Moonlit Waters

Chapter 36

I don't know how long it takes the police to arrive. Might be hours, might be minutes. Hard to tell the difference. The whole time I'm waiting, I'm staring at my clenched hands and concentrating on the rapid beat of my heart.

When blue lights light up the night, Reyna leaves her post next to the passenger door, right next to me, where she'd been standing protectively. Keeping guard, but being there for me at the same time.

She returns not much later, an older woman with a police uniform by her side. She opens the driver's door and for a moment I'm scared I'll her that laughter again, that shrieking sound that's been ringing in my ears like whitenoise. But there's nothing, only rain and then Reyna's voice.

"Selena, this is superintendent Scott. Do you think you could answer some questions for her? Tell her about what happened?"

I want to say no. I want to scream that all I'm trying not to think of is exactly what that Scott woman wants to hear. I want to cry and hit something because I can't and that feels so wrong. I just feel sick and empty.

I feel like nothing, like Claire was right.

So I nod silently and Reyna steps away, letting the woman sit in the driver's seat.

She begins talking and eventually I hear myself replying but the voices sound faraway, somehow. Like they're in a different room and I'm not even trying to eavesdrop.

Eventually she asks something and I nod and then she comes around to my side of the car, opens the door and crouches to roll up my jeans.

I wince in surprise and she halts, but then I nod and let her proceed. She ends up taking photos of my shin, my belly and my shoulder. I don't know why she'd do that, but she does and I don't question it.

Then she leaves and I'm about to let out a relieved sigh, when another woman appears next to me.

She says something. I look up with confusion and see a young woman wearing the telltale paramedic's uniform.

She's young. Older than me but certainly younger than Reyna. Maybe in her mid-twenties?

She gives me an encouraging smile and I realise that she's still waiting for an answer, so without thinking, I nod and get up. Pain shoots through my arm when I try to push myself away from the seat and I wince. But then there are strong hands helping me up and the woman says something that's probably reassuring and a moment later I'm on my feet, leaning against her.

I'm dizzy and my left leg hurts. I can put weight on it – a bit at least, so I doubt it's broken – but it fucking hurts.

The woman helps me to the ambulance car and sits me down on the stretcher, then hands me the blanket she must've brought from the car. She closes the door and it's just the two of us, her and I, and she talks and I like the sound of her voice much better than that of the policewoman.

She does all sorts of tests on me, looks into my mouth, feels the back of my neck, checks my breathing, feels my ribs, checks my lips, asks questions. Checks my pulse, presses into the heel of my hand, feels for all sorts of bones, asks questions. I think my replies are satisfying but even the moment after I've said something, I'm uncertain what it was.

They end up taking me to the hospital. I think it's to make sure I don't have any internal bleeding, but I'm really not sure.

They take me into the shock room and a doctor puts me into one of those tubes, then he X-rays my shoulder and leg, just to make sure. And then they say that I'm free to go, if I want to. I can stay over night if I want to, but really I should be fine.