Chapter 34
Shortly after Wednesday fell asleep Gomez and Pugsley returned.
“It’s been arranged,” Gomez said, joining them at Wednesday’s side. He kissed Wednesday’s forehead in the same spot Morticia kissed moments ago. Wednesday let out a soft noise, her face grimacing slightly before relaxing again. “How is she? Any change?”
“Yes, actually. She woke up briefly and went back to sleep just a few minutes ago,” she said.
“Aw, I missed her,” he lamented, brushing the back of his hand against her cheek. “She’s still so warm.”
“At least it’s gone down a little,” Morticia said, glancing at the monitor. Her temperature was currently resting at 103.8, higher than it had been before, but better than it was when they first discovered she was in trouble. It peaked at 105.4, higher than it had ever been which made her fear that there was more sabotage involved than tampering with the equipment. If it went even slightly higher the fever would’ve killed her.
He heaved a weary sigh, “How was she? Is she… the relapse didn’t… It’s still her, right?”
“She remembered us,” Morticia replied and the look of relief on his face was palpable. They had been afraid of how the spike in her fever would affect her brain. It was still a concern, but at least she didn’t revert to forgetting them altogether. “But she was still out of it, confused, afraid.”
“I think she’s remembering more and more of the Mindscape, I mean, it seems to come and go but… she remembers at least part of it,” Enid said quietly, “and she’s starting to understand a little of what happened to her – or at least that something happened to her besides the arrow. She’s aware of the fact she’s… different now.”
“It was hard to watch,” Morticia added, “to see her so scared and knowing that it’s not normally like her to be that way.” When Wednesday quietly asked if she was broken, her weak, hoarse voice sounding so timid and lost, it broke Morticia’s heart all over again. It reawakened her fear that she would never be the same, that her brain damage irrevocably changed her completely, made it feel real. It was almost easier when she didn’t have that awareness.
“But it’s progress,” Gomez said, “It hurts, but it’s progress.”
“You’re right, darling,” Morticia said, unable to keep her voice even, grateful for his more optimistic perspective.
“Cara mia,” he said, opening his arms to her, “come here.”
She melted into his arms and let him hold her and kiss her neck as she fought the urge to cry. She was able to reign it in but indulged in his comforting embrace a little longer. “She was upset, it was hard to witness, but it’s still progress. She’s remembering more and more, but I think it’s a little jumbled in her head, but…she’ll sort it out, in time.”
“And we will help her,” Gomez vowed, “in any way we can.”
“Absolutely,” Morticia forced a smile, looking into his loving eyes. They kissed and she asked, “So, you said you have everything arranged? What’s the plan, darling? Are we getting Wednesday out of here?”
“They all say she’s too sick to move,” Gomez said, “so instead I spoke to those in charge of this hospital and Deputy Santiago was in on the meeting. Everyone who is on her team that has had access to Wednesday the last couple of weeks is fired…”
“Seems drastic when I’m sure most of the people who have been helping her are innocent,” Morticia said, though she approved such extreme measures if it meant keeping Wednesday safe.
“Only fired from treating Wednesday, no one is losing their job.”
“Good.”
“Instead, we will be bringing in doctors and nurses from other hospitals in other states, who are less likely to have any sort of connection to Laurel Gates,” Gomez said, “people of our choosing. Deputy Santiago is running thorough background checks. They won’t know who they are working for until they arrive to minimize the chance of conspiracy. It won’t guarantee her safety 100%, but it will reduce the risk.”
“And in the meantime?”
“Her current team will still be treating her,” he said, “they’re not going to find out about any of this until her new team arrives. We don’t want to let on that we’re planning something, lest they take drastic action while they still can. Deputy Santiago believes that whoever tampered with her monitors, it seems that their intention is not to kill her or they would’ve done it already – easily and without raising suspicion.”
“And yet she almost died in her sleep and if it weren’t for Thing…we wouldn’t have known until it was too late.” She should’ve noticed. How could she have not noticed her daughter was in distress? It didn’t matter that the monitors weren’t working properly, she should’ve noticed. “I don’t want any of them getting anywhere near her.”
Just the thought that someone could’ve so easily murdered Wednesday before their very eyes at any point in the last couple of weeks without appearing suspicious was terrifying. But if Santiago was right and they didn’t want to kill her, at least not yet, then what did they want with her? They used her to raise Crackstone from the dead, did Laurel intend to try again? Was she still of use to them?
