*
Scarlet
My heavy eyesmake several attempts to open before the blurred figures come into focus. The tray table in front of me has a glass of water and a bottle of something orange.
“Carrot juice. Freshly pressed.”
Oscar.
“Hey.” My fuzzy mind feels as lethargic as my voice sounds.
Bell.
Belle.
Theo’s mom.
Nellie.
Harold.
Something beside me begins to beep over and over. A nurse comes in the room.
“What’s going on?” Oscar asks with panic in his voice.
“Her heart rate is a little high. Are you in pain, Scarlet?”
It all comes back. The affair. Murder. “Oscar… I have to tell—”
“Shh.” The nurse brings the back of my bed up a bit more. “The doctor is on his way.”
“No. I have to tell—”
“Ruby, calm down. You’re going to be fine.” Oscar rests his hand on mine.
My eyes dart around the room.
Oh my god. Nellie is in the chair by the window. When our eyes meet, she smiles.
“Hey, sweetie.”
“Th-Theo.”
“He left to get something to drink. He’ll be right back.”
“No.” I shake my head.
“Look who’s up.” The doctor smiles as he walks in the room. “The surgery went well.” He frowns at my monitor.
“Is she reacting to the anesthetic?” Oscar asks.
The doctor shakes his head. “No. How are you feeling, Scarlet?”
My gaze returns to Nellie. Theo is going to kill her. He’s going to find out, and he’s going to kill her and Harold too. I continue to stare at her until she begins to squirm in the chair.
“I’m scared.”
Nellie’s brow furrows, and if I could drag my gaze away from her, I imagine both the doctor and Oscar have the same look of confusion.
