Hillary_Tail of the Dog (11 page)

“It smells like other things too,” Hillary continued, and lowered her eyes. “It smells like she made a mess in her pants—like crap, and something else too, something that smells rotten. She’s crying, she’s been crying a long time. Her eyes are red and puffy. She’s trembling, either from the cold or from being scared—both, I think. I...I....”

“It’s okay,” Dr. Bentley assured. He held her right hand. His hand was soft and warm. She smiled as she ran her thumb along the palm of his hand.

“Please,” he said softly, “what else do you see? What happened next?”

Her hand gripped his tightly as she resumed thinking about her nightmare.

“I thought it might have been me sitting there, scared like that,” she said quietly, a tear fell from her eye.

“How do you know it wasn’t?”

“Because someone had a small knife, and shoved it into her upper arm and twisted it in. The girl screamed in pain. She didn’t even move. Even through the tape I could hear her shouting in pain, begging for her life. Blood poured out from the hole in her arm. Then I saw something stick a dirty finger into the hole, playing in it as if trying to fish something out of it. The girl continued to scream, but she didn’t move. She just sat there screaming. It was a monster, that monster cutting her. It sucked its bloody fingers and licked her blood off. Then...then....”

Hillary grew visibly upset. Her breathing was labored as she became hysterical.

“It’s okay, you’re doing a great job, Hillary. You can do this. It’s not real. It’s just a scary movie. What else happened?”

“The monster…started biting her,” she shouted, gasping for her breath. “It took bites…from her arms…and legs. The girl shook her head…but she didn’t move…she didn’t try to get up…or run…or hit the beast away from her…or bring her hand up to protect her face…she just sat there.”

Hillary was sobbing as she recalled the horrific details of her nightmare.

“Go, on Hillary, continue,” Dr. Bentley prodded, he clasped his other hand over the one Hillary was now squeezing tightly.

“The monster licked up the blood as it poured out of her wounds. The girl’s eyes were wide and looked crazy. She was barely screaming now, just moaning and crying. I think she was giving up. I think...I think she knew....” Hillary’s voice cracked as new tears flooded her eyes.

Dr. Bentley patted her hand to let her know that she was all right.

“She was going to die,” Hillary said frantically. “The monster just kept biting and picking at her cuts. It was eating her slowly. Then it tore the tape off the girl’s mouth.” Hillary closed her eyes as if she couldn’t bear to see anymore of the “movie.” She shook her head as she sobbed.

“What happened, Hillary? What happened to the girl?”

Hillary continued shaking her head. She did not want to talk about the dream any more.

“You’re doing such a great job confronting your fears,” Dr. Bentley said softly. “Don’t stop now.”

Hillary continued shaking her head, adamantly refusing to discuss the dream any further.

“You know, it sounds like an awful dream, really horrible…but it’s not all that different from the other horrible dreams you’ve had. I’ve read Dr. Morrison’s notes…that beast, that monster…it’s in many of your dreams. Why are you so afraid of it now?”

Hillary stopped shaking her head but continued weeping.

“Hillary? What is it? Why is this dream so disturbing?”

Dr. Bentley wiped the tears from Hillary’s face. She sighed heavily as she stared up at him.

“Go on, Hillary,” he whispered softly, “go on….”

“The…girl…” Hillary said, as her body wracked with sobs, “she screamed out… she begged and begged for…for the monster to stop. She kept saying, ‘I won’t tell anyone, I won’t tell anyone it was you.
Please stop…please let me go...please, please, please, please...PPPLLLEEEAAASSSEEEE....
’” Hillary was crying hysterically.

Dr. Bentley let go of her hand and walked over to the other side of the room to grab a tissue from the box on the desk. He brought the whole box with him, pulling one of the tissues out to wipe Hillary’s face. She was nearly hyperventilating, and Dr. Bentley rubbed her shoulders, soothing her as he prodded her to continue.

“What happened to the girl, Hillary?”

