That Stupid Little L-Word:

Chapter Sixty One:

The next few events that occur are very vague and hard to remember. I dimly remember tumbling to the ground, my hands wrapped around my stomach protectively. Hands grab at my hair and a fist cracks against my nose. Another punch lands against my stomach.

Then there are shouts, and the hands disappear. I feel the concrete against my back. The heat of the sun stings against my skin, and it's hard to breathe.

Another set of hands grabs my arms, hoisting me upward. "Hang on Alice," a familiar voice breathes into my ear, frantic. "Devon call an ambulance. Those assholes are going to get it."

The voice sounded mad. Very mad.

Minutes seemed to pass slowly. Shade shielded my eyes, and I stared dazed and unseeing out into the world around me. I couldn't comprehend what was going on. Then the screech of sirens roared. New hands carefully lifted me upward and I found my back against the hardness of a stretcher.

Then the darkness engulfed me.

I wake with an annoying ache in the middle of my face. The bright florescent lights above me disrupt my vision, and I look around the room, dazed. It takes me a few moments to realize that I currently am on a bed, laying down with my arms folded across my stomach. There is a bleached white sheet that covers my legs and a pale blue hospital gown that covers the rest of me. Machines whir and beep around my head, invisible from where I am. A television is situated across from my bed, switched off. My mother sits on a chair beside my bed, with her eyes closed and head rested against the wall behind her.

I watch her sleep for a few moments, and debate on whether or not I should wake her. Then the door opens and two familiar figures step inside the room. Immediately, Kylie's face illuminates with relief. Amanda lets out a shuddery breath and rushes to my side.

"Hey, hey," she whispers and brushes at my hair. "How are you feeling?"

"We're so glad that you're awake," Kylie says, sitting down on the edge of the bed. Her hand finds mine and squeezes. "Is there anything that we can get you?"

I grunt. "My nose hurts," I say, and my voice sounds weird.

"It's broken," Amanda says. She leans back and wipes at her eyes. "Thankfully, that's all the damage."

I dimly remember the harsh punches. My hand instinctively brushes over the swell of my stomach. My voice cracks as I ask, "Is my baby okay?"

"She's fine," Kylie answers. Her eyes are swollen, and glassy with unshed tears. She shakes her head and says, "That's what the doctor's checked first. Luckily the punch missed the baby, so there isn't any vital damage done."

I sigh in relief. Tears prickle at the corners of my eyes, and I try hard not to release them. I can live with a crooked nose.

Then my mother wakes, and the real water works start.

When she starts to calm down, I finally begin to understand her tearful babble. "I'm so glad that you're okay," she says, and gently hugs me and kisses my forehead. "I was so scared, Alice. So scared. And when your friend called me from the ambulance, I almost got into an accident myself."

She continues to babble on and on.

I somewhat ignored her and looked around. Kylie and Amanda had shifted to the other side of the room, probably to give my mother some space. A heavy stream of tears trail down Kylie's face and Amanda gently rubs her back. Both smile at me when I meet their gazes.

"Okay, I got the food," another person announces softly as they enter the room. I squint, unable to place a face to the name at first. Then my mother sits back down in her chair, allowing me to see the face of my new visitor.

Eric pauses in the doorway, and almost drops the boxes of food in his arms. My eyes widened and start to water as his expression twists with pained relief.

He walks toward my mother's chair and gently sets the food down on a small side table. Then he turns and starts toward me. As he gets closer, I can see the puffiness around his eyes. He reaches out to hug me. My arms immediately wrap around his neck and squeeze like a python.

A strange sense of safety and warmth encompasses me. As much as I hate it, I start to cry. The tears stream down my cheeks in heavy, heated doses. My face buries into his shoulder, and I ignore the slight pain that stems from my nose. Eric squeezes me back and rubs circles into my back.

It all just kind of hits me at once.

I was just brutally attacked. I could have just lost my baby.

Waves of anger and horror wash through me. I'm so mad. So mad that those buffoons tried to hurt my child. I want to run them down in my mother's ugly van. I want their heads to hang above my nonexistent fireplace.

"It is okay, Alice," he says. His voice brings me back.

The anger slowly fades. So do the tears. I twist my head to the side, so my nose doesn't hurt as much, and rest my temple against his shoulder. He continues to rub my back comfortingly.

"Awe," I hear my mother say. "Y'all are so sweet, I could throw up."

I start to laugh. I hear Amanda and Kylie giggle too. Eric just grins at her and winks.

The door opens again, and two more figures step inside my hospital room. I recognize the first one as Devon. I stare at him, somewhat startled. I haven't seen him since I was with Seth.

Devon smiles at me, kind of nervously. He gestures toward the stranger that stands beside him, who also happens to be a police officer. "I gave my statement," he announces, gaze focused on my mother. Then his eyes flicker to me and then down toward the floor. "I'm glad you're alright," he says.

I nod kind of awkwardly. "Thanks."

"I just wanted to ask you a few questions," the police officer says and steps closer to my bed. I recognize him as the same guy who came to my house when Amanda, Kylie, and I vandalized Seth's car. The guy glanced toward my mom, and I saw his cheeks sprinkle with pink. He nodded and added, "If that's alright with you, ma'am."

She nodded and tried to hide a smile.

I rolled my eyes and pantomimed throwing up at her. She shot me a dirty look as the cop gingerly sat down on the chair beside her.

Then the questions started.

Thank you for all your support and patience! <3