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"Of course, my dear. Let me call someone to escort you. Your room has been made up for you and while it's not much, we can bring you anything you might need if you just ask via the intercom in the wall." He moved to the intercom once more, finishing his own coffee. Grinning to himself, he couldn't help but give in to his sadistic side. "Hayden!" he barked into the intercom. "Please come escort the young lady to her room!"

Hayden, only now reaching his own room and thinking he was free for the rest of the day, cringed at the call, turning and heading back out with a sigh. Sometimes, he swore they did this to torture him on purpose.

Dr. Hakan was still grinning when Hayden reappeared at the door. "Now, Hayden will escort you to your room so you can rest. Please, remember to let us know if you need anything. Sleep well and I shall see you again tomorrow." Nodding slightly, he gestured for the guard to lead the writer out.

Eyes wide, Hayden nearly froze mid-step.

He could already feel his face heating up as he glanced sideways at Karen. Never had he met a woman quite this...forward before. And God help him...he thought he liked it. This was like the worst torture he could imagine. If only there were something he could do to save her, but it was too late for that already. What could HE do anyway? He wasn't much help. In fact, he'd practically delivered her to whatever hell she was going to experience.

Tempted to give in and take advantage of whatever 'fun' might be had, he wondered if it would only make her hate him more later. Would it really matter though? Could anything he did now really make it worse after what he'd already done? Conflicted, he offered her his arm with a shaky smile. "Alright, sounds like a deal...Karen."

*************

After Karen and Hayden were long gone, the female guard who had brought the coffee re-entered the room.

"So...you did as I asked?"

"Of course, sir. Everything to your exact specifications."

"Good. Very good." Dr. Hakan set his empty cup on the tray and turned, heading out the side door. "Now, for step 2..."

Hayden chuckled softly as well. He couldn't help it. Patting her arm gently, he led Karen down the hall towards her room. He thought about taking her bag for her, but she seemed to have it okay and he didn't want to overstep his bounds. Instead, he let her lean on him, offering what support he could. "Yeah, well, I try," he joked back.

Eventually, they reached the dormitory corridor and Karen's new room. Pushing the door open, Hayden helped the drowsy writer inside, taking her bag and placing it on the floor as he led her to the cot-like bed. He had a sneaking suspicion about this sudden onset of sleepiness and it made his stomach twist with anxiety. At least he could make sure she was resting somewhere reasonably comfortable before she simply collapsed.

Hayden smirked, glad to see she made it to the bed okay. "Oh, of course. Only the best for our prominent guests, you know." He winked playfully, hesitating a bit before sitting down beside her. It wasn't often he had moments of anything remotely resembling happiness, so he'd enjoy a little personable time while it lasted. Glancing around, he chuckled. "To be honest, my own room isn't much better. Only the docs get the nice rooms and they're off in their own private building." He rolled his eyes dismissively. Of course they got treated better. They were doctors. Who cared about a lowly guard?

Sighing softly, he shook off the thought. It was his lot in life. He could take it or leave it, and it wasn't too fond of the 'leave it' idea just yet. Turning back to Karen, he patted her shoulder casually. "So, I'll leave you to get your rest. Anything you need first? I can get it for you, so you don't have to worry about the intercom just yet."

Taken completely by surprise, Hayden went rigid as she pressed her lips to his. What the hell...? In fact, he was so surprised that he offered little resistance as they tumbled onto the floor, tangled in a very awkward position. The poor boy was blushing furiously as he took a moment to compose himself before trying to get free of her weight on top of him.

At that minute, the door opened and Hayden caught a glimpse of a white coat out of the corner of his eye. Oh hell no...

"Hayden, when I told you to 'escort' the young woman to her room, this isn't what I meant and you know it."

Never had the young guard wished more for death. In fact, he would have been all too happy to just sink into the floor and disappear forever.

Scrambling free, he was careful not to let Karen hit the floor. "Sir, I wasn't...I swear! I just helped her to her room...asked if she needed anything...and then...she just...kissed me and..." He knew he was babbling and wanted to beat his head against the wall...hard.

"Hmmph. That much faith in your own abilities, eh?" There was a dark amusement in Dr. Hakan's voice and it was obvious he was taking pleasure in torturing poor Hayden. The boy's discomfort made the doctor chuckle as he resumed preparing the injection. "How about doing something helpful and getting her back up on the bed? And no funny business."

Hayden's face was burning as he hastened to comply. Like most unconscious people, Karen seemed heavier than she looked, but he managed to lift her limp form and get her settled once more on the bed. Glancing down for only a moment, a look of pity crossed his face before he turned away, taking up position by the door while the doctor worked.

Back to his no-nonsense mood, Dr. Hakan swiftly rolled up Karen's sleeve, baring her arm before plunging the syringe in. The injection took only seconds and seemed anti-climatic considering the future results of such a simple action. One injection that would alter a young woman's life completely. It was mind-boggling.

The doctor capped the needle and dropped it into his pocket. "There. Done. I have business to attend to elsewhere, so finish up here and get out." With that, and a flap of his coat tails, the doctor was gone, leaving Hayden with his thoughts.

Hayden stared for a moment at the unconscious woman across the room. I'm so sorry...I hope you can forgive me. Sure, he'd done this many times now...but this case bothered him more than any of the others had. And not just because she'd kissed him. There was something else, but he couldn't quite put his finger on it. Maybe it was just a build-up of all the feelings he'd pushed down; all the times a small part of him would die as he betrayed another innocent all for the sake of saving his own skin. Who knew?

Hayden was well aware that there were secret cameras mounted in every one of the rooms on this corridor, but suddenly he didn't care. Maybe it hadn't been activated yet anyway. Walking purposefully across the room, he paused at her bedside, frowning. "I'm so sorry," he repeated aloud this time, brushing a stray lock of hair out of her face. "Why did you have to come here? You'd have been safe if you'd only stayed away. Now...it's too late."

Sighing softly, he steeled himself. She was unconscious; she'd never know. Leaning over, he swiftly kissed her forehead and turned to go. "I'm so sorry," he muttered, slipping through the door. It locked with an ominous click behind him as he retreated to his quarters, feeling like he was missing a larger portion of his soul than usual.