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Day 6
Saturday morning, when Patsy entered the cafeteria with a tray of pills Sady realized she was the nurse who gave her the sleeping pill. Lee and Lou met her at the door. They started an argument over their blanket and Patsy fast-stepped out of their way. Lee winked at Sady, and Lou passed the bottle of pills off to Lucy, who shoved it down her gel bra. The kittens on her shirt were grotesquely shaped, due to the enormous gel padding.
When Patsy discovered the missing bottle she eyed the twins, but surprisingly, made no fuss. Sady thought, that was almost too easy... She was right..
Cliff had been on his best behavior for longer than he could stand. He eyed Lucy's gel bra with a rabid look. He stood and yelled, "I can't take it anymore!" Then he rushed Lucy and gave her gel boobs a squeeze. He stopped when he felt the hard pill bottle. Before Lucy could stop him he fingered the gel again, pushing the pill bottle out the top of Lucy's shirt. It teetered for a few seconds, caught on the neck of her shirt, before dropping and bouncing on the floor.
Patsy saw the bottle and looked ready for battle. She strong armed her way toward the bottle of pills that lay spinning on the floor while the guests giggled and whispered about what just took place. Sady couldn't reach the bottle before Patsy so she hissed to Carolina, who grinned and yelled, "Take that, you son of a bitch!" She threw her whole tray of food at Patsy. Carolina did have a good arm... she also had bad aim. The tray missed Patsy and hit another guest, who stood and yelled, "Food fight!"
It was chaos in the cafeteria. While the guests threw food and trays, Sady tried to beat Patsy to the bottle that lay on the floor. One of the guests stepped on the bottle and it broke, flinging blue pills everywhere. Patsy abandoned her mission, knowing she couldn’t use the pills. It took nearly the whole staff to bring the food fight under control.
Nurse Gabby lined up the guests on one side of the cafeteria while the grumbling staff worked to clean the mess. Sady grabbed one of the blue pills before they were swept up with the rest of the food. Patsy still held her tray of meds and gave Sady a smug look when Nurse Gabby commended her for not losing the tray during the fight.
It grew quiet in the cafeteria, except for the booming voice of Nurse Gabby as she chastised the guests. She called Carolina on the carpet for using bad language. Carolina defended herself. "My husband brought home a dog so I was right," she said with a sniff, refusing to apologize.
Judy was next. "Cliff says you broke a plate on his head," Gabby snarled.
"I'm sure he's mistaken," Judy replied. "If something got busted on his head, it was probably an accident." Gabby shook her head in disappointment.
"Everyone, unless you're on dietary restrictions you'll get a bowl of oatmeal in your room," Gabby barked to all the guests. "Nurse Patsy will bring your meds to you- in your room. Now go!" she yelled, and the guests scrambled for their rooms.
Sady grabbed Frank by the arm. "I've got a pill, I just don't know how to get it to my friends. They're waiting for me to text them with instructions."
"Give me the pill and tell them to wait at the fence on the west side," he told Sady. "No one will question me if I sneak out for a smoke. I kept one cigarette just in case of an emergency." At the look on Sady's face he said, "I have to light up to make it real, but promise I won't take a puff, Sandy-Sue. I might inhale the smoke... but I'll try not to." He smiled and Sady handed him the pill. It was still chaotic in the halls, so he slipped out the door to meet Sady's friends.
Sady sent a text to CJ and told them to meet Frank at the west fence. CJ responded with, We were at the front desk, requesting a special visit, when all hell broke loose. What happened? Sady let her know she was only able to get one blue pill, not the whole bottle and Frank was delivering it at the fence. CJ replied, We'll text when we get the results.
Sady hid her phone just as the breakfast oatmeal arrived. She hoped Frank was able to get the pill out. Less than five minutes later she heard him being scolded for sneaking out to smoke. He looked into Sady's room as he passed and gave her a wink.
Things were quiet in the Harbor the rest of the day. Nurse Gabby walked the halls like a monster in a horror movie. She allowed the guests time with the art supplies, since they had a project for group therapy, but she wasn't happy about it. The guests, on the other hand, took the opportunity to go all out with their projects. It beat sitting in their rooms.
Lunch was served in their rooms as well. "Harbor in the Arbor" became more like "A Cell in Hell." The staff was crabby at the extra work and the guests were grumpy at the restrictions. Supper was a subdued meal, with Nurse Gabby patrolling the cafeteria like a beat cop having a bad day.
It was near bedtime when Sady got a text from CJ- the blue pills were a children's low dose vitamin and probably wouldn't hurt anyone. Sady thanked CJ for the information. She hoped the guests would remember their fake cameras in the morning, or there would be no way she could get pictures of Patsy. She also worried that if Gabby was on patrol, then Patsy wouldn't attempt to swap the pills in the morning.
"Allison, I'm going to sneak down the hall and see if I can get my cell phone to Lucy, because she wanders the halls and Gabby's gone for the night. Maybe Lucy can get pictures. If Gabby's still on the warpath, we might not get a chance at breakfast. Who's the med nurse on duty tonight?"
"I think it's Robert," Allison replied.
"Okay, I shouldn't be too long."
