Family Reunion (76 page)

"Lena stop it! Look at you! Look at me! Do you want it so bad you’re willing to hurt me over it?!!"

"Just – give it to me!!" She screamed, unable to stop herself. Manny grabbed at her arms, she went forward to bite his chest, the pain from her teeth sinking into his chest was enough. He pushed her head back, causing more pain to the bite wound, and slapped her hard across the face. The pain in her head exploded beyond what she could endure. Suddenly she seemed to freeze, her head went back and she crumpled to the floor. Fear rose within Manny, afraid that he hit her harder than he’d intended. He fell to his knees beside her gathering her in his arms.

"Lena!!" He cried her name in a hoarse cry of panic. Gaitsu rushed forward. "Oh God! Gaitsu, help her!" He pleaded as Gaitsu checked her. "She only pass out, she worked up - excited, take her to room, I be right there." He ordered Manny.

Quickly he did as he was told, while Gaitsu
gathered the powdered drug from the floor and then went for his herbs. In the room with them, he wet his finger and touching it, he tasted and smelled it.

"What is it!?" Manny shouted.

"Poppy." He said shaking his head.

Manny had undressed her down to her chemise and now sat by her side on the bed with her under the covers. "Poppy?" Gaitsu nodded and repeated, "Is Poppy. English word, O – pi –um…lau-da-num."

"What are we going to do when she wakes up? That poison has made her crazy!? How in God's name did she get a hold of that!?"

"Men go to China, they bring back, use for medicine, give to Miss Lena." Manny closed his eyes feeling tears sting the back of his lids, opening them he turned the tortured look to Gaitsu. "Help her please… please – I beg you."

Gaitsu nodded, knowing he would try, "No fret boss, I help your Miss Lena. You leave boss, let me care for her."

"What are you going to do? I don't want her taking anymore of that poison!"

"Cannot take all away boss, too much for heart. I give her - little, little, little. You go, leave ...I take care."

"I cannot leave her! Tell me what to do, I'll take care of her."

"No! You love too much! She get bad. You give in-…"

"I won't give in! I'll do exactly what you tell me."

"She
make you
- give her!" Gaitsu argued.

"No she won't! I can handle her; just tell me what to do. She's my wife! I have to stay with her! Please Gaitsu!"

"You take on too much boss. This more than you heart can take! She will hurt heart! She not same woman, I warn you boss."

"I've already seen what it's done to her. I won't leave her, I can't!"

Gaitsu shook his head informing him, "Until she better, you no hear her words. She say ... you no hear! You - no - feel her pain. Is a whole diff'rent person you fight, not Miss Lena. No fo'get that...no fo'get that!" He warned.

Manny nodded, agreeing.

"Take all clothes from room, take all blanket, only sheets stay, take away all she can break, all she throw... take from room. I come back, she need special tea, always tea … drug less an' less … tea mo'n'more!"

"Gaitsu… how long is this going to take!?"

Gaitsu reached the door and looked back over his shoulder at Manny, glancing to the unconscious Lena.

"Don't know boss, don't
know. All on Miss Lena." He left to collect all the things Manny would need in the ordeal to come. Manny turned from the door, looking down at his sleeping wife. His skin felt on fire from all the scratches, he reached up and wiped drying blood from his lip and nose.

Standing, he walked to the mirror to take a look at himself. Staring, his eyes pooled with his tears as his face dropped,
'God please ... please, see us through this.'
He splashed his face, grabbing a cloth to clean his scratches; he then went about removing all that Gaitsu had ordered him to.

"S-Sandra ...Sa-a-andra-a-a...m-my head, hurts. Sandra, I need my medicine. Rory, I need m-my medicine." Lena moaned coming from her short sleep, slowly raising herself onto her elbows, her eyes closed against the pain. "Sandra! God…please I need-…"

"Sandra's not here Lena. Sandra's not here." Manny spoke softly to her, sitting beside the bed. Lena turned her head at the sound of his voice, opening her eyes to narrow slits, she stared at Manny for moments on end, slowly coherent thoughts began to develop as she remembered where she was, who she was with, she began to cry.

