Empath's Angel - M J Marlow (easy readers .TXT) 📗

Monika laughed at him. She kissed her husband on the cheekand sent him on his way. Emilia dozed off while she was waiting for Justin to returnand woke to find Ethan Randall standing over her. She sat up, looking at him warily. The man brought a chair overand sat down, his expression guardedand studious. Emilia was annoyed by this behavior; he always looked at her like he was examining her.And his mind was annoyingly unreadable. If she could just know what he was thinking, she might be able to relax around him. “I can’t be that unusual,” she finally snapped. He sat backand a slow smile crossed his usually stern features. “What?” “You are not like most children I’ve known,” Ethan told her honestly. “You have been subjected to several traumatic events in the past couple of monthsand you have recovered your equilibrium quite rapidly. I am impressed.” “Is that why you study me like an insect under a microscope?” Emilia asked him. She didn’t know why he annoyed her so much, but he did. “I don’t mean to be rude…” “Yes you do,” Ethan broke in, laughing. “But that’s all right, child. You are using it as a defense mechanism. You don’t like being out of control,and this entire situation has you feeling off balance.” “I’m tired,” Emilia protested as he made indication that she should go with him. The look on his face told her everything. “My aunt doesn’t know anything about this, does she?” “Smart girl,” Ethan smiled as he pulled her to her feetand took her into her room. “Youand I are going to have a little private conversation,” he said to her, “without your aunt’s interference.” He saw the wariness in her eyes. “I am not going to hurt you, child. I merely wish to ascertain whether your condition has improved or deteriorated since we brought you here.” “I still do not want to be here, Doctor,” Emilia said as she went to sit by the windows. “I want to go home to Glenville,and I don’t want to have anything further to do with Stephen’s father.” “You are very definite about your desires, Emilia,” Ethan nodded. “You know, of course, that you can’t have what you want,” he said as he readied a syringe. “You have been legally committed to this facilityand will remain here until I am convinced it is safe to let you leave.” “And just how am I supposed to convince you?” Emilia asked him bluntly. She shook her head as he came towards her. “No,” she protested as he pinned her down in the chair. “That is not going to happen.” “You really think I care what you think, little girl?” Ethan smiled at her, enjoying the snap of anger in her eyes. He grabbed her by the wristsand dragged her over to the bed. “I can pretty much do whatever I believe is in your best interests. Even your aunt can’t interfere.” He saw the surprise in her eyes. “You thought she was in charge here? Not where you’re concerned, child. It wouldn’t be ethical for her to treat you.” “Is this how you treat all your female patients, Doctor?” Emilia snapped at himand turned her head as he tried to kiss her. “I suppose if I don’t let you assault me, then you’ll tell my aunt I’ve suffered some kind of psychotic break?” “You have a very fertile imagination, Emilia,” Ethan smiled as he ran his fingers along her lipsand watched her eyes. “And you are almost correct.” He waited a momentand then saw her eyes start to dull. “Emilia?” Ethan’s voice broke into the fog on her mind. “Are you feeling better now?” “Better?” Emilia sat upand the room spun around her. “Why do I feel so strange?” “You had a bad spelland Justin called me to come see you,” Ethan lied to her. “I gave you a little something to help you calm down.” He saw her looking. “He had to go back to help the other orderly.” He sat down on the couch next to herand his hand moved to her cheek. Emilia pulled away, shaking her head. “Don’t be afraid, Emilia. I’m not going to hurt you.” “I’m going to call my aunt,” Emilia said coldlyand got up to leave. He yanked her backand she slapped him across the face. “Nie dotyka mnie!” she demanded in Polish. When he did not listen, she repeated herself in English. “Do not touch me!” “I am going to do more than ‘touch’ you, baby,” Ethan said nastily, dropping his pleasant demeanor. “Come here.” “NO!” Emilia screamedand raked his face with her nails. He let her go with a curseand she was on her feetand running for the door. She unlocked itand was out of the room. He came after her as she entered the main building looking for help. There was no one aroundand that frightened her. She slipped into the stairwell as he cut off her route to the front door. Ethan caught her at the top of the stairs. He shoved her into a corner, his arm pinning her against the wall at her throat, painfully. “Please, don’t…” “I’m sorry, baby,” Ethan said as he clamped his hand on her wrists. “It’s too late for protests.” His hand slid under her dressand he slid off her underwear. He turned her to face the walland used her own underwear to bind her wrists behind her back. “You’ve been a very bad girl, so I am going to have to punish you.” Emilia shook her head violently as she tried to work her wrists free. “Don’t fight, baby,” he smiled, as he turned her back to face him. “I will only have to punish you more!” Emilia continued to struggle, desperate to free herself. She had to get away from this madman; he was going to rape her. She screamed as he assaulted her,and he merely laughed at her. When he was through with her, he let her goand she collapsed to the