Who's the bad guy {Gaggirl]

[menace]

The hospital hallways go quiet as the day shift leaves home. The sound of a few patients snoring is all that accompanies me as I slip off for my usual weekly stop.

I notice a while back that on Thursdays, the inventory was done the night before, not in the morning when the meds get delivered. That most likely has something to do with the doctor that would be handling them in the morning. Dr. Westlake was a drunk and couldn't be trusted with counting cardboard sheep. Anyone else would of been thrown out, but he is a major shareholder. So the afternoon attendee does it and leave the numbers for Westlake to just sign off in the morning.

This however meant that any changes during the night would go unnoticed. An ideal opportunity for the friendly janitor to make some money on the side.

I glance down both ends of the hallway before unlocking the door and sneaking into the medical supplies. I lock the door behind me and start stuffing my bag. I take just a bit, look for those drugs that are about half stocked. I'm just in the middle of thinking how smart that was. Nobody ever suspected anything.

Then, just as I'm going through the sedatives, I hear a key going into the lock...

[gaggirl]

“Annika, Hi, meetings started already” the clerk nods her head towards the clinic nurses office.
“Thanks Karen! Wow. Quiet ward” I remark, noticing that the patients in surgical ward 4C seem to all be asleep. The door to the office opens and closes reminding me to hurry to handover.
“Yeah, should be a good one for you.” She says sleepily, gathering her things and logging out as the blue screen illuminates her tired face.

After plonking my bag and cardigan down unceremoniously behind the counter, I rush over to the office and let myself in without knocking, and am pleased to hear during handover that it will indeed be quiet tonight. There is of course the matter of the 11pm and 6 am meds, Mr White needing his glucose checked and his urine measured and tested, but the PCA will attend to all other patient related duties, leaving me to just taking care of the patients as required and settling back into my bodice ripper novel.

I had to laugh when I found it, because the girl on the cover looked a bit like me, she had the same kind of striking looks. We both had long blonde hair, large breasts, a lightly tan womanly body and penetrating blue eyes. She had on a summer dress though, quite different from my uniform which I wear with pride- tightish striped button up blouse, lacy bra, long pencil thin business skirt, expensive hose, french knickers and low heeled shoes. The only thing I don’t bother with during night duty is dousing myself in Anna Sui.

I’ve only been working here for 8 weeks having just graduated, but already I notice that things are not as they should be. Certainly different out in the filed as opposed to what we are taught is supposed to happen. The drugs register is just one case in point. I plan to rise in ranks quickly here and improve procedures bringing this decrepit hospital into line with Nursing Council Protocol. Either that or go back to scrubbing in. Wont have ot deal with the creepy orderly and the janitor that didn’t waste any time flirting with me I guess.
The orderly is like Baldrik from Black Adder, absolutely zero attraction, but the janitor isn’t bad. What was his name again… Dan… Dick… Dale.. yeah Dale. Hes really tall and dark haired with a nice strong looking body, late thirties which is nice, but the problem with him, is hes just a janitor. I quizzed him once, to see if was studying medicine on the side, but he wasn’t!

Being night duty I need to lock my things in the treatment room where the dangerous drugs are kept safe, but first I have to log in. “Ill see you later” I nod to Molina, the night duty PCA, and I watch her smile and fiddle with her pager as she heads off down the corridor to Ward D.

Suddenly I hear a cupboard door bang shut from the direction of the treatment room. Funny. I’m supposed to be alone here. Didn’t the nurses leave? Ah well I have to put my things in there anyway and check the patient charts before I begin my round. I snatch up the lanyard with the master key from the table and make my way into the little cubicle that leads to the treatment/med room, insert the key and open the door.

“Oh!” I jump out of my skin, heart rapping, but recover quickly. “Its.... you” I realize that sounded a little rude and think about apologizing but then I begin to wonder, “Dale. What are you doing in here?”

Without waiting for an answer I sashay into the room as the door automatically shuts behind me, place my things on one of the clear benches, and pull out my mobile to switch it off then drop it back in my bag. I realize that you have been caught off guard and still haven’t said anything.

I turn and face you questioningly.

[menace]

I quickly toss the pouch under one of the benches and close the cabinet before a sleek figure glides into the room. At the last minute I realize I'm still holding a dose of Lorazepam and hide it behind my back. It's Annika, the new girl. One I had the hots for. Crap, you're the last one I wanted to see.

It's not that I'm a bad liar. I can spin it as good as any, but when it comes to making up a convincing story on the bat, I'm hopeless. And from what I could tell, you use your head for more than just carrying those blonde locks. Worse yet, the bench you put your stuff on is the same one under which I hid my take.

"I... uhm" Oh great, now I'm stuttering as well. "I just came here to... see about the, uhm, lights." And as can be plainly seen, they are all working perfectly. Not to mention that am not supposed to be even working at this hours, much less going into an area designated for medical staff only. Concentrate you idiot! At this rate you're gonna talk yourself straight to prison!

Unless the bottle of Ketamine lying on the floor right next to your foot that just caught my eye does it before me.

[gaggirl]

Weird… Why are you so nervous? I’m looking at the lights but there isn’t anything wrong with them.. unless you already fixed them. But then… you don’t have on a toolbelt or anything.

“huhm. But where are your tools?”

You seem to be more nervous and the vibes in the room change. Now I'm suspicious. Boy this place really is dodgy! If your up to something I’m going to be the first one to make sure your held accountable. You and whoever else is in on all this funny stuff. I go to turn around but my foot must have kicked something for the sound of a rolling glass jar on the tiled floor fills in the room. You seem to go pale. Whatever it was its under the bench and you have something to do with it.

Kneeling down beside the bench... I see it. I reach out to its resting spot and grasp it.

“Ketamine??”

[menace]

"Well I... I just came to check them. I never said..." Then the clink of the bottle rings on the floor when you kick it. There's no point in denying anymore. I gotta figure out how to get out of this. Maybe if I cut you in? No, if you're honest it would just be an offense... I need to buy more time.

"That's not mine." I reply with the most assertive voice I can muster while I slip the vial in my back pocket.

Whatever I do, I have to do now. I can't go back to prison. And if you report me, I will. There's no point in running, I have nowhere to go. I can't trust you to keep quiet. No, I have to make sure you don't talk. That's the only way. But how?

While mulling over these thoughts, I absentmindedly look across the small room with only one door.

[gaggirl]

Not yours you say. I frown at you, knowing your probably covering up, and make a mental note to report it in the morning. Slip the key into the cupboard lock and place the bottle inside, locking it closed again. I know just where I left it and I’ll check back after the round. You look at the door and glance back at me. Go on, out you go, I think to myself, and turn around ignoring you, reaching up for the med folders in preparation for the 11pm round. I still feel you there in this tiny little room. I cannot concentrate with you there, especially since we are alone. I hope you don’t crack onto me again. Maybe you feel like you need to be dismissed? I stop and turn halfway around looking over my shoulder at you and smile uneasily.
“Is everything alright?”