"What about your sleeping pill?" Allison asked.
"I'll stay ahead of him and be back by then. See you in a few minutes." She checked the hall and made a quick dash to the next room. It's almost like playing beat the chaperon in the old days, she thought with a grin grateful that Allison didn't ask how she got the cell phone.
"Carolina, pass the word to everyone to use their cameras in the morning," Sady said.
"Why?" It was Karen, the puzzle lady and Carolina's roommate.
"Uhm, so we can have a good therapy session Monday for Dr. Alden. She'll be so happy," Sady said with a sideways eye roll at Carolina.
"That's a great idea," Carolina gushed. Her face read 'That's a stupid idea,' and Sady hid her smile.
"Just sell it," Sady whispered as she peeked into the hall and fast walked to the twins room. She told them not to forget their cameras in the morning and to pass along the word. Next she made it to Lucy's room.
"Lucy, was it Robert who gave you the wrong pill?" she asked. Lucy nodded and Sady said, "He's on tonight. Will you be okay if he slips you the wrong pill?"
"Yeah, it takes a couple days for me to crash when I don't get my meds, so I'll be okay because I got the right ones last night and this morning."
Sady showed Lucy how she'd hidden her cell phone in the hollowed out styrofoam. "Do you think you can follow him and get some real pictures of the meds he's passing out?"
Lucy grinned. "I'm a better actress than they give me credit for," she said with a wink. Sady was a little nervous about leaving her only connection to the outside world in the hands of Lucy, but she decided after the breakfast debacle she needed to take the risk. Sady left the phone with Lucy and returned to her room before Robert appeared with her sleeping pill. She downed the pill with a smile, then barfed it out when he left the room.
Lucy took the cell phone and wandered the halls. Her mouth dropped when she looked into Judy's room. The witch! There, hanging on the door knob, was a padded gel bra so big that it belonged in the boob hall of pain and shame. Judy had got herself the "Bountiful Bouncer" model! Lucy narrowed her eyes. Judy's light was still on, but she'd come back later and just help Judy out a little. After all, something that size couldn't possibly be good for poor old Judy's back!
***
"I'm worried about Sady," Harry told CJ. "Something went wrong or she would have brought us the bottle."
"Harry, she replied when I let her know the blue pills were just vitamins. I'm sure she's okay," CJ said.
"I think we should get her out of there," he continued as though CJ hadn't spoken. He turned to Matt and Amanda. "What do you think?"
"If you try and pull her out she's gonna tear you a new one, Handsome! She's on a mission, and a woman on a mission doesn't want to be messed with. Leave her there," Amanda told Harry.
"I agree with Harry. What was the ruckus this morning, and why wouldn't they let us see her?" Matt asked.
"Maybe someone pulled the fire alarm, Stubbles, and they were in lockdown," Amanda answered.
"It's not a prison, Amanda. They don't have lockdown," Matt frowned. "Especially during a fire."
"Then why are you worried? It's not like they're keeping her tied up in a room and shoving bamboo sticks up her nails. Our girl can take care of herself," Amanda insisted.
"I agree," CJ told the men. "If you rush in and pull her out she's going to think we don't trust her. She chose to stay and find out who's swapping the meds. Let her do her job."
The men reluctantly agreed. "I'm texting Sady," Harry mouthed to Matt. He nodded in agreement, so the men stayed late at the office to 'work.'
***
"Pssst! Lucy, what are you doing?" Charlotte peeked out her door into the hall when Lucy wandered past.
"I'm taking pictures," Lucy told her. "Do you want to come?"
"Let me grab my cameras," Charlotte replied. A minute later she appeared with four styrofoam cameras hanging off her neck. "I gave them straps, so I won't lose them," she said proudly. "Here, have an extra." She put one of her cameras around Lucy's neck. They giggled like girls and popped into an alcove to hide from a passing aid.
Lucy looked surprised when her 'camera' buzzed. "I'm getting a message," she whispered to Charlotte.
***
Harry sent Sady a text- What happened this morning?
'Someone squeezed my kitties, and the bottle I hid in my bra fell out and broke on the floor.'
Harry choked and showed the message to Matt. His mouth dropped, and the men exchanged a look.
Are you okay?
'I'm fine, but I think one of the kitties got pinched too hard because it's missing some color. And I almost slipped on the ove- easy eggs.'
"What kind of drugs do they have her on?" Matt asked Harry.
"I'm afraid to ask," Harry said.
Did anything else happen?
'Carolina took care of the son of a bitch.'
And no one else got too personal?
'I'll let you know when my Dashing big butt gets here. I left my old panties under the pillow.'
Harry handed his phone to Matt. "Maybe you should try."
"Ooh, can I use it?" Charlotte asked Lucy. Lucy shrugged and handed the phone to Charlotte.
Sassafras?
'We aren't allowed to drink that here.'
Have you been assaulted?
'Dr. Alden told me I should ignore it because they're just poking me with sticks and bones. But they won't break my stones.'
"Harry, I think I'd better give her a call," Matt said. "Something isn't right!" He dialed Sady's number and Charlotte answered.
"Sady?" Matt asked.
