Hell Within -- Chapter Seven: The Birthright -- Scenes 7-9

-7-

As soon as she stepped off the school bus, Mandy walked straight into the building and back to Dr. Ambrose’s office.

The door was open and she found him sitting behind his desk shuffling papers.

"You’ll never guess what happened to me today."

Paul sighed and looked up and out the window on the wall opposite his desk.

"That social worker came to my school."

"I know. He paid me a visit, too."

Mandy propped her hands on her hips. "What’s she trying to pull this time?"

Paul stacked the papers before him, deposited them in a manila folder and sat them aside.

"It’s not about you; it’s all about her."

"Well, that’s just great, but in the mean time, she’s affecting just about every aspect of my life."

He looked at her.

"That’s because you’re allowing her to get to you."

"What in the hell do you expect?"

Paul turned his chair around to face her.

"You’re ultimately in control of your own emotions. You can choose to feel any way you wish about anything."

"Don’t worry, be happy? That’s the best you’ve got?"

"I know how hard times are right now, and I’m also well aware of how hard it is for one to see the entire situation in times of crisis. But I would like to call your attention to the fact that I have been through all of this with you."

Mandy rubbed her forehead and looked up at Paul. "I know."

Paul nodded. "It’s not just you that she’s trying to hurt. Right now, I could use your support."

Mandy felt like an ass.

"I’m sorry."

Paul shook his head. "You don’t have to apologize."

"What’s she got up her sleeve?"

Paul gave her a pale smile. "Nothing. She’s chasing wild geese, and she knows it. But in doing so, she’s putting us both in a pressure cooker."

"What’s she done to you?"

Paul turned his chair around and looked back out the window.

"It doesn’t matter. It will be over very soon, and she’ll be exposed for what she really is: a cruel, bitter woman."

She didn’t know what to say. She walked around to the front of the desk and looked at him.

"You’re going to be okay?"

He nodded. "Just as long as you manage to hold yourself together."

Mandy was overwhelmed. She felt as though all of it was somehow her fault.

Paul eyed her a moment longer, and then he took the file folder from his desk, and locked it in the bottom drawer of his desk.

"I’m going to be out of town for a few days."

"Why?"

He looked away from her. "I have a conference. -- I’ll leave the phone number of my motel on my desk. If one of my clients has an emergency or anything else, call me."

"Okay."

He nodded. "I’ve arranged for some friends I have at the police department to look in on you once a day, so don’t be alarmed when they come by."

"Fine."

"One more thing."

She eyed him with misgiving.

"I’d like to take some of the tapes from our sessions along with me."

"Why?"

"They might come to bare. You’ll be completely anonymous, of course."

She shook her head. "Anything you need."

-8-

Just after five, there was a heavy knock on the entry door downstairs. Mandy trotted down the stairs, and opened the door.

Outside, the County Detective who had served the search warrant the other day was propped on the doorframe flanked by two other deputy-sheriffs.

"Can I help you?"

"Miss Green, we have a warrant to take you down to the hospital for a couple of tests."

Mandy’s mouth fell open.

"What tests?"

The Detective turned around and stretched out his hand toward the lady officer standing behind him.

"This is deputy Powers. She’ll take you down there and bring you back while I execute this other search warrant."

Mandy shook her head.

"You’re not taking me anywhere until I talk to my lawyer, and you’re not coming inside until Dr. Ambrose returns from his conference."

"I don’t have time to stand here and argue with you. Go with Ms. Powers, or I’ll arrest you, and we’ll run the test anyway."

"If you arrest me I get a phone call."

"Not until I get you back to the station."

Mandy glared at him. "You know that when this is all over, I’m going to sue the county?"

The detective laughed. "You’d have better odds with a lottery ticket."

"What was your name again?" she snapped.

"Sergeant Tom Davis badge number 2413."

Mandy looked straight into his eyes. "You’re really going to hate me by the time this is over."

Officer Powers walked over to the Sheriff’s cruiser and opened the back door, and Tom Davis gaped at her.

"You gonna go, or do I need to arrest you?"

Mandy, never breaking her glare, walked past him and sat down in the cruiser, and Powers, a pudgy, butch-looking woman with a flattop, shut the door behind her.

Mandy didn’t say anything all the way to the hospital, and when they arrived, Powers opened her door and escorted her to the emergency room.

Not even ten minutes passed before a nurse called her name.

Mandy stood up and Powers walked with her back into the ER. The Nurse escorted her to a bed with a hospital gown laid neatly out on top of it. She pulled the curtain shut and looked at Mandy.

