In the Dark of Night - 1
''Hi, Jaime,'' the woman who appeared at her bedside began. ''I'm Doctor Irene Cohen. They asked me to look in on you since Mark Conrad couldn't be here and -''
Jaime sniffled, turning her face away from the newcomer. She couldn't help it; the woman reminded Jaime of the one who'd so comically ridden a bicycle at the beginning of Wizard of Oz. (Elmira Gulch had come to check on her!) Except...Jaime wasn't laughing. ''Go...'way...'' she whispered.
''I'm afraid I can't do that,'' 'Elmira'said firmly. ''You see, Doctor Conrad sent me.''
''Mark is...he's...in trouble...''
''Yes, he is,'' the new therapist confirmed. ''But maybe we can help him.''
Jaime could barely get the words out. ''Want to...help. He didn't...do anything...wrong.''
''That's for Mr. Goldman to determine.''
''He didn't!'' Jaime insisted. On first glance, she didn't like this new person - at all.
''You're not...interro -'' (The word was just too hard for the state Jaime was in.) ''You're not gonna question me! I won't...let you.''
''Why don't you tell me what happened - what Doctor Conrad said and did - that has you so upset.''
''NO! He didn't...it wasn't him! Oscar came and took him.''
Doctor Cohen took careful mental note of the fact that Jaime was on a first name basis with both Mark and Oscar; she wasn't sure if this was appropriate. ''What happened?'' she pressed. She had been filled in on very little, except that the OSI therapist Jaime had trusted over the course of several years was now in custody, suspected of breaking that trust. This patient needed her badly, whether she accepted that or not. And Jaime didn't know it, but Oscar was standing on the other side of the door, just outside of Jaime's line of vision, waiting to listen to her every word. When Jaime's only answer was a silent, hostile, stare, he had to step in.
''Michael's awake; he told us everything he could,'' Oscar explained. ''and his conduct is also questionable.'' He left out the fact that he, like the doctors, had known Jaime was already drugged when she was brought to try and talk Steve out of the facility. (Oscar had also known about the needle and the tranquilizer dart...but he'd been acting in the best interests of the OSI...hadn't he?) He was already feeling Jaime's wrath,from the same hostile gaze she'd shot at the therapist.
''Get out! Both of you!'' Jaime cried.
''What did Doctor Conrad say to you?'' Cohen queried. ''How did he justify this?''
''He...meant well! I know...he did! Mark would...never hurt me...not on purpose!''
Jack Hansen stared blankly at the wall. They'd told him what he'd done - and like Russ before him, he simply couldn't believe he'd been manipulated in this way. She'd managed to get to him without his knowledge and used him as a pawn, caused him to hurt others for her in ways he simply wasn't able to accept. He was no longer allowed to speak with anyone by himself - not a therapist or even Oscar - as it was considered to high of a risk for anyone to take. They were coming to see him in groups of two or three now and Jack wasn't able to bring himself to speak or to even acknowledge the change. He couldn't give what he'd done the reality of actually speaking about it...to anybody. At least...not yet.
In Jaime's mind, Oscar was the one who had truly wronged her, since the others had at least had a medical reason for what they'd done and were genuinely trying to help her. Well...everyone else except Oscar...and Steve. The last thing she remembered was when Steve had stuck her with the needle she'd been supposed to use on him. (Had it truly been an accident? She wasn't sure.) But what was happening with him - and why did they all seem to be hedging when she asked? The ER doc had told her she'd likely be going home tomorrow, once the drugs had fully left her system...but what about her husband?
''Is Steve awake yet?''
''No,'' Elmira told her. She'd checked on the way into Jaime's cubicle, as Steve would also be her patient once he'd regained consciousness. ''But he's showing some movement now; that's an excellent sign.''
This wasn't enough - and for Jaime, it didn't make sense. ''What...happened to him?'' she persisted. She'd already been unconscious when he'd been hit by the dart and no one seemed willing to admit enough guilt to answer this simple question for her. She wouldn't tell anyone what had happened (or what had been said) before she'd been re-sedated by her husband until she knew the whole story of what had happened afterward.
Anna smiled with inner satisfaction as she finally opened her eyes. It sounded like it was all unfolding exactly as she had hoped (and planned). No one knew who - if anyone - they could trust. And when she'd told Steve to look at 'the one he trusted most', it had been her biggest lie of all...