Vince

Cruisin for a Bruisin

A doctor talked to me but I could barely comprehend what was going on.

"We're going to put you through a CT, have you ever had a CT scan before?"

"No," I answered.

"We want to make sure you don't have any internal bleeding."

"Great."

The doctor wheeled me away from David despite my protesting. The machine was loud and hurt my head. The doctors put me in my own room and wait for my results. David came into the room moments after I was brought there and pulled a chair next to the foot of my bed.

I could hear the sound of sneakers against tile and then my door was thrown open. Kaleb ran forward and wrapped his arms around me, crushing me in a hug.

"Thank fucking God," He mumbled.

"You're hurting me," I wheezed.

"Fuck, sorry." Kaleb loosened his grip.

I breathed him in, feeling the warmth from his body heat mine.

"Where's Hannah?" Kaleb asked.

David answered, "In another room getting checked. When she's done she's going to have to make a statement with the police. She could be awhile."

"Have you seen her? Is she okay?"

"She's not as bad as Rhia. I think she'll be fine."

Kaleb kissed the hair on top of my head and ran his hand over it. He finally let go.

"I'm going to see if I can find Hannah. I'll be back, I promise," Kaleb said to me.

I nodded and watched as he left the room.

"I'm going to grab some coffee," David announced, "I'd grab you something, but you can't have anything in case you need surgery."

"No, stay," I begged.

David nodded, staying put like I asked. I put my feet on the floor and tried to stand up. David was on his feet in seconds, hands out to catch me if I fell.

"What are you doing?" He asked.

"Sit down."

David slowly sat back down and I sat sideways on his lap, bunching his shirt in my hands. My ear laid next to his heart and I could hear the steady beating. It was the only sound that relaxed me in this building.

David ghosted his fingers over my skin, careful to avoid any bruising that was starting to form. Kaleb returned like he said he would and sat on the foot of my bed.

"Rhia, what happened?" Kaleb asked gently.

"Julian forced his way into my house and I tried to stop him," I stared blankly at something beyond me, "I wasn't strong enough."

Kaleb put his hand on my shoulder and shut his eyes tightly.

"Did you find Hannah?" I asked.

"Yeah. They wouldn't let me in to see her, but they said she's doing alright."

A doctor entered the room and addressed me, "Mrs. Daniels, it seems you have some minor internal bleeding. We believe it will fade on its own. You have a fractured radius and we will be putting a cast on it."

"Anything else?" I asked.

"You also have a minor concussion."