“The monster bit her cheek. The girl turned her head, but the monster’s teeth were deep in there...part of her face flapped down. I could see the bone, the blood pouring out. The girl continued to beg and scream…and she yelled…she yelled—” Hillary couldn’t catch her breath.

“She...yelled—” she said between short gasps.

“Relax, it’s okay, you’re fine, Hillary, it was only a dream. Calm down,
shhhhh
,” he said softly, as he continued rubbing her shoulders gently, trying to get her to relax.

Hillary looked horrified. She wanted to forget the dream, but she knew she had to tell Dr. Bentley what happened next, the most important part of the dream. Monica stood just outside the door, listening.

“Why don’t we take a break?” Dr. Bentley suggested. “You did a great—”

“
Nooooo
,” Hillary sobbed, as she hiccoughed. “I...have to....tell...you....what....what....”

“
Shhhhh
, it’s okay, I need you to take a deep breath, then you can tell me whatever you want.”

Hillary tried to take a deep breath, took four sharp successive intakes of air and a deep breath out. She calmed down a bit, but was still sobbing.

“She said,” Hillary continued, trembling, “don’t do this to me…don’t do this to me…
Hillary
....she called out my name…and, and then the monster—
me
—I cut open her throat and put my mouth over it and drank while she made a disgusting gurgling sound. I could feel her dying...I...I—”

“It’s okay, Hillary. You’ve done a good job. You don’t have to say anything else,” Dr. Bentley said, patting her arm.

“No, no, there were others too, another girl, and—”

“
Shhhhh
, you need to relax now. Let’s take a break. If you feel like telling me more afterward, then we’ll continue.”

Hillary looked at him. Though he was acting sympathetic, he seemed disgusted. His eyes were practically bulging out of his head and he seemed tense and awkward. Hillary wished she had kept her mouth shut or made up a story about a scary ghost or something. She was glad she didn’t mention the part of the dream about the baby and the atrocious things she had done to him. That part of the dream had made her wake up screaming and the images still tormented her mind.

Monica had her hand over her mouth in shock. She couldn’t believe the horrors this girl had described. At the moment she didn’t care what happened to her. She just needed to get some fresh air and purge those thoughts from her mind.

~8~

Dr. Bentley lingered on after his session with Hillary, hoping to speak with Dr. Morrison. He made himself at home in the den, as he had in the past, pouring himself a drink and turning on the news. While he was pleased that Hillary had made progress, he was disturbed by what she had told him. He intended to discuss it with Dr. Morrison in great length.

Monica treated herself to a manicure and pedicure before returning home. She could have used the full body massage but didn’t want to be gone too long. The house seemed empty, yet Jake Bentley’s car was still parked in the driveway. She figured, correctly, that he was in the den and after unloading her pocketbook and keys, made her way down there to join him.

“Hi Monica,” he greeted her warmly, as she approached. “I hope you don’t mind me making myself at home.”

“Not at all,” she said and took a seat next to him.

The den was a large room with a state-of-the-art home theater system, set up with theater seating and a large screen television. There was a beautiful big fireplace against the wall, a magnificent book shelf and two soft leather recliners with a small, round wooden table in the center. On the far end there was a full bar, complete with six stools, a refrigerator and a dart board hanging on the wall to the right.

“So how’s Patty?” Monica asked, making friendly small talk before the serious discussion began.

“She’s great, she just finished her dissertation. She’s stressing out over a few interviews she has lined up next week.”

“She’ll be great, she has nothing to worry about,” Monica said truthfully. She thought Patty was one of the most intelligent women she had ever met. She would make an excellent professor.

“I know, that’s what I told her. You know how she is, always doubting herself.”

Monica nodded, smiling wanly.

“So, what’s eating you?”

“What do you mean?” she said facetiously.

“It’s me, Jake...remember?” he said with that million-dollar smile of his. Monica couldn’t help but smile along, even as the tears filled her eyes. Jake shut off the television.

“Come on, tell me all about it...no charge,” he said with a quick wink.

“It’s Hillary,” Monica whispered, as if she were afraid the girl would hear her.

“What about her?” Jake asked, although he had a good idea what was coming next.

