Winnie's hand rested on my back, and I took a step to the side. His fingers sent chills down my spine.

I followed to the last door on the left side of the hallway. He took out his key ring and opened the door.

I took a small step before stopping. The walls are painted pale pink. There is a large bed on the opposite side with crisp white sheets. The four pillars of the bed are hung with pure white cloth. There is a white dresser with a large mirror on it. The cold concrete floor is covered with a pink carpet.

Winnie placed the bowl on top of the dresser. He turned to look around and reached into the pocket of his lab coat.

"Sit down," Sweeney said.

"I'm fine," I said.

"It's not a multiple-choice question."

I struggled to pull the IV pole across the thick carpet. I sat on the edge of the bed. It was so high that my toes could barely touch the cold floor.

Winnie grabbed my arm and reached out to look at the IV.

"Are you still in pain? How's it going? He asked.

"All is well," I said.

He nodded, then peeled off the tape and pulled the IV from my arm. He pulled a cotton ball out of his pocket and stuck it to my skin.

He pushed the pole to the side

"Give you a little freedom," he said.

"It's not the kind of freedom I want,"

I say. "I did you a favor. Appreciate. ”

Winnie turned, then turned around with a frown. I screamed as he grabbed my ankle and he straightened my legs. Before kicking his shins, I pulled my leg back. I cursed Ben for only giving me one piece of clothing!

Winnie let go of my legs. I wiggle my legs.

"What did you do to yourself?" He asked.

I could feel a subtle tingling sensation in my legs. "I'm shaving my legs," I said. "I can't really see, so it's not my fault."

Winnie pulled a small lamp out of his pocket. How many things can he put in these pockets?

He shone a flash into my eyes.

"You're not going to do it again," he said.

"Do what?"

"Shave. At least not you. ”

"I don't want to be supervised!" I say.

"It's all ridiculous."

"Really?" He raised an eyebrow. "If I hadn't kept Ben here, you wouldn't have wanted to run away, would you?"

I put my legs out from under me, yes, I wanted to jump out of bed and run.

Winnie may have gone downstairs without locking the door. For the last eight years of my life, I have been on the track and field team. I knew I could outrun him, but Ben's words stuck in my head. It takes Vinnie's medicine to live. Troublesome.

"You'd better behave," he said.

I say. "That's why you let Ben be here. I know, but I'm not going to stay here forever. ”

"You think you're smart," Winnie said. He walked over to the dresser. I could see him out of the corner of my eye and I didn't turn my head. "A smart girl doesn't walk home alone at night with music on."

Winnie handed me the bowl. I looked down and saw mashed potatoes and a few pieces of corn.

"You did it yourself, but you'll thank me soon,"

He said. "Eat them all, shepherd's pie."

I calmed down for a while and could only pick up my fork and take a few bites of food. Winnie sat down on a small bench next to the dresser. He was in the corner of my new expanded horizons. I wondered if he knew I could see him.

"Do you like Ben?" He asked.

I shrugged

Because my mouth is stuffed with food. It was the most delicious thing he brought me since I woke up from surgery.

"Good," he said. "He's a good boy. You have to listen to him. ”

I nodded and took one last bite of dinner. Yes, I'm listening to Ben. I don't want to get out of here right now.

"Good," he said again. "You're going to make me proud at the dinner party, right?"

I glared at Vinnie. His face was blurry, so I don't know how he reacted to that. He got up and walked over to me. He took the bowl from my hand and placed his other hand on top of my head. My hair was still wet after the shower and a few strands of hair were parting from my braids. He ran his hand through my hair at a painfully slow pace.

"Like your room?" He asked.

I looked around and looked at the pink and pure white all around us. It looks like a twelve-year-old girl's room.

"What can I do? I can make it even better," he asked.

"Can I open a window?" I asked.

Winnie smiled, finally taking his hand away from me.

"You're funny," he said. "If you really want to see the scenery outside, you're going to have to work hard to get those perks, kitten."

I couldn't seem to move after Winnie left the room. I was frozen on the edge of the bed, arms around myself. That disgusting nickname he gave me echoed in my head.

I am where he belongs now.

To him, I was nothing more than a pet. I'm like his house cat and will be trapped in this house forever.

There was a knock on the door, and I looked up to see Ben standing in the doorway. He changed into sweatpants and a t-shirt.

"How did you live like this?" My painful inquiry.

Ben walked towards me, and when he sat down, the bottom of the bed sank. He had something in his hand, but I couldn't make out what it was.

"Now, all we can do is distract ourselves,"

He said. "It takes a lot of distraction to keep your attention away from the pain."

