Patient Twelve

Chapter Six

Ben rifled through one of the plastic bags before throwing something on the foot of the bed. I reached down and held it up to see that it was a dark grey dress.

"I know how awful that gown feels," he said.

He reached into his pocket and pulled out a metal ring attached to a carabiner. My lips lifted into a smile as I watched him search through the keys on the ring.

"One of these is for the shower room," Ben said.

"You have keys?" I asked.

I moved on the bed so that I was sitting on my knees. The dress was clutched in my hands. The corner of Ben's lip tugged into a slight smile.

"Don't get too excited," he said. "Oliver only gave me the keys to the doors in the lab."

"How do you know that?" I asked. "We should try them."

"They're crazy, not stupid."

I let out a deep breath. He was probably right. Dr. Phillips seemed to have a lot of trust in him. She let him go out to the store and here on his own. She probably wouldn't let the key to the basement door be around the girl fighting to escape to her freedom.

"Let's go find the shower room," he said.

"What am I supposed to do about this?" I lifted my arm that was connected to the IV pole. Ben walked over to the pump and pushed a few buttons before disconnecting me from the tube.

"How do you know how to do that?" I asked.

"You pick up a few things," he said. "I'll hook you back up after your shower."

I scooted to the edge of the bed. I tried to keep the back of my gown closed as I stood up. I kept the dress in one hand. Ben was holding a plastic bag. He watched me take my first few wobbly steps and looked like he was ready to catch me if I toppled over. When I managed to walk straight, he walked beside me down the hallway. It felt odd to walk without having the IV pole to lean against, so I kept my hand against the wall. Nausea reminded me of many Sunday morning hangovers I have had in the past.

I watched Ben fumble with multiple keys before unlocking the shower room. He waved me in, and set the plastic bag on the counter. I looked down at the cold white tiles on the floor that raised up to show three separate showers. Blue shower curtains were pulled across them. The white was so clean that I could almost see my reflection staring back at me. This room was never used before. I was the first, but how many people was he preparing for?

"I got everything I thought a girl would need." Ben's voice brought me back to reality. He was peering into the plastic bag. "There's a strong chance I forgot something. My sister always had the shower full of crap that was supposed to smell like oranges."

"Thank you," I said.

"I'll wait out there for you when you are done," he said.

I nodded. I looked into the bag and pulled out the items one at a time. There was shampoo, conditioner, body wash, and other toiletries. I smiled when I saw that they were both citrus scented. There were also razors, shaving cream, a brush, hair elastics, and deodorant. I was relieved to see a box of tampons. I was supposed to get my period next week. That was a conversation that I did not want to have with Sweeney.

I chewed on my bottom lip as my heart sank. Why did I assume that I would be here next week? By next week I would have escaped.

I gathered up the things Ben brought me and went over to the nearest shower. I pulled back the curtain to see the white tiles on the wall bent into shelves, and placed the shampoo and wash on it. I turned on the shower and waited for the water to warm. I peeled my gown off, folded it, and placed it on the counter.