The Strip

Chapter 23 (Just revised)

Sienna's  body was on automatic pilot as she looked at the girl from her past in the bathroom mirror.  She would never be able to escape her; she was always going to be Chloe Harper. 

 A  soft knock at the bathroom door broker her from her thoughts.  

"Si?  Come on honey.  You can't stay in there all night."  It was Roan.  Why was he even still here, bothering with her?  She wasn't worth it.

She turned the lock and pushed down on the door handle, swung it open and saw a very concerned Roan standing there.  Sienna tried to smile at him but her face wouldn't work, it was no use trying.  She had to get rid of him somehow; she couldn't bare for him to be here any longer.

"Can I get you anything?" he asked.  He was too damn sweet for his own good but she figured out a way to get him to leave. 

 "Yeah.  I know this is going to sound crazy but I really want some Ben & Jerry's Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough ice cream" she said wistfully.  He bent over and kissed her on the forehead.  

"I will be right back, okay?" he said.  She nodded as he stepped out and closed the door behind him.  She started to lock the front door when her cell phone pinged.  Wearily she picked it up and looked at the text message.  It was a blocked number but it had a picture attached and it looked like it was a group text.  

As she was looking at the picture she heard loud voices in the hallway.  Her hand went up to her mouth as her frantic eyes scanned the sent photo.  It was her and Roan in an intimate situation and he was kissing her.

Her apartment door flung open as she was vaguely aware of Lisbeth, Cade and Roan running in but she could no longer hold her body up and as the phone fell from her hands she dropped to the floor; her eyes wide open but she was gone; she had checked out.

"Sienna!" screamed Lisbeth holding her catatonic sister in her arms.  "Snap out of it baby!  Come on honey don't go back there!" she begged.  Nothing.  Just a blank stare.  Lisbeth grabbed Sienna's phone frantically looking through the contacts and found Dr. Miller's number.  A female voice picked up.  

"Dr. Miller's office, may I help you?"  

"Please!  I need to talk to Dr. Miller!  This is Sienna Harper's sister Lisbeth.  Something's happened!" 

 The doctor came on the line and Lisbeth explains what has happened.  

"Call 911 right now Lisbeth.  I will call my colleague that I referred Sienna to and have her meet you at the hospital and I'm on the next flight.  Text me the info" he said hanging up.

Roan had already called 911 and they heard the sirens as he dropped to his knees next to Lisbeth and Sienna.  He frantically searched her empty eyes trying to bring her back but she was hidden away somewhere, the pain not tolerable at this point.  

The EMTs arrived and started assessing Sienna's condition as they start an IV and got her put on a stretcher. 

 "Can her sister ride with you?" Roan asked the paramedic.  He nodded and Cade told her that he and Roan would be right behind them.

Charlie was waiting for the brothers as they ran towards the open car door.  

"Sunrise Hospital Charlie!" Roan shouted.  While in the car Roan made a call to Dan Lopez, the head of his Legal Department.  

"Roan!  All company issued cell phones were sent the picture.  We are getting our best people on it and tracing it as we speak" the man told his boss. 

 "We got a bigger problem Dan" Roan told his friend.  "Sienna saw it and collapsed.  We are on our way to Sunrise, Lisbeth is with her in the ambulance" Roan couldn't hide the desperation in his voice.

  "Christ!" Dan spat out.  He assured Roan that they would work non-stop and he would keep him in the loop. 

"Brother you wanna tell me what's going on?"  Cade asked.  His twin let out a huge sigh and told his brother everything.  Cade listened carefully as he was told the whole sordid story until he interrupted his brother.  "Does Lisbeth know?" he asked.  Roan shook his head.  

"Si was documenting everything and we got Legal involved this afternoon" he finished softly.  Cade laid a hand on his brother's arm.  

"We'll see her through this man, okay?  All of us."  Roan hopped he was right.

Charlie pulled into the emergency parking area right behind the ambulance and the brothers jumped out and followed Lisbeth and the paramedics in.  There was a Dr. Grace Santiago waiting on them; she was the colleague of Dr. Miller and she had already given the ER doc Sienna's medical history so they were prepared.  

"Come on" Dr. Santiago said.  "Let's go wait in the waiting room.  They need to work on her and assess her condition."  This was going to be a long night.

About 12:15 an older man walks into the emergency room and Lisbeth goes straight for him; he hugs her and then brings him over to our group. 

 "Cade, Roan this is Dr. Miller, Sienna's doctor back in Detroit.  Dr. Miller, this is Roan, Sienna's boyfriend and Cade, my fiance."  

Lisbeth looked worn out and worried but who could blame her.  Dr. Miller shakes the brothers hands and then tells us he is going to find Dr. Santiago and try and find out what's going on.  As he walks off Lisbeth and Cade can't help but notice how upset Roan is.  She tells Cade she will be right back and heads over to where Roan is just staring out the window into the night sky. 

 "Hey" she says softly getting his attention.  He turns to look at her, his eyes full of sadness.  "She doesn't think she's strong but she really is" she says proudly of her sister.  

"Has this happened before?" he asks.  She nods. 

 "One other time, right after she came to live with us.  Her step father followed her home from school and attacked her.  Luckily one of the football players, who's also a close friend, saw what was going on and pulled him off of her.  She was out of it for two days.  We still don't know if she remembers everything but I don't think she really wants to" she said sadly.  "Dr. Miller says that these are brought on by extreme stress and when she feels like she's losing control she goes to what she refers to as her 'happy place'; it's how she copes.  When she's calmed down she comes back.  She always comes back" Lisbeth trails off sadly.  

Waiting is the worst part.  Just waiting.