Okay, here's the latest. Sorry it took a little while to get out, I was traveling the past week hence my lack of reviewage on stories. Looking forward to playing catch-up! This chapter was really tough to get out but I'm setting up for some things here. Thanks so so much indigo, EpicStelena, Shockey, Bookworm and lipamo for the reviewage! Hope that you'll stick with me. More to come soon.
Running into the hall, Sharon looked around for someone to step into Carrie's room and help. She wished more than anything she hadn't pulled up the article in front of her. But how could she have known how she'd react to it?
Seeing a tall, blond nurse turn the corner she ran towards him, pulled him aside.
"Can I help you? I-"
"Carrie Mathison in room 12. She's completely worked up, pacing. I'm just a volunteer and something I did set her off and I don't know what to do! I-"
"Wait, did you say the name was Mathison?", the nurse frowned, jaw clenched. The name was familiar to him and he hoped it wasn't for the reason he thought it was.
"She's not a blonde is she? Tall, thin, mouth on her like a truck driver?"
"No, that's definitely her...", Sharon said nervously as the man tensed up even more.
"Do you know her?"
"Oh yeah. I know her. I still knew her after she knocked me out in that fucking closet.", the man muttered, remembering clear as day her trying to kiss and distract him before everything went dark. Upon waking up he'd been threatened by a dark haired sniper into keeping quiet, and reluctantly had kept his mouth shut even when the infamous blonde was admitted. Now maybe he was being rewarded for that.
"What was that?"
"Nothing. Where's the patient again?"
"Just through here.", Sharon said nervously, opening the door a crack to reveal Carrie pacing back and forth, hand in her hair.
"Carrie, please.", Ann sighed, approaching her. "Just take a seat, try and relax, I-"
"You really expect me to relax?! Just go recline in bed with a remote control! Not think about that bullshit blog that bitch told me to browse!", Carrie snapped, shaking her head.
"I have to get a hold of Brody. I need to call, communicate. Convince him things are going to be fine. That this is fucking fixable. I can't just..."
Trailing off she looked in the doorway, frowned to see Sharon standing there with a tall, stern looking blond man. He looked familiar to her but she couldn't put a pin on why. Now though certainly wasn't the time to try and figure it out.
"You! Get the hell in here.", she said forcefully as the nurse glared.
"Ms. Mathison, watch the way you-"
"I wasn't talking to you!", Carrie spat before turning back to Sharon.
"The article you asked me to read. I need you to retrieve it. Refresh the page, relay what you remember of it back to me. Remind me exactly what it said!"
"Carrie..."
"The only way to dismantle, derail this is to study it in depth. Start trying to decipher what's fact, fiction. To do that I need to see the fucking cellphone!", she snapped, reaching for it only to be blocked by the nurse.
"I'm afraid I can't allow that."
"Well then allow me to see Saul Berenson. I can brief him on the situation, he and I can sit down, come up with a solution-"
When Carrie tried to get to the door he jumped in front of, blocked her path.
"You are not going to be leaving this room anytime soon."
"I just need to see Saul.", she sighed. "It..it won't take more than a few seconds, I just need to-"
"What you need is to sit the hell down and settle down!", the nurse barked, making Carrie jump as Ann glared, approached.
"I think that you need to watch the way you're speaking, sir.", she said coolly as Sharon quietly ducked out of the room, flagged down the head nurse named Tess.
"Listen, volunteer. You have no right to-"
"I have no right? I'm concerned about your treatment of a patient at this hospital. A patient I've gotten to know and-"
"Since when is how I handle her or any of my patients any of your goddamn business! I-"
"James!", Tess interrupted.
"Tess, hi-"
"I'd like to speak to you over here right now. You too, Ms. Jacobson."
After Tess pulled James, Ann aside, pacing around the room Carrie spotted Sharon's cell resting on the foot of the bed. Biting her lip she went to pick it up only to hear a throat clearing that made her skin crawl.
"You put that down, patient.", James said firmly, approaching her.
"Where's Frances? Or Tess? She's your superior. She should be in here instead of you!"
"She's talking to your friend. Making sure she doesn't interfere with the staff at this hospital actually being paid. Sorry she's not here to act as a buffer.", he said as Carrie let out a snort.
"I don't need a buffer. Or you standing here berating, belittling. Using your brawn to try and bully me. You may be bigger but at least my brains aren't all in my fucking biceps.", she retorted as he rolled his eyes, reached for a file folder in his back pocket.
"Why do you have my file?", she asked, trying to hide her nerves. But then seeing him pull out a pen... "What...what are you writing?"
"A report. Using my brains that aren't all in my biceps.", James said coolly. "And you know what happens after I submit this report? You get written up and you don't get visitation. Guess that means your deserting, bombing, big brother can't pay you a visit.", he snorted as Carrie's eyes widened, remembering right then where she knew him from.
