by Sable Hunter
“Well, good morning to you, sunshine.” Hattie was all smiles when she caught a timid Angelina standing in the doorway to the kitchen. “Don’t be shy, come sit down. I didn’t make all this food for myself.”
Sitting on the kitchen island was a plate piled high with scrambled eggs, another with toast, and Hattie was just draining the grease out of her frying pan. A pitcher of orange juice and a basket of bananas and other fresh fruit sat in the middle of all the plates.
“Good gracious. Is this how you people eat all the time? I’d weigh three hundred pounds!”
“Nonsense, your body is a machine. You need fuel to keep it going.” Hattie was already filling a plate. “Sit down. I’ll bring you a plate.”
Of course, Angelina understood the mechanics of nutrition. “Okay, not much though.” Like many others, she’d been conditioned to think of food as something she should deprive herself of when possible. “Thank you for the meal last night, Hattie. The apple pie was the best I’ve ever eaten in my life. It was better than sex.”
“You must be having the wrong kind of sex.” Hattie slathered her toast with butter.” When Angelina noticed, she shrugged. “I love butter.” She smiled. “As for the pie, the pleasure was all mine. I love to cook, so don’t give it a second thought.”
“Would you mind giving me your recipe?”
The older woman’s face lit-up. “Not at all. The boy loves comfort food. If you want, I’ll teach you to make his favorite desserts. He loves pudding. Chocolate pudding. Bread pudding. Rice pudding. If he ever calls you pudding, watch out.”
Soon, the two women were laughing and talking as they enjoyed Hattie’s cooking. Angelina was having such a good time, she never once thought about her problems.
…At Drew’s office, he sat at his desk with the results of Angelina’s lab work spread in front of him. Holding the phone to his ear, he was ready to get some answers. “Yes, I’m calling in regard to some patients you treated recently, Dr. Baez.” He gave him the names of the eight women who’d been kidnapped along with Angelina.
“What interest do you have in these women, Dr. Haley?”
“I’m treating another woman who was involved in the same incident as your patients. I was told by a government official that you would be made aware I wished to confer with you on the matter.” Drew kept his professional demeanor, but he couldn’t help feeling a bit peeved.
“Of course, I apologize, Dr. Haley. I was informed. My waiting room is full of patients and my nurse was in a fender bender this morning. Needless to say, it’s been chaos around here.”
“No need to apologize. I understand fully. Now about these women. I haven’t seen the reports yet, but the woman I am treating was given a powerful drug.”
“Rohypnol.”
“The date rape drug?” Drew sat up in his chair.
“Yes. The women under my care tested high for levels of Rohypnol in their system. I can only assume your patient did as well.”
“Well that’s the odd thing. She didn’t have a trace of it in her. One of the drugs I’ve identified in my patient’s system is Flibanserin.” There was silence on the other end. “Hello?”
“I’m sorry. I’ve heard of the drug, of course. In its commercial form, Flibanserin is lauded at the female Viagra, I believe.”
“That’s correct.”
“I don’t know much about it aside from that, it seems an odd drug of choice. The women in my care seem to think they were to be sold in human trafficking. The Rohypnol would have rendered them helpless and easier to handle. What would have been the purpose of the Flibanserin?”
“I can only surmise their intent was torture. They were trying to get her to submit to their demand for information and cooperation. According to my patient, who is a Dr. herself, she was given an unusually high dosage of the drug several times.”
“Damn, if that’s the case, she would have suffered a great deal. As men, you and I know that natural unanswered desire over a long period can be somewhat painful. If she was given a drug that would chemically enhance any natural inclination to a level where arousal caused pain and she was unable to control her feelings, the toll on her body would have been incredible.”
Drew gritted his teeth, he wanted to pound his fist on the desk.
“Has the drug worked its way out of her system yet, Dr. Haley?”
