Remember Me

16

James was already awake when I woke up. His spot was empty and cold like he'd been up for a while. I wanted to be glad to have the bed to myself but the look on his face told me not to be.

He was leaning against the doorframe of the bathroom, his arms crossed tightly over his chest. He'd slept without a shirt on and still hadn't put one back on. He didn't have muscles to show off or brag about.

I sat up, holding the blanket close to my chest as if it would offer me protection. "Hey."

He stayed silent, watching me through cold eyes. He was holding a phone in his hand. "We need to talk."

I shrugged. I didn't have a clue what he wanted to talk about. Everything seemed fine when we went to bed the night before. I didn't have anything on me that would make him suspicious of me. "Okay."

"I had Jade look at the surveillance footage last night. She sent me something that I think you should see." He tossed the phone at me, aiming it so it hit the blanket at my feet.

My eyebrows drew together as I picked it up and hit 'play' on the video. It was dark in the room. The room I shared with Blair and Nicoli. I could see Nicoli sitting on the edge of my bed, facing me. I'd been lying down but had woken up with a start. Then I went to lay with him in his bed. The clip was several weeks old, the date showing in the far left corner of the screen. Had Blair not been in the clip, I would have said it was new, from sometime around her death, and that the date was wrong. But there was no excuse I could give.

To James, it looked like we liked each other more than friends did. He wasn't comforting me. That was the worst part of it all.

"James-"

"When did the medicine wear off?" He asked calmly.

I set the phone down in my lap, trying not to show how freaked out I was. "A few weeks ago. When Blair and Nicoli confronted me."

He inhaled deeply, his nostrils flaring, and I knew that wasn't the answer he wanted. I couldn't lie anymore. He would see through it, try to find the truth any way he could.

"They told me not to tell you which freaked me out so I didn't."

He opened his eyes and they were so dark. I almost backed up against the wall, wanting to get away from him. But it would be too obvious that I was nervous. "I'm your husband, Sterling. You can tell me anything."

"You're not telling me everything." I said.

"There are some things you don't need to know."

"Then I'm allowed to have my secrets, too."

"Why would you believe them over me?"

"Neither Nicoli nor I were in the room when Blair was killed. It had to have been Bailey. That puts a huge strike against all of you."

"Blair wasn't handling the medication well. She would have done anything to get away from Bailey. She thought he wanted to hurt her."

I shook my head. "I know her. She's been here longer than most people-"

"She filled your head with lies. You're starting to believe the same things she did."

I got to my feet, phone in hand. "She knew something was up and now she's dead. Does that mean I'm going to end up dead too?"

"Sterling, I'm not going to hurt you. I'm your husband."

"Stop saying that." I pulled the ring off my finger and threw it at him. "I want out of here."

"You're here because it's not safe outside the facility. I'm trying to protect you."

"I'm safer outside than I am in here." I tapped the screen on the phone twice and took it to a lock screen. He must have had a setting that locked it after so many minutes. I cursed to myself and tightened my grip on the phone, unbelievably mad. That was the reason he wasn't so angry that I still had it. He knew I wouldn't be able to call for help or get out of there.

He walked up to me and grabbed my wrist. "Sterling, you need to calm down."

"Or what? You'll hurt me?"

He narrowed his eyes at me. "You know I would never do that."

I tried to free my hand, knocking the phone to the floor in the process. "You are right now."

He looked down at his hand on me and I took that as my opportunity to leave. I yanked my hand back, freeing it, and ran to the door. There wasn't a handle. Nothing to signal a way to leave. I pounded on the door and a red light the size of my palm covered where a knob would have been.

"You don't have permission to leave, Sterling."

I turned to face him, not liking having my back to him. "Let me go."

"Calm down and we can talk-"

"I don't want to talk. I don't want anything to do with you."

He put his hands up in front of him and his tone softened. It felt like he was treating me like I was crazy. "You don't know what you're saying, baby girl. We can work through this."

I shook my head. "I want out of here."

Behind me, the door opened and I felt a cool rush of air pass by me.

"Dr. Parker, is everything alright in here?" Bailey. The murderer. He must have called for help and Bailey was the one that came.

I turned and glared at him. "You. You killed her."

Bailey looked from me to James, his eyebrows raised. "I'm not sure I know what you are talking about."

I shoved his chest. "You killed Blair. I know it was you."

"Watch it-"

"Sterling, that's enough." James said from behind me.

I tried to get around Bailey and out the door but he was taller, stronger, and quicker than me. He grabbed my arms and restrained me, making it impossible for me to move much. James came up behind me and stuck a syringe into my arm.

I cried out and jumped.

James wrapped his arm around my middle and pulled me back against his chest. "Sweetheart, I think you should lie down."

My body felt tight and restricted. I knew I wouldn't be getting away for a while. He knew it too.

I shook my head, hair falling in my face. "No."

"You're tired. Close your eyes and try to sleep for me."

I whined. "Let me go."

The last thing I saw was Bailey coming toward me, his cold eyes staring down at me.