I considered for a moment then turned to him. "Jane is the most probable. She's had it in for me ever since I got here, and I don't know why."
Bradley grimaced a little bit, but smoothed over his expression so fast I might have imagined it. "Yes, I thought of Jane, but she has an alibi."
"Benny?"
"Yes."
"And you believed that?"
He rubbed at his temples. "Of course not, but I checked them both and neither of them had any marks on them. There is no evidence to suggest their involvement, so there is nothing I can do."
I frowned at him. "There is something you're not telling me."
He sighed and walked over to the window. He placed his hand on the glass and looked out over what I assumed were the grounds. I could only see some mountains in the distance, but they were mountains I recognized, so I knew we were facing north. After a minute of silence he turned to me.
"Jane and I were dating. Before you got here."
It felt like my world had collapsed. Like I had taken a step back from my body and was watching from outside. My body felt hollow. "You dated her?"
"Yes."
"When?"
"A long time ago." He shook his head. "About a year."
"What happened?"
"I got promoted."
My mouth dropped open. "You're telling me you dumped her because you got promoted?"
He spun on the spot to look at me and raised his arms in front of him. "I had to! It was a great opportunity. She understood."
"What do you mean 'understood'?"
Bradley gave a shrug. "I mean she accepted it. I explained the situation and she was fine with it. She was even happy for me."
I felt sick. "You're lying."
"No, I'm not." I might have believed him if he were able to meet my eyes.
"Then you're not telling the full truth. Tell me what happened."
Bradley sighed and turned back to the window. "I told her… I told her that we…" He swallowed hard. "I said we would get back together once I wasn't her superior officer any more. If either she got promoted, or our training was over and we went into field work, we would be together again."
I felt like I had taken a step back from my body. Everything looked the same, but it felt like everything around me was huge and about to crush me.
"So she was waiting for you." I closed my eyes. "And then…"
"Yeah." He let out a sigh. "And then you."
It didn't feel real. I couldn't believe what he had told me. It all made sense now. Jane was under the impression they would get together again, but when I came along Bradley forgot about her and turned to me. For all intents and purposes, I stole her boyfriend. The technicalities didn't matter, all that mattered is that's what she believed. I couldn't look at Bradley. He had led her on and then discarded her the moment it suited him. How could I be sure he wouldn't to the same to me?
"I think I want to be alone for a while."
"Look, Alex—"
"No." I opened my eyes and stared at him. "Just let me think about this for a while, okay?"
A few seconds passed in silence before he walk out of the room and closed the door behind him.
I wasn't sure how to react to this. Our last week together had been so happy. I had thought we had been getting to know one another. How many other secrets did he have? How could I trust anything he said again? There was a small knock on the door and it opened a crack. I looked up to see half of Sarah's face.
"Care for a visitor?"
I smiled at her and nodded, then winced at the pain in my head. Sarah frowned and rushed over to me, throwing her arms around me and bursting into tears. "I'm so sorry!"
I winced at the pain from her squeezing me, but I lifted my own arm to drape around her anyway. I could use the comfort. "Sorry? For what?"
"It was all my fault. I should have been with you."
I pushed her back and looked into her eyes. "You listen to me. This is not your fault, okay? It's Jane's and Jane's alone."
"So it was her then?"
I grimaced. "To be honest I can't remember. I don't have any memories after arriving at the clearing. I shouldn't put the blame on her if I'm not sure, but after what Bradley just told me I'm putting my money on her being responsible."
Her eyes narrowed. "What he told you?"
I sighed and explained to her what he had told me after I woke. By the end her mouth was open wide.
"I can't believe it!"
"You didn't know?"
Sarah shook her head. "No, Bradley was an officer when I got here. I had no idea. No wonder she has it in for you."
I sighed and nodded. "It sucks, it's nothing I did, yet I understand her feelings."
Sarah frowned and gestured toward me. "It doesn't excuse this though."
"No it doesn't, but like I said I don't want to make accusations when I'm not sure of anything."
"So what happens now?"
I shrugged. "Nothing I suppose. With no evidence there is nothing that anyone can do. I'll just have to be more careful."
Sarah frowned and shook her head. "I don't like it." After a few moments she gave a sigh. "But I guess there's nothing else we can do. How do you feel?"
I gave her a smile. "Like a donkey kicked me in the head."
Sarah's eyes widened. "Oh. Right. Pills."
I frowned as she leaned over my bed and picked up a small cup with pills. I tossed them back, and after a couple of minutes felt them start to kick in. They started to mute the pain in my head, but it was still there. Sarah filled my cup of water back up again, but instead of gulping it down again I took smaller sips. I didn't want to throw up the pills by drinking too much water.
I put the cup down and turned back to Sarah. "Bradley gave me a run-down of the damage before, and from what he says it sounds like I got off pretty light."
"Pretty light?" She frowned. "What did he say?"
I shrugged. "Just concussion, fractured ankle, and frostbite."
Sarah pushed air from her nose in a humorless laugh. "A concussion? I wish. When you came in here you had severe swelling and tissue damage on the surface of your brain. The doctor drilled a hole into your head to relieve the pressure."
