instagram // j.g.

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jack

i've been sitting in this hospital chair for what seems like forever. i tugged at my hair and rocked on my heels back and forth trying to contain my emotions.

"valentina mercado?" a doctor called out and i stood up letting him know i was there for val.

"i'm here for val." i say wiping under my eyes.

"what's your relation?"

"i'm her boyfriend. we came here on vacation together. no one else is here with us. its just me." i speak rapidly and he nods.

"val is okay. nothing but a few stitches to her head and some bruises. we did and MRI just to be safe and -"

my cell phone rings and i knew it was my mom so i automatically apologized and told the doctor i had to take it.

"go in whenever you'd like." he smiled at me and i thanked him.

"mom?" i answered the phone.

val

my body was in so much pain, my head especially. everything seemed to hurt. i opened my eyes and saw a doctor in a white coat and navy blue scrubs smiling at me.

"where am -"

"you're in the hospital." she sat next to me and smiled. "you're going to be just fine."

i nodded and tried to give a small one back.

"do you remember anything about how this happened?" she asks me.

i inhaled and tried my best to remember and then it all hit me.

"i was walking back to my hotel and a van came up to me - someone pulled me in. there were three men. they tried to - i escaped and they just beat me and left me there." i closed my eyes and my breathing became uneven causing the monitor to speed up.

"okay, okay." she rubbed my arms lightly. "everything will be okay. ill be in contact with the police. okay? everything will be just fine."

i nodded and closed my eyes as she flipped through her papers on her clipboard.

"ms. mercado? how old are you?" she asks.

"i'm eighteen, i'm turning nineteen in a few weeks. why?" i sit up straight.

"we ran and MRI to check for any bleeding in the brain - luckily there was none." she smiled.

"okay, that's great."

she handed me a sheet of what looked like an x-ray paper, but instead it showed my brain and muscles.

"what is this for?" i began looking at the picture closely and at my brain.

"ms. mercado, im sorry but do you know what this is?" she asks and points at a black blob on my paper.

"is that a - is that a tumor? oh my god." my eyes filled with water and she rubbed my arm lightly.

"ms. mercado, that's a 5 week fetus."

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