I looked at Ben and my jaw dropped. His legs pressed against mine, elbows brushing my arms. If his surgery was more than three years ago, then he hasn't been with young people for several years. He must have not been with any girls in a long time. I hurried out of bed, my chest pounding.

Ben raised an eyebrow.

"What's wrong?" His eyes widened when he realized what I was doing. "Oh my God, Diana. No, I didn't mean that. I wonder if you want to watch a movie with me. ”

I took a deep breath, put my hands on my chest, and giggled. He giggled, and I laughed even harder. Ha ha.

"Okay," I said. "What movie are you thinking?"

I squinted my eyes and leaned over to try to read the title.

"Young Frankenstein," he said.

"Is this because I said you? Don't know who Frankenstein is? A smile tugged at the corners of my lips. "Are you going to show me a movie about Frankenstein's kids?"

"Frankenstein's child?" He scoffed. "Well, you obviously don't know your Frankenstein movie. I'm Gene Wilder. Please tell me you know who Gene Wilder is. ”

"Yes, yes," I said. "I know exactly who he is."

"Just to be sure," he said.

"Few young people know!"

"Young man?" I asked.

"yes, how old are you?"

"Twenty. What about you? ”

“24。”

He stood up from the edge of the bed and flicked the hair that covered his eyes.

"There was a room across the hall with a TV. Come in when you're ready. ”

He was gone, and I slipped off the bed. I paced on the plush carpet when I heard the sound of plastic, and the bags rustled outside my room.

Ben left the bag in my room before closing the door. I rummaged through the bag until I found a pair of flannel pajama pants and a black t-shirt.

I put the bag on the floor. I refuse to take them apart. If I put all of this away, I'm telling Vinnie that I'm happy to settle here.

I walked down the hall and saw Ben sitting on a leather couch. His feet rested on the wooden coffee table in front of him. He had the remote control in his hand and smiled. I squinted and saw a large TV hanging on the wall. Behind the sofa is a foosball table. There are several bookshelves next to it, piled high with books and movies.

"The couch is comfortable," Ben said.

I walked from the doorway to the couch. I sat on the other end. I put my knees on my chest and wrapped my arms around myself. Ben sticks out the remote control, and the movie flashes on the screen.

When I saw the picture, I felt a strange relief.

Old black and white films. The new pastel shades can keep me alone for an hour and a half.

"Where are you from?" Ben asked.

"Ontario, but I'm going to Dalhousie University," I said.

"What is your major?"

"Environmental Science."

"Really? I'm not going to treat you like a science student. ”

I rolled my eyes, and a sharp burning pain spread to my temples.

"Did you really just say it to me?" I asked. "Before I switched to environmental science, I actually majored in biochemistry."

"Okay." Ben raised his hands in surrender. "I didn't mean to, I offended you."

"What were you doing before you came?"

"I can't afford the tuition," he said. "Instead, I moved to Toronto and wanted to be a writer while working part-time at a pizzeria."

"What did you write?"

"It's mostly scripts."

I giggled and covered my mouth with my hand. Ben turned to face me, frowning.

"What's so funny?" He asked.

"I'm sorry," I tried to say stop laughing. "I just saw this picture of you sitting late at night in a funky café full of other writers. It's interesting to me. ”

Ben let out a sigh of relief.

"Well," he said. "You're not entirely wrong."

I pulled the blanket off the back of the couch and wrapped it around myself. The white and purple pattern is very similar to the knitted blanket made by my grandmother.

For the rest of the time, we watched the movie. It was really the most relaxing time I've had since waking up from surgery.

The stairs creak as the subtitles scroll across the screen. The lights came on, and Winnie walked in. He placed two glasses of water on the table.

"What are you two doing?" He asked.

"We're just watching a movie, sir," Ben said.

"Okay." Winnie nodded. "I've got your medicine."

He pulls a bottle out of his lab coat pocket and throws it to Ben.

"Dr. Philip gave me yours," Winnie said.

Be

I opened the cap, then put a bottle of medicine into my mouth and drank it.

Another bottle? Hand me three pills and a glass of water. As I swallowed the pill, I saw Winnie's slightly nervous gaze.

"Open your mouth," he said.

"What?" I asked.

"Make sure you swallow it. Open your mouth and stick your tongue out. ”

I glanced at Ben. He nodded. I answered and opened my mouth. Nodding. I answered and opened my mouth.

"Good," Winnie said. "Don't stay up late, see you tomorrow morning."

"Good night, Dr. Winnie," Ben said.

When he walked out of the room, I wrapped the blanket tighter. Ben got up from the couch and walked to the bookshelf.

"What do you want to see next?" He asked.

"Black and white stuff," I said.