"Also that weekend pass? Don't expect that to happen either."
Biting her lip she bowed her head, blinked back tears. The idea of missing the wedding, birthday weekend, not being able to see Brody and start resolving this fucking mess, it was enough to make her feel nauseous. Swallowing hard she softly spoke.
"Look, if you don't turn in that report, I promise there'll be no more phones, no more forgetting rules. Just...please, you can't-"
"Can't what? Last I checked there isn't some black ops sniper standing around and making threats, telling me what I can and can't do. For what it's worth I really didn't appreciate that. Or your knocking me out."
"He...he won't threaten you again. I...I won't make any more problems. But you can't make that report! I...I can't risk losing visitation, my weekend pass. I...I made promises, told Brody I'd protect him. He...he needs my help. He's going to need my fucking help! Fuck."
Pacing again, hand in her hair Carrie perched on the bed, forced herself to take deep breaths as Tess came back in the room, approached her.
"Ms. Mathison. Everything's alright, just relax.", Tess soothed, handing her a paper cup with two pills. "I have something here to help you relax, I-"
"NO!"
Swatting the cup out of her hand Carrie went to stand up, trying to leave but James shoved her back onto the bed, held her down by the arms. His grip tight enough to bruise.
"You want to do this the hard way then?"
Before he had a chance to reach for, place the restraint straps he felt someone come up behind and take a grip on his shoulders, shove him aside.
"What the?! You bitch-"
When he took hold of her, shoved her against the wall, showing no sign of fear Ann held his gaze. Looked at him with amusement in her eyes.
"What...why are you, you think this is funny?! Who the fuck even are you?!"
"Someone who could and would love to make you suffer. Don't test me. Stay away from her!", Ann hissed as Abby ran in.
Seeing the panicked state Carrie was in and James holding Frances against the wall, her eyes narrowed and she waved a security guard over.
"Please escort Mr. Fields off the premises! And revoke his ID too.", she spat before running to Carrie.
"Honey? Honey what happened? What..."
Rubbing Carrie's back as she broke down crying, had trouble catching her breath, Abby motioned for Tess to come back. Entering the room, with the drugs in syringe form, seeing the needle Carrie tensed up more. Shaking her head and shaking her off as she cried.
"Alright that's enough! Both of you! Leave her alone!" Ann yelled, getting between Carrie and the other two women.
"Ms. Jacobson, you're only a volunteer, you're not equipped to deal with-"
"I'm better equipped than that barbarian that bruised her arm! And I'm not going to force drugs down her throat that she doesn't want!"
Shaking her head she moved to sit on Carrie's bed and stroked her hair, rubbed her back as she choked back tears, curled up in a smaller ball.
"Shhh...easy. Take it easy, You're safe, sweetheart. It'll be okay. Everything's going to be okay.", she soothed, repeating herself until Carrie's breathing slowed, went steadier. Curling protectively around her she continued stroking her hair, then saw Tess move around behind Carrie, syringe still in hand.
Glaring at the younger woman, she was met with an apologetic look. "It's better for the baby that she sleep."
Biting her lip she held Carrie a little closer, but nodded in agreement as Tess administered the shot. Once Carrie drifted off, Tess stepped out and Abby went to follow, but not before tapping Frances on the shoulder.
"She'll be out for awhile if you-"
"I'm not going anywhere.", Ann said coldly, getting a nod before Abby left, dimmed the lights. Moving into the chair beside Carrie's bed, she watched closely as she slept. Refusing to move a muscle until she woke.
Stirring, four hours or so after the fact, Carrie's eyes widened and she tried not to panic. She felt sluggish, like her limbs were weighed down. Her tongue felt heavy inside her mouth that was dry, difficult to move.
Hearing a whimper, quickly looking up from her book Ann's eyes went wide. "What the hell did they give you...what the..."
Standing she picked up, read her chart and saw she'd been dosed with Thorazine. Okayed by Nurse Fields and administered by Head Nurse Tess Mayer after her manic episode. Swearing she shook her head, entertained the thought of killing both of them with her bare hands, until she looked back at her panic-stricken daughter. Now struggling to sit up and speak clearly.
"I..."
"Shh, shh. Easy. It's alright. It's alright."
"I...can't...st..staaay he...here.", Carrie choked out, looking around wide eyed as Ann nodded, stroked her hair. Realized if she could get Carrie up and moving, they could get to the back stairwell and out the side exit to her car. They'd only risk being seen by other patients at this hour of the night, at least she hoped.
"Don't worry, dear. You won't.", she vowed, helping her to her feet and into her shoes. "We...we won't."