When Breaunna and Jermaine got back to the hospital to pick Janet up she was sleeping, thanks to the medication and the tormented sleep she suffered the night before.
"Good mo-" Breaunna sees that Janet isn't up and turns to Jermaine. "Shhhhh. She's still sleeping."
"In that case, you stay here and keep an eye on her and I'll go see if I can sign her discharge papers. Can you do that?"
"Yup." She says going over to the chair next to the bed. "I'll sit right here."
"Alright then. Don't move and do not wake your mom. "
"I won't." As soon as Jermaine left, Breaunna pulled the chair up to the bed to kneel on it. She folded her arms and rested her head on them and peered into Janet's face.
Sensing that somebody was watching her Janet slowly opened her eyes. "Good morning Bumble Bee."
"Good morning mommy."
"Why are you watching me sleep?" She asks letting the railing down.
As she climbed into the bed, "Dad said not to wake you..."
"Where did he go?"
"To get the paper charged?" She semi questioned, not remembering exactly what Jermaine said.
"No, I went to get the discharge papers." He says walking inside, shaking his head at Breaunna. "Didn't I tell you to let your mommy sleep?"
"She didn't wake me, she was watching me sleep and I opened my eyes."
"Okay," he kissed Janet on the cheek. "Good morning beautiful."
"Good morning."
"Can mommy leave yet?"
Raising an eyebrow at Breaunna's urgent need to leave. "Do you have somewhere you need to be?"
"No." she frowned.
Janet speaks up, "Can we leave? I have somewhere I need to be." she emphasizes the I, winking at Breaunna.
**
"I think I'm going to tell her... I just need to figure out how." Janet says as she sits up from her position on the studio couch.
"Tell who, what?"
"Breuanna about Rene..."
"Just tell her; don't think about it too much. Overthinking things usually make them difficult to face..."
"What time is it?"
Jermaine looks at his watch. "It's 2:25."
"I'm going to get ready to pick Bre up." Janet stands up slowly, trying her best not to cause more pain.
Jermaine looks at her funny. "Already?"
"Yes already, I need to take my time getting dressed because it hurts to breathe."
"How about I pick her up from school and you stay here."
"I know I'm supposed to get a lot of rest but I'm going to go crazy if I have to sit around for the next three weeks." Janet whines.
"Janet it's been three days... Ju-" H'e stops noticing Janet getting more agitated by the second. "I'll help you get ready and we'll both go..."
**
Janet and Jermaine left to go pick up Breaunna from school. When they got there Breaunna was sitting on the step with her chin on her knees while the other kids were playing freeze tag. "Why is she sitting over there by herself?"
"Maybe she's just tired."
When Breaunna sees the car in front of the school her entire demeanor changes in an instant. Her face lights up, her eyes brighten up and she smiles faintly. As Jermaine gets out of the car she runs up to him and hugs him around the waist. "Hi, daddy."
"Hey princess." Patting her head and putting her backpack in the car. He helps her up, "Come on, hop up there. "
"Hi mommy," Breaunna says kissing Janet on the cheek.
"Hi, Bumble Bee. How was school?"
Breaunna buckles her seat belt. "It was okay. Mrs. Matthews is teaching us our times tables..."
Jermaine signals before pulling out of the parking lot onto the road. "Aah, I remember those days... Took me forever to get the nines right."
"They're pretty easy so far, we just did threes today."
"You over there holding back a laugh like you didn't have a hard time with anything." Jermaine looks at Janet trying to hold it together.
"You're right I did have a hard time with something... French but that was high school," she says stifling her laugh.
Jermaine mumbled under his breath making Janet double over in laughter and pain while Breaunna looked at her funny not hearing a word he had said. After a while she looked out the window, thinking about her day.
Janet could tell something was wrong with Breaunna but she knew she would come to her when she was ready to talk. That was another thing she got from Janet, she'd hold things in and even if you asked she wouldn't tell. When they got home, Breaunna went straight up to her room and did her homework, as usual, as Janet stretched out on the couch trying to find a comfortable spot. As soon as she did, the doorbell rang. Determined not to move she waited a while to see if Jermaine would come answer it when he didn't come and the doorbell rang again she got up to get it.
"Damn it..." She trudged over to the door wondering how Jermaine made it to the studio already. The person banged on the door growing impatient with the people who were inside.
When she opens the door there's a woman holding a little girl who couldn't possibly be more than two years old. She looked around as if she were trying to get away from somebody.
"Please help me!" She begs, quickly glancing over her shoulder again.
Taking a closer look at the woman, Janet noticed that she had what looked like the start of a bruise on her left cheek and a few faded marks where bruises had been on her arm and wrists.
"Come in." stepping to the side to let them in. "What's your name?" Janet asks closing the door but eyeing the girl and child.
"Izora (Is-zoh-ra) but call me Izzy, it's easier."
"Okay Izzy, I need you to tell me what happened. Who are you trying to get away from?"
"Well, I'm trying to get away from my mother and her boyfriend. I just need to get my baby somewhere safe, can I use your phone?"
"You still didn't tell me what happened... Follow me." Janet walks into the kitchen with Izora on her heels. Izora sits on one of the stools at the island and Janet goes to the freezer and pulls out an ice pack. Handing Izora the ice pack she stood at the counter facing the woman and her little one.
"What happened Izzy?" Janet asked nicely but it was clear she wasn't going to do anything without a concrete answer.
"My mom's boyfriend tried to rape me a couple days ago and I told her... She didn't believe me so I showed her the bruises on my arms" Izzy sniffled rubbing her baby's back every once in a while. "and she still didn't believe me. She called him into the room and he denied it, my own mother called me a whore... I got mad and hit her and he grabbed me and held me down so she could beat me. When I finally got away I picked up Olivia and ran. Your house was the first one I saw with a car out front..". Standing, she begins to head for the door. "This was a mistake, I'm sorry."
"Wait!" Janet winces in pain as Izzy stops and turns around. "Where are you going to go? You came here for help, please don't leave without it..."
Just as Izora walked back to the island Jermaine walked into the kitchen. "Jan- Zoë what are you doing here?"
YOU ARE READING
New Life
Ficção Geral{BOOK 1} Life in the spotlight was nothing unusual for Janet Jackson, being the baby of the Jackson family she'd been there all her life. She, her boyfriend Jermaine and her daughter Breaunna moved to Atlanta from Miami so they could all be together...