“We’ve done numerous saline flushes and it has been a while, but no, she is still experiencing symptoms.” He looked at Angelina’s file, trying to make sense of what he was seeing. Maybe, he needed help. After all, he was only a GP.
“Perhaps other substances were involved. She was taken by terrorists, right?”
“Yes, that’s correct.” He was amazed at how calmly they were discussing something so terrible.
“They could have used some synthetic chemical to enhance the Flibanserin. Something to enhance the properties and perhaps bond the drug to her in some way? If so, that would be quite evil.”
“Evil perfectly describes these monsters, Dr. Baez. The personification of it. Well, I thank you for your help, doctor. If I find anything out for sure, I’ll be in touch.”
The phone was back down on the cradle before Baez had a chance to say goodbye.
He searched the internet and made a few more calls. Drew Haley was a good doctor, but he was a small town general practitioner and his professional circle of friends wasn’t as wide as other’s in his field might be. A great deal of the knowledge he gained came from online research and the textbooks he had in his home. None of Matthew Haley’s old books were going to be of much help to him. In many ways, most of the books he had were outdated in the area of synthetic drugs. So, Drew pulled up his browser and set himself to studying Angelina’s lab workups and turning himself into an expert on Flibanserin as fast as he could.
From what he could find online and looking at her file, something didn’t add up and Drew was worried. A glance at his watch told him it was time to get home to see Angelina. He had a theory about where the drug was hiding and he wanted to share his theory with her.
On the way out, he also planned to stop and talk to the men Rafe had hired to watch the house. He was sure they’d contact him if they saw anything suspicious, but he just wanted to make sure.
…Back at Palo Gaucho Ranch.
“Can I help?” Angelina asked as she saw Hattie doing laundry. She had no intention of being a freeloader. “I made my bed this morning, so that’s one less thing to do.”
Hattie patted her on the arm. “Thank you, sweetie, but I can manage. Drew wants your only job to be getting rest and recovering. He cares about you, you know.”
Angelina’s entire face brightened. “He does?”
Hattie quickly realized she might’ve said a bit too much. “Sure, he cares about all of his patients.”
“Oh.” Angelina felt the wind go out of her sails. “Yes, he does.”
“Look, you go rest on the couch. There are magazines in there and a TV if you get bored. Drew will be home around noon.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
Angelina had taken the advice which she could tell was more of an order. She spent the better part of an hour flipping through back issues of Hattie’s People magazines and marveling at all the things she had no desire to know. When she ran out of print to leaf through, she felt like she knew Taylor Swift personally.
“I have to run out for a bit,” Hattie called just as Angelina had found a comfortable way to recline on the couch.
Angelina sat up and stretched her arms over her head. “Do you need any help?” Hattie gave her a sideways look. “I know, I know. My job is to rest and recover.” She waved goodbye. “Oh wait. Hattie!” She raced out of the room to catch the woman before she left. “Is there a phone in the house I can use?”
“Sure, upstairs in Drew’s office. Don’t mind the mess on his desk, he refuses to let me clean or organize it for him.”
Angelina stood in the doorway, waving as Hattie drove by in her little blue sed
an. Watching the car disappear out of sight, Angelina couldn’t help but wonder what was next for her. Where did she go from here? She didn’t know how much her boss at the lab had been told. They’d been good to her at the research center and Angelina wished she could go back to work there, but she didn’t think she could. Maybe someday she could face it again, but not yet.
The phone call to Dr. Hao was painful. She left out the more intense and embarrassing details of course, but she told him enough to let him know the turmoil she existed in. At least she was able to assure him that she’d protected their secrets, but Angelina would never tell him just how high the price had been to do so.
Hanging up the phone she looked at the random papers spread across the wooden surface. Drew’s messy desk was the perfect metaphor for the way she felt. Disorganized, lost, and unsure of what the future held. Before the abduction, Angelina lived a life of learning, immersing herself in her research. She’d stayed busy, too focused on her small world to be aware of the limitations of her life. Now, there was no denying the truth, Angelina was afraid of everyone and everything. “You have no control anymore,” Angelina whispered, falling into the chair behind Drew’s desk.