“I know, me neither. But she needs care in the interim, and if someone was just waiting for the opportunity to get access to her… it’s best no one knows our plan. Only Deputy Santiago and the top hospital executive staff know.”
“Oh, I hate having to be so cautious and paranoid!” Morticia lamented, biting her nails, a habit she hadn’t had in years. She caught herself and lowered her hands, raising her chin, “Then we watch her and watch them like a hawk. I know it’s not much different than what we have been doing but we need to be more diligent. No one goes near her without our supervision, no one gives her anything without running it by us first. And if anything happens to her… they will face my wrath and it won’t be pretty. I want that to be known.”
“Dad made sure they knew that if any of them betrayed us that they will regret it,” Pugsley chimed in.
She smiled, “You bet they will. And if they’re smart, they will know we mean it.”
“When will this new team get here?” Enid asked.
“Tomorrow,” Gomez replied, “it was the soonest I could arrange it.”
“Thank you so much, darling, for doing this, both of you,” she said, addressing Gomez and Pugsley.
“Any time, my love,” he said, kissing her cheek. He turned his attention to Wednesday, taking her hand. She let out a soft noise, slightly rocking her head towards him, but her eyes remained closed, “Oh my Little Scorpion,” he whispered gently to her, “you need to hurry up and get well, mija. I cannot bear to see you like this, unable to defend yourself. You should be having those who wish you harm at your feet on their knees begging you for mercy, not the other way around.”
Morticia noticed his eyes welling with tears. “Their time will come my darling.”
“Yes,” he agreed, his voice cold and dangerous. He was about to say more but day nurse Lorraine entered and he went silent.
“Pardon the interruption,” Lorraine said with a kind smile, “just checking in. Has she woken up?”
“Briefly,” Morticia said. “She just went back to sleep not too long ago.”
“And how was she? Is her memory any better? Worse?” Lorraine asked, checking her monitors and manually checking her temperature and pulse.
“She still is having issues but she recognizes us more easily now,” Morticia replied, watching her warily. “She says it’s a little jumbled, but I think she’s remembering more and more.”
Lorraine seemed relieved, “Oh good. Her doctor should be by soon to run some tests but her fever has gone down, it seems like her relapse earlier has not caused any serious side effects.”
“That we’re aware of so far…”
“Indeed,” Lorraine conceded, “we’ll know more after her doctor checks on her but her vitals are improving and I have confirmed that what her monitors are showing are accurate.”
“Any news on the investigation regarding the monitors?” Gomez asked.
“Not yet I’m afraid,” Lorraine replied, “they are calibrated on a regular basis. We are trying to see who would’ve calibrated those specific monitors last or see if there is any internal glitch or malfunction…”
“Or sabotage,” Morticia frowned.
“Hopefully not,” Lorraine said, “and it’s very unlikely. I’ve been a nurse for over 25 years and the ICU staff have all been here for at least a few years and are some of the best people I’ve worked with.”
“And yet it’s rather convenient that she would relapse when her monitors were malfunctioning, don’t you think?”
“You’re not suggesting someone on my staff intentionally did something, are you?” Lorraine looked hurt.
“The person who tried to murder my daughter, targeting her specifically, is out there and was not working alone. And Wednesday’s not getting better like she should be,” Morticia argued, “so forgive me for being paranoid but can you blame me?”
“For a patient as sick as Wednesday, to relapse is not unheard of,” Lorraine pointed out. “And she’s lucky that it wasn’t more serious…”
“If we didn’t happen to notice on our own that she was getting worse she would’ve died,” Morticia snapped, though she didn’t raise her voice, the venom in her tone was clear. “The way I see it, you’re all lucky she didn’t!”
“Admittedly, the timing is unfortunate,” Lorraine said, shrinking back a little, “but purely a coincidence I assure you, none of this was intentional. I trust every member of my staff with my life.”
“Easy for you to say, no one is trying to kill you!” Morticia retorted, and then she paused, taking a breath as she tried to tone down her anger. It was her stress and fear for Wednesday talking. They could be extra cautious without resorting to lashing out. “My apologies. The work you and your team have done to save my Wednesday are appreciated, we are eternally grateful. But you must understand our position. My daughter has a target on her back and is in no condition to defend herself so we are going to take every precaution we can and every setback is going to raise suspicion in our eyes, it’s not personal.”
