Help me...

Chapter 15

Layla's eyes slowly opened as she came to. She looked around nervously, terrified to find Jackson at her side but nobody was there. She was alone in her hospital room. She went to move her hand to wipe at her eyes but stopped when she felt chains on her wrist, binding her to the bed. She froze and looked over herself to see her arms and feet were chains to the hospital bed. 

"N-no...no, no, no. Please, I-" she was cut off by the door opening. She whipped her head around to the door, ignoring the pounding in her head. It took her eyes a couple of seconds to adjust to see who was at the door and she swallowed nervously when she saw her brothers frame. Tigerstar walked towards his sister and stopped at her bedside.

"Don't give me that panicked look. The handcuffs are necessary. Nobody is going to hurt you anymore I promise. Layla, do you remember anything that happened before?" Tigerstar asked as he gently put a hand on her arm. Layla swallowed and tried to find her voice again.

"I-I remember being locked up. I was strapped to a table like this. J-Jackson injected something in my arm. W-we waited for a l-long time but nothing happened. Jackson started to get mad so h-he started yelling at me but I-I didn't know what to do. T-then someone walked in and gave him more of the stuff. He injected that into my arm a-and I-I don't remember anything more, I'm sorry," Layla explained as tears spilled down her cheeks and she let out a soft sob. Tigerstar sighed then proceeded to fill her in on everything else that had happened. Layla listened and her eyes grew when she heard about Cloud being wounded.

"N-no. Tigerstar, please you have to let me up! I'I need to know he's alright! It's all my fault he got into this mess. It's because of me his daughter might not see him again!" Layla said desperately and Tigerstar growled at her.

"Quit it! He's fine. He's alive and awake. Has been for a while now. You've been out for a long time Layla. Listen, I know this is a hard time for you but we need answers. Your daughter. Layla where is she?" Tigerstar asked and Layla's blood ran cold, the heart monitor starting to beep faster from Layla's racing heart. She swallowed nervously and looked away.

"I-I don't know what you're talking about," she said so softly it was barely audible. Tigerstar growled at his sister once again.

"Layla tell me the truth. We need to hear your side of the story. We know she is dead," Tigerstar said and Layla could have gotten whiplash with how fast she turned her head. She stared at her brother for any show that he was lying but she knew she had no idea how to read people, so she had to tell him. She took a deep breath then began. 

She told him everything. Not just about Amelia but about all the abuse over the years, the rape, the gang rapes, how many times she came close to death because Jackson would get angry with her or something, how Jackson reacted when she was told she couldn't have any more children and so on. She explained everything to him and he listened to every word, stopping sometimes to write a few things on the notepad he had. Layla told him everything about Cloud as well and when the fight on her front door happened. Once she was finished, Tigerstar read through his 4 pages of notes then sighed and turned to Layla.

"Layla, right now, you are facing the death penalty. But with this information, I could maybe sway them to only giving you time in prison. You are an accomplice to your daughter's kidnapping and death no matter how you put it so it's only reasonable you get jail time or go to an asylum. I will get back to you with the answer but you have to stay here, handcuffed. I know you don't like it but you have to. It's the only way we can make sure you don't run from us because if you do, there's no way I can stop you from getting the death penalty," Tigerstar said as he took a deep breath then left the room. 

Layla laid on the bed and allowed herself to cry and sob but a smile made its way onto her face. Jackson was dead. No longer would she have to live in fear of him. No longer would she be beaten, raped and hurt. She was free from him. She took a deep breath through her nose and let it out through her mouth in a sigh. she laid back on the pillow behind her head and closed her eyes slowly, cuddling into the pillow. She was close to passing out again but her eyes snapped open when she heard the door open slowly. She looked up and smiled wide.