Riveting Partners

Chapter One

Words running through her head.
Blind, hopeless, hatred, love, death. Do it, do it.

You can't do it, what will it do to Mum and Dad, to my big sister and nephew, not to mention my younger brother and sister. Stick to what you know. It was bad in the moment but it's not now, your safe. You can do it.

Life would be much easier for you, if you did it, you wouldn't be sick any more, you wouldn't have to be in hospital. It was your fault you know, you trusted him. You trusted in him to save you, you trusted him to love you.

You can do this, get out of the bed. NOW.

Roxanne slowly begins to move, despite the pain coursing through her body, she only just held in her pain, one foot. So far so good.

The mind begins to race again. You can't do this, it's hopeless, stay in bed, it will be over soon.
Second foot. Breathe in and out. A small moan escapes out her mouth. Busted.

'Roxanne, what do you think your doing?' My mother Darlene, who had a worried look on her face as she came towards me, had spoken not just from shock but from fear of her baby girl.

'I have to get up'. I tried to continue to move but the pain got worse.

'You can't get up, your covered in bruises. You have a drip in your arm.' Darlene ran her hands through her grey hair, she was worried, but Roxanne also knew that if she stayed in the bed her bad thoughts, Her bad memories would come back to her mind.

Darlene managed to get her daughter back in the bed. 'Stop crying, your safe.' She didn't realise she was crying. Moving had made Roxanne dizzy, and as so as her head hit the pillow she fell asleep.

Visions ran through her mind as she tossed and turned in her sleep. A horse, a nice looking black cowboy, a black and a white hand untwined together. Then nothing. 20 minutes later. A black body thrashing and then hit the ground. Roxanne woke up screaming.

Darlene rushed to her daughters side, Roxanne could here her mother hushing, touching her on the cheek, but couldn't see her. Suddenly her eyes opened, looking around she could see shadows, she battered her eyes. Suddenly she could she Darlene's face, wiping tears away. Not from her face but from her own.

'Stu? Roxanne whispered.

'Shh! Don't worry about it just now.' She whispered. Just then Dr. Ed Tanner came into the room, he looked towards Darlene and took notice of her nodding her head.

'Glad to see your awake.' His face was familiar to Roxanne, a face very familiar to her family, but couldn't think of his name. 'How are you feeling?

'She tried getting out of bed, but I managed to stop her.' Roxanne looked embarrassed especially when this person, whom she couldn't put her finger on, gave her a worried look.

Dr. Tanner came towards the patient. 'I want you to stay in bed for a few more days, Roxanne. Your not well enough yet to take big steps, you've been in traumatised state for three months, if you take little steps you'll be out of here in no time.' As the doctor spoke, Roxanne saw a needle. All of a sudden she saw the liquid go into the needle through the tube in her arm and then she saw black.

When Roxanne woke again, her mother Darlene was again by her side. Not by herself this time. A blonde with a baby on her lap was with her mother, she looked familiar. But all Roxanne did was whisper. 'Stu?' Darlene and the familiar blonde kissed Roxanne on the cheek, but ignore Roxanne's question.

'I'm so glad your safe.' The blonde said. Roxanne looked over at the blonde and automatically smiled, she didn't know why she smiled at the woman, but it felt natural.

Roxanne stared at the ceiling and fell asleep again, but was awoken by a baby crying, a familiar cry. Drake. The little babies name was Drake, Roxanne remembered, but why she remembered that name she didn't know, she looked around her and saw Drake in the crook of the blondes arm, she was swaying, to keep the baby silent.

Roxanne managed another word. 'Drake'

'Thats right honey, Drake, he wants his Aunty. ' Roxanne remembered the baby Drake, but the word Aunty, made her remember the blondes name and who she was. Janice.

Then Roxanne asked for a hold. As she held him, her sister Janice whispered to their mother. 'I think she's slowly waking up and remembering bits and pieces.' Roxanne saw both woman breathed in and out of relief as tears fell down their faces.

Months later Roxanne was finally able to leave the hospital, she remembered names to faces, she knew who each one of them now. And although the one name her family kept ignoring her, when she asked about the name Stuart Steele, lodged in her brain for a reason, but the reason was still unknown.

So who the hell was Stuart Steele and why did Roxanne keep asking about him. Maybe it will come to her later. Who knows.

'Dear Readers, if you see any mistakes in the first chapter please let me know. It is a rough copy. I will continue to write as many chapters as I can, as often as I can. Chapter Two is coming soon. It will answer the question who is Stuart Steele? And why doesn't Roxanne remember him. I have also changed the cover of my book, hope it makes more sense.