Lorraine smiled, “I understand. But I assure you, hun, she’s in good hands.”
“I know,” she sighed. It was just whoever was behind her machines malfunctioning she was worried about. She wanted to trust everyone who had been involved in saving Wednesday’s life and keeping her alive, but she couldn’t. Not anymore. And everyone was equally suspect.
She watched Lorraine finish up and watched her go, even following her to the door into the hallway. She looked at the two officers tasked with guarding her room and the ICU. Deputy Santiago had promised that she'd only assign people she had worked with for years and trusted, and Morticia believed it when she said that she was an ally. She seemed to be going above and beyond to help them and followed through on her promises. It was refreshing to see from a normie, especially a normie cop. But with everything, Morticia struggled to shake her doubts.
Morticia had a feeling in her gut that despite their best efforts to keep Wednesday safe, and her efforts to protect her family, something bad was going to happen.
Danger still lurked, waiting for the right moment to strike. That much was a fact. But this feeling in her gut just seemed different. She wasn’t sure if it was because of the stress from all that was happening, or if her gift as a Dove was telling her something. She tended to sense the positive more strongly than the negative, but she couldn’t ignore her intuition.
She had the same feeling in her gut she had the night this whole ordeal began.
She turned back to the room, to her family and sighed.
“Tish?” Gomez asked, “Are you all right?”
Enid and Pugsley looked at her with wide eyes full of concern.
She was taken aback. Morticia hadn’t realized how much of her paranoia was written on her face. “I’m fine,” she said with a forced smile. “We have a plan. We are not leaving Wednesday’s side. We may not know who all of our enemies are, but we will not let that stop us from protecting her and each other. And Wednesday’s getting better. She remembered us. I am fine.”
Gomez stood to approach her and they met in the middle of the room. He took her hands and kissed them pressing his forehead against hers, “I dare our enemies to make their move and come out of hiding. By my honour as an Addams, I will crush them into dust for what they have done.”
She nodded.
He sought her eyes with his, “Tish?”
“We will show them no mercy,” she agreed with resolve.
~W~F~A~
An hour passed. Everyone decided that it was best if they all stayed together with Wednesday until her new medical team arrived. Everyone was so tired. After pouring over one of the books she borrowed from the Nightshades in hopes of finding a proper cure for Wednesday’s curse, Morticia had dozed off, resting her head against Gomez’s shoulder as he took over on research. Just because the curse was contained didn’t mean it was permanent, there was more to be done to ensure Wednesday’s safety beyond her physical health.
Meanwhile, Enid couldn’t stop fidgeting as she and Pugsley quietly played Uno. Her exhaustion was catching up to her but she didn’t dare try to sleep. She couldn’t stand watching Wednesday die in her dreams and being helpless to save her; she couldn’t stand the black smoke and fog creeping into her nightmares and stealing her best friend from her.
Neither she nor Pugsley were that invested in their game.
“Who’s turn is it?” Pugsley asked quietly.
Enid looked at the discard pile and couldn’t remember who played last, she lost track. “Not sure, you can go ahead though.”
He sighed and dropped the cards on the table, “Nah, I’m tired of playing.”
“It’s a way to pass the time,” Enid said.
“I’m tired of Uno.”
Enid had to agree. But it wasn’t about Uno and they all knew it.
Over the last couple of weeks, there was so much time spent just waiting. Waiting for news about Laurel, waiting for updates on Wednesday’s condition, waiting for Wednesday to breathe on her own, waiting for her to wake up, waiting for her to be lucid enough to remember them, waiting for her temperature to go down so she could breathe again when she relapsed. And for Enid, when she wasn’t just waiting or trying to soothe Wednesday out of her panic attacks, she was trying and failing to sleep and trying to find a way to distract herself while her mind couldn’t shut off and allow her to relax.
It was affecting her healing. Even though most of her injuries had healed or were mostly gone, the worst of them lingered and her body had a persistent and throbbing ache from the tension in her shoulders that just would not leave. And then there was her broken ankle. It was getting better, but she still needed the stupid awkward boot for at least another week and she was going to be leaving in less than two days. How the hell was she going to hide that injury from her mother? She had tentatively tried walking on it the other day without the boot and it didn’t go well. Her mother was going to be furious that she kept it from her, but she never would’ve let Enid stay if she knew she was injured like that.
“Maybe there’s another game we can try…” she suggested, trying not to think about it. “I can go to the patient lounge and see what’s there...”
