Heart pounding in her ears, her breathing felt shallow, all around her she saw flashes of blue and white bustling around, monitors beeping and screeching in her ears. Her eyes were wide and dazed, staring at a spot in the distance, just above the nurses station, staring but not seeing, her leg bouncing rapidly against the bed, chattering noises blending with the machine’s screeching and phones ringing.

She got up abruptly, startling the officer that had started to doze off in his chair. There really was no place for her to go, two officers stood with their backs to the door just outside and the one she originally came with sat in a chair in the corner of the room, so instead, she paced. Despite her protesting legs and aching feet, she could feel bile rising in her throat, making her breathing become rapid. Why had she been here so long? Why wasn’t anyone seeing her? Why did she have to be prisoner in her hospital room when her kidnapper was an officer roaming free? She hadn’t even been questioned yet, what was he waiting for?

“Hey, whoa. What’s going on?” There was his soothing voice again. It was almost enough to ground her and stop her pacing. Almost. Her pacing slowed but with her chest still heaving with panic, she felt irritable not going faster, not running. She realized she hadn’t spoken a word when she heard his voice again. “Hey, it’s okay, remember? You’re with me, we’re at the hospital, just waiting for the doctor.”

The way he stood you’d guess he was staring down a wild animal that could and would attack if he’d made the wrong move. And maybe he wasn’t totally wrong, but given what she’d been through and has yet to be treated for, she wouldn’t be able to make a deadly attack before bullets went through her.

“I can’t stand here any longer, where are my parents? Why aren’t the nurses doing their tests? Why haven’t I been questioned yet? He’s out there, an officer, roaming free! Why am I still here?” Before she’d realized it, all her fears came tumbling out as if his soothing voice had put a spell on her, a truthing spell, and her lip was trembling now, tears pricked the corner of her eyes. She definitely didn’t mean to say all that out loud and rapidly.

“I know, and I’m sorry. You have been here a while, let me go see how long they’ll be. I don’t want to question you until you’ve been seen and treated.” His response was so calm, mixing with how gentle and melodic his voice was, it was enough to stop her pacing and her breathing to go back to normal, while she watched the officer that she’d gained attached to leave the door and mumble something to the officers at the door before disappearing into the linoleum lights and blue and white bustling.