BLOODLINES - Chapter 01

Emily Quartermaine entered RoseWood Psychiatric center. She had been working here as a patient *aide* for nearly two weeks. Or rather, being trained for two weeks. It was a small facility and the staff were very kind and giving towards her. And patient. Emily had put in an application after reading their ad in the paper a month ago. She had finished three years of college and while celebrating her twenty-first birthday with her family, she had realized that she was no longer sure she wanted to be a lawyer. All she did know for sure was that she wanted to help people. So she went to the interview and decided this was where she wanted to be. For now. This was mostly a rehab type facility, but there were exceptions. And Emily had met one of them yesterday. Zander.

She smiled as she headed for the women's lounge, the image of Zander dancing in her head. He was a beautiful young man. About her age with dark hair that fell over his gorgeous hazel eyes. A beautiful smile that could light up a room. And a husky voice that made her go weak in the knees. That he was a patient here still boggled Emily's mind. He had been wearing jeans and a white tee shirt, puttering around in the gardens, when she met him, so she had thought he was a groundskeeper. They had talked for a bit, hitting it off as if they were old friends, and Emily hadn't been able to deny her attraction to him. In fact she had been ready to make a rather insinuating comment when Nurse Jenkins had approached them with Zander's meds.

After he took them, Zander had apologized to Emily, as if knowing what she had been thinking. Then he had gone off with the Nurse for his therapy session with Dr. Morales. Emily had asked Nurse Jenkins about Zander only to learn that no one knew anything about him. Not even his last name. As for any details, Nurse Jenkins had stated that Emily would be working on Zander's wing as her area, so she could talk to him if she wanted to know anything else. It would be up to Zander to tell her.

Emily put her coat and purse in her locker and slipped on the yellow smock that signified her position. She checked to make sure her name tag was in a place, then she headed for the elevators. Zander's room was on the third floor, east wing. Emily was looking forward to seeing him. She wondered if he really was as beautiful as she remembered, and as she stepped off the elevator, she looked for him, but the corridors were empty. Moving to the main desk, which looked more like a reception area in an office building, Emily introduced herself to the charge nurse and asked about her duties. She was told to check each room to make sure the clients had eaten their breakfast. Emily nodded and headed off. There were only seven rooms in this wing so it wouldn't take long. She breezed through the first six, which were lined up three and three across from each other down the hallway. Everyone seemed so nice and so normal, that it still surprised Emily that they were mental patients. Then she rounded the turn in the hallway and came to Zander's room. She knew he had to be here since he wasn't in one of the other six. Emily found his room after the laundry room door. She had a smile on her face as she entered but froze in the open doorway at the sight before her.

Naked Zander. Well, half naked anyway. He had jeans on, but no shirt and his feet were bare. He was standing by the window, which wasn't barred, being that all the windows were made of a shatterproof type Plexiglas that was surprisingly clear and see through. The sun was shining in on his face, and he looked so beautiful that Emily caught her breath. She almost forgot to breathe again as Zander sensed her presence and turned to greet her. Her eyes dropped to his naked chest and as he approached, Emily noted that there were freckles dusting his broad shoulders.

"Good morning," Zander offered in greeting.

"Morning," Emily squeaked out, then she started breathing again. "Um...beautiful day."

Zander nodded. "I can't wait to get outside."

Emily smiled then made herself turn away from him. If she kept staring at him she would start drooling and that would hardly be professional. She spotted his tray on the side table and frowned to see that it was full. The only thing he had touched was his orange juice. "Zander...you need to eat," Emily stated.

"Later," he replied, absently.

"Now...or you won't be going outside. You know the rules." Emily turned around and was relieved to see him pulling a blue tee shirt over his head. Relieved, yet a bit disappointed.

Zander grimaced. "I'm just not hungry right now."

Emily sensed that he was upset about something. His smile had faded and his eyes looked haunted. "Are you okay?"

"Sure." He smile came back.

"You look sad."

Zander shrugged. "It's hard...sometimes...not knowing who you really are."

Emily could only imagine. Nurse Jenkins had mentioned that Zander had amnesia. She thought about her brother, Jason. He had no memory of who he used to be either. And he had ended up becoming a hit man for the mob instead of a doctor. Emily hoped Zander had a more mundane past. Something happy to look forward to someday. "Maybe we could talk about it later...if you want?" she offered.

"I'd like that," Zander replied.

"I'd better go and finish my rounds," Emily stated as she scooped up his tray. "Sure you won't even try to eat? You won't get to go outside until after lunch if you don't."

Zander shook his head. "I can't eat."

Emily suddenly could guess why. The haunted look was back and she noticed his eyes were shadowed as if he hadn't slept well in a while. Nightmares, perhaps. That would explain his lack of appetite. "I'll see you later," Emily told him, then she headed out. She figured maybe she could sneak the untouched food into the garbage and no one would be the wiser. And she was close to getting away with it when Eddie Baker caught her. He noticed the name on the tray.

"Zander didn't eat," he said gruffly. He was a big man, bulging with muscle. Which made him an effective aide when a patient acted up.