“I don’t want another game,” Pugsley muttered, “I just want my sister to be back to normal.”
“She’s getting there, Pugs,” Gomez said, gently stroking Morticia’s hair as she dozed, “it’s just going to take time.”
He heaved a sigh, “I know I sound like a broken record, but we don’t know that she’ll ever be normal again.”
“She’s an Addams,” Gomez assured him, “and she’s too stubborn to let this be the thing that defeats her.”
“I wish I could believe that.”
“Look at how far she’s come already. How many times has she looked Death in the eye in the last couple of weeks? And yet she’s still here,” he said.
“Still here, but still cursed,” Pugsley retorted, “and apparently hunted.”
“The curse can’t hurt her anymore, and we’re doing everything in our power to protect her,” Gomez said, “you know this.”
“What if it’s not enough?”
Gomez sighed, putting the book down on his lap to run his hand down his face, his exhaustion evident in his very being, “Son, I understand your fears. I feel them too. But letting it control us won’t help us and it certainly won’t help Wednesday. We have to believe that it is enough, more than enough, because too much doubt will only slow us down and get in our way.”
Enid swallowed back a heaviness that seemed to wash over her when he said that, so much that she tuned out the rest of their conversation. She had her doubts, she had her worries and her anxiety was unbearable. Even when presented with the facts that she saved Wednesday’s life more than once, first from Tyler, then when she stopped breathing and then from the curse, she had a hard time believing it. Wolfing out was lucky, knowing CPR was a lucky coincidence, and did she really save Wednesday from the cursed entity that invaded and nearly destroyed her mind, body and soul? How could they know for sure? It was contained, but for how long?
Why couldn’t she shake the feeling that she was a fraud whenever Wednesday’s family praised her for saving Wednesday? Why did Enid still feel like she wasn’t enough?
She closed her eyes and was back in the Crypt, discovering Wednesday lying on the floor dying from a knife in the gut, bleeding out. She had been helpless to save her then, and could only be there for her so she wouldn’t die alone. If it weren’t for Goody, Enid would’ve either been dead because of Laurel and Crackstone, or she would be home by now, mourning the loss of her best friend.
Maybe if she had arrived at the Crypt sooner none of this would’ve happened. But no. She had to take a detour to the Nightshade library to make a plan. She knew where Wednesday was taken, why didn’t she just go after Wednesday and trust Ajax to gather everyone and make a plan without her? Why did she waste time feeling butthurt that she didn’t know about the Nightshades despite her own boyfriend being a member? Maybe then she could’ve saved Wednesday before she was used to resurrect Crackstone in the first place and Wednesday would’ve been fine because none of this would’ve happened.
“Enid?” Pugsley asked, “You OK?”
She jumped like a startled kitten as he pulled her from her spiralling thoughts. She felt hot and it was hard to breathe. She felt like she was going to jump out of her skin and to make matters worse, out of the corner of her eye she could’ve sworn that black fog and smoke was creeping into the room.
“You seemed to have zoned out there,” he added. And she realized that he had gotten up and moved to be near his parents and the Uno cards were no longer on the table, but in the box in her hand and she had no recollection of gathering them up.
She was so sleep-deprived that she lost time. How did she manage that?
“Y-yeah,” Enid nodded with a deep inhale. She could feel an anxiety attack coming on and that was the last thing she needed. She took another breath pushing her anxiety down and forced a smile which seemed to make the black smoke retreat, “I… I’m just…overwhelmed at the moment. I’m so tired, you know?”
“Enid,” Gomez said, “we know. That’s why we’re concerned about you. We’re all exhausted, I can barely keep my eyes open but at least when we sleep we can sleep. But you…”
As he spoke Enid could no longer hold in her tears and they came out of her in a sudden burst. Pugsley approached her, silently offering a hug but she refused, slinking further into her chair, holding herself as she let out soft sobs, trying to reign it in.
“You need to get some sleep,” he continued.
“I know,” she cried, “I know but I can’t…I can’t go there again.”
“I know the nightmares are bad and I wish I knew what to do to chase them away for you but… I know that my Scorpion would not want this for you.”
She nodded, taking in deep gulping breaths, trying to calm herself. She was getting oddly good at it the last couple of weeks since she would cry at the drop of a hat nowadays. Her mother would tell her to get a grip and stop being so dramatic, and maybe she was right. Wednesday needed her to be strong. How could she protect and save Wednesday when she was an exhausted and weepy, anxious mess?
