"Is this why you had me stick around?" said a voice in the distance as Evie awoke.
"I was caught off guard. " she heard John say.
"Didn't think that was possible." said the other voice,
Evie climbed out of the bed. She steadied herself as her head pounded. She was still in her gown. She grabbed John's suit jacket that laid on the chair next to the bed and put it on as she felt chilled. She walked into the living area.
The two men looked at her.
"See, told ya she'd be fine." said the man. She watched as he sewed at John's arm.
"Evie, this is doc." said John.
"Doc?" she asked.
"At your service, ma'am." he said cutting the string that stuck from John's arm, "Keep it bandaged. You know the drill."
"Yeah." said John as he slipped his dress shirt back over his arm.
The doctor walked to the door to leave. "Ma'am." he said addressing Evie was he walked out the door.
"What hapened?" she asked turning to John.
"Someone at the bar slipped somethig in your drink." he said.
Evie walked up to him and surveyed his face. "And what happened to you? Your face is bloody." she looked him over, "Are you hurt other than your arm?" she asked.
"No." he said. "I just need to wash up."
"Do you need help?" she asked. He paused as he walked into the bathroom.
"No. Just rest." he said.
She sat on the sofa as she heard the water running. Her head swam as she tried to make sense of the situation. He said someone had slipped something in her drink. She must have passed out. He was bloodied and wounded. He must've had an altercation with the person he suspected drugged her? The bathroom door opened and he walked out with his freshly cleaned face.
"Did you kill him?" she blurted out as she stood up to confront him.
He looked at her surprised by the bluntness, "It's not your concern."
"But it was yours? To go after the person who drugged me?" she asked.
"There are certain rules. He broke them." He said picking up his drink. He took a seat on the couch.
"I don't want any more blood on your hands because of me." she said.
"I know you don't. You don't need to concern yourself with it." he said.
"Did you get the information you needed?" she asked.
"Sure."he said.
"So what is your plan?" she asked.
"To clear your contract." he said.
"Yeah, but clear it how?" she asked.
"Maybe you should just rest." he said.
"How?" she insisted as she stood in front of him. She wanted him to say it.
"You know what I do. I think you know how." He said looking up at her.
She stood staring at him. She had to reason with him. "I can take out a loan? I can try to do something to make this right, the honorable way."
"The honorable way was not to give one's daughter's life as a way to cancel a debt." He said. "There is nothing honorable about this."
"Two wrongs don't make a right?" she said.
"Right?" he said setting his drink down. "Right doesn't quite factor in."
"I'm just trying to say that I'm not your responsibility. My father made this choice." She said trying to change his mind.
"And it wasn't your choice." he said.
"I know. The sins of the father, right?" she scoffed. "I'm leaving. Whatever you do with your life is your choice and this is mine. Thank you for saving my life." She said walking towards the door. He stood and grabbed her wrist to stop her. She turned to look at him.
"John, let go." She said looking down at his hand holding her wrist. She didn't panic. She always panicked but not this time. Not with him.
"No." he said. As he held her wrist. His mind raced. The last person he asked not to leave was his wife.
"Don't make me a prisoner to your choice now." She said snapping him from his thoughts.. "I owe you for saving my life but-"
He stopped her, "Then don't throw it away." He said moving himself between her and the door. "This isn't a life you want. Running from these men. They will kill you or enslave you. You, owe them nothing."
She sighed. "I'm ok with my decision."
She could see the intensity in his eyes. "I'm not." He said. "I need you to trust me. This won't take long."he said letting go of her wrist. She could see the seriousness in his eyes. She noticed something else. A sadness. And pain. She watched him walk back to the table and pour another drink. She couldn't leave. She didn't want to now.
"I'll make sure management takes care of you." he said returning to the sofa.
She resigned herself to play along. "How long will you be gone?" she asked taking a seat across from him. She noticed he would no longer look at her. He stared into his glass.
"I'll leave in the morning and be gone a few days." he said.
She dropped her head too exhausted to continue making her case. "I had a nice time tonight. I mean, despite the being drugged thing." she said with a nervous chuckle. "I think I will just turn in." she said as she stood and removed his jacket. She placed it next him on the sofa . He seemed to be lost in thought. She had nothing left to say so she walked to her room.
John wrestled with himself. His mind frantic to retrace emotional steps with his wife. He questioned himself and his motives. He was fond of Evie and mad at himself for it. He questioned if he was betraying her memory. He was mad at the chance taken from him to grieve by this damned life. He wasn't sure what he was getting in to. He just wanted to help. His wife, Helen, would want him to help. If this life refused to give him up, then he would play by his rules. Maybe he needed to prove to himself that the heart that got him out, still lived. He drank the rest of his glass and walked to Evie's room. He knocked at the door.
"Yes." she said opening the door.
"I had a nice time too. Good night." he said turning to walk to his room. Evie watched him as he walked to his room. She shook her head. She couldn't let him handle this. It wasn't his to handle. Now that she knew his wife had died she wondered if he had some suicide wish. She couldn't understand why he would help her. She wasn't used to that. Now was not the time to get used to it. Not with him. Not like this.