My hand jumped up to my head to feel for the hole. There was nothing but bandages.
Sarah pulled my hand away. "Their magic injection fixed the skin, but Vorboyov said it would take a week or so for the bone to heal as long as you keep taking your pills. Same for your frostbite."
I raised an eyebrow at her. "Magic?"
She put her hands on her hips. "Can you explain how it works?" I shook my head. "I didn't think so. Magic."
"Okay, okay. Any idea why can't I remember anything?"
Sarah gave a shrug. "Vorboyov said it might happen. Something about the the differences between short term memory and long term memory. The damaged tissue would cause your short to disappear before it could write to the long? Does that sound right? I don't know all the technicalities, but I do remember he said your brain was fine now. No damage aside from the memory loss. You will have headaches for a few weeks while your brain gets used to the new tissue though. There are a different set of pills for those that you need to take once a week for a month."
I nodded and considered her words. I almost couldn't believe I had come that close to dying. I wished I could remember more than anything so I could get Jane punished. If it even was Jane. She was the most likely, but could I be certain? No, I couldn't. I sighed.
I tried to lift myself up on the bed and felt a shock of pain run down my leg, causing me to cry out in pain. Sarah winced and helped me up into a sitting position. I pulled the sheet away to reveal my leg in a brace.
She nodded at my leg. "Three weeks. After that you can start on light training again."
I shook my head. "This will put me so far behind."
Sarah laughed. "I knew you would say something like that."
I looked around the room at all the devices and medical gear, and
frowned.
"What's wrong?"
"This level of health care. It's amazing. I almost died, have damaged brain tissue, a hole in my head, frostbite, and a broken ankle--and it will all be gone in a few weeks? Why isn't this available everywhere?"
Sarah shrugged. "It's expensive."
"How expensive?"
"How would I know?"
I sighed and shook my head. "Never mind now. Let's go see the doctor."
"Are you sure you're up for it? Maybe you should stay in bed for a while."
I nodded toward the wooden devices in the corner. "Just do me a favor and go and grab those crutches over there." I assumed Bradley must have left them there for me. He would've known I wouldn't have wanted to stay in bed. I frowned again at the thought of him, and pushed it out of my mind for a later date.
I pushed myself up onto the crutches with a little effort and a lot of cursing. Each bump made my head feel like it was going to pop. After I gave them a test run around the room and got into a rhythm it wasn't so bad. I nodded to Sarah and she opened the door for me.
We left the room and I followed Sarah down the hallway. Now that I was up I could see we were in the east wing of the mansion, a couple of floors below the one I stayed in on my first few days here. Sarah opened a door across from the elevator and the two of us entered what looked like an office. Sitting behind the desk was Doctor Vorboyov.
"Ah, my favourite patient! Good to see you up and about."
I sighed and looked up into the eyes of the man who put me through some of the worst experiences in my short life. I felt like sandpaper trying to force out the words. "Thanks for saving my life."
He gave his usual grin. "Do not mention it, my dear!"
"I have some questions about the medicine that you used to cure me."
"Oh? Interested in the hows and whys are we?"
I gave a nod. "Yes, insofar as why it isn't available everywhere."
The doctors grin fell from his face and he looked at me with a frown. "Well that is a supply issue. Not my area I'm afraid."
"What do you mean?"
"I have synthesized as much as I can, but the materials do not come in as often as I would like. If I could make more I would. It requires quite specialized ingredients to work, and most of them aren't available in this country."
"Where do they come from?"
Vorboyov waved his hands in dismissal. "You would have to talk to Sergeant Peterson. I don't know much about the operatives missions."
I frowned. Operatives brought in the supplies needed? If so, that meant places we were at war with. I had to learn more about it.
"Thanks for your help." I turned to leave, but paused at the threshold. "And thanks again for saving me."
"Dobro pozhalovat." At my look he translated. "You are welcome."
I nodded and turned from the room.
Sarah stood beside me as we waited for the elevator. "So let me guess. You want to know more about the operations stuff?"
I looked over to her. "You bet."
She sighed. "I guess rest will have to wait."
I nodded and stepped into the elevator. I wanted to know more about this medicine, and if Gus was the person I had to talk to then that's where we were headed. We made our way to the reception area and asked one of the ladies there about Gus.
"He's away until tomorrow."
I sighed and turned to Sarah. "Well I guess we will have to wait after all."
TWENTY-FIVE
When I awoke it was earlier than when I had gone to bed, and I realized I had slept all through the previous day and night. On the bedside table there was a glass of water and some more pills. I smiled up at the snoring above me and swallowed the pills, resting my head against the wall as I waited for them to kick in. When my head stopped pounding I lifted myself from the bed, careful not to put any pressure on my ankle.
I peeked up at Sarah but she was sound asleep. A quick check of the clock on the wall told me it was still six in the morning. I frowned as I looked at her sleeping form. How much sleep had she gotten over those few days she had watched over me? Sarah wasn't the type to sleep past the sun rising. I crept out of the room, fumbing with my crutches, and made my way over to the door. If she was still asleep now she must have needed it, and after all she'd done for me it wouldn't do to wake her. I closed the door with a soft click.
