Chapter Twelve

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Rest... Mia kept getting told that she needed to rest but it had been three long days of it for Mia in the hospital, and she was starting to go stir crazy. Carina and Maya made sure that one of them was always by her side. There were moments when both had to work, but Andy, Jack, Amelia, and Vic all stepped in to keep Mia company during those times, it was usually only for a few hours before Maya or Carina would be back.

After the three days Mia was feeling a lot better; the achiness in her body had faded, and she had begun taking short walks around the hospital. However, due to her concussion, she often felt dizzy, and Amelia had advised her she still needed to take it easy.

She was still on regular pain relief, but she was no longer hooked up to an IV, with all her medication now taken orally.

Amelia had tried to wean her off the pain medication, but Mia found that the pain in her head was still too much to handle without it. To make matters worse, she wasn't allowed to look at screens due to her concussion, which left her feeling incredibly bored and cooped up in bed. This frustration started to build up, and everything around her began to irritate her.

That afternoon, Amelia had delivered some news that pushed Mia's frustration to new heights. The bruising in her brain had gone down, but it wasn't healing as quickly as they had hoped, which meant Mia would need to stay for at least another two days. The news hit her hard, and she found herself snapping at everyone—Maya, Carina, Amelia, and the nurses who came to check on her.

To make matters even more tense, Mia was anxiously anticipating a visitor—the police officer assigned to her case. The lawyer who had helped Maya and Carina had emphasized the importance of documenting Mia's injuries and reporting them to the police, warning them that Lane might try to fight for custody again. From that conversation, Maya and Carina had strongly encouraged Mia to speak to the police about what Lane had done to her over the past two weeks.

Amelia and Teddy had also meticulously recorded every medical record and scan from the past week, ready to hand over to the police to build a case against Lane, everyone trying it do their part in keeping Mia with Maya and Carina. Mia knew that all this information would help but it was all so overwhelming for her to think about.

Mia felt torn; all she wanted was to forget about the trauma and move on with her life. However, Maya and Carina insisted that in order to protect herself and ensure Lane couldn't contest custody, they needed to gather all the evidence against him.

The weight of this impending conversation caused her to feel anxious and she felt incredibly nervous to talk to the police. She could feel her heart racing, and her palms were slightly sweaty as she anxiously glanced at the clock, waiting for the officer to arrive. The thought of reliving everything made her stomach churn. Maya noticed Mia's unease and placed her hand on top on Mia's "I'll be right here and if you want to stop you just tell me"

Mia nodded in response, thankful that she didn't feel alone in all of this.

As they waited, Mia tried to take deep breaths, reminding herself that this was a necessary step toward reclaiming her life and ensuring her safety. But the idea of recounting her experiences was daunting, and she wished she could just close her eyes and make it all go away. With every passing minute, her frustration grew, and she found herself tapping her fingers against the bed.

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About ten minutes later, a female officer walked into the hospital room. She introduced herself as Officer Burton but told Mia she could call her Jess. With a calm demeanor, Jess immediately put Mia at ease, making the prospect of sharing her experience a little less daunting. Jess was understanding and never pushed Mia to talk more than she was comfortable with, allowing her to share at her own pace.

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