Dany looks both ways, she is in a backyard, and decides to go forward towards what looks like an alley. Once she's in the alley, she begins running. She knows that downtown was this way, so that is all she has to go on. She runs for what seems like hours but is only minutes and tries to catch her breath. She is still terrified that figure two is right behind her ready to pounce so she begins running faster.
Dany is getting tired, her bare feet bloody and battered, wrists still wrapped in gauze, when a car pulls up next to her. "You need a ride?" the passenger says. The car has two big burly men in it, the same kind of men she described to Mug not so long ago about being bad guys, mean guys.
"No, I'm good." Dany lies.
"Sweetie, you need help?" The driver asks and then adds, "You don't look so good."
"I'm ok. I can't get into a car with strangers." She wants so badly to trust these men and to stop running but she is so afraid they will hurt her. Not knowing what to do, this choice could literally cost her her life, she's overwhelmed with the magnitude of this decision. It's too much for her to handle and she begins sobbing hysterically and crumbles to the ground, skinning her legs in the fall.
The passenger gets out of the car and scoops Dany up into his arms. She doesn't even fight him she is so tired from running. "We are taking you to the hospital, those feet need some attention. My name is Earl, now I'm not a stranger. This here is James. We're not gonna hurt you little one, we want to help." Earl gets into the passenger seat and cradles Dany like a baby all the way to the hospital.
As soon as they pullup into the circular emergency drive, everything moves fast. A security guard comes out with a wheelchairand Earl softly places Dany in it. Securityspins the chair around and starts moving toward the automatic door. Questions come rapid-fire, but Dany doesn'trespond at all. The wheelchair is movingforward through the hospital so fast, Dany can't focus on any of it. It's so bright, the florescent lights arehypnotizing. Nurses are hovering overher asking questions, she doesn't hear them. She just looks up at the nurses confused. "She's in shock," Someone yells out. Dany slowly blinks and looks forward, andthen everything fades to black.
Dany wakes to beeping sounds. Where am I? She jerks awake with a fright. Ouch, my feet hurt. As she tries to focus she looks down to see both feet are wrapped in gauze, knees skinned and scraped. She notices there is an IV in her left hand and wires coming from under her hospital gown. Her wrists are wrapped in different gauze, more professional looking than Mug's wrappings. She squints into focus and notices her mom is sleeping in a chair next to her. "Mom!" she exclaims a little too loudly and her mom starts awake.
"Dany! You're awake." Her mom says rushing to her bedside hugging her. "How do you feel? What happened to you? Oh my God, I'm so happy your ok." Her mom says tears of relief running down her face, "What happened to my baby?" And Dany finally feels safe and sobs in her mother's arms.
The next two days are filled with well-wishes from family and friends, flowers, balloons, police interviews and looking through mug shots. Dany feels as if she has told her story a million times. Sometimes she feels as if she is the one who is being accused of something. Sometimes she feels as if the police will catch who did this to her. Sometimes, she just doesn't want to think about it at all.
On the day she can leave the hospital, Dany is excited and nervous at the same time. The nurse wheels Dany down the hallway to an elevator, her mom at their side, and out to the circular drive. As they get outside, Dany is keenly aware of her surroundings. There is a mother and toddler standing to the left of them, a group of young people vaping and laughing to the right, and a man not doing much of anything. She fixates on him, sure he is up to no good, and then he smiles at her when he catches her gaze. Relax Dany, not all men are kidnappers. Dany shakes off the thought as the valet pulls up with their car. "Take is slow," the nurse tells Dany as she helps her out of the wheelchair and into the front seat, "Take care of yourself Danielle." And the car door closes.
YOU ARE READING
No One Believes Me
Teen FictionDany shows up at the hospital in the middle of the night, bloody and battered, claiming she was kidnapped. But why would a teenaged girl of a single mother be kidnapped? Her mom is not rich. She doesn't have any enemies to speak of, so why her? The...