As it was a Sunday there weren't many people up at this hour, so I made my way to the showers to clean myself off. I had been lying in a bed for a few days now, and wasn't quite as fresh as I liked to be. It was my lucky day it seemed, because the showers were empty.
Using my crutches to push, I managed to get one of the plastic chairs from the locker room into the shower stall so that I could sit. I undressed, aside from the plastic brace that was holding my ankle in place, and turned the taps. I relished the feel of the water running over my skin.
Ten minutes later I finished up in the shower and got myself dry. It took about five minutes to get dressed again, and I was just pulling on my shirt when I heard the locker room door open.
I turned my head at the noise, but no-one came around into the shower area right away. I could hear the sounds of a locker opening, and pushed myself up into a standing position and on my crutches. I froze when she came around the wall that divided the locker room and the showers.
Jane.
She was wearing nothing but a towel, as most girls aside from me did in the shower block. The two of us stared at each other for a few moments without doing anything. I watched as her eyes ran over my body, pausing on my braced leg. Her head spun to look at the exit to the behind her, and then turned back to me.
I swallowed hard. I wasn't sure if she was the one who hurt me, but knowing what I know now about her history with Bradley I would have put my money on it. Even if it wasn't her, she had never been the kind of person I wanted to turn my back on. I wasn't in a position to defend myself if she decided to attack. I sucked in the breath to scream as loud as I could the second she made to move toward me and hope against hell that someone would come fast enough.
After a few more tense seconds an odd expression passed over her face that I couldn't read. She cleared her throat and made her way across the room to the shower farthest from me. My heart was thumping hard as my body was in full fight or flight, but she just turned her back to be and started pulling her clothes off. I turned and left, hearing the shower start as I rounded into the locker room. It didn't seem like she wanted to do anything to me at all.
Perhaps we were wrong about her being the one who attacked me?
I shook my head and made my way out of the shower room. There was no point wondering about it now. All I had to do was be vigilant. I made my way across to the mess hall to get some breakfast. One of the staff there was nice enough to carry my tray to the table for me. Once I finished the meal I made my way out of the hall and walked toward the mansion.
The snow was thick on the ground and I had to be careful where I placed my crutches, but for the most part it only slowed my progress a little. I made my way around the side of the mansion and kept going until I reached the front gate. It was a long walk, and I'd not been here since driving through the gates on my way into this new life. When I arrived I sat on the small bench that was next to the entrance gate. The guard who controlled the boom gate gave me a confused look, but when I smiled at him he shrugged and went back to his book. I shivered a little in the cold, and tucked my gloved hands into my jacket pockets. I closed my eyes to rest, and waited.
I jumped as someone shook me awake, and my heart started racing. I looked up to see a large shadow looming above me. When I recognized it as Sarah, my heart started to slow.
She gave a wince. "Sorry, I didn't mean to startle you."
"It's alright. I must have fallen asleep again."
Sarah frowned down at me. "You shouldn't be out and about yet. You should be close to a bed."
I shrugged, and Sarah sighed.
"But that just i
sn't you, is it?"
She handed me one of blankets she was holding. I noticed she had another one that she draped around herself as she sat.
I gave her a smile. "Thanks. How did you know I'd be out here?"
"Where else would you be?" she asked with a raised eyebrow. "I knew you wouldn't think about how cold it would be either, so I brought the blankets."
"What would I do without you?"
"Die."
I chuckled at her, and the two of us settled in to wait. It was two hours later that the large black vehicle made its way up to the gate. Gus and one of the other officers were sitting in the front, and someone I didn't recognize was in the back. Judging by the scared look on his face, it was another new recruit. They came in every couple of months, but since our unit was now full I didn't have much to do with any of them. I waved to Gus as the gates opened.
He pulled the car up beside us and look at me with a raised eyebrow. "Happened to you?"
"Table tennis accident."
His mouth twitched. "I take it you want to see me?" I nodded and he gestured at the back seat. "Hop in then."
Sarah and I climbed in and sat next to the scared kid. I winked at him and smiled, and he seemed to soften a bit.
I held out my hand to him. "Alex."
He looked confused at first, but then understanding dawned and he shook my hand. "Justin."
"So you're a newbie, huh?"
He winced and nodded. "Yeah."
"How freaked out are you right now?"
He gave me a small smile. "Only a lot."
I chuckled. "Don't worry, its not that bad here."
He looked down at my leg, then at the bandages wrapped around me head, then back up to me with a skeptical look.
I shook my head. "This wasn't part of the training. This was my own fault."
Sarah coughed from the other side of the car. "I wouldn't say that, but she is a bit of a magnet for trouble."
I stuck out my tongue at her, which caused Justin to laugh. I looked back at him. "Seriously though, this place is pretty neat. It's a solid life to choose if you want to. And hey, if you don't want to, there is no harm in saying no. You hear me?"
The Pulse Series (Book 1): Pulse Page 16