Tortured - Jaele

|| Chapter Thirtyfive ||

Jace -

The weeks to follow my admission into the New York City state prison was like being trapped in the world slowest falling hourglass. Days came and went, but weeks were long. And then those weeks turned into months. Before I knew it I had completed a full 2 months. That may seem like a lot, but for a maximum sentence of 60 years to life, it had barely scratched the surface. Some days were bearable when for a fleeting moment I could forget about her. But then as soon as I opened my eyes her scent was in my nostrils. Or at least what I remembered of it. I'd roll over in that cold bed and wish to feel her warmth beside me.

I know wishing to be with her is beyond me, but everyone has a weakness. A soft spot they'll never be strong enough to overcome. And that was me, for the moment. Maybe I'll be able to forget about her officially in the future. As far as I know for right now it was damn near impossible.

"Jace Norman."

I had been daydreaming at my window, watching the other old geezers fight over a game of ping-pong when an officer came into the room.

"What do you want?"

I didn't bother to hide the disgust in my voice. I was sick of seeing these bastard's faces change. Every day there was a different officer on duty and this one seemed like one hell of a rookie.

"This came for you."

The officer handed me an envelope before he left, I flipped it over reading the address. It was from the court. My heart slammed on the breaks as I opened it up. I wasn't supposed to hear back from them for another ten years. Inside the envelopes was a summons from the judge. For my five months of good behaviour, my parole deal was being considered under extreme conditions. Effective next Monday at 7:00 AM sharp. I let the envelope and the paper flutter from my hand down to the stained grey carpeting.

This was the best news I've received in a while. I needed this. I reached over into the bedside table drawer and pulled a small orange bottle of pills out. My plan B. I tucked them into the sleeve of my sweatshirt and slipped into the bathroom to dump them into the toilet. Watching the water swirl around and the pills carrying them down the drain, I took a deep breath. I can now start thinking about the future.

...

Riele -

"Shit,"

I muttered under my breath. The pain in my stomach was getting worse with every breath I took. I can't tell if it's just the baby or if I need to throw up. It's heart-wrenching, I fell like something is wrong. Today has been one of the worst days. First, my car gets towed and the ticket fee is hanging over my head like a black cloud, then my boss wrote me up for being late again which I was going to have to work my ass off to diminish... Now, this. My baby doesn't want me to sleep.

I rolled out of bed to get up and use the bathroom. I did this almost every night, I spend more time peeing than actually sleeping and sometimes I dream that I'm peeing while I'm sleeping which is why Reiya doesn't like to sleep in the same bed with me anymore no matter how many times I beg her. In the bathroom, I flip the light on and pause in the doorway.

"Ugh, what the hell."

My stomach feels as if it's closing in on itself. Tight, needle pinching pain engulfs my abdomen. This doesn't feel right, I was only 3 months pregnant the baby isn't supposed to come for another 6 months. Am I crazy or something? Waiting for the pain to subside, I counted the weeks in my head.

"Mom!"

I screamed, my hands and knees become glued to the tiled floor. I feel immobilized in pain.