Weeping into her hands, she leaned over the desk. A sudden rush of anger flooded her heart and Angelina ran an arm across the desktop, pushing papers across the edge and onto the floor, her lips pulled back in a snarl that bared her teeth.
“AHHHHHHHHHHH!!!” She screamed in frustration at the top of her lungs.
Her rage dissipated quickly when she saw the mess she’d made. “Oh, no.” Her actions were to her host’s personal space and private things. “Get hold of yourself, Angelina,” she chastised herself as she gathered Drew’s papers from the floor and placed them back on the desk. “You aren’t a victim. What happened to you was regrettable, but you are strong. It’s time to get your life in order.” The words coming out of her mouth sounded good, but she didn’t know if she believed them. “Prove it. Prove that you are strong. Take back some control, coward. Do something!”
Her wallet had been left behind in Yemen and as silly as it seemed to her after the hell she’d been through, Angelina knew she was wide open to losing everything, even having her identity stolen. Focusing herself through the fear and anger, she set out to contact her credit card company, her bank, and every other institution she could possibly think of. There was a local branch of her bank and after explaining her situation to the manager, he promised to send a courier over the next day with some cash and courtesy checks. She even went so far as to update her library card just to feel the power of doing something positive. When all of that was done, she felt better.
Well, not entirely better.
One thing had been eating at her as she made calls, one thing that she avoided thinking about. Her driver’s license and other pieces of ID had been in her bag and they all had her address on them.
“They’re all dead,” Angelina reassured herself, trying her best to keep the fear monster at bay. “Nobody is after you. Stop being so paranoid.”
What she needed was a distraction, something shiny to get her attention off the tricks her brain was playing on her. Pushing away from the desk, Angelina rose and began looking around the room. Behind Drew’s desk was a gallery of plaques and framed items under glass. Drew’s degree was front and center, sitting in a light brown frame, there wasn’t a spot of dust on it. In her short dealings with Hattie, Angelina could see how proud she was of the man, she spoke nothing but good things about him, even referring to Drew as her unofficial son this morning when she was loading the dishwasher after breakfast.
All around his degree, there were framed photos. In one picture, Drew was accepting a pie from a group of young girls at a fair. They were looking at him with worshipful eyes. She understood the feeling. Walking around the room, Angelina read the plaques Drew had been awarded by a whole host of local clubs for everything from his volunteer work, to his raising of cattle, to his prowess in the rodeo arena. One frame even housed a crayon drawing of a stick figure Drew with a stethoscope around his neck and the sun off in the distance. “To: Doctor Drew. Thanks for being the best doctor ever. From: Milly.” Angelina’s heart swelled at how adorable the picture was, little Milly clearly loved her doctor. No, there was no doubt, Drew was an important man in this town and very much loved. Angelina pictured herself living here with him, her working in the kitchen, whipping up dinner for her hungry man after he’d spent a long day looking after his friends and neighbors. She swore she’d learn how to make parsnips so good that Drew would plant a whole patch of them in his garden.
Oh, who was she kidding?
Drew Haley was out of her league, he would never want her, no matter how proficient she became in the preparation of root vegetables.
“Angel! You here?”
Angelina heard Drew’s calling voice. “Angel?” She moved out into the hallway. “I’m up here.”
Drew came up the steps a moment later. “Hey.”
“As nicknames go, Angel is pretty good. I’m just not sure I can live up to the hype,” she teased him.
Drew removed his Stetson and looked down at the floor briefly. “Sorry. I love your name. For a minute there, it felt like coming home to a…” He stopped abruptly before he said the W word. Wife! He cleared his throat. “Excuse me.” Wow, he’d have to think about that later. To cover up his near slip, he changed the subject abruptly. “I came up here to tell you that the drug you were given was synthetic. I was able to get in touch with a doctor who’s treating some of the other women. Unfortunately, he wasn’t a great deal of help, it seems none of his patients were given the same substance you were.”
