The Sandman

145

Anders Rönn taps lightly at the door of the surveillance control room. My is sitting there reading a copy of Expo in front of the large monitor.

‘Have you come to say goodnight?’ she asks.

Anders smiles back at her, sits down beside her and watches Saga leave the dayroom and go into her room. Jurek is already lying on his bed, and of course Bernie’s room is dark. My yawns widely, then leans back in the revolving chair.

Leif is standing in the doorway, draining the last drops from a can of Coca-Cola.

‘What does male foreplay look like?’ he asks.

‘Is there such a thing?’ My asks.

‘An hour of begging, pleading and persuasion.’

Anders smiles and My laughs so hard the piercing in her tongue glints.

‘They’re a bit short of staff up on Ward 30 tonight,’ Anders says.

‘Funny how we’re so short of staff when there’s such high unemployment,’ Leif sighs.

‘I said they could borrow you,’ Anders says.

‘There always have to be two of us here,’ Leif says.

‘Yes, but I’m going to have to stay and work until at least one o’clock anyway.’

‘OK, I’ll come back down at one o’clock.’

‘Good,’ Anders says.

Leif tosses the can in the bin and leaves the room.

Anders sits silently beside My for a while. He can’t take his eyes off Saga. She’s pacing anxiously in her cell, with her thin arms wrapped round her body.

The image is so sharp that he can see the sweat on her back.

He can feel himself aching with desire. All he can think about is how to get into her room again. He’s going to give her twenty milligrams of Stesolid this time.

He makes the decisions, he’s the responsible clinician, he can have her put in a straitjacket, tied to her bed, he can do whatever he wants. She’s psychotic, paranoid, there’s no one she can talk to.

My yawns again, stretches and says something Anders doesn’t hear.

He looks at the time. Only two hours until the lights go out and he can let My go and get some sleep.