yelling in the dining room.
“I need a book.” She stepped out and turned to lock the door. When she turned around again Penny was at the top of the stairs.
Penny smiled radiantly and purred, “Oh, hello Alice. I was just looking for Brant, have you seen him?”
“No, I haven’t,” Alice mumbled, her eyes on the floor. “Excuse me, I have somewhere to be.”
“Is Dr. Keaton expecting another payment?” Penny asked too sweetly.
Alice struggled to hold back the tears. She rushed past Penny and down the stairs where she collided with Dr. Hurd. He caught her before she could fall.
“Alice, are you okay?”
She shook her head, ‘no’.
“Has Brant been harassing you again?”
“No. Brant has been very polite,” she said with uncharacteristic force. “But Penny keeps suggesting that I’m a whore, when she’s not sneering at me or belittling me.”
“How long has this been going on?”
She seemed to shrink as the anger began to leave her. “Since I arrived, I guess. I don’t like causing trouble or calling attention to myself so I didn’t make a big deal out of it. If you tell on them it only makes it worse. I’m sorry, I was just angry.” She forced herself to look up, meet his eyes, and smile.
“It was no trouble at all, Alice. In fact it was exactly what I needed to hear since Brant also lodged a very serious complaint against Penny today.” He sighed. “Alice, there may be a bit of a scene in a short while and I know raised voices make you nervous …”
“Thank you,” she said. She slipped away from him, making herself smaller as she crossed the room.
Dr. Hurd found Penny in the hallway rapping her knuckles against door 16, Brant Bye’s room. He could hear her saying, “Brant, are you in there? Brant, answer me, please. I’m sorry I upset you, can’t we talk?”
“I don’t think anybody is home.”
Penny froze with her hand in mid-air. “Oh, Dr. Hurd, hello. I guess you’re right. I’ll have to talk to him later.” She tried to walk past him but he stopped her with a gentle hand on her arm.
“Penny, Brant has made it very clear that he’s not interested in talking to you, or in any other attention or service you may have offered.”
“Services? You make it sound like I offered to wash his socks.” She tried to laugh it off.
“That’s not the offer he told me about. You know the rules, no harassing other patients and no sexual involvement.”
“I did not have sex with Brant.”
She sounded like a pouting child and the half pouty-half seductive pose did not go unnoticed by Dr. Hurd. He sighed. “We consider both sexual intercourse and oral sex to be sexual involvement, Penny.”
“I’ve never given Brant a blow job.” She had gone from pouty to desperate. “The rest was just a misunderstanding. I’ll leave him alone now, I promise, not another word. He didn’t have to go and tell on me just because of a misunderstanding.”
“I’m sorry Penny but this has gone past apologies and misunderstandings.”
“But Brant doesn’t like me! He doesn’t like anyone, not even his brother. They had a huge fight this morning at breakfast. He’s angry and he’s blowing this all out of proportion. You aren’t really going to kick me out because of a misunderstanding between me and one patient who has an obvious grudge, are you?” She smiled sweetly but Dr. Hurd was unmoved. “Please, Dr. Keaton says I have at least two more weeks before he can clear me for release. I can’t sleep without shaking. I throw up every day. You can’t kick me out, I’m not better yet. It’s not fair.”
“Penny, Brant’s not the only one to lodge a complaint against you. I wish we could let you stay until you had completed your recovery but you’re impeding the healing process for other patients and we cannot allow that. Please pack up your belongings. Mr. Everett will come up to help you with your bags. And Penny, he has the master key.”
“Then I’ll bar the damn door!”
“I need a book.” She stepped out and turned to lock the door. When she turned around again Penny was at the top of the stairs.
Penny smiled radiantly and purred, “Oh, hello Alice. I was just looking for Brant, have you seen him?”
“No, I haven’t,” Alice mumbled, her eyes on the floor. “Excuse me, I have somewhere to be.”
“Is Dr. Keaton expecting another payment?” Penny asked too sweetly.
Alice struggled to hold back the tears. She rushed past Penny and down the stairs where she collided with Dr. Hurd. He caught her before she could fall.
“Alice, are you okay?”
She shook her head, ‘no’.
“Has Brant been harassing you again?”
“No. Brant has been very polite,” she said with uncharacteristic force. “But Penny keeps suggesting that I’m a whore, when she’s not sneering at me or belittling me.”
“How long has this been going on?”
She seemed to shrink as the anger began to leave her. “Since I arrived, I guess. I don’t like causing trouble or calling attention to myself so I didn’t make a big deal out of it. If you tell on them it only makes it worse. I’m sorry, I was just angry.” She forced herself to look up, meet his eyes, and smile.
“It was no trouble at all, Alice. In fact it was exactly what I needed to hear since Brant also lodged a very serious complaint against Penny today.” He sighed. “Alice, there may be a bit of a scene in a short while and I know raised voices make you nervous …”
“Thank you,” she said. She slipped away from him, making herself smaller as she crossed the room.
Dr. Hurd found Penny in the hallway rapping her knuckles against door 16, Brant Bye’s room. He could hear her saying, “Brant, are you in there? Brant, answer me, please. I’m sorry I upset you, can’t we talk?”
“I don’t think anybody is home.”
Penny froze with her hand in mid-air. “Oh, Dr. Hurd, hello. I guess you’re right. I’ll have to talk to him later.” She tried to walk past him but he stopped her with a gentle hand on her arm.
“Penny, Brant has made it very clear that he’s not interested in talking to you, or in any other attention or service you may have offered.”
“Services? You make it sound like I offered to wash his socks.” She tried to laugh it off.
“That’s not the offer he told me about. You know the rules, no harassing other patients and no sexual involvement.”
“I did not have sex with Brant.”
She sounded like a pouting child and the half pouty-half seductive pose did not go unnoticed by Dr. Hurd. He sighed. “We consider both sexual intercourse and oral sex to be sexual involvement, Penny.”
“I’ve never given Brant a blow job.” She had gone from pouty to desperate. “The rest was just a misunderstanding. I’ll leave him alone now, I promise, not another word. He didn’t have to go and tell on me just because of a misunderstanding.”
“I’m sorry Penny but this has gone past apologies and misunderstandings.”
“But Brant doesn’t like me! He doesn’t like anyone, not even his brother. They had a huge fight this morning at breakfast. He’s angry and he’s blowing this all out of proportion. You aren’t really going to kick me out because of a misunderstanding between me and one patient who has an obvious grudge, are you?” She smiled sweetly but Dr. Hurd was unmoved. “Please, Dr. Keaton says I have at least two more weeks before he can clear me for release. I can’t sleep without shaking. I throw up every day. You can’t kick me out, I’m not better yet. It’s not fair.”
“Penny, Brant’s not the only one to lodge a complaint against you. I wish we could let you stay until you had completed your recovery but you’re impeding the healing process for other patients and we cannot allow that. Please pack up your belongings. Mr. Everett will come up to help you with your bags. And Penny, he has the master key.”
“Then I’ll bar the damn door!”
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