While Mr. Benfatti carried on about the details of the pain he’d been suffering, Samira struggled with what to do. Recognizing there was no rational way to make a decision short of the crystal ball she didn’t have, she opted for the more simple choice of acknowledging her impetuosity and just proceeding as planned. The deciding factor was the realization that Mr. Benfatti would not be discovered for hours maybe, since his wife had just left and the nurse had just given him a shot. What that meant was that Samira would have lots of time to be far from the scene when he was discovered. She pulled the syringe from its hiding place. Using her teeth to remove the needle cap, she reached for the IV port below the millepore filter.

Mr. Benfatti had seen Samira suddenly approach the bed, had caught sight of the syringe, and had stopped his diatribe about pain. “What’s this?” he questioned. When Samira ignored him and raised the needle up to the IV port to inject, he reached out with his right hand and grasped Samira’s right wrist. In the next instant, their eyes locked. “What am I getting?”

“It’s something for your pain,” Samira nervously improvised. The fact that Mr. Benfatti was holding her terrorized her. For a second, she irrationally worried that what she was about to give Mr. Benfatti would pass into her from the contact.

“I just got a pain shot two seconds ago. Isn’t this overdoing it?”

“The doctor ordered another. This is more, to get you to sleep longer.”

“Really?”

“Really,” Samira repeated, reminding her of the unpleasant conversation she’d just had with Charu. She looked down at Mr. Benfatti tightly gripping her wrist. The man was strong, and although she wasn’t yet experiencing pain, it was close. He was restricting her blood flow.

“Is the doctor here?”

“No, he’s gone for the day. He called this in.”

Mr. Benfatti maintained his grip for several more seconds and then suddenly released it.

Samira let out a silent sigh of relief. The very tips of her fingers had begun to tingle. Without wasting another moment, she struggled to get the needle inside the port, being especially careful in her haste not to prick herself. With succinylcholine, even a small amount could create problems. Without delay, Samira emptied the syringe. A second later a cry began to issue from Mr. Benfatti’s lips, causing Samira to clamp a free hand over the man’s mouth.