wheel myself into the corridor to see what was going
on and why no one would respond. But after I turned on the light and illuminated the room, I was shocked to discover that my wheelchair was gone. And so was
my walker! I was really trapped in my bed.
"You can't do this, Tony," I muttered. "You
can't keep me a prisoner here any longer. I'm going to
leave. Do you hear me? I'm going to leave in the
morning!"
There was no response. I fell back against the
&n
bsp; pillow, exhausted and overwhelmed once more. I
must have dozed of again, because a movement near
the bed made my eyes snap open and my heart thump.
Grinding my fists over my eyes, I tried wiping the
sleep away. Tony must have returned to my room
after I had fallen asleep and turned off my lamp. Even
the light from the sitting room seemed dimmer. I
could barely make out his silhouette at the foot of the
bed, but I recognized his shadowy figure.
"Tony? What are you doing? Why are you
moving about in the darkness, and why did you take
away my wheelchair and my walker?" I 'demanded.
He didn't respond. He simply stood there, gazing
through the darkness at me. "Tony!" I exclaimed, my
voice more shrill. "Why don't you answer me? Why
are you standing there staring at me like that? You're
frightening me!" There was a long moment's pause
before he finally did respond.
"Don't be afraid, Leigh," he said in a loud
whisper. "What?"
"You shouldn't be afraid. I'm not here to hurt