Alpha's Promise

Chapter 2

I woke up to the sound of my alarm blaring on my phone. As I opened my eyes, I felt a throbbing pain in my forehead. As I reached to touch it, I flinched in pain. I could feel a large bump and laceration on my head. As I looked around the room, I saw that last night’s mess had disappeared. The room looked exactly as I had left it the previous day.

I went to stand, and I felt a little dizzy, so I sat on the edge of the bed I shared with Dean for a bit, taking in a few sips of the bottle of water on my bedside table and ignoring the pills that Dean had left for me. I assumed they were pain relief, but I didn’t want the pain to subside. For some reason, I needed to feel it so that I could keep my resolve about myself.

As I walked toward the bathroom, I could smell bacon cooking. After going about my business and taking in the nasty egg on my head and accompanying laceration on my forehead, I covered it with a dressing, but the blood had already started to seep through. I would check in with one of my colleagues at work to see if they could help me out with some stitches.

I put my clean scrubs on and made my way to the front door. I couldn’t find my keys, so I made my way to the kitchen where I knew Dean would be, hovering over the stove, no doubt.

“Good mornin’, good lookin’,” he called out happily, as if yesterday was nothing more than a bad dream.

Not wanting to fight, I just smiled and asked for my keys.

“You’re not going to work, are you?” he said with a hint of concern in his tone.

“Of course I am. We are short-staffed at the moment, and I have to work,” I said.

I took the keys from Dean’s hand and slipped them into my bag. His concern didn’t register with me the way it used to. My mind was frantically trying to piece together what I could recall and make sense of it all.

“Be careful out there,” he said, his eyes flickering to the dressing covering my forehead.

“I will,” I replied, forcing a smile to keep up appearances.

I drove to the hospital on autopilot. I replayed the events over and over, trying to find a clue, something I might have missed. How could everything have gone so wrong?

I pulled into the hospital parking lot and found a spot near the entrance. As I made my way inside, I felt myself relax. The hospital had always been a place of order and control, which I desperately craved.

I entered the hospital and made my way to my ward. I checked in with my charge nurse, then reviewed my patients’ charts, and tried to focus on the tasks at hand. But the pain in my head and what little I could recall of last night kept distracting me.

By midday, I couldn’t take it anymore. I needed answers. And I knew just who could help me.

I found Dr. Smith in the break room, sipping on her coffee. She looked up and smiled when she saw me, but her smile faded when she noticed the dressing on my forehead.

“Missy, what happened?” she asked, setting her coffee cup down.

“Long story,” I replied. “But I need a favor from you. Any chance you could take a look at this and maybe give me a few stitches?”

“Of course,” she said, “follow me to my exam room.”

After she gently cleaned the wound, she started stitching. I decided to confide in her. We had always been friends, not close friends, but we had a good working relationship.

“I can’t remember what happened last night,” I said, as I winced slightly as the needle pierced my skin.

She paused, looking at me with concern. “Hmmn, Missy, do you remember how you got this nasty wound?”

“I’m not sure. I was at home with Dean. I think we had a fight, and then things got... hazy. I woke up with this throbbing pain in my head, and when I went to the bathroom, I saw the wound,” I said, gesturing to my forehead.

“Do you think Dean had something to do with it?” she asked cautiously.

“I don’t know,” I admitted. “I think... maybe. I need to remember what happened.”

“It is possible that the knock you suffered has caused some amnesia. It’s not common, but if you let me do a few tests, I’ll have a better understanding of what we are dealing with here,” she said.

“Of course, that would be great. Thank you,” I said.

She finished the stitches and gave me a thoughtful look. “You need to be careful, Missy. If you need any help, you know how to contact me.”

“Thanks, Doc. I appreciate it.”

“Right now, let’s do a few quick checks, and see what’s going on here,” she said, as she lifted her pupil torch.

The rest of the day passed by quickly. I went through the motions, but my mind was definitely elsewhere. When my shift had finally ended, I drove home feeling a sense of dread. I needed answers, but I didn’t know where to start. And the doctor’s words were almost haunting me.

***

As I walked through the front door, I heard Dean in the living room. He looked up from the television and smiled, but it didn’t seem to reach his eyes.

“How was work?” he asked.

“Fine,” I replied, keeping my voice neutral. “Just the usual... busy.”

He stood up and walked over to me, his expression shifting to one of guilt. “Hey, I’m sorry about last night. I didn’t mean for things to get so out of hand.”

I looked at him, trying to gauge his sincerity. “What exactly happened, Dean? I can’t remember anything.”

He sighed and cooly ran a hand through his hair. “We were arguing, and I lost my temper. You went to walk away and hit your head on the door. Naturally, I panicked. I shouldn’t have left you like that. I should’ve taken you to the A & E or something.”

His words made sense, but something felt off. “Why is our room so clean?”

“I didn’t want you to wake up to a mess,” he breathed. “I wanted to make things right.”

I nodded slowly, not entirely convinced. “It’s been a long day. I’m gonna go take a shower.”

He nodded and watched me walk away. As I stepped under the hot water, I let my mind wander. If Dean was telling the truth, then why did I still feel like something was off?

After showering and dressing in my pajamas and dressing gown, I walked into the lounge to find that Dean had made dinner.

Spaghetti and meatballs, one of his specialties—and we watched a little television before eventually heading to bed. The throbbing pain in my forehead had subsided a little thanks to stronger painkillers and the stitches Dr. Smith had given me earlier.

***

When I woke up the next morning, the bed next to me felt cold, and I realized Dean was gone. The house was eerily quiet, and I had a strange feeling. I got up and threw on my dressing robe.

I took out the trash in the hopes that the fresh air would clear my head. As I stepped outside, I heard voices from around the side of the house. I paused, as I realized it was Dean’s voice. He appeared to be arguing with someone. I stopped in my tracks and quietly listened.

“Dean, ya gotta tell me what’s goin’ on!” It was Megan, my best friend. Her voice was loud and grating, there was no mistaking her accent.

“Megan, keep your f*****g voice down!” Dean hissed. “Do you want her to hear us?”

I peeked around the corner to find them standing close together.

“I don’t care! I wanna know what you’re gonna do 'bout Missy,” she demanded, her hands on her hips. “I can’t believe she caught us last night!”

My breath caught in my throat.

I caught them?

My heart pounded as I listened.

“I know, I know!” Dean snapped. “She walked in on us. We fought. She hit her head. She must have amnesia or some s**t. She doesn’t remember none of it.”

Megan’s eyes widened. “So what now? What are we gonna do?”

Dean’s voice dropped to a sinister whisper. “I’ll sort Missy out. Soon, we’ll be together for good. I’ll move you in like I promised.”

Megan seemed satisfied with this. “You sure you don’t need my help gettin’ rid of her?”

Dean smiled smugly. “I’ve got it all planned. Don’t worry about it. Just keep playing your part. Come on over again while Missy’s at work.”

Megan nodded eagerly. “Sure thing, Baby.”

Dean glanced at his watch. “I better get back to bed before she wakes up. Go on, get out of here.”

Megan scampered off, and Dean turned to head back inside. I ducked behind the trash cans. So that was it. I’d walked in on Dean and Megan. We fought, I got hurt, and now Dean had some plan to get rid of me permanently. And my best friend—was in on it.

My whole body shook with fear and shock. I couldn’t stay here. I needed to figure out my next move and get out before Dean’s plan came to fruition. I quietly slipped back into the house, my mind already at work on my escape plan.

There was no way I’d let Dean and Megan get away with this. They thought they had it all figured out, but they had underestimated me.