TORTURED SOUL | abby littman

𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗽𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝘁𝘄𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘆 𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗲.

   
    
    
    

chapter twenty nine

{ unedited }

   
    
    
    

ONE MONTH. It had been one month since Rowan had seen Cameron. One excruciatingly long month of being stuck in a hospital with questions being thrown at her every single day, one month of being stuck in the same bed without seeing anyone she knew. At least someone she knew from before she was sent here. Rowan didn't see the need for her to be stuck in the hospital. She was told it was because of her injuries but most had been healed―internal bleeding in her abdomen due to blunt force trauma which she needed surgery for, a fractured eye socket and cheekbone which were still healing, and her broken and bruised ribs from earlier only getting worse which sentenced her to bedrest with the sling still on for her broken collarbone which, to no surprise, was only worse rather than better. As if Rowan's life wasn't hard enough, she ended up with a brain bleed where surgery was necessary, only a few weeks after the first surgery. So, maybe she wasn't in the best health, but she didn't see the need to be in the hospital for this long.

Unfortunately, as much as Rowan wished the first person she would see besides officers, nurses and doctors was Cameron, she was disappointed once more. She had no idea who she was sitting in front of her, three men in a row. One was in a cop uniform, one in a security guard uniform and one dressed like an old man. The former two were speaking but their words only made Rowan more annoyed as she tapped her foot against the floor of the office, speeding up with every word passing from their lips.

"So lemme get this right," Rowan said once the men were done, her brows furrowing together as she went over their words in her head. "You don't have a single group home here in Wellsbury for the foster kids but what you do have is a juvenile detention centre which is where you want me to stay? So you just send innocent kids there and lock them up with people who broke the law even though they did nothing wrong?"

The man dressed like a grandpa stayed quiet as the two men in uniform shared a look, the cop nodding. "Wow," Rowan scoffed as she leaned back on the uncomfortable leather couch. "Wow. Give it up for Wellsbury," she said while clapping mockingly, "the town that apparently cares but would rather lock kids up than build a safe place for them. Really, let's give it up for fucking Wellsbury," she continued, her clapping harsher and faster with her voice dripping with sarcasm.

"I know you're upset―"

"I'm not upset, I'm pissed," Rowan interrupted, leaning forward as her clapping came to a stop with her eyes narrowed into a glare as she looked between the three. "I am beyond pissed and I have every fucking reason to be! You're keeping me from my brother for no good reason!"

"We told you, while the investigation is ongoing―"

"I didn't ask for a fucking investigation!" Rowan said as her knee began to bounce. Since Cameron had called an ambulance on Rowan, a lot had changed. Hugo had been temporarily arrested and the police wouldn't leave Rowan alone, starting an investigation into the Rivera household which she did not ask for. They never left her alone and, even a month later, it was still ongoing. Cameron had been taken away by a social worker as soon as Rowan was taken to the hospital and she hadn't seen him since, hadn't heard anything about him despite every time Rowan had asked when detectives came to question her daily. "I don't care about that, I care about my brother and his safety!"

"I can assure you, he is safe," the cop said and Rowan scoffed, looking away from the three.

"Forgive me for not finding comfort in your words. It's a little hard to trust someone who thinks locking me up is the best solution! I get that no foster families want to take me in, I don't care about that, but the least you could do is tell me about Cameron."