"He wasn't hungry," Emily stated, almost glaring at him. There was something about Eddie she just didn't like. She had seen him interact with the clients, and he was rather cold and rough with them. Even when his tone was soft and he wasn't really manhandling him, he just didn't seem to care about them as people.

Eddie smirked and headed down the hallway to Zander's room.

Emily followed him. She walked in just as Eddie was getting into Zander's face. She watched as Zander simply smiled back at him. Which enraged Eddie to no end.

"You don't eat, you don't go outside!" Eddie snarled at Zander.

"So...I'll go out after lunch," Zander replied.

Eddie shook his head. "You'll eat now. You won't make the weigh in if you don't, and I'll be more than happy to strap you down and force feed you."

Zander flinched a bit at that but held his ground. "This isn't a fucking eating disorder clinic you stupid bastard! No one cares how much I weigh!"

"I care." Eddie leaned in, menacingly. "Now...I'm going to get you another tray, and you are going to eat."

"Fuck you."

Eddie about popped a vein but let the comment slide without taking action. He turned and was halfway out the door when Zander's water pitcher hit him in the back, drenching him.

Emily gasped at Zander's actions, and she could believe the half smile she saw on his face as Eddie turned around to face him. She knew he was in trouble but before she could intervene, Eddie blew the whistle that was tucked in his shirt. A moment later Emily found herself shoved out of the way as two more aides and a nurse entered the room.

"What happened?" asked the nurse.

"Zander is having a violent episode," Eddie stated. He pointed to his shirt then said, "He needs to be restrained and sedated."

Emily couldn't believe what she was hearing, or seeing. The aides advanced on Zander who put up one hell of a struggle, but it wasn't long before he was on his bed and in restraints, then the nurse was hovering over him. Emily was close enough to hear her words to him.

"You need to stop doing this, Zander," she said softly, even as she gave him the injection. Then she smoothed his hair back, tenderly, as she watched his eyes flutter closed. "You can go now," the nurse told the aides. "You too, Eddie." When they were gone she turned to Emily and shook her head. "I know what you're going to say, that Eddie started it. I know Eddie is rough around the edges, but he does his job. And you don't understand how things are with Zander. He's not well, Emily. Okay?"

"Okay." Emily didn't know what else to say. She was still in shock over the incident. One minute she and Zander are talking, the next minute things are out of control and he's strapped down and sedated. It didn't make sense. "Can I stay with him for a minute?"

The nurse nodded. "Sure. But he'll be out for a few hours, and you need to get back to work."

Emily smiled. "I will," she promised. "And thank you." She watched the nurse leave then turned back to Zander. He looked so young and peaceful as he slept, and she wondered what had made him egg Eddie on. She couldn't shake the feeling that something was going on, and she was determined to find out what it was. "Sweet dreams, Zander," Emily whispered as she smoothed his hair back. Then she couldn't resist the urge to brush a kiss to his forehead before heading out. And she could have sworn that a smile curved his lips.



Emily was on lunch break so she decided to visit Zander. She was happy to see that he was awake. Not so happy to see that he was still in restraints. "When will they let you out of these?" she asked, by way of greeting.

"Hi...how are you," Zander replied, purposefully, then he chuckled when Emily blushed. "Soon," he replied. "I have to talk to my shrink about my behavior, and he won't be in for another hour. He has a private practice as well and this is one of his days to be there in the morning."

"You okay?" Emily asked, then added, "Ahem...hi, Zander. I'm good, by the way."

Zander smiled. "You look good," he said softly.

Emily blushed again. "Are you okay, Zander? Really?"

"Sure...I'm fine." He tugged on the restraints. "A bit tied up at the moment but..."

"How can you joke about it?"

Zander sighed. "It's just a part of my reality, Emily. I'm messed up."

Emily sat down on the stool next to him. "What happened? I mean...if you don't mind me asking."

"I really don't know. I don't remember anything before coming here." Zander shifted against the pillows so he was sitting up more. "Someone found me wandering a back road in the rain. I guess I was injured and feverish, I don't know what happened to me. They brought me to some hospital...Mercy, I think they told me. And I had a few violent episodes so they sent me here. I was put into the hands of the court, and this is where I've been ever since."

"Who pays for you to be here?"

Zander shrugged. "I guess the state."

Emily frowned. Something didn't seem quite right. "But didn't they take your finger prints and stuff and try to figure out who you are? And someone must be looking for you."

"Apparently not. As for the fingerprints, I didn't show up in any databases, so at least I don't have a criminal past." Zander grinned. "Which is a good thing...I guess. It might have been easier to find out about myself if I did."

"I wish there was something I could do to help you," Emily stated. And she meant it. She could see sadness in Zander's eyes, and she couldn't imagine what it must be like for him.

Zander nodded at her. "Just be my friend? That would help a lot."

Emily smiled. "I can do that." She heard footsteps and a middle aged man entered the room. She figured it must be Zander's shrink, and she was right. She introduced herself then said her goodbyes to Zander. But even as she left the room, Emily's mind was at work trying to figure out who she could contact. There had to be someone who could help her. Then it hit her. Jason. He would have connections that not even law enforcement would. Smiling happily, Emily went back to work.


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