He looked over his shoulder at the two men accompanying him. “I don’t believe your services will be needed,” he told them. “I will handle the patient myself. You may wait in the cab.”
The two men shared a look with each other and left.
“So.” The doctor turned back to Sylvain. “As I was saying. Your sister is not simply another patient. She is someone very important to me. I will do my utmost to bring her back to health.”
“Funny,” Sylvain said drily. “Those were the same assurances you made at the start of our agreement.”
“Have I failed yet?” The doctor peered up at Sylvain. “This is not an easy matter. Progress must be measured in months. Not weeks, and certainly not days.”
Sylvain slowed. “You don’t need to belittle me,” he said. “Those nurses with you. Why bring them? I heard Bianca. She’s willing to go. Although…” he lowered his tone and made it dangerous. “She believes it to be a vacation.”
“And so it will be.” Doctor Patterson patted Sylvain’s arm affectionately. “It is, to be honest, in everybody’s best interest to remove Bianca from this estate. The castle holds dark associations for her. Her demons, as she calls them, all spawn from here.”
“When I arrived,” Sylvain said, “she had clear boundaries on where she would and would not go.”
The doctor clapped his hands. “And those have been eliminated!” he told him. “I consider that, already, a grand success. Don’t you agree?”
Sylvain thought back to how he’d found Bianca in the tub. He could not say he did.
“If they persisted,” the doctor continued, “We would find today’s extraction to be quite impossible. This way, it is done under her own will. And a patient’s cooperation is always for the best.”
“I want assurances,” Sylvain said. “That you will be her primary doctor. I will go with you to the facility tomorrow. You will introduce me to all the staff. I want you to screen each one who interacts with Bianca, personally.”
Doctor Patterson hesitated. “I’m afraid…” he wrung his hands together. “I’m afraid that won’t be possible.”
“What?” Sylvain scowled. “Why the hell not? It is a private facility. Money rules. I’ll pay off whoever I need to, to see it done.”
The doctor cleared his throat. “I think…” he began, “…that some of my colleagues might take offense at such a blunt approach.”
“I don’t care. I want it done.”
“You are not master of everything, Mr. Alastair.” Sylvain looked at the man wayward. He did not like that term—‘Master’. “Unfortunately, your money, however generously given out, only goes so far.”
“Listen, man,” Sylvain growled. He stepped right into the doctor’s personal space. “I’ll buy the whole damn facility if I need to. But the only way my sister goes there is if I screen the nurses. One…” he narrowed his eyes, “by one.”
The doctor swallowed.
Sylvain knew he could cast an intimidating figure when needed.
Doctor Patterson tugged on the collar of his shirt. “I’ll see what I can do,” he said.
“You’d better. For now? Tell your men to go home. Bianca is not leaving until you take me through a tour of the facility.” He turned away. “We will do that tomorrow morning.”
Chapter Fourteen
Bianca’s disappointment at not leaving for her “vacation” right away was immediately overshadowed by her sudden joy at seeing Doctor Patterson again.
The two retreated to her chambers in short order, leaving Sylvain alone with Leila and his father.
His father chuckled when he learned what Sylvain had done “You are as weak as your mother, then, boy,” he sneered. “Leila?” he asked. “Help me to my room.”
She exchanged a look with Sylvain. This was the first time his father had asked her to do something for him in Sylvain’s presence.
Sylvain gave a curt nod. “Be quick,” he said.
They left, and Sylvain wondered for a long time if he was doing the right thing.
**
The tour of the facility lasted half the day.
Sylvain was impressed. It was nothing like he’d imagined. Maybe his mind was being darkened by those years in prison. Maybe that was why he assumed this would be similar.
It was not. The rooms were posh and spacious. The amenities were spectacular. The land it sat on was vast and surrounded by swaths of trees and forest.
The woods hid the distant fence so well that Sylvain could even forget, for a few moments, the feeling of being boxed in.
The illusion of freedom was staggering.
He walked beside Doctor Patterson as the other man explained all the programs available for Bianca. He spoke of the way he hoped treatment would progress and his prognosis for her rate of recovery.
“You have to understand one thing, Mr. Alastair,” he told him. “We are hoping to reverse years of psychological damage. The path will not be easy. Like the episode a few nights ago—which would never have happened were she here, might I add—there are going to be speed bumps. We will encounter difficulties. But I will do everything in my power to turn your sister in a fully-functional, beautiful young woman who is capable of standing on her own in regular society.”
“Beautiful?” Sylvain asked. His voice held a threatening quality.
The doctor chuckled. “Of course. Neither of us are blind, we both can see who your sister might become. It is that potential that excites me so.”
Sylvain said nothing. The comment sat with him the wrong way.
“And you have my full assurances that she'll be under the strictest supervision at all times of the day.” Doctor Patterson pointed to a gargoyle nesting on the building’s roof. “The creatures have eyes.”
“Cameras,” Sylvain murmured.
“Everything is on closed-circuit recording, yes,” the doctor said. “Accessible only to staff with the highest privileges.”
“Splendid,” Sylvain said.
They walked for a time in silence.
“The progress reports will continue, as we’ve already initiated?” Sylvain asked.
