I'll Be Seeing You

Ten.

"Alyssa? Are you in here?" Grandma called out as she slid the closet door open.
"He's gone now; you can come out, sweetheart."

I wiped the tears from my eyes and pushed my way through the rack of clothes. "I hate him, Gamma," I cried.

"I know, baby. You don't have to come back to this house. He will never lay his hands on you again—not as long as I'm alive," she promised.

"I miss Mommy."

"I miss her too. But she's always with you. Right here," she said, placing her hand over my heart.
"Your mom loved you and Abby more than anything. Don't you ever forget that."

"Why is Darren so mean to us?"

"Darren isn't a nice person, sweetheart. He drinks too much, and he has a lot of issues. But you don't have to worry about him anymore. He's going away for a long time to get help."

"He was mean to Mommy too. Is that why she went away?"

"Mommy is with Jesus now, baby. She was sick, and Jesus made her all better."

"I never want someone like him, Gamma," I sobbed. "He's scary."

"Your momma raised a smart, strong, independent little girl. And one day, when you're older, I know you'll make the best decisions for yourself. You won't ever have to worry about someone like him."

I failed you, Grandma.
I failed you and Mom.

I leaned in to hug her, but she was gone. The scent of her perfume—White Diamonds—still lingered in the air. It was her favorite.

The room faded, then the house... until nothing was left but complete darkness. A beeping sound echoed in the distance, followed by voices. The beeping grew louder. The voices, clearer. And then everything hit me all at once.

There was a throbbing pain in my head, and my stomach was tender. It hurt to breathe.
I couldn't tell if I was dreaming or not. Was any of it real? Of course it wasn't. Grandma died years ago. When she passed, Darren got custody of Abby—and that was the last time I saw her.

And Chris? Him coming to the hospital, the gunshot... it had to be a dream. But if it was just a dream, why was I in so much pain? Where was I?

"Alyssa?" Rene whispered. "Alyssa, can you hear me?"

"Everything hurts," I mumbled.

"Oh, thank God." She let out a relieved breath. "I thought you were never going to wake up. Mark! She's awake!"

I blinked against the light, and my vision slowly adjusted. Hospital ceiling. IVs in my arms. Machines beeping around me. It all started coming back. Chris. The hospital. The stairs. The screaming. The gunshot. It wasn't a dream. It was a living nightmare. And now that reality had set in, I felt everything.

"My head is pounding," I said as the nurse came in to check my vitals.

"I'll get you some more morphine," she said with a soft smile. "You're going to be in quite a bit of pain, miss—but we're glad to have you back."

"Lyssa!" Mark crossed the room and leaned down to hug me gently. "It's so good to see those beautiful eyes again. Are you in a lot of pain?"

"I feel like I've been hit by a train."

"You look like you've been hit by a train," Rene teased.

"I can always count on you to be honest," I laughed—then winced. "Ouch. Don't make me laugh."

"Your eye's busted up, and so is your lip. A couple of broken ribs, a badly bruised stomach, and a dislocated shoulder. Hence the sling," Mark said as he gently brushed my hair back. "You've got a long road to recovery ahead, but Rene and I will be here every step of the way. She's going to stay at the house with us until you're back on your feet."