"Come on, Kenna. You have to wake up." I hear a gruff voice different from the man earlier. My head is pounding but I lazily open my eyes. A man with curly brown hair was staring at me. "I know your head hurts but I have to check the severity of your concussion." As he begins testing me I keep looking at his face. He has very prominent scars on both of his cheeks in the exact same place. Everything about his seems so familiar except his scars and the seriousness in his face.
"Do I know you?" My words make him freeze. He goes back to writing on his clipboard without a word. "I'm sorry. Can you tell me if I'm still in Texas."
"You're not in Texas." He doesn't look up from his writing. His forehead creases. "You had a kidney transplant and your spleen removed at age 16?"
"You're looking through my medical records?"
"Answer the question. What happened?" I close my eyes feeling nauseus from my concussion.
"I got kicked in a soccer game in high school and it ruptured my spleen. My dad. He was driving me to the hospital. He was driving too fast. I wasn't sitting in a seat because I was in so much pain. We got T-boned and our car flipped. He died on impact and I broke several bones and needed a new kidney on top of the fact that my spleen was already in shambles." I hear the man clear his throat.
"I never thought you would play soccer." He laughed under his breath. It was real and light. I couldn't help but smile. I placed my hand on top of his. This seemed to startle him and he looked directly at me. His eyes were hazel but one was almost entirely green.
"Rik?" A boy I knew growing up had the same eyes.
"Fuck. He's going to kill me." He stands up and goes to leave. I quickly stand and go to walk but my body fails me and I go to fall again. "Kenna! What the hell is your problem! You have a concussion! You shouldn't be out of bed let alone stand!" As fast as I can I wrap my arms around him.
"Please don't leave me." Tears start falling. "The man running this thing keeps asking questions. He gave me a concussion. I'm going to die here." My body is racked with sobs. Rik just lets me cry while in his arms.
"Come on, Kenna. You recognize the damn doctor but you can recognize your best friend." I freeze totally still. The man from before. I take a step away from Rik and make eye contact with the man and then look back at Rik.
"I have no idea who you are. You aren't my best friend." Rik rolls his eyes and looks at the man from before. Rik's face was completely emotionless.
"Be gentle with her. He concussion is pretty bad." Rik chimed and then sat on the bed looking bored. "Finish your game of cat and mouse so I can make sure she stay awake and doesn't fall into a damn coma."
"Perhaps you need a closer look." The man takes several large step until he has me trapped in the corner. I tried to stay indifferent but my body was betraying me. I trembled and he knew it. I kept his eye contact. "Come on, Elbows. I thought you were smarter than that."
I froze at the nickname. I knew exactly who he was.
"Alek."
"Give the woman a prize." He whispered. His eyes were running over me as if I were a piece of art he was getting ready to steal. I could feel my body heat up under his gaze and fire stir in my belly. For a second, I thought he leaned in closer but he pulled away and laughed his bitter laugh. "Well we might as well call in the rest. Get the whole gang back together." He lifted his phone to his ear and called two people in. I sunk to the floor in the corner. Thankfully it was opposite the door. The door opened with purpose. A handsome man with long black hair in a bun walks in.
"What did you need?" He was short and to the point. Something told me he was never one for idle chat.
"Kenna, can you guess who he is?" The new man turns to look at me with a serious face. As soon as I saw his eyes, I knew who he was.
"Lev." He seemed so cold but I figure this is who he is now. This is who all of these men are. They are frightening and cold.
"That was quick. Though I guess the eyes do give it away. I was hoping you wouldn't figure out Rurik so quickly but I guess you remember us pretty well." Just then there was a body leaning in the doorway.
"Did she figure us out already?" The voice seemed full of teasing. It seemed to upset Alek. When he turned to look at me he smiles a bright smile. However, I immediately notice his bright green eyes. Diagonally across his face was a large scar. It crossed over one of his eyes. His blond hair was well trimmed.
"Max." I smile with fondness back. My only memories with max are good ones. His smile is the same. All of the men have a dark air about them. I am quickly reminded that these are the men that kidnapped me. They aren't the boys I would play with in the back yard. "Why am I here?"
Lev is the one to step forward. He takes my hands and helps me back over my the bed. "You see, Kenna. When your pitiful parents decided to fuck our family over. We decided that we would get our justice by whatever means. You, my beautiful rose, are the key. We will continue to fuck up your life to get what we want." Lev's eyes are cold and send a shiver through me. I only hold fear as tears sting my eyes.
"You three. Get out of here. You've caused her enough stress. She has to get through this concussion if we are going to get anything out of her." All the men leave except Rurik. His face is cold. "Listen here. We are not your friends. You want to cry to me, I will listen but you won't receive any empathy. I have no intention to spend more time with you than necessary as a doctor. You see that window?" He gestures and I nod through tears. "I will be sitting on the other side of that to make sure you don't fall asleep for the next two hours. I will knock twice to tell you that you can go to sleep. Is there anything you need before I leave?"
"Can I have a hair tie?" He sighs and walks to the door. Whispers and then returns with a hair tie.
"Here. You will not be given the privacy of a bathroom. You will use the toilet in this room." I nod and he leaves.
Alone with me thoughts again. I cry. Even though the tears and stress make my head hurt worse than it has ever before, I cry until I hear those two knocks and I fall asleep soon after.