"Manny-..."

"I'm right here."

"Manny... help me ... please." She asked softly, weak. It had just begun and already Manny felt the tug at his heart to relieve her pain, to take that look from her eyes, to stop the tears from running, each one cut into him like a dull knife. "I am darlin’, I'm helping you. Gaitsu and I, we're gonna get you through this, you have to let us ... please let us?" He pleaded, stroking the hair back from her forehead.

"Noooo, Manny please, I need my medicine...don't keep it from me. I need it Manny... I need it."

Manny couldn't stand it already, nor could he weaken, he decided to talk to her, make her talk to him.

"Why Lena? Why'd you start taking it? Who gave you the medicine?"

Lena closed her eyes, as a searing pain needled through her head, making her whimper in fear. Manny struggled to remember Gaitsu's warning. "Talk to me Lena, talk to me. Who gave you that medicine?"

The pain subsided a little, letting Lena open her eyes to him. "Will you give it to me if I tell you?" She sounded like a hungry, pleading child begging for food to end its starvation.
'God, how do I ignore that?'

"Tell me first."

"The doctor ... gave it to me."

"What doctor?"

"Oh Manny... just a little to stop the pain, please Manny, I'm begging
you ... I'm begging you…please… just a little."

"The doctor Lena ... why?"

“
Wh-what’a’ya mean why? Why do you think!?” She blasted him, shaking her head, rocking, whimpering, she turned away from him, laying on her side ignoring him. Manny moved from the chair to the bed, turning her over to face him. "Talk to me, why Lena?" He asked firmly. Lena worked her arm from his grasp, "Leave me alone…leave me alone." With a sigh, he left her alone and watched her rock, grabbing pillows to press over her head, shifting and moaning, whimpering with slight gasps, she fell asleep for fifteen minutes then woke up calling for Sandra again.

"There is no
fucking
Sandra here…you hear me?! You're with me now! Talk to
me!
" He blazed. She refused, instead she rocked and swayed, then without warning she drew a leg back and kicked him, almost knocking him from the bed. "Get away from me!" She snapped.

Manny stood looking down at her and finally went back to his chair, watching as the hours passed and she grew worse and worse. Gaitsu entered the room with tea for her, she turned seeing him. "Gaitsu! Please… can I have something for this please…Gaitsu!" She begged, ignoring Manny's presence. "Gaitsu bring you tea, tea help you."

"Nooo… I need my medicine…pleeease, my medicine."

"Tea help you Miss Lena, tea help you."

"Why are you doing this to me?" Lena whimpered and started crying, shifting onto her knees, crawling about the bed restlessly, trying to find a way to lay to ease her discomforts. She rolled to her back, staring at the ceiling, turning this way and that. "Manny…"

He sat quietly, pensively watching her.

"Manny…I'll do anything… just a little…please?"

"Talk to me…"

She sat up, sweating, hair tussled, wearing only a chemise and bloomers, the room throbbed around her and the walls looked like rubber, breathing in and out. She fell forward into the covers so as not to see.

"Are you going to talk to me?" He asked.

She wouldn't answer him. "Drink this tea Miss Lena, drink tea."

She refused, squirming about the bed, unable to remain still, slipping in and out of consciousness, dozing lightly. Manny nodded off, only to wake up hearing her at the door of their room trying to get out. "It's locked. Gaitsu locks it coming in, going out. You're here with me, to stay."

She began sobbing, sinking to the floor at the door, pulling at the knob as if he hadn't spoken. Manny sat watching her, saying nothing.

She fell asleep on the floor by the door. He went, lifted her, putting her back to bed, a few moments later she woke, "I gotta pee! I gotta go pee! Let me out to pee!" She shot up demanding, as if she thought it up while faking her sleep. "Pots behind the screen, go pee!"

Lena began laughing, "Let me out to pee, or I'll wet this bed!"

"You better not!" Manny warned, not caring for a urine soaked mattress.

"Then let me out!"

