SICK: Psychological Thriller Series Novella 1 Read Online Free PDF

difficult with his neck immobilized.
    “You went. That’s good.” I said.
    His feces were small, odorless, desiccated, black lumps; nothing was left to clean anyway. I flushed the toilet and wrapped my arms around him. “One, two, three,” I counted. He grunted a few times as I lifted him. I dared not ask if anything hurt.
    He was finally back in the bed. Tray table placed within reach. Remote at his left side. Cell phone on nightstand.
    “I think I pulled something last night,” John said, smiling shyly, “in the shower.”
    He was referring to the sex. “Did you overdo it?” I asked as I arranged the sheets over him.
    “Maybe you should give me a shot before you leave,” he said.
    “You should save the Demerol for nights, sweetie. So you can sleep. There’s not much left, you know. You can take your pills with your breakfast.”
    “But you’re going back to work today. You can get more.”
    “I can’t keep doing this, John. One day they will find out.”
    “Just one more should do it. I’ll be healed by the time it’s finished, and then I won’t need anymore.”
    “If I lose my job, we’re doomed,” I said. “I could even go to jail.”
    “Nonsense. You’ve been gone for two weeks,” he said. “They won’t suspect you.”
    “I have to go.” I leaned over and kissed him. “Greta is right next door. I told her to keep her cell phone on her. Call her if you need anything.”
    He frowned. “Can’t you call in? Tell them you need one more day. I don’t want to be left alone. I’m not ready yet.” His breath smelled sour. I had forgotten to make sure he brushed his teeth.
    “Just rest. I’ll be back before you know it.”
    “Don’t go.”
    “You’re doing great,” I said. “You’ll be fine.”
    His lips trembled as he smiled. His eyes watered. “It hurts, Suze. It hurts.”
    I couldn’t stand it. He looked so pathetic. It never failed to move me. “You haven’t complained in days,” I said. “I thought we were managing it well.”
    “You’ve just been so good. I didn’t want to be a bother.” He grabbed my hand and squeezed it, his watery eyes trained on me. Pleading. Always needing me. Poor John. He was helpless. Absolutely helpless.
    “Okay, I’ll give you a shot. Just for this morning.”
    His chest sunk in one large exhale, and his pretty smile pushed his cheeks against the collar. For a moment I wondered if his head might pop off.
    I kept the vial of Demerol hidden, but I didn’t go through great lengths to hide it. Even though John knew it was somewhere in the closet, I was sure he didn’t have the strength or energy to go through my things to find it. It was nestled in a pair of old argyle socks in my drawer. I disappeared into the closet to retrieve it.
    I ripped open a bag of syringes from a box I took from work. I twisted the cap to break the seal, inserted the needle into the vial, and sucked the liquid up inside. I increased the dose slightly to get John through the day. So long as there was no pain, I thought, maybe he wouldn’t be so anxious about being left alone.
    He lay there with his arm ready. The alcohol stung my nose as I sterilized the injection site. I inserted the needle into his skin and slowly pushed in the plunger. Then I removed the needle, capped it, and tossed it into the trash bin. “Better?” I asked, smoothing his forehead as I always did.
    He nodded, his eyes serene and heavy. I kissed his sticky lips. “I’ll call you in a little while. Okay?”
    He closed his eyes and answered me with a lift of his eyebrows.
    “Behave,” I said.
    He answered me in the same way again, with his eyebrows, and then gave me a sleepy, lopsided smile. “You take such good care of me. You must get sick of it sometimes.”
    “I love taking care of you.”
    “You’re an angel.”
    “I have to go.” I made my exit as he drifted into euphoria.
    “A dream come true …” I heard him trail off as I got to the bottom of the stairs.
    I slipped out and