AllFreeNovel
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“I’m so proud of you,” she whispers and kisses the top of my head.
Moments later I’m checked on again by my doctor and a nurse who both tell me to stay in bed on the oxygen mask. I don’t complain about that part because who doesn’t love puffing on pure oxygen?
The adrenaline eventually leaves my system too, and when Stanley dims the lights, I fall asleep, while drowsily insisting they go home.
They don’t and I know they won’t.
“He’s got to learn sometime. Right? He’s a growing boy. He’s just experimenting. Just clean her up and make sure she doesn’t ever talk about this.” He laughs cruelly and I sob harder. “How hard could it be to manipulate a seven-year-old?”
His face lowers to mine and he smiles like he used to, right before he gave me money. But he doesn’t give me money this time, or a teddy. He slaps me around the face. It stings. I cry harder, wailing until he shakes me to shut up. Spitting in my face with each word. His breath stinks of cigarettes.
“Listen here, you little shit. Your mother doesn’t want you. Your daddy doesn’t want you. I don’t want to take care of a naughty little girl. If you tell anybody what Landon did, I’ll throw you out on the street and nobody will take care of you and you will die. Do you understand?”
I nod frantically, sniffling until a man’s big hand brings a tissue to my nose.
“Do you want to die?”
I shake my head. I don’t want to die. “I want my mommy. My belly hurts.”
“Get her some medicine or something. Take the pain away. No use her being in pain. I’m not a complete monster.”
Uncle’s friend takes my hand in his and leads me away, lifting me when we get to the door to wrap my legs around his waist.
“I’ll make it so you don’t feel any pain at all, little darlin’.”
I wake up, screaming as loud as my damaged and sore throat will let me.
MY ALARMS. I forgot my alarms!
Nurses flood the room as Stanley restrains me, holding me back on the bed.
“She’s okay,” he insists, “it’s a nightmare. She’s okay. You’re okay, kid.”
I calm down, looking around. I’m safe. I’m fine. I’m not back there.
“Let me go,” I plead and they all step back.
“It’s just the shock setting in,” one nurse explains and another adds, “It’s to be expected.”
“We can sedate you if you like?”
I shake my head. “No. Please.” Because then I’ll be trapped in my nightmares all night. “Where’s my phone?”
Stanley hands me his. He looks exhausted. Like he hasn’t slept a wink.
Lane leads the nurses out to speak to them while I set my alarms on his phone and close my eyes again. My body is trembling. Stanley places his hand on my shoulder and I feel safe, like nobody can get to me. Like nobody will ever get to me again.
“Go home, guys, I’ll be fine.”
I always am. Still… they don’t leave.
I am discharged the next morning but I don’t immediately go home. I go to see Paisley who has hands bound in bandages. She’s lying in the middle of a large bed; she looks weary and stressed as her eyes stay glued to a TV show.
“Hey, brave little warrior,” I say to her and approach slowly. She smiles when she sees me but doesn’t look as though she recognizes me and I know that’s probably because I was covered in makeup and soot last night. Not to mention all the smoke. “It’s me, the girl from the fire. We escaped together. I just came to see if you’re okay. The nurses let me in.”
She smiles shyly but doesn’t say anything.
“That was crazy, huh?”
She nods and her eyes fill with tears.
“Don’t cry, please. It’s okay. It’s over.”
“I lost my bunny,” she whispers and my heart breaks for her.
“We should get her a new bunny,” Lane hisses from the doorway and Stanley mumbles something in return.
The door opens behind them and Presley walks in looking as exhausted as they do. I bet he hasn’t slept either.
He stares at me for the longest time as though he can’t find the words. So I open up the conversation first by asking, “Are her hands bad?”
He shakes his head. “First degree. She’s so strong. She hasn’t complained at all.”
“She is so brave,” Lane agrees. “And so beautiful.”
Paisley’s smile brightens up so much that everyone’s mood is lifted. There’s an almost visible shift to the energy in here.
“Mom wants to see you,” Presley utters, scratching the back of his head. “She can’t get out of bed right now.”
“Heart failure, right?” I ask and he nods sadly. “Is she waiting on a transplant?”
He sits on the bed and rubs his eyes with the heels of his palms. “It’s probably too late for that.”
