Free Alice & Dorothy by Jw Schnarr Page B

open.”
     
    “No way ,” Dorothy said. “Was he bleeding?”
     
    “ Heh . Yeah, like a pig. That’s all they are.” Alice fixed her sleeve. Straightened her shirt. When she spoke again her voice was soft, as though she’d suddenly thought of something important. “Just a bunch of pigs.”
     
    “That’s so awesome,” Dorothy said. “I’ve never been in a fight before. And I don’t think I ever met a girl who was in a fight with three guys.”
     
    “Yeah well,” Alice said. “Shit happens when you live rough. Girl’s gotta know how to defend herself.”
     
    “I guess.” Dorothy looked down at her dog, as though milling the words over. When the silence started to weigh on her, she looked up again. “So, uhm , how long you staying?”
     
    “Not very. I gotta get out of here.”
     
    “Yeah, me too.”
     
    Alice nodded.
     
    “So what’s up with that dog?” she said, changing the subject. “Aren’t you a little old for stuffed animals?”
     
    “This is Toto!” Dorothy said, giggling. “He’s just—well, I guess he’s an easy friend. I’ve had him since I was a baby, you know? He’s a Scottish terrier, and we had one when I lived with my folks before they died, and I guess Aunt Em thought it would make me feel better if I had a little stuffed puppy to pal around with.” She shrugged, as though there were nothing else left to say on the subject. She bounced Toto on her knee, made him tilt his head with a flick of her wrist.
     
    “Toto, say hello to the nice girl,” she said.
     
    “Alice. Nice to meet you Toto.” She reached out to pet the stuffed pooch and Dorothy growled playfully. Alice withdrew her hand. “You going to bite me?”
     
    “Maybe,” Dorothy said. She smiled at Alice. “Never know what’s down the road, right?”
     
     
     

 
     
    Chapter 8
     
    Alice fingered a crack in the black leather of the couch she was sitting on. Across from her, Dr Weller folded his fingers and looked over his glasses at her. It was sunny outside, but the light that filtered into the room was green and sickly. Just like everything else in the hospital, it had a terminal feel that made Alice’s skin crawl.
     
    “So is this where I tell you how my dad fingered me when I was a baby and now I’m all fucked up from it?” Alice said. She laughed, uncomfortable by her own joke. She was uneasy though, and she sometimes said stupid shit when she was upset or nervous. She felt off keel here; she’d barely settled into her room when a nurse had dropped bye and told her about the meeting with the doctor. Now it was early afternoon, she’d been on the ward for two days, and she was ready to call it a day. But first she’d have to deal with Dr Phil and his psycho babble bullshit.
     
    “Well,” Dr Weller said. “We can talk about that if you like. I thought we could spend a couple minutes getting to know each other before I started coming up with excuses for your behavior.”
     
    Alice clapped her hands on her knees, took a big deep breath and flashed a smile at the doctor. “Great!” she said. “So where do you want to begin?”
     
    “How about we start with an easy one?” Dr Weller said. “How are you feeling today, Alice?”
     
    “Fine,” Alice said.
     
    “Just fine?”
     
    “ Perfect! ” Alice said. “Never better.”
     
    “Any withdrawal pains or discomfort from your treatment?”
     
    “Oh that,” Alice said. “What the hell did you guys do to me? I feel like shit.”
     
    “They didn’t tell you?” Dr Weller said. “They administered Naloxone because you were in the middle of an opiate overdose. It’s like a vacuum cleaner for opiate molecules in your body. It’s supposed to ease withdrawal pains as long as you keep taking it.”
     
    “I know what Naloxone is,” Alice said. “And it doesn’t ease the pain. I feel like I’m gonna barf. I have the sweats, too. Hot, right? Sexy.” She laughed, but it sounded angry.
     
    “Could be worse,” I