"
Brad took the elevator up to Erik's floor. He'd ordered the psych eval on Erik and the results should be on his chart this morning. He barely greeted Mindy who was just coming off the night shift before snatching the chart from it's place in the rack. Flipping the pages so rapidly they almost tore from the chart, he scanned them until he found what he was looking for. He read through the detailed report that Dr. Hughes had written, fear and confusion growing with each word.
"Although the patient would appear to have a rather well developed ego and thinks himself very important, I could find no traces of any overt mental defect besides a lack of anger control. I, therefore, declare the subject sane and able to function normally in day to day life."
Brad slammed the chart down on the counter and rubbed a hand over his face. Jesus! What the hell was going on? What kind of story had Erik given Dr. Hughes? He stormed down the hall to Erik's door, turned the handle and went in. It was almost pitch black in the room, the only light coming from the lights in the parking lot outside. It was very early and the sun was not yet above the skyscraper that Erik's windows looked upon. He glanced at the bed, noting that there was no one in it, nor the chair next to it. He turned to walk to the bathroom and was about to look inside when an arm snaked around his neck from behind yanking him back against a hard warm chest. The pressure being exerted on his windpipe caused him to gag. He was about to struggle when a chilling voice whispered in his ear.
"So, you thought to sic your psychiatrist on me, did you? Do not attempt to get free of me or I'll snap your neck in two, good doctor."
Brad thought of the lasso and stilled in the deadly embrace, knowing Erik could make good on his threat. The anger in Erik's quiet voice bordered on rage and Brad wanted to live to see another day.
"What were you hoping would happen, Bradley? That he would lock me up and throw away the proverbial key?" Erik applied more force again. "I want you to understand something. I will never be a prisoner again! I spent enough time in a cage in my youth."
Brad began to see white spots in front of his eyes, a blackness creeping upon him. He started sagging toward the floor, the lack of oxygen causing his limbs to turn liquid.
Erik held him up and allowed some air to flow through the doctor's windpipe. "No, no. No passing out for you, I'm afraid. I need you here this morning for the removal of the bandages. I can't believe you would betray me this way. I trusted you with my life and what did you do? Sent that shrink here to declare me insane."
If he hadn't been in the process of being strangled, Brad would have laughed at Erik's use of the word "shrink". It sounded so odd coming from him.
"Why does everyone want to hurt me? From the time I was a small boy, almost everyone in my life has wanted to hurt me." Erik was shaking Brad back and forth now, making Brad's arms jiggle back and forth like a puppet whose strings were being jerked. It was only then that he realized he was up on his tippy toes. He'd known Erik was tall, but hadn't had an opportunity to get the full effect of his height.
"It's not my fault I was born deformed. I was called the devil's child, evil. Laughed at and scorned, beaten, starved, ridiculed! Now that's all about to change and you want to take it away from me? I won't allow it, do you hear me? Do you?"
Brad struggled with all his might, succeeding in getting a couple of good gulps of air. "Erik, I'm sorry! Let me go. I'll explain! You've got it all wrong," he croaked.
Erik considered for a moment then flung Brad roughly from him. "Speak, doctor and do it quickly before I change my mind."
Brad sank to his knees, sucking in air, filling his lungs with the precious oxygen. When he turned his eyes to Erik, he was caught in their odd depths. They were actually glowing, a blue fire in the bandaged face. His chest heaved with the effort of trying to talk. "I was trying to—verify the- things you t-told me the other day." He took in more air then pressed on. "I had to know if you were telling me the truth, to know what I was dealing with. I just don't have people tell me they're from another century every day, you know." He used the knob on the bathroom door to help himself to his feet.
Erik had moved to block the door to the hallway, making it impossible for Brad to escape. A slow burning anger began to build inside Brad. He didn't have to put up with being assaulted by this man.
"God damn it, Erik! Think! If you're the educated man I think you are, then you have to realize that I'd have to check you out. I did and everything you told me checks out, from the money you had on you, to your clothes and that lasso thing."
"Ah, so you know what that is now, do you? What do you intend to do about me? Will you help me to start a new life here in this time or must I kill you to keep you silent?" Erik took a couple malevolent steps toward Brad. His silent movements brought a big cat to Brad's mind. Silent and deadly.
"Help you? Kill me?" He'd never been threatened with his life before and couldn't wrap his mind around Erik's question.
"Yes, you see it wouldn't be the first time I've killed a man. In fact, I'm quite skillful at it and don't mind doing it when necessary. So, Bradley, are you going to be the first doctor I've killed or will you become my ally? Hmmm? What say you?"
All the while he was talking, Erik was prowling back and forth in front of Brad, cracking his knuckles by interlacing his fingers and stretching them palms outward. The sound of the joints popping setting Brad's teeth on edge.
Erik stopped his pacing coming a hair's breath away from Brad's face, the eerie eyes boring into his own.
He whispered, "Make your choice, doctor,"
