Back To Me

Chapter One: Midnight

Temple Condominiums - Midnight
Kennedy James

Kennedy's heart was about to fall out of her chest as she slammed the door to the bathroom and locked it. She knew it wouldn't keep him away for long but it bought her time. Grabbing the stainless steel door jam she rammed it to the bottom of the door and locked it again for good measure. Painfully crawling against the porcelain soaker tub the coolness of the material soothed the back of her neck. Salty tears stung the cut on her busted lip and she could feel the blood drying on her nose. Her body ached in new and familiar ways and she wondered if he actively kept his promise of breaking her ribs. Breathing was hard and shallow but she knew she couldn't die like this. Tremors shook her body but she knew she couldn't cry out in fear of him finding her.
"God how did I get here?"
She prayed to no one in particular but speaking aloud to the mess that was her life. She wasn't supposed to be here living this life but the careless decisions she made brought her here. She had shut out voice of reason so much that her mentality was surely as hard as stone. Poor influences. No parental support. And her own neglect brought her here. To scraping at whatever love she could find. She knew the moment she met the man he was a monster but he offered her a security she never had before. She just never knew this was the price she'd have to pay for it.
Hearing the heaviness is his feet, his baritone voice laced in weed, alcohol and whatever drug he was selling, he yelled for her. Calling her everything but a child of God. Threatening to kill her and whatever other deadly promise he could think of. Kennedy shook with fear and physical terror. Hearing him ram against the door shook her like a level 5 earthquake, her crying soft whimpering mixed with prayer to a God she hadn't talked to in a long time.
"Kennedy I swear to God imma beat your ass to death. You think you can really escape me?!"

He yelled and rammed the door again. Kennedy crawled to the nearest corner of the bathroom and held her phone in her hand. Hearing it ring she prayed someone answered.

"...911 what's your emergency."

7225 Victor Circle -Midnight
Octavia St Germain

It was an ordinary Saturday night when Tavia St. Germain was laying fast asleep wrapped in her husband's arms when the blasting of her cellphone woke her from her light sleeping. Groaning she attempted to ignore the 'Reflection' ringtone blasting from her nightstand but something In her told her to answer. Pulling herself from her husbands embrace she gently huffed and squinted her eyes at the brightness of her screen. Adjusting her eyes she noticed an unfamiliar number. Tapping the green button she answered.
"Hello?"
She whispered not to wake her husband. Glancing over at him who was still fast asleep unfazed by whatever she was doing. The man literally slept like the dead.
"Hello is this Mrs. Octavia St Germain?"
The soft but concerned voice asked. Sitting up in bed and turning the lamp on the night stand her eyebrows furrowed in confusion. She could tell already it was a hospital calling her from the noise in the background but for what reason she didn't know. If it was her parents or siblings they would've called her on their own. Each of them had their own different ringtones.
"Yes... but who is this?
She asked the concern matching the woman's voice on the phone.
"This is Stacy McBride. I'm an emergency room nurse calling from Cedar Sinai Hospital...you are the only contact information we had for a."
"Kennedy James"
They both said in unison. Cedar Sinai was the hospital in Temple, where her youngest cousin lived since her family lived a state over. Instantly her stomach dropped and her heart began to race as  Octavia knew something terrible happened. She hadn't heard from Kennedy in months and this was the call that she was getting.
"Yes I'm her cousin. What's wrong?"
Throwing the covers off of her bare legs she listened intently as the nurse went over what brought her cousin to the hospital on top of the injuries she suffered. According to the nurse Kennedy was brought in after 911 was called. The operator heard the entire encounter of the domestic disturbance making it better for both the police and the ambulance to get to the woman who called. Once both the police and the ambulance arrived, the man who was at the scene when they arrived  was arrested while Kennedy (who was going unconscious) was taken to the ER. Without thinking Octavia got out of bed. Walking into her closet she grabbed a set of Nike leggings, a shirt and a zip up hoodie and a pair of trainers. Because she technically was living on her own and the injuries she suffered were severe a family member had to be notified. Octavia tried to keep her anger and worry on a simmer but she couldn't. Keeping her composure she thanked the nurse for calling and told her she'd be there shortly. Ending the call Octavia rushed to the bathroom and got herself cleaned up. By the time she came out Josiah was sitting up in bed turning on the lamp to a fully dressed Octavia.
"Babe what's wrong?"
He asked groggily as he watched in a blurry focus as she moved around the bed to grab her charger. She didn't know how to tell him. She didn't know what to tell him. Even she was still trying to process what happened.
"Where are you going dressed like that?"
He asked more awake than before. Grabbing her things she rushed around him.
"It's... Kennedy Josiah. She's in the hospital... and it's not good."
Hearing the nervous tremors in his wife's voice he got out of bed and freshened up in the bathroom. Not thinking to ask questions, but just off the strength of seeing his wife as frantic as she was he knew she couldn't go wherever she was going in the mindset she was in
"Baby how do you know?"
He asked coming out of the bathroom in a pair of sweats from his university catching her attention. Octavia Furrowed her eyebrows at him but then realized he didn't ask her before he went to get ready. He wasn't just about to let her go wherever she thought she was headed alone. Octavia had a feeling for a few weeks that her cousin was in some sort of mess in Temple and this phone call had surely proven her intuition true.
"I just got off the phone with the ER in Temple. Domestic violence Josiah...he broke two of her ribs..."
Her voice caught in her throat as she tried to tell him what the nurse told to her and she couldn't. Giving a voice to it made it real. The phone call wasn't a dream... far from it. Holding her head down she wiped her eyes as her view became blurry with tears. A worried silence fell between them as Josiah walked over and hugged his wife. He could feel her tears on his chest. First a soft sniffle soon turned into a wail of pain that chose to bury itself in the fabric of his shirt. His embraced intensified around her as she cried. His chin rested on the top of her head as he held her, a soft prayer found its way into the curls on her hair until her crying subsided. Lightening like the end of a rainstorm in the middle of June her crying ended as she wiped her eyes. Standing alone with her in their bedroom the silence he held her hand until she felt she was calm enough for them to leave. Josiah looked at his wife. He seen her fear, anger and concern at war within her, one taking over the other for dominance.