“Get the fuck off me—”
Doors slamming; alarms screaming; impatience rising; the smell of antiseptic; the whirr of a curtain closing; confusion; irritation; stabs of pain; the clatter of steel instruments—
I open my eyes.
“It’s not clear what’s causing this reaction,” one medic argues with another. “She might benefit from a tranquilizer—”
There’s too much chaos.
“Why won’t you do anything?” James shouts at me. “Say something—make them stop—”
Rosabelle’s eyes are nearly closed. Her lips are parted, her chest rising and falling too quickly as she strains for breath. Her body is rocked by tremors. She’s nearly insensate; her fear is losing its shape, having grown beyond the bounds of her body. Panic has devoured her.
“General? We need your approval to sedate her—”
James breaks violently away from the soldiers, leaving at least two of them doubled over in pain. He turns in a wide arc, finding my eyes across the room, and aims his frenetic agitation in my direction.
“Don’t let them sedate her,” he cries. “If she goes under she might not resurface again—”
“Blood oxygen levels at eighty-eight percent!”
“She’s not in control of her mind,” argues the medic. “She’s in severe distress and she needs assistance—”
Four soldiers tackle James again, forcing him away from Rosabelle, and he swears in anger.
“She’s not crazy,” he yells as he’s dragged backward. “There’s nothing wrong with her mind! She’s just scared—”
“General.” Kazemi again. She’s standing close to me now. “If we don’t get the patient stabilized she could go into cardiac arrest. We need to make a decision before it’s too late.”
“Rosabelle,” James cries angrily. “Rosabelle, can you hear me?”
At the sound of her name, her eyes widen.
Remarkable.
“Rosabelle, I’m still here—”
“General—”
“No,” I say. Then, to the soldiers: “Let him go.”
They release James, but with palpable confusion. He bolts forward and I hold up a hand to stop him. “Wait.”
“What?” James is flushed; breathing hard. “Why?”
I take a step toward the girl.
The crowd parts before me, giving me a clear path. “I want everyone but James to leave the room.”
There’s a moment of uncertain quiet among the voices, alarms still blaring. A spate of disbelief, anger, and disappointment is leveled in my direction.
“General, are you sure—”
I lift my head. “Everyone out. Now.”
Another half second of hesitation, and the reluctant crowd disperses nearly at once. The door slams closed behind them. James rushes to her bedside.
His fear is quieting.