Pugsley handed her a box of Kleenex and she accepted it gratefully, giving him a small smile as he pat her shoulder. She appreciated the comfort and could tell Gomez wanted to comfort her as well but was clearly torn because he didn’t want to disturb Morticia who was still asleep against his shoulder. They were all sleep-deprived, none to the same level as Enid, but Morticia was almost there – she spent so much time researching new ways to save Wednesday from her infection and curse, trying to be the rock that held everyone together that she rarely took time for her own needs anymore. She needed this rest so Enid was glad he didn’t risk waking her.
She sucked in a breath, forcing herself to push down her fears and doubts so she wouldn’t be a burden on them. They had enough to worry about. “Thank you,” she said, “but I’m OK now. Just… my thoughts ran away from me for a minute there.”
Enid was still very much on edge, feeling like she could jump out of her skin, but she hoped that she could at least appear as though she had it together. As her mother would tell her when she was anxious, ‘Fake it till you make it’. If she pretended she was OK, maybe she could trick herself into believing it.
“You sure?” Gomez asked.
“Yeah I—” her reply was cut short when Wednesday let out a soft groan of pain and distress and that snapped Enid to attention and she sniffed and was quickly at her side.
She took Wednesday’s hand and gave it a squeeze as Wednesday’s head rocked back and forth and she mumbled inaudibly, her eyes fluttering, her face in a slight wince. She brushed the back of her hand against her burning cheek and Wednesday sighed, leaning into it but didn’t wake. “It’s OK Wednesday, we’re here. You’re safe,” she soothed gently, dabbing her face with a cool, damp cloth until Wednesday’s restlessness subsided and her heart rate slowed and she let out a soft moan, going still and quiet once again.
From his perch on Wednesday’s uninjured shoulder Thing reached for Enid’s hand and she curled her fingers around his and smiled at him as he gave her hand a reassuring squeeze and then signed words of comfort and encouragement.
“Thank you, Thing,” she whispered. She closed her eyes and leaned forward, tenderly kissing Wednesday’s forehead. She noticed Gomez raise a brow at the gesture, but he said nothing.
With a resigned sigh, Enid hobbled to the bed beside Wednesday’s ready to give in and try to at least take a short nap but then her phone vibrated in her pocket. She glanced at the screen and tilted her head back with a frustrated groan.
“It’s my mom,” she sighed, “I need to take this, I’ll be back.”
She limped out the door, ignoring the concerned glances from Gomez and Pugsley and the ache in her ankle. She needed to answer this after not answering the last few times she called and had a feeling things might get heated so she didn’t want to wake Morticia or Wednesday.
“Hey Mom,” she said, bracing herself for an earful, but to her surprise, her mother didn’t sound upset at all.
“Hello Enid, just checking up on you,” she said, “I got worried when you didn’t answer last time I called.”
“Sorry,” Enid replied, glancing at the cops guarding Wednesday’s room. They were almost always the same rotation of cops so by now she knew who they were and gave them a polite wave as she hobbled past them, “I think I must’ve been asleep. I’ve been very tired.”
“And how is your friend?”
Enid sighed, not sure how to answer. “It’s bad, mom. But… she’s getting there, slowly. Except this morning... she had a really bad…”
“Good.” There was a pause. “So, are you all packed and ready to come home?”
“…relapse, mom. She relapsed and almost died,” Enid continued, ignoring her question, annoyed that she interrupted her. “They had to intubate her for several hours.”
“That’s not good, but it’s better than a week, so that’s progress, right?”
“Almost two weeks Mom,” Enid reminded her, “she was in a coma for almost two weeks. It’s bad. I don’t want to leave her.”
“Not this again…”
“Ugh, Mom, you don’t understand!”
“Now, now,” her mom shushed her, “no need to be so snippy. That’s not how you talk to your mother.”
“Sorry, but do you know how scary that was?” Enid fought to keep her voice even. “She was just starting to improve and then we nearly lost her again. This infection is serious! She might not fully recover from this it’s that bad. I’ve barely slept and I’m terrified, so sorry for being ‘snippy’ but I am crazy levels of stressed out right now!”
