"Tell the porcupines to quit stabbing me," ~ Dear Porcupine, Melanie Martinez.
* * *
We were on the side of the road for who knows how long, I kept losing and regaining consciousness throughout the whole ordeal, before someone pulled over and called the cops and hospital. The only reason I kept waking up was because Evangeline kept crying as she was hungry and kept pooping on herself. I alternated between nursing her and trying to wipe her bottom with a piece of cloth from the bed sheet Imogen was wrapped in. Imogen; I couldn't bear to even look at her with the blood pouring out of her body and the scars that covered her. That image became forever burned into my mind with a fierce intensity that I saw every time I closed my eyes for the longest time after. When the woman pulled over to help us, she cut off a piece of the bed sheet and made it into a makeshift diaper for Evangeline.
Two ambulances showed up along with ten police cars. Faith had told the woman what happened after she recognized us from the missing persons list and told the police we were survivors. The girls went in the police cars while Evangeline and I and Imogen were loaded into separate ambulances. We, including the woman who pulled over, were escorted to the hospital being able to go through all the stop signs and lights cutting down on time.
The EMTs in the ambulances took our vitals and hooked us up to the basic monitoring equipment while asking me a few questions.
"What is your full name, age, and ethnicity?" one of them asked me checking my eyes with a small flashlight.
"Emery Fae Lovely, I'm seventeen and Latino," I tell him weakly feeling drained of energy and flinching away from the light being shined in my face.
"What is your daughter's name?" the other one who was attending to Evangeline asked me.
"Evangeline Imogen Lovely," I say closing my eyes and then opening them again.
"How long ago was she born?"
"I'm not sure, but she was born today," I whisper our with al the voices and sounds becoming mute and my surroundings fading away.
* * *
"Emery are you awake now? I'm Dr. Ferns, and I'll be you and Evangeline's doctor while you both stay here," a woman's voice says causing my eyes to open slightly to get used to the light in the room I was in. Over to my left the doctor stood next to a cradle looking thing that Evangeline was in.
"Is she okay?" I asked trying to sit up to look at my daughter while trying to reach out towards her with my arm to pull her near towards me.
"Yes both of you are fine," she says picking up Evangeline and placing her in my arms pushing me back towards the pillows. "We did have to give you a blood transfusion since you lost a lot of blood from laying down on the side of the road. Evangeline's airways were also clogged, but we were ale to clear them for her to breathe properly."
"What about all the other girls? Is Imogen okay?" I asked the doctor hoping that all the others were okay too.
"Cammy and Iliza were transferred to a hospital with a mental ward since both were tested to have signs for multiple mental disorders. Faith and Lace are being treated for malnourishment while Bailey has been placed on suicide watch. Brooke, Charlotte, and Valarie have been reunited with their families after being notified that they were still alive. Imogen underwent surgery to fix internal damage and had to go through lots of blood transfusions. She is lucky to be alive but she has some paralyzed nerves and will need to learn how to walk again and such."
"But other than that she's okay?" I asked again wanting to make sure she was actually okay.
"She will suffer from PTSD and possibly insomnia," Dr. Ferns says reassuring me but giving me a sad look, "There is one more thing we need to discuss."
"Ok what?"
"Doctors have evaluated your brain and believe that you are unfit to care for a child in your current mental state. They think it would be best for you to give up your child for adoption."
"What why? I love my daughter!" I exclaim starting to cry.
"I know, but it needs to be done. We have cops here incase you become violent, but you must give her up before you leave here tomorrow," Dr. Ferns informs me giving me the most pitying smile I've ever seen. "Imogen is here to see you though." She leaves the room, and as she does, Imogen wheels herself in.
"Hey," she says, "How are you holding up right now?"
"I was doing just fine until I was told I have to give Evangeline up for adoption because I am 'unfit' to take care of her because I am unstable," I tell her with tears streaming down my face, "I don't want to give her up; I love her!"
"I'm sorry Emery," she says placing a hand on my shoulder bringing me in for a hug. We stayed that way with her now stroking my hair until I eventually fell asleep with dried tears staining my cheeks.
* * *
YOU ARE READING
It Started As a Deal
Teen Fiction"This wasn't supposed to happen! I wasn't supposed to fall for him! It's only a deal and nothing more. . . so why do I feel like that isn't the truth. . ." Imogen, a 15 year old girl, wanted a do over at life. She left her family. The thing abou...