Afraid to trust her, he got up and pulled her from the bed. She started fighting him and he pulled her by the leg across the room toward the screen and the chamber pot, breathing hard he ordered her, "Get on that pot and piss! Now!"

Lena sat on the floor squirming and holding it, crossing her legs refusing. "Let me out of here!"

"On that pot now!!"

"Go to hell!!"

"Fine…sit on the floor, but you're not going back into that bed until you pee." He promised. Lena rocked and held it. "You're really making his hard on yourself." He called from across the room, sitting his chair in front of the bed an obvious block to keep her from it. "Look at you…get up, pee in the pot…and you can get back in the bed." He said again. She rocked, looking around the room, he could see the calculating in her eyes, "You better let me out of here, I swear I'll pee where you'll hate it most…let me out!" She ground out rocking and squirming, barely holding it in.

Manny scanned the room and now understood Gaitsu's instructions, happy for once that he followed them. "Long as you don't pee in our bed, I don't care. Pee where you are for all I care."

"I won't do it if you let me out."

"I'm not letting you out so you might as well. As for the medicine, it's no longer in that room, getting out will do you little good."

"I'm gonna pe-e-e-e-e!" She threatened.

"There's the pot!"

"If I pee in that pot, you'll be wearing it."

"I wouldn't if I were you."

"I'll be good; I'll pee in the pot if you give me my medicine." She promised, shaking and squirming faster. Manny had to bite into his lip not to laugh at the way she looked. Unable to hold it a moment more, she flipped to her knees and crawled behind the screen and peed in the pot. Manny braced himself as she walked from behind the screen holding the chamber pot in her hand.

Sobbing she tried to make a deal, "Give me my medicine, and I
won't pour this over your head."

Manny sat staring at her, "Fuck!" He whispered to himself, eyeing the chamber pot, he had no idea that urine would play a part in this. "Well?" She stood quaking, sniffing and brandishing the chamber pot.

"Lena…put the chamber pot – down." Manny ordered cautiously.

She stood, lifting it with both hands in front of her, "I mean it, I will – give me my medicine."

Manny slowly rose to his feet, "You throw that pot of piss at me, I swear I'll rub your face in it. Now put it down."

"Why won't you give me my medicine?! I was fine before you came back into my life! If Sandra was here, she would give it to me! Why won't you!?!"

"Sandra's not here. Put that pot down. Come drink this tea."

"Fuck that tea and fuck you too!" Fury shot through Manny and he charged at her, she tossed the pot at him, catching him on the neck and chest with it even as he blocked it, knocking the pot across the room. He grabbed her and shook her briefly, gritting his teeth. "You're going to clean this up! Clean it off of me and then, you're going to drink that tea!"

She was sobbing again, scared of the look in his eyes, "Just give me my medicine." She pleaded as he dragged her across the room so she could get a drying cloth and wipe up the floor. "Get it and wipe that up!" He ordered. "No!" She shouted, pulling free of him and running to the bed where she climbed in and backed up into the corner, pulling the covers up to her chin, shaking, sniffing and defying him. Furious, Manny ripped his shirt off, removed his clothing and used them to wipe up her urine, not caring of the fact that he stood naked in front of her. He went to one of the two buckets Gaitsu knew he would eventually need and washed his body down, cleaning himself as his eyes darted back to Lena every few seconds. "You gonna give me my medicine?" She asked in a small voice. He ignored her. She sat watching as he rinsed off again and donned clean breeches and a shirt.

"Please?" She moaned. He continued to ignore her. "Well, I'll have to take a crap soon." He heard her loud and clear and looked at her, "Lena…I swear…this time, you'll eat it." She leaned over, laid in the corner of the bed and cried herself to sleep, shivering and shaking through the night, as Manny made order of the room, taking the soiled garments and towels to be washed. The next day things only got worse, Gaitsu told him he had to get some tea down her and then in two more hours he would give her a small taste of her medicine. "You're going to have to drink this tea." Manny pushed with no results, she rocked and cried, shaking and sweating.