“Oh, I understand completely,” her mom said, “the stress of trying to finalize all the details for your party is… well, you have no idea how busy it’s been. I understand you want to stay there but I’m glad you’ll be coming home soon, I missed you and I’m worried about you. And I can really use your help getting this celebration together…”
“Were you even listening?” Enid asked, dejected. She had almost completely forgotten about her wolfing out party and it was the last thing on her mind and the last thing she cared about. She did not want to relive that traumatic experience and her mom wanted to throw a party over it, like it wasn’t just the tip of the iceberg for all the traumatic experiences she had endured the past couple of weeks.
“Of course, I was!” her voice was shrill and defensive, “All the more reason why coming home is a good thing. You could use a break from all that and the distraction will be good for you, honey.”
Enid heaved a loud, exasperated sigh.
“Stop being so dramatic,” her mom scolded, “you’re better off safe at home and you know it. I heard that woman who attacked the school still hasn’t been caught and…”
“Laurel Gates isn’t after me, Mom. I’m safe and Wednesday’s family have been good to me, looking out for me…”
“When they should be focusing on looking after their daughter,” she said, “as you said, it’s stressful. I’m sure the last thing Wednesday’s family needs right now is to take care of you on top of everything else. It was sweet that Mrs. Addams indulged you and asked for you to stay longer but it’s not fair to them to be there getting in the way. Besides, I need you at home right now for your party.”
“I don’t want a party,” she pouted.
“Oh please, you love parties,” her mom retorted dismissively. “Wolfing out parties are a big deal, honey, you should be excited! Especially since you’re a Blood Moon Wolf, that never happens so this is extra special.”
“Don’t care. I don’t want it.”
“Well, too bad. You’re getting it. The invitations are out and the whole pack is looking forward to celebrating you for this milestone,” she snapped. “Everyone would be disappointed if it was cancelled, so stop sulking and whining.”
Enid took a breath, trying her best to keep from crying. As they spoke she waved at Lorraine and the other nurses who seemed concerned, quietly communicating that she was OK and ducked into the small private waiting room and was now sitting with her head leaned back as she tried to keep it together as they carried out their conversation. Crying would not help her cause.
“You don’t want to be a disappointment when everyone is counting on you, do you?”
You’re such a disappointment…
Out of the corner of her eye, she could see black smoke creeping through the door into the private waiting room. She closed her eyes, willing it to go away, telling herself it was not real, just a hallucination brought on by extreme sleep deprivation. When she opened them again, it was gone.
Enid’s breath caught and her chin quivered as she focused on not crying, “No…” she said, her voice sounding timid and small to her own ears.
“Good,” her mother said, satisfied, “I will see you in a couple of days. I know you might not feel like having a party right now when you’re so stressed out, but trust me, you’d regret missing it if it were cancelled. I’m sure once you’re home and get a chance to get settled you’ll be glad it’s still on.”
“Yeah…” Enid’s voice sounded hollow.
“Bye, honey, love you,” her mother said.
“Love you, too.” She disconnected the call and buried her face in her hands and sank down in the chair, breaking into sobs. She cried and cried, releasing all the tension in her body that she could until she was fully spent and there was nothing left. When her crying stopped she went still, leaning her head back and closing her eyes.
The next thing she was aware of someone was opening the door to the little waiting room. It was Gina. “Enid? What are you doing in here?”
“Huh?” she asked, groggy, taking a second to process her question, “Oh, my mom called. I wanted the privacy.”
“Are you all right? You look like you were crying,” she commented.
Enid shook her head with a small smile, “No, I’m fine. My mom is just…,” she paused to heave a deep sigh, “I’m fine. Just tired.”
“You look beyond tired,” Gina said, “have you seen a doctor about it yet?”
“No.”
“Have you slept since the last time I talked to you about it?”
“I’m fine, OK?” Enid muttered, glaring at her, suspicious of her motives. She seemed nice under her blunt exterior, but she couldn’t be trusted. Was she trying to manipulate her into taking something to sleep so she would be incapacitated and unable to protect Wednesday?
“You’re not fine though,” Gina stated, her tone an odd mix of harsh and gentle, “I see the loved ones of my patients dealing with sleep deprivation all the time, and with you, I can see it’s one of the more serious cases. Extreme sleep deprivation is no joke, Enid, it’s dangerous.”
Enid flinched. Maybe it was dangerous, but the last thing she wanted, the last thing she needed was to fall asleep and have yet another vivid nightmare that always ends the same, with the Mindscape taking over and Enid being held back and forced to watch as Wednesday succumbed to a horrific death.
