Living After Abortion (Adopted by Jennifer Lawrence Fanfic)

(46) who is she?

•Maddie's POV•

I open my eyes and take in my surroundings.

I'm in my bed. The lights are off and there's no natural light coming from my window, so I'm guessing it's still dark out.

I sit up, cringing a little. Bringing my hand up to my side, a small moan escapes from deep within my throat. Lifting my shirt up above my belly button, I see a small purplish-blue colored bruise that has formed above my right hip bone. Where did it come from?

The clock beside my bed reads two o'clock. As in A.M. As in way-too-early-for-me-to-be-up-right-now.

Sighing, I slowly drag myself out of my comfortable bed, to the staircase, where I take one step at a time. My side isn't really hurting me anymore, but you can never be too careful.

Once I get downstairs, I see the glow of the TV. Jen and Josh are snuggled together on the couch. Re-runs of Friends is playing while they sleep. I almost want to curl up beside them and watch, but there are more important things to deal with right now. No matter how much I want to watch Chandler and Joey forget Ben on the bus, I resist the urge.

"Mom," I shake her shoulders. "Wake up."

Jen opens her eyes and nudges Josh, who is stirring awake anyways.

"How do you feel?" Jen's hands are instantly on me, checking for fever, I'm guessing. "When did you wake up?"

"I just woke up," I say, wanting to yawn, but resisting the urge. "My side is the only thing that hurts."

Josh, who is awake now, turns the TV off and clicks on a lamp in one swift motion. Then he tells me to sit down, "You somehow bruised it, um, your side, when you fell."

I look back at Jen, "What happened?"

Jen bites her lip, "You really don't remember?" I shake my head, "Your doctor said this was possible."

I look at her in confusion.

Doctor? What are they talking about?

"You passed out and I called your doctor." She explains, "Dr. Kendal thinks passing out was your body's way of dealing with stress. Blocking out what was stressful and keeping the stressful subject from your memory." Jen pauses, "I wanted to take you in, but she said to just take you by her office in the morning."

Josh hesitates, "What's the last thing you remember?"

I close my eyes and think hard.

"I see-- a woman, in our backyard. She's talking to me, but I can't remember what she's saying."

I open my eyes and look at them. "What?" I see Jen's confused expression.

"What did this woman look like?" Josh asks calmly.

Jen stands and walks in the kitchen, lost in thought.

I watch her open the fridge and grab a slice of pizza, figures.

"I can't really describe it...it was really dark." I look at Josh again, "I think she was a guest at the party."

He smiles a little, "That's great Maddie. You should go back to sleep, maybe when you wake up you will have a better memory."

When I make it upstairs, I hear Josh ask Jen a question.

Jen's answer confuses me even more.

"It was her. She talked to my kid--who knows she could've even been stalking her. How did she get in? Who let her in?"

I wanted to ask the question, "Who is she?" But instead I fell asleep for five more hours.

a/n

long time, no see