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The crowd in the rec room was light. The Bandage Man sat by himself, arms folded over his chest, a perpetual scowl on his face. As instructed, Jimmy tried not to even look in his direction but found himself giving the man an almost imperceptible nod. Almost. Not that there was anyone else around to notice.
Link was absent. Nurse Francine was nowhere to be seen. Not a single staff member was present. But there were cameras, and according to the Bandage Man, they were always watching. Jimmy was careful not to look in their direction either.
The bridge club was short a member—a woman in her fifties, the youngest of their ilk—and looked as if they’d opted to play some form of rummy. Dizmo, the guy with multiple personality disorder, and Monica, who was always scribbling away on her sketch pad, were also noticeably missing, and poor Harriet sat at her chessboard, silently waiting for Jordan to arrive.
Of course, Dirty Terry was there, hand down the front of his pants as he read another sleazy romance novel. So was Manny. And Tessa, who sat working through a crossword puzzle. Jimmy might have dismissed the Bandage Man’s story as pure lunacy had he not seen Tessa’s transformation with his own eyes.
The Bandage Man. Jimmy scoffed. He didn’t even know the man’s real name. The undercover agent thought it would be better if Jimmy didn’t know, to help keep his cover, as if Jimmy was dumb enough to let the name slip. The agent claimed to be investigating a criminal organization akin to the mob but much worse—evil for the sake of evil. He’d been trying to worm his way into the fold but hadn’t been enlisted or taken at night like so many others.
Like Tessa.
Nurse Francine and Link were part of it, as was a female doctor who Jimmy had not met. He didn’t know who else, but they were recruiting from the patient population. What for, the Bandage Man wouldn’t say, though Jimmy got the impression he knew a lot more than he was letting on. He couldn’t even explain why the recruits were being taken from prerelease and not the violent and already criminally insane inmates of Ward D.
What does he expect me to do now? Jimmy clenched his jaw and grabbed a magazine from the shelf. Just sit here and wait for them to take me? He didn’t like that option but could see no others open to him.
So sit and wait he did. He sat down across from Tessa.
The Bandage Man cleared his throat, which Jimmy took as a warning not to go near her. He ignored the man. Federal agent or not, he didn’t owe the Bandage Man squat.
Tessa didn’t look up from her puzzle, but he felt a curious tingle on his skin as each time she nibbled her cheek, considering the page. A strand of her strawberry-blond hair hung over one of her eyes.
I promised to help you, Tessa. He flexed his fingers. I remember that, even if you don’t.
Tessa’s lips started to move, forming words too soft for Jimmy to hear. He leaned closer.
“Two little Indians fooling with a gun. One shot the other, and then there was one.”
“What’s that?” Jimmy smiled and rested his arms on the table. “Is that a nursery rhyme or something?”
Tessa looked up and blinked four times as if she’d just awoken from a trance and finally noticed him sitting there. “Huh? What’s what?”
“Nothing.” He put out his hand. “Hi, I’m—”
“I know who you are.” Tessa slapped his hand playfully, none of the distress she’d shown earlier at being touched detectable. “We met yesterday, remember?”
“Oh yeah, yesterday.” Jimmy slid back into his seat. “Sorry about that. I was confused.”
“You sure were.” She tittered and returned to her crossword puzzle, disappearing into it as if she’d forgotten he was sitting in front of her.
After searching for something to say, he blurted, “Do you like it here?”
Tessa beamed as if she’d been waiting for him to ask that very question. “I love it! I can’t remember ever feeling this good before.” She put down her crayon then grabbed Jimmy’s arm, rubbing it with her thumb. “You know, Dr. Horvat has really turned me around. I feel like I’m ready to face the world again. I really hope you get the chance to see what she can do. It’s like... magic!” She balled up her fists under her chin and smiled big. Then as if a switch had been flipped, she picked up her crayon and concentrated again on her puzzle.
Nurse Francine came crashing through the double doors, her brow sweaty and her clothes disheveled. She beelined to the table where he and Tessa were sitting. The nurse smoothed out her dress and took deep breaths. “Good morning, Tessa,” she said, failing to suppress the edge in her voice. “It’s time for your next session with the doctor.”
“Oh?” Tessa stood.
“If you’ll just follow me.” Nurse Francine glowered at Jimmy then forced a smile as ambiguous as the Mona Lisa’s.
Tessa waved at Jimmy. “Well, it was nice meeting you... again.” She laughed and turned to follow Nurse Francine back out the way she’d come.
Jimmy watched her go, determined to help her but not knowing how. The Bandage Man had told him to be patient, that help would come. But Jimmy didn’t know the federal agent and had no reason to trust the man. With the population of the ward apparently dwindling, he didn’t know how long he could wait.
With or without the Bandage Man’s help, he was getting out of that place. And somehow, someway, he was getting Tessa out with him.