“Of course. That was never cause for question.”
Sylvain nodded. Yes, I can leave Bianca here, he thought. But only if—
“Big brother!” came the sudden yell from across the yard.
Sylvain turned to the noise. Bianca was running across to him, a braid of flowers in her hair.
Leila jogged after her.
They both stopped a few feet away. Bianca leapt forward and took Sylvain’s hands. She spun around with him, hanging onto his arms like a little girl. Her blue sundress flowed around her knees, and she laughed and laughed and laughed.
“I love it here!” she exclaimed, when they finally stopped. “Can I stay? Oh, can I, can I, can I?” She bounced over to Doctor Patterson and hooked her arm through his elbow. “Doctor Patterson is my best friend in the entire world!”
Sylvain smiled. Bianca’s enthusiasm was contagious.
Sylvain motioned for Leila to come closer. He put an arm around her waist and pulled her in.
She gave a tiny gasp of surprise. A moment later, her face took on the happiest, most content expression Sylvain had ever seen.
For a brief, ephemeral second, everything felt perfect. Sylvain was content. The sun was bright overhead, the sky was clear, and all the foliage was deliciously green. Sylvain had Leila, and Bianca had someone who wasn’t him.
Maybe this really was all for the best.
“You really do want to stay?” Sylvain asked.
Bianca nodded eagerly. “Oh yes!” She paused for a second, then turned to Doctor Patterson and whispered something in his ear.
His eyebrows went up. Then he nodded, and said, “Yes, yes, go ahead.”
Bianca went running off.
Sylvain looked at the doctor. “What did she say?”
“Astonishing,” he muttered. He adjusted his spectacles. “She told me that the moment we crossed over onto
the threshold of these grounds, the demons trailing her disappeared.”
Sylvain felt a flutter of shock. “Truly?” he asked.
The doctor nodded.
Leila tugged on his arm. “This place seems perfect for her,” she said. “You saw how happy she was. What do you say, Sylvain?”
Sylvain thought about it a moment longer. “I say that the decision still lies with my father,” he told them. “But he has my consent.”
**
The first thing Sylvain wanted to do after leaving Bianca at the residence was go to a lawyer and get his father to sign over guardianship of Bianca to him.
He doubted it would be much of a battle. The old man had himself said that his daughter was “dead.” For him, shuffling her off to a home was probably the best option possible.
Yet Sylvain could not help but feel like he was missing something. His father kept Bianca locked away for so long. Now, he was releasing her, just like that?
No, no, things could not be that simple.
Leila’s pregnancy could not be the only reason.
There had to be something more.
But however long Sylvain thought, he could not see it.
He and Leila arrived back at the castle. Sylvain took the papers from the facility to his father. He signed without quarrel.
Just as Sylvain was closing the door, however, his father added:
“Thank you, son. Were it not for you, my hands would still be shackled.”
A chill passed through Sylvain at the words. His father had never thanked him before.
He could not shake the feeling that there was a hidden meaning there.
Chapter Fifteen
Sylvain retreated to his virtual empire for the remainder of the week. With Bianca gone, and that uneasy feeling eating away at him that he had overlooked something of great importance, it was the only outlet that could ease his mind.
Well. One of the only outlets. He’d gotten quite addicted to the taste and feel of Leila’s delicious little body. When he wasn’t in the basement, along with his stock trading program, he was upstairs, pounding into Leila with all his might.
It was vanilla sex compared to everything he’d experienced with Alicia… but for a time, Sylvain was glad of it. It offered him relief, a release, something he could do without thought or worry. Leila was ever-willing, too… and she definitely enjoyed it as much as he.
Every night, Sylvain got on the phone with Doctor Patterson. They would spend a good hour or more talking. Sylvain was growing to like, and even respect, the man. He felt the start of a budding friendship, a camaraderie, which he had denied himself for a long time.
That first weekend, Doctor Patterson invited Sylvain back to the institution for visiting hours with Bianca. Sylvain agreed. He’d set up all the paperwork with a lawyer in the city necessary for him to sign over legal guardianship of Bianca from his father to him. Stopping by the facility would be only a brief detour.
He asked Leila if she would like to come. He could think of a few private roads on which they could pull over and make use of the spacious car.
But she complained of stomach cramps, so Sylvain left her home.
Alone… but with his father. The old man had not bothered Sylvain once since thanking him. That, in and of itself, was a marvel.
The visit with the lawyer was quick. Sylvain was reminded for a flicker of a moment of Alicia. He’d made love to her in her office once, when he’d walked in to find her working late. That was the first time she’d called him her lover. Ever since, the term of endearment was hers and hers alone.
Casting the memory as far down as he could, he returned to his vehicle and drove the rest of the way to the mental home.
He wasn’t surprised, more curious, to find the parking lot full. Visiting hours were meant for all the families, of course, but Sylvain did not expect it to be so crowded.
He walked inside to find an enormous gathering of people. The nursing staff mingled amongst them. It didn’t take long for Sylvain to pick out Doctor Patterson.
He was by himself.
“Ah, Sylvain,” he said when he saw him. They clasped hands. “I’d introduce you to my family, but they all seem to have scattered.”
