River Rose | ✓

11

The call
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Elysian (adj.)
Beautiful or creative; divinely inspired; peaceful and perfect.

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River A. Rose

I open my eyes and feel someone carrying me. Whenever I pass out it lasts a couple of minutes tops but it feels like I closed my eyes for a second and appeared somewhere else.

The worst part of it is the first few seconds after waking up because I feel no control over my body, I once woke up laughing hysterically.

I whimper when I'm placed on my back in what feels like a soft examination table in a chair position. I look around and I think I'm in the house's infirmary. Dad told me once he has one in here for emergency patients.

"Pass me the needle Malik, Noah there's an IV bag on the first cabinet. Maverick, place some wet towels on her forehead and change it every few minutes" I hear dad instructing

I'm in an almost sitting position, I feel a needle going into my vein. I fucking hate those but the sting doesn't compare to the pain in my back. Getting carried made it even worse if that's even possible.

"River I need to check if your leg is infected I'm gonna cut the jeans off okay?" Dad says and I try but fail to talk so is shake my head and lean forward. Someone gently sits me back down, it hurts when my back hits the seat.

"Not the leg" I say, my voice barely more than a whisper. My throat hurts from breathing so harshly.

"What is it Rosey? I know it's hard right now but I need you to tell me where it hurts" my dad gently but firmly says

"Valenciano...he used a whip" I whisper and I swear I feel the atmosphere change. I could cut the tension and anger with a knife. "I...I can't breathe" I say and start shaking again. Dad places and oxygen mask on my nose and someone, I think Noah holds my hand.

"Where baby?" Dad asks as he strokes my hair

"My back, it's mostly healed but one of the welts is killing me" I say, Malik helps me onto my stomach and someone cuts the shirt. Maverick gasps at the scars.

"Shit, Rosey it's infected" dad whispers and starts examining it. I'm laying my head on my forearms holding on to Noah's hand for dear life. I whimper when dad takes some tweezers and and that's something out of the wound. I then smell rubbing alcohol as he pours it into some gauzes. I jump when he starts rubbing it on the side of the welt.

"I'm gonna numb the area and you'll feel better okay sweetie?" He says a second before the needle pieces my skin. It hurts so fucking much

"It's almost over little Rose, we're here" Malik says as he runs my arm and kisses my head. I close my eyes tightly and wait for the pain to lessen. After a few minutes it does.

"Have you gotten these checked before River?" Dad asks

"After the car crash doctor Aisha James talked to me about them to make sure I was safe at home, I explained the situation to her and she told me the nurses cleaned them while she tended to my leg and gave me some ointments and gauze" I explain

"Well whoever cleaned them did a shit job at it" dad says pissed and I flinch at the tone even though it's not directed at me. I hear a few clinks before dad finishes cleaning the wound and helps me sit up.

"You had three small pieces of glass from the crash embedded into the skin, that's why it burned so bad Rosey, I'm guessing you didn't feel it as much before because of the pain medication. They were probably superficial a few days ago but today they dug deeper. I don't know how the nurses fucking missed them. You still have a fever and I'm gonna need you to stay in bed for the day okay?" I nod