REBORN

Chapter 6-Broken

Aubrey

I see a blurry image of a woman. She is in her thirties, her beautiful hazel hair is flowing down her shoulders with soft curls on her back facing me as she stands. I feel a longing towards her like...I...know her. Could it be her?

"Hello?"

She turns around to face me and I know my guess was right. Mom!

"Honey, you have to wake up. You can't give up yet. I know you. You are stronger than this, Aubrey. You are my brave girl. Come back! Wake up! For me..."

Everything else tunes out...I see her. I can finally feel her. I won't let her go away again. I wont let her leave me. I want her to hold me in her warm hands and take my pain away with her soothing hug.

"Mum!"

She spreads her arms open for me, calling me into her warmth hug. I don't need to think about it at all. I sprint towards her as fast as I can but she is becoming blur, going far, her body fading away slowly until I can't see her anymore.

"No!" I gape my eyes. I woke up, gasping with my chest rising heavily. My lungs yearned for air. My body starved for oxygen. I could hear the air moving through my bronchioles like they were some kind of weird instrument. It was a wheezing really, squeaky and worrisome. I tried matching my breaths to the beeping of machines that surrounding me. A dream. That's what it was! Every part in my body wishes it was true. But it can't be...ever. Calm down, Aubrey.

My body was numb. That's the first thing I noticed as I tried to squirm myself. I groaned in pain with the IVs attached to my wrists. A warm squeezed my hand softly. I look up from the IV on my arm.

Kylie. My best friend, more like the only friend in my life. I met her in kindergarten. She was the only person who let me sit with her, talk with her and laugh with her after it all happened. Since then, we were inseparable, a part of each other.

She is biting her lip like she wants to rip it open, suppressing the tears from her worried eyes with bags under them like she hasn't slept forever. I chuckle quietly.

"Hey, how are you feeling now?" she muffled in between her sobs.

" I feel numb but other than that, I am okay." My voice croaked. She let out another sob.

"Hey...hey, I am alright, Kylie. Alive, aren't I?" I wished she caught my humor but the rasp in my voice gave away. She started weeping while hugging me. I ran my not free hand through her back, whispering soothing words until she calmed down a bit.

" I-I am s-so sorry...I didn't know what to do when I saw you here like this. I-I was scared when you weren't w-waking up. You don't know what I went through to see you like this. I-I a-m s-s-orry. Please f-forgive me. I should h-have been t-there when you n-needed me most, Aubrey."

"Shh...its okay now." Isn't it supposed be the other way round? Her consoling me? But what happened to me? Why am I in the hospital?

"Aubrey, there are officers who want to um...talk to you. I tried holding them off till you feel better but they say it's urgent. Is it fine by you?" I simply nodded.

She walked out for a minute and returned to two officers in FBI coats.

"Good morning Mrs. Jameson. We hope you are recovering well."

Recovering from what? Confused, I blinked rapidly at the two officers in front of me.

" Mrs. Jameson, we would like to ask you a few questions regarding your rape case if you are willing to answer them. "