“Your wife,” Sylvain said. “Kids?”
“Three of them. Fifteen, twelve, and eight. Quite a handful for the wife, I might add.” He chuckled. “Sometimes I prefer the company of my patients to the ruckus that waits for me at home. If you ask Matilda, I’m sure she’d be of the same opinion.”
“Perhaps another time,” Sylvain said. “Where is my sister?”
“Ah. Oh. About that.” The doctor hesitated. “We had, err, a small issue this morning.”
Sylvain’s eyes hardened. “What sort of issue?”
“Nothing to worry about, nothing at all, I assure you. And nothing we won’t overcome with a few make-up sessions, but…”
“You’re stalling,” Sylvain stated. “Tell me.”
“Well. It was my mistake, really. I judged her ready for the company of other people.” He glanced around the room. “I brought her out here when the first guests started arriving. She was fine until three-quarters of an hour ago. A noise, something, from somewhere, apparently spooked her. She became frightened, agitated. We had to bring her to the quiet room.”
Sylvain did not like the sound of that. “The quiet room?” he repeated.
“Yes,” the doctor nodded. “It’s where we take patients when they require assistance calming down.”
“You locked her in,” Sylvain said. “No. You said you wouldn’t do that. Take me to her. Right now!”
“I’m afraid that’s impossible, my friend.”
“Now!” Sylvain roared. A few people gasped and stared at him.
“Don’t forget that we are at a public gathering,” the doctor said softly. “You would not want to get yourself expelled. Bianca is not the only patient here who can be set off by loud, sudden noises.”
Sylvain cursed under his breath. His control was slipping away again.
“Walk with me,” Doctor Patterson said. “We’ll go somewhere… more private.”
Sylvain followed him out.
“Truth is, Sylvain, I knew how you would react to the news. I did not call you here to goad you. But you must trust that your sister is in most capable hands.”
Sylvain walked without speaking.
“The quiet room was designed for such situations. There’s a timer on the inside that shows Bianca exactly how much time she has left. She knows when she will be let out. It’s a place she can calm herself without being a threat to herself or to others.”
“You made a mistake,” Sylvain said. “And my sister is paying for it. That’s how I see it.”
“Perhaps,” the doctor admitted. “But I did so with the best intentions at heart. I want her to become healthy as soon as possible. If I push the envelope slightly, if I try to speed up our progress…” he shrugged. “I can only see it helping.”
“Until you lock her inside a small room,” Sylvain said darkly.
“But really, is that any worse than what she did to herself while in the castle? You told me she could be lost in her chambers for days at a time. Here, at least, she is being monitored.” He turned to Sylvain. “Would you like to see?”
“See what?”
“The camera feed of the room. I have access.”
Sylvain thought about it, then nodded gruffly.
The doctor led him away.
They came into a dimly lit room. There was a computer desk in the middle, unattended.
Sylvain chuffed. “This is it?”
“Does this area look secure to you? Of course not.” The doctor moved the mouse to wake the system up, then keyed in a code. Sylvain heard a mechanical whir.
A second later, the far wall began to split.
Doctor Patterson smiled. “This is it,” he said.
Sylvain followed him through.
They walked down a bright hall. The wal
ls of the corridor were polished steel. At the end, a guard sat behind a tall glass panel.
Doctor Patterson showed his ID, then brought his face to an iris scanner.
Sylvain watched it all without comment. His mind was working. This was the type of security he needed at the castle.
The blinking red light above the door turned green. Doctor Patterson walked through.
Sylvain glanced at the guard, who did not seem to be bothered by Sylvain’s presence.
He followed the other man inside.
“I have the highest clearance,” Doctor Patterson explained after seeing Sylvain’s questioning look. “I’m allowed to bring others here. My prerogative.”
Sylvain could not say he cared very much for such a glaring security oversight.
There was a wall of monitors in the room with a command console in the middle. Doctor Patterson pulled up the feed to the quiet room.
Sylvain saw his sister, sitting, absolutely still, on the lone bed in the middle of the room. Her arms were wrapped around her in…
“A straight jacket?” Sylvain exclaimed.
“A temporary measure only, I assure you—”
“No,” Sylvain said. “No, I do not like this. I never gave my consent for her to be restrained this way—”
“Unfortunately,” the doctor turned off the screen and turned around. “You did. Rather, her father did, when he signed her over to the facility.”
“I—“
“Can do nothing to change things,” Doctor Patterson smoothly interrupted. “I am doing you a favor here, Sylvain. For the sake of our… friendship.”
“I am paying you,” Sylvain growled. “I know where your loyalties lie.”
The doctor shook his head. “I believe you are mistaken.”
Sylvain’s eyes hardened. “What are you talking about?”
“Have you checked your balances? I haven’t been cashing any of the checks you gave me. I’ve torn each on in two the moment it arrived.”
“What?”
“I wanted to prove that my loyalties truly do lie with your sister. I haven’t taken your money, Sylvain. I have no need for it. My work—” he gestured around the room. “Is here. My life is here. My salary is sufficient enough.”
The Alastair Affair 4: Sylvain Page 5