Weeping Angel: Malvada (Book 1 of the Weeping Angel Series)

Chapter XXVII

"I'm calling the ambulance!" Gabby tells us, snapping me out of my daze and begins to dial on her phone.

My attention shifts from the statue to my parents, but I notice mom looking in the same direction of the pantry, terror flooding her face as she comes to a realization.

Mom's attention turns back to Clarice, and she stops Gabby from calling the ambulance. "I'll drive her to my hospital. I'm a doctor." She deadpans and places her hands under Clarice's body, scooping her up in her arms.

I rush to her and reach out my hands to do something, but mom takes a step back, her green eyes staring coldly at me, her face twisted in an expression of anger and accusation. "Don't. I got it. Get my car keys and start the car."

I grit my teeth, feeling something squeeze my insides as we all walk towards the front foyer. I grab the car keys from the key holder before we all walk out the door and towards the car parked on our driveway. I open the back door, and mom settles Clarice there, urging us to quickly get inside as she hops in the driver's seat with dad beside her.

Gabby and I get in the back, wrapping our arms around a bloody Clarice, and I feel something churn inside my stomach.

Mom roughly pulls out of the driveway and speeds through the dark neighbourhood and onto the main road. She drove over the speed limit, zooming past the cars and switching lanes every few seconds to get to the hospital as soon as possible.

I held onto Clarice tightly, continually reassuring her and myself that she'll be okay. Her bloody and pale face broke my heart, so I looked away, unable to contain the tears streaming down my face.

We get to mom's hospital in ten minutes, and as we pull inside the emergency area, mom calls one of her nurse friends to bring some doctors and nurses along with a hospital bed because she had a state of emergency.

Moments later, Clarice is taken to the emergency room, followed by mom in her surgical clothes, mask and gloves. We hear mom's voice tell the doctors on the other side of the door they need to repair Clarice's damaged tissues and organs immediately before they disappear into the room Clarice is in, leaving us in the waiting room.

I decided to wash my hands and face to distract myself, and because I was slightly covered in Clarice's blood. The sight of it made me gag, so I focused on the splashes of water hitting my face after washing my hands.

I shudder at the image of the shards of glass and knife, cutting Clairce's fair skin and the unsettling memory of the statue beside the pantry.

I take a calming breath, letting the water droplets fall from my face and into the sink before I compose myself and dry my face with tissue papers. I walk out of the women's washroom and stroll into the living room, my heart shattering when I see dad sitting on one of the dark chairs, his head hanging low.

I could see he was trying to stay strong, but he was on the verge of breaking down. I silently sit down between him and Gabby, letting the unspoken words pass between us.

Dad looked tired and frustrated, probably still processing everything, and so was I, but seeing one of the strongest people I know desperately try not to break down, tore my heart into pieces.

I take a shaky breath and wrap my arms around him. He sighs painfully but leans in and rubs my back soothingly. "It'll be okay." His soft voice cracks and I feel a traitorous tear slide down my cheek as I silently nod.

After a long thirty minutes later, mom walks into the waiting room. Impatient and anxious, the three of us jolted up from our seats and stared at mom like she was the last drop of water in a dry desert.