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I let out a humorless laugh as I twirled the ring around my finger. “If the shoe fits. I sat when he told me to sit. I spoke when he wanted me to talk. And…and I came when he wanted me to come. I was well trained. Hell, he even called me pet on occasion.”
Dr. Carr’s eyebrows shot up, and I realized that I’d said more than I’d wanted to.
“I need to go.” I gathered up my purse and stood.
“We still have half an hour left,” she protested. “I think we should talk this through.”
“I don’t.”
I hastily exited her office, and struggled to control my breathing. I swallowed hard, forcing the urge to vomit back down. The ringing in my ears was all I heard as I stumbled down the hall. The pressure in my head mounted. I passed the elevator, heading instead for the stairwell. Once inside, I gripped onto the cold, metal railing and took gulps of air.
Two years. Two years I’d worked to forget. I’d worked to force those memories away. Two fucking years and here I stood being assaulted by them. A cacophony of thoughts perilously whirled through my mind. Memories that seemed terrifyingly real, accompanied by phantom aches of all of the places he’d hurt me. “You like it, Ginger! I always know what you like. Your body tells me every time.” Seth’s cocky voice filled the space around me, sucking the air from my body.
“Get out! Get out!” I shouted, hoping the images of his face would pass. My nightmares haunting me in the day. The bile rose, burning the back of my throat. That night replayed in my head like a horror movie I couldn’t forget; seeing myself in the reflection of the mirror, being forced to watch as he did that to me. The blood. My blood. The dead look in his eyes, the sinister curl of his lips as I fought to hold in the screams out of fear they’d hear. My parents. He’d hurt them. I couldn’t let them know.
The more I tried to control my breathing, the more erratic it became. My lungs drank in oxygen, and dizzying stars danced in front of my eyes. “I know what you wanted, Ginger!” Seth’s voice taunted me. My world was spinning. The pressure mounted. Blood pounded in my ears. My breaths: quick and shallow. “You’re mine!” I could no longer hold the contents of my stomach. The death grip I’d had on the railing loosened. There was silence. I was falling.
Chapter 11
Malcolm
Getting a phone call to say someone you love had been in some sort of accident and you needed to get to the hospital as soon as possible was hard enough once. And it was something I never wanted to experience again. Yet here I sat.
Being back in a hospital lobby brought back memories. Two years ago, the relief of Macy being found had been short lived upon seeing her condition. Beaten, starved, and dehydrated, but alive. We could see her, hold her, touch her. Waiting for final word from her doctors on how long her recovery would be had made us all anxious, but we knew we’d be told something.
Ginger had been miles away, and not being able to see her had made that wait damn near unbearable. I couldn’t get any information on her; I wasn’t family. The not knowing killed me.
It didn’t help that I’d felt torn about where I should be that fateful day. Mom had given me her silent permission to leave and check on Ginger. Macy had all of us there for her, but Ginger had no one since her parents were waiting to get a flight out and Dorian couldn’t have cared less. Mom had understood that. It wasn’t until I was sitting there scared shitless and seeing the worried look on their faces that I fully understood what I’d put my family through in college when I’d overdosed. I remembered apologizing to my parents again before leaving.
Now I found myself worried again. Sandy and Collin were back with her, while I sat and waited on news. Macy had wanted to come, but decided that bringing Shawn and London to the hospital was probably a bad idea.
I glanced around the drab room. What was it with hospitals? Most people here probably weren’t waiting on good news, so the depressing surroundings surely couldn’t help their mood. I didn’t really care about decorations, but fuck! I wanted something to look at that wasn’t hospital gray walls with its stark white, spotted linoleum floors and ugly pictures of flowers.
My phone vibrated in my pocket. It was Macy texting me for the third time in thirty minutes asking if there was any news. I sent her the same reply I’d
sent the last two times. As I was putting my phone away, I saw Collin walking toward me. The expression on his face was relaxed, which put some of my fears to rest.
He settled into the empty chair beside me. “Her injuries weren’t as serious as we’d feared. They said she fell down eight or so steps and her worst injury appears to be a sprained wrist. She is complaining of soreness, which the doctor told her to expect.”
“That is a relief to hear. Has she said what happened?”
He shook his head. “No, and that’s what’s most troubling. She said she doesn’t know what happened. She won’t even say why she was in the stairwell. If not for that guy with his elevator phobia, I’m not sure she would have been found.” Collin ran a weary hand down his face. “The doctors want to do an MRI and keep her overnight for observation.”
Every conceivable negative scenario ran through my head. Was she sick? Did she have a brain tumor? Was this some delayed effect from the shit that asshole put her through? People didn’t just pass out for no reason.
“Hey,” Sandy said, getting our attention. “We can head upstairs. They’re getting her settled into a room.”
Collin and I stood and Sandy pulled me into a hug. “Thanks for being here.”
“Don’t mention it. There’s nowhere else I’d be. And it sounds like I’m spending the night.”
She smiled and nodded. “I guess you are.” She pulled on my shoulders, gently forcing me to bend so she could kiss my cheek. “You’re a good guy, and she needs that.”
When she let go, I could see the shimmer in her eyes of the fresh batch of tears ready to fall. Collin pulled a handkerchief from his pocket and handed it to his wife.
She gave him a warm smile and dabbed at her eyes. “Always taking care of me.”
“Just as much as you take care of me.” He put his arm around her shoulders and kissed her temple.
