“Moon, I’m not leaving you. We need to figure out what is going on so I can help.”
“I don’t want you near me.”
Don’t cry again. Her feelings didn’t matter. “You aren’t lucid often but you are right now. Are you in any physical pain? Does anything hurt? Are you suffering a headache? Nausea?” She wasn’t a medical doctor but she was pretty sure they’d want to know that to gauge the effects of the drug. “It’s important.”
He crossed his arms over his chest, glanced down at the chains, and anger wrinkled his nose. “My body is fine.”
“Any weakness in any of your limbs?”
“No. The bands aren’t comfortable but I’ve lived with worse.”
“Any numbness in your fingers? Toes?”
He flexed his hands. “No.”
She was relieved to hear it. It wasn’t a drug designed to target his pain centers to drive him insane. “What about your emotions? Do you feel off? Are you having a hard time focusing or following our conversation now? How is your eyesight? Your hearing? Any buzzing in your ears or can you hear your own heartbeat?”
“Get out, Joy.”
“Damn it, Moon. Please answer me before I leave.”
“I feel normal.”
And very angry but she didn’t attribute that to any physical symptoms. “When you first saw me, you didn’t know who I was. Did it just come back to you? Was it fast as if you suddenly knew or was it slower?”
He leaned back against the bars and his chin lifted as he continued to regard her with that grim expression. “You were familiar but I didn’t know why. I focused on a memory and it got stronger until I knew you.”
“Do you remember being at Mercile?”
“Yes.”
“Do you remember being freed?”
“Yes.”
“Do you remember Homeland now?”
Some of the tension left his face as he searched his memory. “No.”
“What is the last thing you do remember?”
“Being in your office and wanting you to sit on my lap.”
She slowly got to her feet. “Try to focus on when I left.”
The anger returned. “I don’t have to. You told me what happened.”
“Try. I am here to help you. Let me.”
“Get my new therapist.”
“There isn’t one.” She remembered what had been said about Dr. Kregkor and shuddered. No way did she want someone New Species talked about that way anywhere near Moon. “Don’t you want out of this cell? Out of those chains?”
“You know I do.”
“Talk to me then. Answer my questions and let’s figure this out. Please.”
He closed his eyes and his expression cleared. She wondered if he planned to ignore her or if he was attempting to do as she asked. A few prompts might help.
“One day I was there and the next day you probably were told I was gone. I left late at night after bed check.”
His eyes snapped open and a snarl erupted. “I went to your office but the guard said you weren’t in it. I thought you were running late but she said you no longer worked there. I believed you were fired but then the human said you’d quit.”
“That’s good.” It showed he could fix on a point in time and force the memories to surface.
“There was nothing good about it.” His arms uncrossed and his hands fisted at his sides. “You didn’t even say goodbye.”
“I meant that it’s encouraging that you are able to remember if you focus on a point in time.”
“You owed me more than to leave without speaking to me first.” He pushed away from the wall, taking a step closer. “How could you do that?”
“I had no choice.”
“They lied to me? You were removed by force?”
“No.” It was tempting to lie to defuse his anger but she wouldn’t stoop that low. “The attraction between us was growing stronger and I knew I couldn’t resist you anymore. That’s why I had to leave.”
He took another step closer and paused. “You were ashamed that you wanted me? An animal half-breed?”
“No!” A smart person would continue this discussion from the other side of the bars but Joy ignored that reasoning. Moon could be frightening, intimidating. He might snarl and flash those dangerous teeth of his but she’d bet her life—was, in fact—that he wouldn’t harm her. “Of course not. I explained this dozens of times. I was your doctor and it wasn’t right if we had a physical relationship.”
“You said it would be taking advantage of me.” He took another long stride and paused inches from her, making her tilt her head back to keep eye contact. “Do I look weak?”