Seeking Relief

Terror in ICU

Beep…Beep…Beep

She hurt all over. New pain mixed with old. Old pain overshadowing the new pain. They told her they gave her something for the pain. She doesn’t feel any damn different. She wished they had left her at her apartment. It may have ended up killing her in the end, but she had some blessed relief. Now that’s she had the relief, but not anymore, the old pain is even more unbearable. More intense than it was before. Tears leaked out of the corners of her eyes. She tried to concentrate on her breathing, the beeping of her machines mixing in with the metronome in her head. As she slipped into a state of dozing more sounds rose to mix with the sounds by her head.

Beep…Beep…Beep…Beep

Beep. Beep. Beeeeeeeep.

ZZZZZT

“AAAAAAAGH!”

“I told you if you kept on misbehaving I’d treat you like the goddamn dog you are. Like the b***h you are.”

He ground his knee further into her chest and cinched the collar even more around her neck.

“Pleeeeease.” Snot and tears run down her face. When he stands up, she reaches to wipe her face, in a roar of anger, he drives the heel of his boot into her wrist, slamming it into the ground.

“Agh! f**k!”

“Ah ah ah.” He said waving his finger in her face. “Naughty b***h is to not touch the collar.”

“I wasn’t going to TOUCH THE GODDAMN COLLAR! I just wanted to wipe my FACE!”

“Nope. Leave it. Be the ugly b***h you are. While that collar is on you can’t do ANYTHING without my permission. Do you understand?”

She laid on her side, arms curled around her waist, sobbing.

Beep. Beep. Beeeeeeeep.

ZZZZZT

“AGH!”

“I said, do you understand?” He said softly.

Silence.

Beep. Beep. Beeeeeeeep.

ZZZZZT

“Agh!”

“Do you understand?”

Beep. Beep---

“OKAY, OKAY!! I understand!” She screamed, choking on a sob at the end.

“Hm. Let’s try this again, without the dramatics. Now, while you wear this collar, you do not do anything without my permission. And without the f*****g dramatics. Jade Baby, you are mine. Mine alone. You don’t even belong to yourself.” He squatted down. Put his face next to hers and whispered the last sentence.

“Do you understand?”

“Ye-yes” She stammered out quietly.

“Good. Good Jade Baby.” He reached out, wiped her face with a handkerchief. He gently cupped her jaw, stroking her cheek with his thumb.

“I love you, Jade Baby. You are my everything. It breaks my heart when you’re like this. I only do this for your own good, because I love you so much.” He kissed her lips. Then kissed her again, pressing his tongue to her lips, and she obeyed. He kissed her deeply and gently.

Beep. Beep. Beeeeeeeep.

Beep…Beep…Beep…Beep

Beep…Beep…Beep…Beep

Jade couldn’t control the visceral fear. She couldn’t stop it. Couldn’t stop the scream climbing up her throat. She had the f*****g collar on. She just knew. She raked her nails along her neck, trying to find the edge of the collar so she could tear it off. Get it off. Get it off. It was going to zap her any time. Get it off.

Get it off.

Get it off!

Get. It. Off!