Music in the Night (Logan 4)

"Get up," she ordered. "I'll handle this myself. Go on, get up!"

I swung my legs out slowly, the muscles in my thighs screaming, and when I pushed to sit up, I felt my shoulder stinging. The blanket fell away. I looked at my arm. Blood vessels had burst all along it, so that there were black and blue marks from the inside of my wrist, up over my elbow, right to my shoulder. Even she gasped.

"Everything hurts," I complained.

"And rightly so," she said, regaining her regal, stern demeanor. "Stand up and walk into the bathroom. Go on. I don't have the strength to lift you," she added, her hands on her hips. I realized she had put on a light blue housecoat over her dress. I tried to stand, but my legs wobbled.

"I can't," I moaned.

"You can and you will. Stand!" she ordered. She reached forward and seized the top of my hair, tugging me hard.

I screamed. The breath nearly left me, but I rose. I reached out to brace myself on her shoulder. She stepped back and at least gave me her hand.

"I can't carry you. Walk," she commanded.

Each step was excruciating. My back, my legs, even my feet ached. I made my way toward the sound of the running water, reaching out to steady myself against the doorjamb, and then I entered the bathroom. She moved ahead and shut off the water.

"Get into the tub and soak yourself. Go on. Do what I say and do it now," she ordered again.

I don't know how I did it, but I reached the tub and lifted my leg to step into the water. It was so hot, however, I howled and pulled my foot out quickly, losing my balance. I fell back and sat hard on the floor.

"You're disgusting," she cried.

"It's too hot," I moaned.

"It has to be hot, you fool. Now get up and get into the water. Go on. Do it." She hovered over me. "If you don't, you'll surely get pneumonia."

I got to my knees and crawled to the tub. Then I took a deep breath and rose to put my foot in again. It took the breath out of me and I grew so dizzy, I thought I would faint. She put her hands on my hips and held me steady, permitting me to rest against her for a moment.

"All right, now lower yourself into the water. Just do it quickly," she commanded.

I took a deep breath and did so, crying out as I settled into the steamy liquid. My body began to itch and then tingle. I kept taking deep breaths. Finally, I grew more comfortable and then it did suddenly make me feel better. I closed my eyes.

Suddenly I felt something being poured over my head.

"You have to wash out the salt," she said. She scooped water onto my hair, scrubbed it, and then forced me to lower myself until I was under the water so I could rinse my hair. She kept me down so long, I thought she wanted to drown me in the tub. I came up gasping.

"Just lie there and soak," she said and left the bathroom.

I'm sure I fell asleep for a few minutes. Then I sensed her nearby again. She had returned and stood above me, looking down at me with an expression

of utter disgust.

"Well?" she demanded. "Do you know who you are now?"

I thought and thought. Then I shook my head. "I don't know," I wailed. "Who am I?"

"You're a fool and I don't suffer fools in this family anymore," she declared. She sighed deeply. "Who am I?"

I tried to remember. I had even forgotten what that man had called her before.

"I don't remember what that man called you," I moaned. "What, has your brain turned to cranberry jelly?" she asked.

"Cranberries? I remember cranberries."

"Well, I'm glad about that. What else do you remember? Do you have any family, friends?"

I thought and just found a blank, dark place in my mind with no faces, no words, no voices. I shook my head.