The One That Got Away

Chapter 02

Seven Years Ago...

I couldn't stop. I could feel his breath on the back of my neck as I ran, my legs pumping along the never ending alley-way. Refusing to look back I continued to rush for the freedom the end of this alley-way would give me. He couldn't kill me with witnesses around. The alley-way stretched out in front of me unending. No matter how hard I pushed my legs weren't taking me any closer to the street. I could feel him right behind me now. Fear pulsed through me like a constant beeping.

I squeezed my eyes closed as I stretched my arms out in front of me hoping to somehow reach someone who could save me. Anyone who could help me and get me away from this monster. I could still feel where his clammy hands had grabbed me before and the sticky blood over my body.

Someone help me...

I groaned as I tried to open my eyes again, my body was so sore and that terrifying beeping wouldn't stop. I tried again to open my eyes and instead of the alley-way I had been so desperately trying to escape I was in a white and green hospital room.

I turned to the man laying in the chair beside my hospital bed and let out and audible breath of relief when I realized it was my father. Gregory Mayer was normally a well kept man with a crisp well fitted suit, his hair always jelled back and face clean shaven. The man laying asleep in the chair was Gregory Mayer but this man was disheveled. His suit shirt was untucked and wrinkled as if worn for days on end, the suit jacket was thrown over himself as if an after thought to keep warm, his slacks were wrinkled and his shoes thrown off and beside the chair. My father's hair was messy and his face was showing a five-o'clock shadow.

I tried to push myself up but felt a shooting pain in my side. Hissing I slumped back against the pillows squeezing my eyes shut. A groan sounded from beside me and shortly followed by a caring squeeze to my leg. Mustering up a smile and opening my eyes I turned to my father who now looked at me with watery eyes.

"Sienna?" Dad whispered out through his tears that now fell from his eyes.

"Hey.." I said with a croaky voice as I was pulled into a hug. I breathed in my father's deep scent and allowed my body to relax knowing I was now safe. My father pulled back from me and pushed the nurses button next to my bed.

The hospital room door opened suddenly and I watched my older brother Simon walk in holding a bag of chips and two coffee's. Simon was a mirror image of me only taller and male. He stood at six feet his hair the same shade of mouse blonde hair as mine. His watery blue eyes meeting my own copies as he stepped into the room, his full red lips pulling into a lazy grin.

"See Dad, I told you Siennasaurus would wake up!" Simon put the coffee down and sat at the end of my bed his hand landing on my leg as he smiled at me.

"Simon!" Dad scolded at the sound of his nickname for me, I stifled a sob as I smiled at my brother.

"It's okay Dad, what else can you expect from MonMon" I said with a wink just as a doctor swept into the room with a broad grin on his face. The doctor greeted Simon and Father like they were old friends and turned towards me with a kind smile on his face.

"Well it's about time you woke up!" He said cheekily as he grabbed my chart and looked at the machine by my bed. After running through a couple checks and asking a few questions about how I was feeling the doctor who I learnt was called Doctor Vincent walked to the end of my bed.

"Well, for the accident you were in I think you have come out very lucky!" He said pushing his pen into his white jacket.

"You think?" My father said gruffly sitting and pulling the chair closer to my side.

"Yup! Sienna the car that hit into you had managed to come to an almost stop by the time is collided into you, You luckily didn't break any bones but you hit your head hard and cracked a few ribs. The concussion was causing swelling of your brain so we put you into an induced coma a month ago." Doctor Vincent said frankly putting my chart back down at the end of the bed.

"We tried to wake you up a week ago but sometimes these things take time, You're ribs are still bruised but you should be fine to go home by tomorrow morning" With that Doctor Vincent had a quick private conversation with my father as Simon took his seat my the head of my bed.

"Hey, real quick! Wanna never do that again?"

"Oh sure, because I often choose to do shit like that?" I bite back at my brother. A grin forming on his face.

"Well... yeah! You're a drama queen!" I gritted my teeth. He was so lucky I was too sore to slap him silly right now. My anger quickly faded as I watched my brother laugh and lean back in the chair.

How close had I come to losing the both of them?

I looked at my father who was closing the door after Doctor Vincent left and grabbing a coffee. After everything my family has lost how could I be so careless?

"Simon! Leave your sister alone would ya!" Dad scolded Simon and looked down at me fondly.

"You worried a lot of us, Hun" Dad said pulling another chair up. I looked around the room to see multiple balloons and flowers. One flower arrangement catching my eye. It was the one on my bedside table. There were seven orange roses in a lilac vase with a small cardboard note.

I squinted my eyes looking at the roses. My mother was pedantic about raising a lady and was obsessed with rose messages. I could almost hear my mother now - red roses are love, pink is gratitude, white is innocence, yellow is friendship and orange... orange is enthusiasm.

Seven orange roses... seven meaning infatuation...

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