She

Chapter 7

The smell of bleach was stark. I tried to open my eyes, however the day light was too bright. Plain white walls were the first thing I noticed, a scene not so foreign to me. I must be in a hospital. The monitor beeping next to my white bed was the confirmation I received. What happened? Did I pass out again? This will piss grandfather off.

I finally was able to open my eyes when a tall handsome man entered the room. He must be over 190 cm. He is very strong built, with grey eyes, dark brown hair and plump red lips. It is definitely a face I have never seen before.

"Hello brave little one. You woke up. How do you feel?" he sat next to my bed with a very calm smile on his face. Then he looked to his left. That was when I first noticed the two men standing by my door. "Call the doctor, let him know she is awake."

".." who are you. That what was supposed to come out of my mouth. However all that came out was a squawk. "Let me get you some water." The other man near the door ran to the Jug of water like his life depends on it. He filled a cup and handed it to the man then went back to where he was standing. I pushed the thoughts of him being super weird to the back of my mind and tried to sit to drink the water in the 190cm's hand. Failure, that what I faced as a piercing pain went through my chest when I tried to sit down.

"Miss Hailey you cannot move so recklessly" A doctor, I assume from his white coat, said. I wanted to ask why so desperately but could not. My throat is so dry it feels like it will crack any minute. "You have four broken rips. A broken arm and bruises are covering your face." Can he read minds? Or is it normal for doctors to tell people what they are suffering from without them asking. It is not how things go when I am with George in the hospital. "Your internal organs are not damaged. Alas you need a rest for at least three weeks. Then you can start moving on your own." He then pushed a button next to my bed and the head rest lifted until I am in a comfortable enough sitting position.

The strange man held the cup next to my mouth and I tried to open it to drink some water but could not. It was so painful I can hardly breathe right now. They told the nurse to bring me a strew. If drinking some water is so hard. How am I supposed to eat in the coming days?

It took me a solid ten minutes to drink the cup of water. The man at the side of my bed seemed to be very proud that I drank it. He kept encouraging me as if I was ten years old. "Who are you?" I asked. However, it did not sound the way I was planning for it to sound. I am not sure what he understood. If he understood anything at all. He patted my head, his hand moving to my bruised cheek caressing it so tenderly.

Memories came rushing to me at the familiar feeling of his hand. It was the last thing I felt before losing consciousness yesterday. "What about the boy? How is he?" I asked. He was being abused. He must be so shocked and scared. I should go check on him.

I regret the thought right now. Trying to move was so painful I have no control over my tears. The tears that this stranger is now wiping off of my cheeks. "My name is Lucas, as for Evan, the boy from that night, he is in the next room. My men are guarding him so you needn't worry about him. Just focus on healing yourself." That is too much to comprehend, but now I have names I can put to those faces.

"I need to call home to let them know I am here. Did you call anyone?" I know that it is very hard to understand what I am saying. I appreciate his patience and assuring glances. "I have been waiting for a call from them for the past three days. None was received though. I could not unlock your phone to make the call myself. I am sorry for that." Three days? "What three days?" I asked him my pulse is picking up. The monitor is going crazy as my heart beat keeps getting faster. I have been out for three days? Is that what he is talking about? I was able to see his lips moving. Yet no voice came into my brain. I am having another panic attack. A few minutes later I felt nothing but dizziness and everything became black.

When I woke up the next morning it was the same scene. Lucas sitting next to my bed and two of his men are standing by the door. He was sleeping in a sitting position, his head dropping to his left side.

"You are awake? I told them to make you some soup, it will be hard for you to eat in the coming days. The doctor said that you will be better in a few days. You can be discharged by the end of the week. The pain killers will put you to sleep most of the time. The week will end before you notice." He was rambling a lot, I wonder why. But I can now notice his heavy accent that I have missed before.

The nurse brought me the soup Lucas was talking about. Which he made sure to feed me himself. This stranger is acting very weird towards me. I really do not understand why he is sitting here when my family and friends are not.

It makes me really angry. Knowing that no one has called even though I have been missing for four days. Who am I to them? Why aren't they disturbed with my absence? Tears betrayed me again and fell off of my eyes of their own will. "Is it painful? I am sorry." Lucas words only intrigued my tears more. It is painful. I feel like my heart is being pierced. The pain is greater than what those strange men brought about me. The doctor walked again into my room. Like the last time it was only minutes before darkness engulfed me.

It has been now five days since I was submitted to the hospital. No one has called my number according to Lucas. I still did not believe his words. Why would I believe the words of a stranger over my family's. I held my phone off the side table and tried to hold the groans of pain as I tried to unlock it. Face Id did not work as may face is still swelling around my right eye and on my right cheek.

When I opened my calls log I was saddened with the truth that this man words were my horrific reality. That despite my absence for almost a week. No one has called to check on my well-being. Not even George who must have received reports about me not attending the classes.

I felt a familiar warm big hand touch mine and the phone was taken away very gently. "Should I call someone for you?" His act of kindness made my eyes teary and filled my heart with loneliness.
Regardless of his well intentions I really regret not having the memories or ability to choose who to include in my life and who not to.

"No" I said in a small voice. Losing the ability to control my tears, I pressed the button to the side of my bed to put the bed down. Then parried my face under the hospital sickly white cover.

He said nothing at that time. He never even brought the topic up again.

Today I went on a wheelchair to Evan's Hospital room. He was emotionally unstable. He never left the room not even once. And never allowed male doctors near him.

I was hesitant when I first entered his room with Lucas pushing my wheelchair. I was afraid that my presence would intriguer his memories of that horrific night. Or that Lucas as the masculine man he is would scare him to death.

He did not panic though. He left the bed for the first time as Lucas indicated, kneeled in front of me hugged my legs and started crying.

I was struck by the way he acted. I was not seeing this coming. He started apologizing saying it was his fault. That I was this hurt because of him. This poor little boy. I batted his head reassuring him. "It is not your fault young man. It was my choice." I hope my words would reach him. Talking really hurts, not as bad as it used to, but still hurts nonetheless that is why I decided to stroke his hair with my fingers.

He looked at me a few minutes later and I gave him the biggest smile I could master with my bruised face. I know it looked creepy but he just smiled back. "This is Lucas he saved us both." I tried to give him a reason to break the shell he created around him l. "I will go now I am tiered, come and visit me later today." With his hesitant nod of confirmation I felt the wheelchair move to my room again.

When I reached my room the first thing I did after taking the pain killers was checking for any phone calls.
None, what a disappointment. Maybe I should call them myself. I just wonder when anyone will notice that I was missing. If I died that night would they notice anything? Would I be forever an outcast? An unwanted person? The day ended with Evan not leaving his room. Lucas promised to find a good therapist, "the best therapist." To help him get over the incident.