sAnity

Chapter 4

Beep... Beep... Beep...

"Turn it off..." I thought aloud to no one in particular. Sighing in frustration, I notice that my arms are immobile, my chest aches, and I am having difficulty breathing. A small remote is affixed to the railing on either side of me. One, a signalling remote, is white and attached to the bed by a cord. The other, which is gray and goes to the television, had four functions: Channel up/down; volume up/down; power on/off; and mute.

I pressed the red button on the white remote. A short woman with light brown hair, warm hazel eyes and fair skin walked in. The siren's song, as I have come to call it due to it reminding me of a siren singing to lure in its next victims, finally was silenced.

"You're awake!" She said quietly, careful as not to alarm me. "We were worried that you were comatose."

"How long have I been out?"

"About two weeks now.""

"Two WEEKS?!"

"Yes, Ms. Doe."

"Doe? My last name is Floresse."

"You had no identification and no one had come in to identify you. None of the contacts in your phone answered or called back either."

"Makes sense... My parent's never cared. They wanted me gone anyway..."

Another lady, in similar attire to the one currently in the room with me, a turquoise scrub top with matching pants, however the new lady's is royal violet, enters. Her hair is blonde in color, her eyes are a bright blue, comforting though still somehow piercing.

"Hello! I am Forensic Nurse Judy Rochester. If you don't mind, I will be asking you a few questions about what happened. Okay?"

"Go ahead."

"First, what is your name?"

"Taesia Malia Floresse."

"Very good, Ms. Floresse. What is your age?"

"16." I watched as she wrote down the information I gave to her.

"Um.. Ahh... It hurts to breathe...."

"I know Ms. Floresse. We had to remove a bullet from your right lung."

A knock was heard before the nurse from before, wearing turquoise scrubs, re-entered. I never noticed that she had left. The woman was carrying a tray; it held a simple saucer, a bowl, and a Styrofoam cup. The saucer had a simple non-dressed salad; in the bowl was a light broth the color of vegetable oil; and there was water in the Styrofoam cup.

"I am going to unbind your arms so you may eat and I am adding a narcotic to your Intravenous okay? The doctor will be in soon to check on you."

"Morphine?"

"Yes, ma'am."

I nod and watch the woman, not paying attention the Forensic Nurse anymore. My eyes drift to the tube going into my rib cage. The area is sore to the touch.

"Ms. Floresse, don't touch that!"

I look at her slightly confused. There was a thin trail of blood inside of the tube, blood still slowly leaking from the end it seemed, why would I not need to have it removed?

"You could die if that is dislodged. We tied you down because you were messing with it in your sleep, doctor's orders."

Everything clicks into place at that moment. "Internal bleeding, this is to drain the blood then."

"Absolutely correct."

The nurse in violet clears her throat. She then continues to ask questions; some of which were personal.

"How is your life at home?"

"It's alright.." I reply hesitantly, affixing my eyes on a point just above her own.

"Do you care to enlighten me on how you got those cuts and bruises?"

"I'm... A really clumsy person, and when I was fighting off my attacker, I got bruised. The cuts are from my cat, Nyla. She's a bit feisty..." I said, lying. If anyone found out,
 my mom would literally kill me.

"Ms. Floresse, you know you are safe here, right? If those cuts and scars are from self-harm and the bruises from abuse, you can confide in us. It is in your best interest to get any help you can if you need it."

I tensed up, my eyed widened by a fraction of a centimeter, and when I spoke my voice was cold, my previous expression turned into a scowl. "How could you tell?"

"Those cuts were too deep to have been made by a cat's claws, and too organized as well; the broken false rib accompanied by severe bruising and swelling; and the welt on your back when we received you."

I opened my mouth to retort but the answered the question before I could get it out.

"Those could have come from an assailant, but some of those cuts had turned into scars, and the bruised tissue was at the mid-point of the healing process, the inflamed tissue being a yellow-green at the edges to prove that point. This shows that before you were attacked you had damage done to you, either from yourself or from someone else abusing you."

I looked away, clearly upset with myself for having cut in obvious places.

"Ms. Floresse, please tell us how those bruises, cuts, and scars appeared on your body."

I sighed and then glared at her.

"Fine, but if you put me in the psych ward I will not hesitate to attempt escape."

She nodded her head in understanding.

"I have depression and I cut myself. My mother is abusive, while my father is neglectful. In all honesty, I kind of hope they die... Oh, and don't say anything. If you do, she'll come. She will kill me, and then she go find and kill Natalie. We don't want that."

"No, we don't. However, Child Protective Services must be notified."

"CPS can't help."

"They may at least be able to get you out of there. How old is your sister?"

"Natalie is 30... She has a daughter and a husband. They don't me there to screw everything up, and besides, She'd find us.

"They will protect you."

I scoffed, "How?"

"Where ever you go, most likely with your sister, will have police surveillance 24/7 and you go back to school before the investigation is done, you will have bodyguards."

"That's not going to stop her... The woman is certified crazy."

"It will, don't worry, you will be safe.She won't be permitted within 100 feet of you."

"Will that stop a gun? No."

She sighs audibly and again tells me I will be safe, leaving the room afterward. I look outside
 and I am only on the first floor. Removing the tube from my side and the plethora of sticky pads on my body I slip out of the window and onto the streets.