"Just go ahead and take everything off, and put on the gown. It’s a little cold in here so it’s okay if you want to leave your socks on."

A pang of terror shot through Mandy’s chest.

"What the hell kind of a test is this?"

The nurse excused herself, but Officer Powers remained behind, standing with both of her hands on her belt buckle.

"Answer me!" Mandy demanded.

"This is a Gynecological Examination."

Mandy shook her head and started for the curtain. "Absolutely not! Take me back."

Deputy Powers grabbed her arm and pulled her back.

"Are you gonna put the gown on, or am I gonna have to do it for you?"

"I’m not under arrest," she pleaded. "You can’t treat me like this!"

Deputy Powers nodded. "Are you gonna make me arrest you?"

A hot tear rolled down her face.

"I can’t believe this," she said more to herself than anyone."

Deputy Powers leaned forward. "I don’t have all night. Put the gown on."

Mandy shook her head and sat down in the chair by the bed, and for an indeterminate amount of time she stared at the floor.

Finally, Deputy Powers stood up straight and started after her.

"Consider yourself under arrest."

-9-

Mandy was still crying when Deputy Powers dropped her off in front of the old Victorian style house that was Dr. Ambrose’s practice.

It was dark now, and all of the lights inside were off.

She had to wear a jumpsuit from the ER home because her own clothes were too torn up to wear. She carried them in a large Biohazard bag the hospital had supplied her with.

She walked inside locking the door behind her and then went straight for Paul’s office to find the number of his motel room. But when she walked in she found 23 messages on his answering machine. She pressed play, and the machine beeped.

"Yeah, hey. This is Jason Barnes here. Paul I just faxed the results of the tests the police ran on Mandy’s clothes to your motel. I would have called you there, but I seem to have lost your room number.

"Anyway, the police did find semen on one of her shirts. You might wanna talk to Mandy about that, but I’ve also just gotten the results of your blood and DNA tests back, and of course, they don’t match the semen. I’ve taken the liberty of faxing the results of your blood and DNA test to Detective Davis, and I sent you a copy of it as well. You can pass it on to who ever is representing you in this ethics hearing tomorrow.

"I also have a signed affidavit from the DEFACS guy saying that he found no evidence of sex abuse, and several other items you might find helpful.

"Don’t you worry about this thing. You won’t loose your license, and they’ll probably throw it out before you even have to defend yourself.

"Call me."

The answering machine beeped.

Mandy covered her eyes with her hand. Why hadn’t he told her?

The machine beeped again.

"Yeah, this is Jason again. Listen, my secretary just handed me the briefs on Mrs. Green’s suit to contest her mother’s Will. So, as we suspected, she is going to try that, too. She’s claiming that her mother was not of sound mind when she wrote the Will, but I already have about a hundred affidavits to the contrary. So just like we thought, she doesn’t have any valid reason to contest the will. Mandy will inherit all of it. This is just a stall tactic.

"On a related subject, my PI friend just called me back. We need to talk ASAP. We know who Mandy’s father is now."

The machine beeped again.

Mandy’s fists were clinched now, her head pounded, and she felt dirty.

Another beep.

"This is Jason again. Sorry to keep calling but this is urgent. As soon as you get this message, I need you to call and make arrangements to get Mandy somewhere safe. I don’t know how, but David Lester has just posted bail."

Mandy hit stop on the answering machine and pressed her hands against her temples and sank down to the floor bawling.

Not only had her mother just raped her through the police and the hospital . . .

Not only was the only person who had ever helped her accused of having sex with her and in the midst of a hearing to take away his license. . . .

Not only was her mother trying to steal her birthright . . . .

But the man who wanted to kill her had just been released from jail.

She was in such a state of shock and disorder that she didn’t even notice the sudden, drastic drop in temperature inside the office.

In fact, it was so cold all of the sudden that a ghostly cloud of mist poured out of her mouth each time she exhaled.

And there was a smell, too.

Acrid and electric.

It wasn’t until she felt the perturbation of sharp eyes tearing through her that she looked up, and she recoiled in terror.

And standing before her . . .

A man with long and stark black hair and a beard,
undulating as if suspended in water.

And his eyes . . .

Green and glowing like a thousand fireflies.

His skin. . .

As blue as a cadaver.

And he wore medieval garments.

Black with white ruffles at his throat and cuffs.

"Do not be afraid," he said - his voice heavy with an English accent.

"We’ve come to protect you."

(Coming soon Chapter Eight: The Becoming)