“Well I guess it’s your turn. Pretty sure you left our girl wanting after your little sneaking around session you pulled earlier,”the man laughed.
“You’re just jealous you didn’t think of it,”the other goaded, a pleased smirk on his face.
I wanted to kill him. No one fucking touched what was mine! No one! Sophia has been and always would be mine!
“Yo, Darren, Porter, can you two stop and help?”A third man chided them.“Fires not getting any more put out with you assholes tapping away.”
“Fuck off, Alden. When areyougoing to man up and tell Sophia how you feel?”The one named Porter nudged him, laughing.
“Not answering that. Let’s go.”
“He’s right, let’s go,”the man named Darren replied, shoving Porter back towards the fire engine.
I couldn’t get the images out of my head of those fuckers touching my Sophia with their unworthy fucking hands. I’d give anything to slit all three of their throats from ear to ear if I got the chance.
For now though, I’d keep my cool. It was only a matter of time before she no longer had to deal with them. It’d just be me and her. Fuck the rest of the world.
You hear that, Sophia?
It’s almost time…
Sophia
I’d been back to work for the last week after the warehouse fire, without a doubt happy to be here and getting back into my work routine. But I still felt relentlessly uneasy, as if I’d turn a corner and this deranged, psychopathic arsonist would be waiting for me. The guys and Alice had tried to convince me to take the full leave I was allotted to heal, but the hospital needed me and I was healed enough to work the hours without too much trouble. The shortage of supplies meant the hospital had to reach out to other suppliers, which was easier said than done. All of the staff were scrambling to find the things we needed to take care of our patients in all areas of the hospital. The burn unit specifically was running dangerously low and that could be detrimental to the people who needed certain things like clean gauze, surgical tape, and other supplies that were important to keep their burns clean and covered.
I needed to be here to help any way I could, so the guys compromised. They requested a security detail to patrol the hospital to protect not only myself but the staff and patients. If the arsonist could burn down our supply warehouse, they could just as easily take out the hospital and all its occupants. There was no telling what he might do next. Since the guys were close with many of the law enforcement officers, several men volunteered to help out for them, trading their normal patrol routes to take turns patrolling here instead.
It made me feel mildly better having an armed officer walking the corridors rather than just our usual security guard who only came supplied with a taser.
But this arsonist meant business and a taser just wouldn’t cut it.
I finished making my next to last set of rounds for the day, giving all the aid and comfort I could during the supply shortage, then slumped into a chair behind the nurses station. I was exhausted both mentally and physically from all the running around and the paranoia rampantly consuming my thoughts.
“You look tired, sweetie,” Alice commented as she walked around the station to perch on the desk.
“I am. I just want this all to be over and for things to go back to normal. It’s too much, Alice.”
She slid over and wrapped an arm around my shoulder, hugging me to her side. I rested my head against her hip and sighed.
“I know, girl. You’ve been through a lot. Hell, we all have. But they’ll catch the bastard; I just know it.”
I nodded, wishing I had that same level of faith she did.
“Why don’t you go down to the cafeteria and get you some coffee. Got a bit before your last set of rounds, and I can watch the ones you already went through in case there’s an emergency,” Alice suggested, patting the side of my head lightly.
“You sure? I should be fine.”
Alice scoffed. “I’m sure. Go. I’ll page you if there’s any issues.”
Not having the energy to really argue with her, I accepted the break she was offering me, standing and checking to make sure my pager was clipped to my scrubs, then headed for the elevators. Once my elevator arrived, I got in and leaned against the wall after pressing the button for the level the cafeteria was on. I watched as the floor numbers counted down, not really focusing as I bit back a yawn that threatened to escape.
When the doors opened, I was met with Officer Wilson waiting for the elevator. He’d been the first to volunteer for the shifts here and was probably coming to relieve Officer Bell for the night.
“Evening, Officer Wilson,” I greeted him with a small smile.
“Hey, Sophia, how are you?” he returned politely.
Shrugging, I replied jokingly, “Exhausted. Such is the life of a nurse though. On my way to caffeine binge.”
