Sinners 01 - Branded by Abi Ketner, Missy Kalicicki Read Free Book Online Page A

at Dr. Sutton. He looks about forty years
     old, salt-and-pepper hair, with some deep creases in his forehead and a crooked nose.
     The sea-green scrubs bring out his eyes. He reaches down into a drawer.
    “Are you thirsty?”
    “Um… sure.”
    He tosses me a bottle of water. Catching it with trembling hands, I twist the cap
     off and force it down my throat. The thin layer of soot I accumulated from the journey
     made my tongue swell. He catches me staring at the sign as he leans back and crosses
     his arms.
    “Obviously, I’m Dr. Sutton, but please, just call me Sutton.”
    “All right.”
    “I’m the only licensed doctor here, and what few supplies we have, I’ve paid for.
     So I expect you to treat them with respect, and if you try to steal anything, I’ll
     cut off your arms.”
    “I would never…”
    “Good, then you have nothing to worry about. I do things a little differently here.
     You work your way up and learn as you go. I’m willing to teach, if you’re willing
     to learn. There are nurse’s aides and nurses who will work with you and show you the
     ropes. Make sure you pay close attention to detail and ask them any questions you
     have. It might take years to get to a nursing level, but if you strive for it, you’ll
     get there.”
    He has a serious look about him, a professionalism I imagine isn’t found here often.
     “I don’t care about your past. You have a new beginning with me. So as far as I’m
     concerned, you’re just a fellow employee. It’s up to you, though, what you make of
     yourself. Oh, and I don’t give second chances. If you go behind my back in any way
     or break the rules, you’ll be reported to the commander. If you try to escape, I will
     catch you. Understood?”
    “I understand and I won’t let you down.” I don’t know why I said the last part. Maybe
     it’s because he seems compassionate, yet strong, and maybe he reminds me just a little
     of my own father by the way he looks at me. Either way, my muscles begin to relax,
     and I find myself meeting his eyes and enjoying the warmth in them.
    The only warmth here.
    “I need to warn you about a few things. Well, a lot of things, actually. Just because
     you’re in a hospital doesn’t mean you’re safe. There’s been a fair amount of murders,
     rapes, and thefts in the last couple of months. Don’t go off the floor. Don’t wander
     alone. If you’re uncomfortable around a certain patient, don’t go into their room
     without someone. If they ask you to do them favors—refuse. Don’t accept gifts, money,
     or anything they offer. Just the other week, a nurse ate chocolate that was given
     to her by a patient she adored and died from rat poison.” He pauses. “I’ve read a
     lot about you, and I know everything.”
    My eyes bulge with surprise. He clears his throat but tries to be discreet about it
     while closing the folder he’s holding.
    Does everyone know about me around here? I wonder what he read. No doubt, he read
     about my sin, but what other information is there?
    “Come with me,” he says.
    As I follow Sutton down the hall, my stomach somersaults. I grip the front of my shirt
     as sweat drips down my back. I hate the unknown. New things intimidate me and the
     last few days have been nothing but new. It makes me feel devoid of any energy at
     all.
    I hear nurses laugh and then immediately turn and whisper as I pass.
    “Ignore them,” Sutton tells me.
    “I’ll try.”
    Men whistle from their rooms, and I keep my head locked in place.
    “I love me a naughty nurse,” one says. “Can you bathe me, sweetie?”
    Again, the nurses laugh and Sutton shakes his head. I want to curl into a ball and
     roll far away from here. Being called something you’re not gets really old.
    I put my fingers in my ears, trying to make it look like I’m rubbing them, and enjoy
     the muffled voices. Sutton takes me around the hospital floor, showing me where everything
     is and where not to go.
    “Do you