"I think you have the wrong number," Charlotte replied. "You want 'Attila the Honey's Hive of Pain.' They have masonists there, as well as sadies. Oh, and dominoes with bandages! It sounds like a fun place, doesn't it?"
Matt disconnected and told Harry, "We need to get over there, now! That wasn't Sady on the phone." For the first and only time Harry wished they had Sady's Mustang.
***
"Charlotte, I need to do something! Will you be okay if I leave you here for a few minutes?" Charlotte played with Sady's phone and ignored Lucy's question. With a shrug Lucy wandered back to Judy's room and snagged the gel bra. After a quick stop at her room for an ink pen she went back to find Charlotte. But Charlotte was gone.
Lucy dismissed it- she had a mission of her own that needed immediate attention. She laid the enormous gel bra on the hall floor and punched a few holes in it with the ink pen. That was fun! She punched a few more. Pretty soon the bra was riddled with holes like someone used a machine gun on it. She looked up at the sound of footsteps. She spotted Robert down the hall, and he was coming with his tray of pills! He stepped into a guest room to deliver meds.
Lucy decided to return the bra to Judy's room before she got busted. But just before she left, she gave the bra a good hard squeeze and gel blasted out the holes. There! That was more like it. Now it was a normal size gel bra. Judy would thank her.
When Robert came out of the guest room Charlotte popped out from behind a pillar. "Say peas!" she said, using her camera to take a picture. Robert gave a grunt of exasperation and went into the next room.
"Say bee's knees," Charlotte giggled when he entered the hall again.
"Say pest," Robert muttered as he delivered to the next room.
"Say sneeze," Charlotte said, following him.
"Who waxed the floors so late?" Robert yelled as he hit the slippery gel on the floor. He looked like an ice skater trying to stay on his feet- unsuccessfully. His tray flew into the air and crashed, sending pills everywhere. Robert finally landed on his back, cursing a blue streak. "Help me up," he groaned to Charlotte who was still using her camera.
"Say please," she snickered. She frowned at the words coming out of his mouth. "That's not very nice," she scolded.
"Listen, Charlotte- I think I strained my back, so you just help me up and I'll let you have any pills you want," he offered.
"Ooh! Let me see what you've got," she replied. "I think those green ones are pretty. What are they for? Wait! It's not one of those pills that will make me grow balls and a chain is it? Because I don't want none of those!"
"Just help me up," Robert screamed.
"I'm not done looking at the pills," Charlotte reprimanded. She looked up as Lucy approached. "Hey, Lucy! Come and get your free pills! Just don't take those green ones or you'll grow junk and a trunk. Then you'll have to buy men's panties."
"Lucy, help me up," Robert begged.
"You got any pills that grow big hooters?" Lucy asked. She and Charlotte were on their knees examining the pills.
"Help me up and I'll give you the blues ones," he offered. "Those are the ones you want!"
"You mean those fake blue ones, like Patsy had this morning?" Lucy asked with a snort.
"Those are special pills," Robert continued desperately. "Let me show you!"
"Will you show them to me as well?" Dr. Harrison asked. Robert cranked his head to see Dr. Harrison standing in the hall behind him. He dropped back to the gooey floor with a defeated sigh.
"Say tease," Charlotte said as she took a picture of Dr. Harrison, Harry, and Matt.
"Say po-leece," Matt whispered to Harry as Dr. Harrison got on his cell phone. Within minutes the hall filled with staff, and a short time later the 'po-leece' arrived to question Robert.
"We're going to find Sady," Harry told Dr. Harrison. "Which room is she in?"
"You aren't allowed in the women's wing," Dr. Harrison told them. "You'll cause a riot and we already have enough trouble. Lucy, can you and Charlotte please go find Sandy-Sue?"
As the women left, Dr. Harrison turned to the men. "This is a disaster! I don't even know who got their meds, and what they were given."
Lucy continued to Sady's room, but Charlotte bounced back and handed him Sady's phone. "I got pictures!"
Dr. Harrison looked at the chunk of styrofoam Charlotte handed him. "Thank you, Charlotte. I'm sure these will be helpful," he said with a sigh.
"Well, aren't you going to look at them?" she demanded. "All my hard work and you act like there's nothing to see!"
"I'm not sure how to use it," Dr. Harrison said tactfully.
"Stupid men," Charlotte muttered. "Give it here and I'll show you." She peeled off the styrofoam and started pushing buttons on Sady's phone. "Here's Robert when he left the farm and sea. I zoomed in on the tray- see? Then I got pictures after he left each room. This video is from when he fell. You might want to cover your ears. He doesn't know how to say cheese."
"A little help here!" Lucy yelled down the hall. She and Allison had a sleepy Sady draped over their shoulders. "I had a heck of a time waking her up. They gave her one of those knock-you-on-your-glass slipper pills."
The night duty charge nurse frowned. "She's not supposed to be getting any pills!"
"Too late," Lucy replied.
"Hey, what's going on?" Lee and Lou followed the women.
"Get her back to bed," the night duty nurse said. "I'll get the doctor to examine her."
"Can I get those pills for my husband and his dog?" Carolina asked. "Extra strength?"