floor, sobbing. Ethan grabbed her hairand yanked her up, his expression quite satisfied. “You tell your aunt what just happened, baby,” he hissed as his hand stroked her cheek, “and I will have you put into isolation.” His thoughtsand expression were clear. “I’ll be able to ‘punish’ you at will there.” “You bastard!” Emilia screamed. She raked her nails across his faceand he stumbled back with a cry of pain. He came at herand she tried to defend herself as he clamped his hands on her throatand began to strangle her. The labor pains started as her lungs screamed out for air. She was screaming as she felt them ripping through her. It shouldn’t hurt this badly, should it? Ethan realized what was happeningand he was horrified. He was going to die if anything happened to this girl’s baby. He tried to make her stop screamingand she flailed out at him. He went flying backand lost his footing. He fell down the stairs as Emilia watched helplesslyand she could tell he had not survived by the posture of his body. She tried to get to her feetand the pains grew worse, driving her to the corner where she curled up in a balland sobbed. “Emilia?” Justin came into the stairwell on his roundsand saw her. He saw her eyesand knew she was lost in her agony. He picked her up in his armsand carried her downstairs, frowning as he saw Ethan. This was no time to ask her what had happened. “Doctor,” he said as he burst into Vanessa’s office in the middle of a session. “There’s been an accident. Doctor Randall is dead,” he said as he set Emilia down on the couch, “and your niece is having a miscarriage.” Vanessa didn’t say a word. She had Isaac, who had been standing in the corner of the room; take the other resident back as she called for an ambulance. Then she sat down on the couchand held Emilia as she writhed in pain. The transfer to the hospital in the ambulance barely registered on her daughter’s mind; Vanessa could tell that the pain was overwhelming her. She knew, without being told, that Ethan had caused this. “It was too late, ma’am,” the ER doctor said as he examined Emilia. “She has lost the baby.” He was very angry. “Someone forced themselves on this child…” “And he has paid for it,” Vanessa frowned. She looked down at her daughterand knew what had happened. “He fell down a flight of stairsand broke his neck.” She stroked Emilia’s hair, glad that the girl was asleep. “Is she ready to go home?” “It might be wiser to keep her overnight, Doctor…” Alan saw the dark look on Vanessa’s faceand relented. “Just keep her quiet. If she starts to run a fever…” “I’ll bring her back,” Vanessa nodded. She went to the doorand motioned to Isaac as the doctor finished tending Emilia. The orderly picked Emilia up in his armsand carried her to the waiting car. “Thank you, Doctor Turner.” Vanessa got in the car with the orderlyand Emilia. She settled her daughter as comfortably as she couldand picked up the receiver on the car phone. “This is Doctor Stanford at Faringdale,” she said to the person on the phones at the Glenville police station. “There’s been an accident. Doctor Randall has been found dead. Please come.” * Daniel looked at the message on his note pad in utter disbelief. An eighth judge had just denied their request for a hearing. Emilia had been in the sanitarium two months now,and they were no closer to getting her out than they had been on the day she had been taken. What did they have to do to help her? Samuel Winslow was not going to let her out; he knew, that had been the first thing he had said when he had been arrested. He had just laughedand said Emilia was better off where she was. Every one of the calls they had made to her aunt had gone unanswered. An official letter from the sanitarium, signed by Doctor Ethan Randall, had proven to be just the diagnosis as to Emilia’s condition. The girl, it said, was in far too delicate an emotional state to be without supervision; especially now that she had learned that she had lost her dead husband’s child. He slammed his fist into the top of the deskand his officers turned to look at him. “No dice?” Jason asked as he came in with a folder of daily reports. “The judges in this county are going by the report filed by the doctor overseeing Emilia’s care,” Daniel frowned. “They don’t want to take the risk that she might come to harm if they let her out.” He sank down into his chair. “We’ve tried everything, Jay. Racheland I have even offered to be her guardians, but they won’t budge.” “They won’t release her to her uncle?” “His profession precludes him from caring for her properly,” Daniel replied. “The bull these judges are slinging is infuriating.” “Lieutenant?” Sammy stepped into the office, frowning darkly. “We just had a call from Faringdale. There’s been an accident.” “Emilia?” “No,” Sammy shook her head as she fell in beside him as they ran for the squad car. “Her doctor, Ethan Randall. He was found at the foot of a flight of stairs with a broken neck.” She got in the passenger side. “I’ve already alerted the CSI team. They’ll meet us there.” Daniel got behind the wheeland they drove to the sanitarium. They were shown directly to the accident site by one of the orderlies. A sheet had been placed over the body but nothing else had been touched. He took the orderlies statementand then asked to be shown to the Director. The orderly took him through the walkway to Vanessa’s quarters. She was seated in the living room with Emilia. “Lieutenant!” Emilia smiled wearily as she saw her friend.