“I’ll sleep when Wednesday is better and safe,” she said, glaring at her in a silent warning, daring her to push her further, daring her to show her true colours as one of Laurel’s people and make her move, daring her to prove that Enid was wrong and she was not the enemy.
“You’re not helping her by hurting yourself,” Gina said. “Tell you what, when the doctor makes his rounds and checks on Wednesday, I’ll ask him to check on you as well.”
“Fine,” Enid said, standing up to go but her head spun and she stumbled back.
“You OK?” Gina asked, grabbing her arm to hold her steady.
“Yeah, just a little dizzy,” she replied, yanking her arm away, sitting back down.
“Enid, you’re shaking,” she pointed out and Enid crossed her arms to hide the fact her hands were trembling. “Stay here, I’m going to get you some water, OK?” Enid frowned suspiciously but nodded.
Gina left and returned with a small cup of water, offering it for her to drink.
She took a quick sniff at the water, as though she could detect if it was tampered with, hating how paranoid she was. But what if their enemy got wind of their plan and Gina was working with Laurel and wanted Enid out of the way so they could make their move? She hoped she was wrong, but she couldn’t take her chances either. Nothing smelled off so she took a tentative sip and when she determined it tasted normal, she drank the whole thing, not even realizing how thirsty she had been.
“I need to make my rounds, but you stay here until you feel ready and no longer dizzy. I don’t need you passing out on me.”
Enid frowned but nodded, “OK. Thanks.”
Gina pat her on the shoulder and left the room and Enid sighed, leaning her head back and closing her eyes for a moment. Just a moment. She didn’t want to sleep, but she was exhausted. Resting her eyes for a second might help the room stop spinning.
She wasn’t aware of drifting off or dreaming but a haunting and heartbreakingly familiar timid voice rang through her head like a jolt of electricity.
S-something’s wrong…
WAKE UP!!
Enid snapped her eyes open, startled by the voice but she looked around and she was alone. She glanced at her phone and seemed confused by the time. She checked her phone logs and discovered that she had spoken to her mother over an hour ago. She had been gone for over an hour but it felt like fifteen, twenty minutes tops.
Was she so sleep-deprived that she lost time? Or what if something was in her water after all?
She had drifted off, but it didn’t feel like it. It felt like Gina just left a moment ago.
Heart pounding, Enid shakily stood up, gripping the wall behind her seat for support until the dizziness subsided and then headed back to Wednesday’s room, unable to shake the feeling that something was terribly wrong. The voice in her head, waking her up sounded exactly like Wednesday did in the Mindscape. That couldn’t have meant nothing.
It looked like Wednesday’s guards had a shift change and Enid paused outside the door. Officer Brady, who had been there since the extra security had been issued was with someone Enid didn’t recognize, a female cop with long dark blonde hair that she wore in a simple ponytail. “Who are you?” Enid asked, “Where’s Jamison?”
“Officer Jamison is out sick,” she said, “I’m Officer Vance. Santiago asked me to cover.”
Enid frowned. She didn’t like the idea of someone new suddenly appearing when everyone was on edge after the incident with Wednesday’s monitors and especially not long after discussing their plan. What if the wrong person overheard and was planning to make their move? She trusted Santiago, mostly because Morticia did, but would’ve felt much better if Lurch was there too, but he had been keeping watch for almost 48 hours straight at his own insistence and was practically ordered to get some rest by Gomez and Morticia and wasn’t due back for a few more hours.
When she looked into Wednesday’s room, however, her heart dropped when she saw the bed was empty.
“Where’s Wednesday?” she demanded, twirling around to face the officers.
“Relax,” Brady said, “she went for some tests. Her mother is with her, they should be back soon.”
Enid sighed turning to look in the room again. Gomez and Pugsley were there and they seemed to be asleep. If something was wrong, they wouldn’t be sleeping and if Morticia was with Wednesday, maybe everything was fine.
Still, she would feel better hearing it from them. She heard the door click shut behind her as she quietly approached Gomez and nudged him gently, “Uh, Gomez? Sorry to wake you but…” he gave no sign of stirring. She shook him a little harder. Nothing. She went to Pugsley and shook him but he too gave no response. “No, no, please… wake up…” she shook them again.
Suddenly aware of someone directly behind her, Enid twirled around and before her tired brain could register what was happening she was pinned to Wednesday’s empty bed with a hand over her mouth and a knife at her throat.