Acid Rain by R.D Rhodes (ebook reader txt) 📕

He leaned close to the door and peered in through the glass panel, and I rose up on my tiptoes and watched over his shoulder. At the back of the room, the naked spine of a man was exposed to us, his trousers down at his ankles. He was being straddled by a pair of long, pale legs wrapped around his waist. The woman remained hidden in his chest, beyond that muscular back- all I caught of her was the long blonde hair that bounced energetically about as he thrust his ass back and forward. But that peroxide blonde was unmistakable. As the man leaned back, she threw her toned arms around his shoulders. It was Sanders.

The huge, ripped body and dark hair originally made me think the guy was Doctor Dickson. But then he glanced to the side and his hand came up to wipe sweat from his brow. He had a flat nose and chiseled cheeks, I had never seen him before, but in that moment, I knew exactly who he was.

He grunted loudly with each penetration, and she moaned and screeched and smiled. She slid her arms further around his neck and rolled her head all over the place, throwing and flicking her hair about.

I noticed Dale’s neck begin to twist and I sprang back to the window and looked out in boredom. He stared at me, shell-shocked. For a second, I thought he was going to confide in me, then he said, “C’mon. Back to the ward”.

At ward four Dale unlocked my door and let me put my books inside, then ordered me to join the rest of the group. He marched straight into the nurse’s station and I went into the common room, where everyone was still performing the charade of the card game.

“Where have you been, Aisha?” one of the nurses grinned.

I took an empty seat and watched.

Soon enough the clack clack clack of heels pierced the air, and Sanders came in with one of the nurses, whispering to each other as they neared the table. Her tousled hair was bunched in a rushed ponytail, her cheeks were flushed, but apart from that she was as impeccable as ever. I pushed my chair out and walked quickly past her-

“Hey, Aisha! Get back here!” someone shouted.

I stepped out into the corridor, quickening to the window, and waited.

There he was. He emerged in the car park, wafting his collar and shifting his tie as he walked towards a black Mercedes. He gave a last fleeting look towards the hospital, and got inside the car.

“Snap!” I heard someone shout from the common room. Kev grabbed my arm and led me back in.

Chapter 20

The blue sky was replaced by black. Only three days in and I didn’t know how much longer I could stand it.

I got up when the door clicked open and headed down to dinner. Jean gave me my pills and I tucked them under my tongue, showed her my mouth, and sat down. The tables had been moved back to their original positions, the tablecloths gone, Celebrities on Ice on full blast, and the people in front of the screen were as zombified as ever. Kev and Liz seemed to be the only ones happy; laughing and sniggering as they served out the food.

When my name was called I collected my tray from Liz, looked towards Sandy, then headed over to Nina, in her usual seat by the window, her back to the room. I brought a chair over and plumped myself down next to her.

“Hi.” I said.

Her broken, anxious brown eyes turned to me for a second, then went back to the window as if I wasn’t there. Her tray was in her lap, and her small hand trembled as she picked up little pieces of scrambled egg on her spoon and levered them into her mouth. She closed her lips and swallowed. She blinked a lot. I wondered what she was thinking, or replaying. Tears wedged in her eyes which started to dew.

“Hey. Nina. Are you okay?”

She turned her head again, but didn’t look so much at me as right through me. Those tortured eyes tore at my heart. It was like that vision of my dad all over again. Then the tears dropped, and she squeezed her eyes shut as the streams ran down her cheeks.

“Hey, it’s alright.”

I closed my arms around her tiny shoulders and hugged her tightly. As I rubbed my hand up and down her skeletal back, her spine jutted out so much it felt like it was poking through her skin. Her arms closed around my waist as she wept silently into my breast.

I felt another presence close to me. “What’s the matter, Nina?” Sanders voice said. “Do you want to go and lie down?”

She ducked out of my embrace and shook her head and sat back up. Sanders and I looked at each other. Her face was full of genuine sympathy, but all I could see in my mind was- her fucking that inspector. Did she do it for us? I wondered, or for herself?

Sanders looked from me to Nina then to me again and she smiled warmly, as if to say that Nina was in good hands, and she walked away out into the hall.

The tears dripped off Nina’s face onto her plate.

“Watch your food.” I joked, “It’ll go all soggy.”

She laughed- a small cute little laugh, just like the child she basically was. Her lashes were soft and glistening from the tears, and she looked beautiful. It was the first time I’d seen her smile. I wondered where her mum was, where her dad was, where the animals who had done it to her were now. She resumed eating and looking out the window. I got the impression she liked me