The Attachment

Prologue

It wasn't supposed to be like this. Moving to LA was supposed to be the best thing that could happen to me. I wasn't supposed to be lying here with a racing heart, stuttered breath and a body riddled in pain. I groan as I try to move my head. Something warm and wet trickles from above my eyebrow and over my nose down the next side of my face as I turn my head to examine the room.

There's so much shattered glass.

I see blood.

A red puddle just beside my head.

My chest hurts. It hurts to breathe. It hurts to turn. I can see it just under the couch. My phone. It must have ended up under there during the scuffle. If I could just reach it.

The pain intensifies as I drag myself with the little energy left in my body. If I just take a break. Build up more energy. I'll reach it.

But something tells me if I lay here and let my fluttering eyes close again I may never wake up. I scream out in pain as I push myself to grab the phone. It takes one too many tries to unlock with the blood that's all over my fingers.

My sister once taught me how to get the emergency sos feature on the iPhone but I can't remember in the moment. My brain is too muffled to remember my own middle name. I feel tears seep out of my eyes and mix with all the blood. I try again, this time getting all the right keys. If I could do a dance I would. I call 911 as quickly as I can.

I don't know if I got enough words out.

I don't know if I even said anything other than blood.

All I know is, I need to rest.

I need to just close my eyes.

Maybe for just five minutes.

Five minutes turned into five days. And when my eyes finally fluttered open the lights were too bright. The sheets were too scratchy and the heart monitor was just too fucking loud.