Only Time Will Tell

Part 12

"Damn it, Tommy. Why did you make me do that?" were the first words filtering through the hazy fog which had settled over Tom Ryan's mind. He tried to open his eyes, but found that, apparently, they were not on speaking terms with his brain. They refused to follow its orders. The pain in his head was pounding out a rhythm which seemed to match the beat of his heart. He tried to raise a hand to his head, but discovered his arm would not cooperate either.

He groaned as he rolled over onto his back and then grimaced when he pinched his arms underneath him. He tried to pull them out, but they were solidly cuffed behind his back. He had no doubt that his own handcuffs were being used to trap him.

His brain ordered his eyes to open, and this time they slowly responded. He could see clumps of blood, at least he presumed it was blood, sticking to the eyelashes of his left eye. It didn't matter much, his eyes only seemed capable of producing blurry vision. What he could see, however, did not make him feel good.

"Janet," he groaned as he watched the dark-haired woman disappear around the other side of the bed. "Janet, what are you doing?"

He looked under the bed and could see her feet as they left the room. He could hear her footsteps as she descended the stairway. "Janet!" he shouted, "What the Hell are you doing?"

There was no response from the woman. Tom tried to sit up, but found his cuffed hands and the pain in his head impeded his progress. After a minute, he had finally found the strength to lean against the wall. Now he just had to gather the strength to make it to his feet.

Before he could stand, Janet reentered the room, several items gathered in her hands. "Janet, what are you doing?" he repeated. She said nothing as she dropped the items onto the bed. From Tom's vantage point he could see she had placed a roll of duct tape, a bottle of whiskey and a prescription bottle on the mattress. He didn't know exactly what she had planned, but he knew it wasn't good.

"Talk to me, Janet. We can work through this if you'll just talk."

Janet looked into his eyes harshly, "I think we've done enough talking." She concentrated on the items.

Tom started to bring his feet underneath him. The movement caught Janet's attention and she reached out to the nightstand on her side of the bed. Tom suddenly found himself staring into the business end of his own gun. "Don't," she said menacingly.

Tom relaxed his legs, realizing that no matter how fast he was, he could not beat the speed of a bullet. It was time to try another tactic. "Are you going to kill me, Janet?" The woman dropped the gun on the mattress next to the bottle of pills.

She shook her head, her voice quivering "Why did you do this to me, Tommy. I never wanted to hurt you. I loved you. . .just like I loved Mitch. But you're just like him. I thought you were different, but you aren't. He said he loved me. . .that he would be with me. . .that he would spend his whole life with me. But he lied." Tom started to respond, but before he could, she started talking again. "You said you were my friend. . .that you would help me. . .that I could trust you. But you lied. You are betraying me. . .just like he did." As she talked, Tom watched her shaking hands. She pulled the end of the duct tape loose and ripped off a six inch piece. She then stuck the end of the strip on the edge of the mattress at the foot of the bed.

"Mitch made me do that to him. He said he was going to leave me. That he wasn't happy," she muttered as she opened the bottle of pills and sat them next to the strip of tape. She then reached over to the bottle of whiskey and unscrewed the cap. She grabbed the gun in the other hand and walked to the foot of the bed. Sighing deeply, she sat the whiskey bottle on the floor and aimed the gun at Tom. "Lie down. . .on your back." Tom didn't move for a moment. Janet followed her initial order with harsher "Lie down!"

Tom, not seeing any immediate option, started to move his upper body towards the nightstand, so that his feet would be closer to Janet. . .a possible defense against the murderous woman. She shook her head angrily, "No! The other way!"

Tom stopped in mid-motion and took a deep breath. "What are you going to do, Janet."

He could see tears welling up in her eyes. "Oh Tommy, you are the last person I wanted to hurt, but you hurt me first. I can't let you get away with that." She closed her eyes for a moment, but the gun never wavered from its position, pointing at Tom's chest. When her eyes opened again, they were dark and cold. "Lie down," she whispered.

Tom slid his body to the floor as she ordered. His head was now near her feet, his hands trapped underneath him by the handcuffs. Janet kneeled down next to his head. She sat the gun on the carpet next to his ear, then leaned over and kissed him deeply on the lips. Tom tried to pull away, but he couldn't escape her mouth. She used both hands to hold his head in place.

He felt her right hand slide over his face and then, without warning, her index finger and thumb pinched his nose tightly closed.

He was already breathless from the kiss. Panicked, he tried to fight, but she refused to let go of either his mouth or nose. Then, as suddenly as she had begun the kiss, she jerked her head away.

Tom was left gasping heavily from his mouth, still unable to breathe through his nose. He saw her hand reach up to the mattress and before he could react, the hand returned to his face, the prescription bottle grasped tightly in the palm. He closed his mouth, now knowing what Janet had planned, but with his nose plugged he was starved for air. He brought his legs up, trying to fight the woman, but in the cramped space between the bed and the wall and his arms trapped, he could not get the leverage he needed.

He tried to move his head out of the binding grasp of her hand, trying desperately to get oxygen through his nose, but she would not let go. His need for air finally won out over his desire to foil her plan and he opened his mouth. Janet seized her opportunity and poured the contents of the prescription into his mouth. Grabbing the duct tape, she sealed it tightly over his lips, trapping the pills inside. Tom could not talk. . .could not breath. He grunted, his mind panicking as he tried to find some way to get rid of the pills and get air at the same time, but it was a losing battle. The tablets were already melting in his mouth, their grit floating in his saliva. As more of the pills melted, his mouth watered more, the foul taste overwhelming him. He could not fight the involuntary swallow that forced most of the pills down his throat. He raised his head, trying not to choke.

Janet saw Tom's Adam's apple move up and down, indicating that he had swallowed the mouthful of sedatives and she smiled, running her fingertips through his hair and then caressing his face. "That wasn't so bad, was it Tommy. This will just make you easier to handle." She released his nose, as if rewarding him for a job well done.

Tom took in air greedily, knowing that his fate was sealed. He looked up at the woman, his hazel eyes pleading with her, but she shook her head and frowned. "Don't do that. It's not my fault. You betrayed me, remember?"

Tom shook his head and closed his eyes. He grunted something, but Janet ignored him, instead grabbing the whiskey bottle. While she had her head turned, Tom attempted to raise his legs in defense once again, but Janet quickly reached for the gun and placed its muzzle to his bloody temple. "Don't Tommy. I don't want you to be in any more pain. I'll shoot you if I have to, but I would prefer to just let you go to sleep."

She placed the gun on the floor once his legs had lowered to the carpet. She grabbed the neck of the whiskey bottle and pulled the duct tape away from the helpless man's lips. As soon as his mouth was free of the tape, Tom tried to speak, "Janet. . .No. . .Don't" he shouted, but she ignored him. She held the bottle over his lips and began to pour the liquid. Tom pushed them tightly together, trying to seal his mouth from the alcohol.

Janet shook her head with disgust and grabbed his nose again, sealing off his air, "You can be so stubborn," she muttered.

It didn't take long for Tom to open his mouth, regretting the movement as he did so, knowing that he would lose his battle to keep the liquor out. He was not wrong. As soon as his lips parted, the liquid poured into his mouth. He had no choice but to take in the contents. He sputtered and swallowed and felt the burning as the whiskey slid down his throat, washing the last of the pills into his stomach. Janet released his nose, allowing him to take a breath, but she kept pouring the alcohol. Tom tried to gather it into his mouth, prepared to spit it back out at the woman, but before he could react, the tape was resealed over his lips, trapping the burning liquor. He had no choice but to swallow. He closed his eyes as he immediately began to feel a tingling in his hands and feet.

End Part 12

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