“Gee, I guess I was special.”
“I’m sorry, but it seems you were. I have a theory about why it seems to be affecting you the way it is. We need to run some tests to see if I’m right.”
Angelina was thankful he didn’t know how it was affecting her at the moment. His nearness, his scent, even that messy hair of his was causing her nerve endings to fire off like sparklers.
As if they were communicating telepathically, Drew smoothed down his unruly mane with a big hand. “If you’d be willing, I’d like to take you to the clinic to run a few tests and an MRI.”
Angelina hesitated. It was true she felt better than she had at first, not quite so vulnerable, not so hunted. Still, she’d prefer the sordid details weren’t bandied about. “Will anyone have to know?”
“No, not necessarily. Although, I think it would be wise to get Virginia involved. She’s amazing. She’s the one I’m recommending take over your case.”
Oh, right. He wanted to distance himself from her. How could she have forgotten? “Sure, I’ll go whenever you say.” Angelina wondered if he was involved with the amazing Virginia. “The quicker we get some answers, the quicker I’m out of your hair.”
“Great, we can go now. Unless you’re hungry. We could eat first.”
Angelina moved past him toward her room to retrieve a sweater. “Hungry? No, I couldn’t eat a thing. Let’s go now.”
He watched her go. Did he make her mad? Sometimes he didn’t speak the female language very well.
Outside at his truck, Angelina didn’t wait for Drew to be a gentleman, she just bounded in. Well, maybe she was excited at the prospect of making headway. When he glanced at her, he could read nothing. Her face was placid and serene, only her dark blue eyes hinted at any disquiet. Pulling out on the road, he waved to the man parked at the driveway. Drew had learned his name was Curt Mansfield. “If you feel up to it, Angelina. I want you to review the results. With your field of expertise, you’ll probably know more about it than I will.”
“Of course, thank you for offering.” She counted to fifty, trying to corral her traitorous body into some semblance of order.
They drove the next few miles in silence. Angelina was calming down, she didn’t really know why she’d gotten so upset. He’d told her he wanted to find her another doctor and she’d even
demanded a new one. What did she expect? Of course, all of that had happened before they’d spent much time together. She’d thought things were different, maybe they weren’t. Taking some deep, calming breaths, she watched out the window. When they came alongside a patch of bluebonnets and Indian paintbrush, she couldn’t help but exclaim, “Oh, look. Those are so beautiful.”
Looking to see what had drawn such a reaction from his lovely passenger, Drew followed her gaze and saw a patch of wildflowers of all colors blanketing the side of the road. Making a quick decision, he pulled off onto the gravel shoulder, kicking up a cloud of dust and the ire of the car behind him. “Hang on.”
When he came to a stop and jumped from the cab, she couldn’t help but call out the window. “What are you doing?”
Drew picked a big bouquet and returned to the vehicle. “Here you go, beautiful flowers for a beautiful lady.”
Angelina took them, a shy smile blooming on her face. No man had ever given her flowers before and her heart melted. “Thank you, I love them.” She clasped the flowers close to her heart, her previous displeasure fading away. “These are my first flowers, I hope we get home before they wilt so I can put them in some water.”
Her joy over the simple bouquet tugged at his heart. “You should have flowers every day. I bet I can find a vase at the clinic for you to put them in and I can always stop on the way home if you want more.”
“Thank you, Drew.” A tinge of panic added to her already jangled nerves. If she wasn’t careful, she could easily fall in love with this man.
When they arrived at the rural clinic, Angelina was surprised to see how modern and well-kept it looked. Reading her expression, he chuckled. “Redlands may be a small town, but my father was insistent we have adequate medical care. He made sure the place was funded and I’ve tried to keep up the tradition.”