Chapter 6 When consciousness returned, Emmaline was met with a sharp, stabbing pain-again and again, relentless and cruel. She forced her eyes open. The blurry ceiling came into focus, then the hospital room around her. She realized she was lying on a hospital bed. And beside her sat Juanita. In her hand was a syringe, which she was jabbing repeatedly into Emmaline's exposed arm. "Juanita! What are you doing?" Emmaline's voice cracked with shock and fury as she tried to yank her arm away, but her injuries left her weak and powerless. Startled by Emmaline's sudden awakening, Juanita's face morphed into an expression of wide-eyed innocence. "Oh, Dr. Walsh, you're awake! You've always said my IV skills are terrible, that I can never hit the vein right. With my re- tention exam coming up, I have to pass this part. Since you're injured and need shots anyway, I thought I could, well... practice on you. It helps both of us, right?" "Are you out of your mind?" Emmaline's voice trembled with disbelief. "You practice injections on dummies, not people! What's wrong with you?!" Juanita pouted, her tone almost defiant in its nonchalance. "Dummies don't feel like real skin, though. Come on, Dr. Walsh, just bear with me a little longer. I'm almost getting the hang of it..." She raised the syringe again, aiming for a fresh spot, and plunged the needle in with a quick, brutal jab. A jolt of agony shot through Emmaline as blood welled up from the wound. "Enough!" she roared, summoning every ounce of strength to shove Juanita away. Juanita yelped, stumbling backward and crashing into the bedside table. A thermos of boiling water toppled to the floor, shattering and splashing scalding liquid across Juanita's legs. She let out a blood-curdling scream, collapsing in a writhing heap. At that moment, the door burst open. Zachary rushed in, holding a lunchbox. His face went pale at the sight. "Nita!" He shoved past Emmaline and dropped to Juanita's side, his voice thick with panic. "What happened?" Juanita's cries were choked and halting. Pointing at Emmaline, she stammered, "Zack... it hurts so much... I was just trying to take care of Dr. Walsh... but she... she doesn't like me... said I was clumsy... She pushed me and... and splashed me with boiling water..." Her voice dissolved into pitiful whimpers. Zachary's head snapped up, his eyes blazing with accusation as he glared at Emmaline. "Nita didn't even hold you ac- countable for stealing from her, and now you do this? She sprained her ankle and still came here to take care of you, and this is how you repay her? When did you become so cruel?" Emmaline couldn't believe he'd swallowed Juanita's story without question. His look of disgust and blame cut deeper than any wound. A bitter laugh escaped her, cold and sharp, as tears streamed down her face. "Cruel? Zachary, look at what she did to my arm! I barely pushed her, and she tripped on her own! The thermos fell because she knocked it over!" 0.0 % 10:01 Chapter 6 W Zachary's gaze flicked to Emmaline's arm, taking in the constellation of needle marks and blood. For a moment, doubt flickered across his face, his certainty wavering. 288 Vouchers 94.5 % 10:01