Broken Beauty (#1, Broken Beauty Novellas)

Chapter Two

I'm right about my parents not coming. I never really expected Daddy to show up, not when it's so close to a re-election. I had hoped that my Mama would come, but she's in rehab. Or at least, that's Daddy's side of the story. She's been drunk much of her life, but it wasn't until last year, when she publicly sided against Daddy giving ammunition to a politician in the opposing party, that Daddy decided she needed to get sober. She's been in "rehab" ever since, somewhere on the west coast, where she can't say anything to embarrass Daddy before the election.

People don't cross Daddy.

It's almost noon by the time the doctors finish cleaning, stitching, and x-raying me. I'm tired but pleased to see Dom is still sitting outside my room when they roll me back. I barely have a moment to myself before he knocks and walks in with Kiesha.

"Are you feeling up to telling us what happened?" Kiesha asks. She's got a cup of coffee in one hand and a notepad in the other.

I don't want to talk about it. I don't want to think about it. My private parts still burn from stitches. Something about how it's going to hurt to take a shit for awhile, until the tears in my vagina heal. Along with painkillers and antibiotics, they're giving me stool softeners, like old people use.

I want Dom and Kiesha to kill those people who did this to me, but I don't want to talk about it.

"Can I have a minute to clean up first?" I ask.

"Sure."

They leave and close the door. I grimace as I lift myself out of bed. The hospital floor is cold against my bare feet. I limp to the bathroom. My ankle doesn't hurt anymore, but it doesn't move right either.

I turn on the light in the tiny bathroom and see a monster in the mirror above the sink. I'm the monster. My blonde hair is sticking out everywhere like it does without smoothing crème. Part of it is brown-red from blood. My cheek is yellow, my black eye swollen closed. My good eye is smeared with mascara and the colors I wore last night, which somehow ended up all over the left side of my face. I have bruises all over my face and neck. My good eye looks haunted, and I'm pale.

They did this to me. The bruises will heal, but I'll never be able to forget what happened.

The surreal experience returns, flashing like a disjointed dream in my mind. I close my eyes and can almost feel the cool spray from the fountain. I can hear them coming for me. I can feel them hurting me. My chest seizes, and suddenly, I can't breathe.

Not again!

I'm being dragged down to the ground, but I try to lash out, trying to keep from sinking into the memory.

"Shit!"

"Grab her, Dom!"

"Mia, it's okay!"

Someone catches me, keeps me from going back to last night. My tunnel vision makes it hard for me to see who. Smelling salts jar me awake. I recognize the cop, Kiesha, and stare up at the harsh lights, not sure at first where I am.

"You okay?" Dom's face appears in my vision. His warm arms are around me.

Kiesha raised the smelling salts. I push her hand away.

"Why ... why do you have those?" I demand, hating them in that moment.

"Keeps me awake on third shift." Kiesha gives me a genuine smile, the first I've seen. "You scared us again."

"Sorry," I mumble. I try to move. Dom has me clutched against him. I don't entirely want him to let go; it's the safest I've felt since last night.