Page 93 of Vicious
“Yeah, yeah, sorry Doc,” Jake grumbles. “I don’t see you helping to tie her down.”
“We wouldn’t have had to tie her down if you’d gotten the shipment of drugs,” the doctor says sharply. “She’d be knocked out and easy to deal with if you’d done your part.”
I stare at her, and if hate could kill… Well. It doesn’t, so it’s a waste of precious energy.
Energy that I won’t need anymore.
Jake flips her the bird. “Well, blame the feds for that. Fucking intercepted everything. Anyway. Come on, there are people dying for her organs.”
The doctor shakes her head. “Fine. Don’t bother me while I work.”
“Yeah, yeah.” Jake kicks one of the coolers closer to the operating table. “There you go. Just holler when you need us.” He and his goons head to the door. “We’ll be right out here, waiting. I’ll catch up on my shows or something.”
The three of them leave, and I think that this has to be my opportunity. I pull at my bonds with all my strength, but there’s absolutely no give at all.
They’ve probably stolen organs from people bigger and stronger than me.
I glare at the doctor. She unwraps the surgical tools from their plastic wrapper and holds up a scalpel.
“Aren’t you supposed to be a doctor? What happened to your Hippocratic oath?” I snap at her.
My eyes are drawn to the scalpel. It looks so sharp. It’s going to slice right through my skin.
The doctor snorts. “Yeah, well. I’m saving other lives, aren’t I? And the paycheck helps me sleep at night.”
Of course it does. I’m torn between trying to fight harder and going still.
The first incision startles me into screaming and bucking hard against my bindings, and she makes an annoyed sound. “Fucking Jake,” she mutters. “Unless you want to die and be responsible for at least four other deaths, you need to stay still.”
I stare at her, trying to ignore the pain blossoming from the cut. It’s not as bad as I thought it was at first; I think the whipping from Chase was worse than this. “You think I’m going to lie here and let myself be cut to bits for the sake of other people?”
I hear a rattling sound—Baba’s chains, I think—but I can’t pay any attention to him right now. Not when the doctor is going to vivisect me.
The reality of it is really starting to hit me. I’m naked, the first incision already made and the area throbbing. I realize that, despite my bravado, I’m terrified.
“Just close your eyes and think of how all your troubles will finally be over.” The doctor shrugs and makes a second, deeper incision.
I don’t look away. I refuse to let her pretend I’m just another comatose victim.
I grit my teeth against the pain as rivulets of blood spill down my stomach, swallowing another cry. So far, so doable. And don’t internal organs have fewer nerve cells or something? I think I read that somewhere. Maybe it’ll hurt less once I’m completely carved open.
I don’t really believe that.
A loud noise cuts through the silence of the room, like a quick pop. And another.
The doctor stops what she’s doing and looks at the door. “Jake? What was that?” she calls out.
The door opens, and Jake pops his head inside. “No clue. I’m going to check it out. You keep working.”
She shrugs and turns back to me as Jake closes the door. She wipes away the blood that has pooled up on my skin, but before she can lean in to make another incision, there’s motion from behind her.
I blink up from a pain-fueled daze to see my father behind her, his hand wrapped around her wrist as he fights for control of the scalpel-holding hand. I don’t have time to think about how he got free, or what’s going on outside of this room. All I can think about is the fact that I need to get off of this table and help Baba because no matter how angry I am at him, I don’t want him to get hurt.
“Baba, be careful!” I hiss out, not wanting to yell and draw anyone’s attention.
Of course, the doctor does that for me, yelling again for Jake as she tries to stab my father with the scalpel.
Nobody answers. The door doesn’t open, and Jake doesn’t even shout a response.