“She says you’ve acted inappropriately with her.”

“
Me?
” he replied, clearly taken aback. He had been wrong—this was not what he had expected at all. His jaw dropped open and for a few seconds, he was at a loss for words.

Monica was silent, waiting for a reply, an explanation.

“That’s not entirely true,” he said, trying to be as honest as possible. “I had no idea she was undressed. She wanted see what she looked like. I pulled the sheet back and was shocked to see her naked under the sheet.”

“Hillary says you were more than just shocked,” she said frankly.

“Believe me, I was shocked...and yes, my eyes may have quickly scanned her, I admit...I’m a man, it’s a natural reaction…what can I say? But I quickly covered her back up and apologized. In fact, she was the one who acted inappropriately.”

“What do you mean?”

“She wanted me to touch her,” he said truthfully.

“What? Why? She’s just a child. She said you had...an erection,” Monica said uncomfortably.

“Monica, first of all, she’s not a child, really...okay, yes, technically she is. But she’s fully developed—what I mean is,” he added quickly, nervously, unsure that he was properly explaining. “She’s a child in a woman’s body. So yes, I reacted. It threw me completely off guard and I’m embarrassed to admit it, but yes...I found her attractive, but Monica, I would never, ever,
ever
do anything inappropriate.”

Monica appreciated his honesty and believed him. Unlike Patrick, he didn’t get defensive, he didn’t get offensive. He was rational and reasonable and his explanation seemed genuine.

“In fact, I can’t understand why she’s naked to begin with...why she’s been tied down to the bed, hooked up to an IV, has a urinary catheter—
it’s inhumane
.”

Monica nodded. She too, wondered the same thing. Uncontrollably, she began to sob.

“Jake...I think Patrick raped her....” she said in a low, shaky voice.

“What? Do you really believe that? I mean, I know what she alleged, but—”

“She seems so believable when she tells what happened—and I know that’s not worth much, all things considered, but...then she said that she bled when he forced himself in her, so I checked the sheet and, there was blood on it....”

Monica was so upset, she was trembling. Jake put his arm around her.

“I know it sounds incriminating, but let’s not jump to conclusions. Have you asked him about it?”

Monica nodded.

“He washed the sheets, Jake—he
never
does the laundry. He just got defensive and denied it. I don’t believe him. I don’t believe him at all.”

“I know what you mean. He’s been very defensive lately. I noticed that too. He’s a doctor, he shouldn’t act so carelessly…the way he has Hillary all tied up without proper oversight when you’re not around…it’s not wise. I guess it’s certainly a possibility...I just hope we’re wrong.

“And the day he inserted the catheter, I could have sworn that he....” Monica couldn’t bring herself to continue. What if she was wrong? What if Hillary was actually lying? Then she’d be incriminating her husband wrongfully.

“That he
what?
” Jake asked.

Monica sighed.
There were blood stains on the sheet, just like Hillary said there’d be
, she thought, doubt in her husband quickly resurfacing.

“I thought he touched her when he was placing the catheter, you know…I thought he inserted his finger...
oh God, it’s so gross,
” she said, wincing in disgust.

“She can’t stay like this,” Patrick said, “naked, covered with just a thin sheet, her arms and legs tied. There’s no reason for it.”

“Do you think she can be trusted to cooperate?”

“Unless she wants to be treated like an animal, she doesn’t have much of a choice.”

“But what if she goes nuts again, tries to escape?”

“Then I guess we’ll be back to square one. I don’t know. I’m not proud to be a part of this, to be honest with you. I wish I’d never agreed to it.”

“I wish Patrick never thought of experimenting on her. I tried to talk him out of it. I had no idea something like this would happen. Our marriage is over now.”

“It’s too soon to make such a statement. You need to be sure.”

“I need to trust my instincts, and they’re telling me he did it.”

Jake nodded.

“You know him better than I do,” he said.

They could hear someone walking upstairs. Monica froze in terror. Even though she knew Hillary was secured to the bed, the very thought of her roaming freely around the house horrified her.