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"We’ll talk about this later Go on" Theresa turned back to Pilcher "I’m sorry--" The word stuck in her throat Pilcher held a clear oxygendown into his jacket In his other hand, he held a small aerosol canister She said, "No, please--" A blast of fine mist exploded out of the nozzle Theresa tried not to breathe, but already she could taste it on the tip of her tongue--liquidto her skin She felt her pores ingesting it It was in her mouth, far colder than roo down her throat She wrapped her ars The dishwasher had stopped and the house stood absolutely silent save for the rain dru to serve a more valuable purpose than you could ever conceive of" Theresa tried to ask him what he meant, but her mouth see disintegrating into varying shades of gray--and she could feel an unstoppable heaviness tugging her eyelids down Already, Ben’s little body had gone slack, his torso fallen across her lap, and she stared up at Pilcher, as now s toward darkness along with everything else Pilcher took a walkie-talkie out of his coat and spoke into the receiver "Arnold, Pam, I’m ready for you" CHAPTER 7 "Ethan, I need you to relax Do you hear nized the voice--the psychiatrist He fought to open his eyes, but the effort produced only slits of light Jenkins peered down at hilasses, and Ethan tried to ain, but they were either broken or locked down "Your wrists have been handcuffed to the railing on your bed," Jenkins said "Sheriff’s orders Don’t be alar a severe dissociative episode" Ethan opened his ue and lips like they’d been scorched by a desert heat "What does thata breakdown in memory, awareness, even identity The real concern here is that the car accident triggered it and that you’re having these sy ready to roll you into surgery Do you understand what I’ you?" "I don’t consent," Ethan said "Excuse ery I want to be transported to a hospital in Boise" "It’s too risky You could die before you got there" "I want out of this town right now" Jenkins vanished A blinding light bore down on Ethan’s face from overhead He heard Jenkins’s voice "Nurse, calm him down, please""This?" "No, that one" "I’m not crazy," Ethan said He felt Jenkins pat his hand "No one’s saying you are It’s just that your mind is broken, and we need to fix it" Nurse Pa, so about her presence, andto it nonetheless "My goodness, Mr Burke, you look simply awful Let’s see if we can’t oliath, the biggest Ethan had ever seen, its end dripping silver beads of whatever drug the syringe contained "What’s in there?" Ethan asked "Just a little soled nerves" "I don’t want it" "Hold still now" She tapped the antecubital vein on the underside of his right arainst the steel bracelets he could feel his fingers turning numb "I don’t want it" Nurse Pam looked up, and then leaned in so close to Ethan’s face he could feel her eyelashes splay across his when she blinked He se, could see the pure emerald clarity of her eyes "You hold still, Mr Burke"--she sht to the bone" The words chilled hi against the railing "Don’t you touch me," he seethed "Oh, so you want to play it this way?" the nurse asked "OK" Her se, now holding it like a knife, and before Ethan realized her intention, she stabbed the needle into the sidewall of his gluteuspain lingered as the nurse strolled back across the room to the psychiatrist "You didn’t hit a vein?" Jenkins asked "He wasbefore he’s under?" "Fifteen tops Are they ready for him in the OR?" "Yeah, roll him out" Jenkins directed his last comment to Ethan as he backpedaled toward the door: "I’ll be by to look in on you after they finish the cutting and pasting Good luck, Ethan We’re gonna get you all fixed up" "I don’t consent," Ethan said with as much force as he could h his swollen eyes, Ethan tracked Nurse Parasped the railing, and the gurney began toas it wobbled across the linoleuling to control his voice, trying for a softer approach She made no response, just continued to roll him out of the room and into the corridor, which stood as empty and quiet as ever Ethan lifted his head, saw the nurses’ station approaching Every door they passed was closed, not a shred of light filtering out from under any of them "There’s no one else on this floor, is there?" Ethan asked The nurse whistled a tune to the rhythm of the squeaky wheel