AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Chapter 19
My heartbeat is erratic, as I stand in the glass revolving door. With a knot in my stomach, I gaze into the lobby, searching for a familiar face in the crowd of people coming and going. Doctors, nurses, and other hospital staff are doing their thing, but my mind is with one person—Alisha. I find Amanda standing by the elevators waving, and after zigzagging my way over the gray linoleum floor, I hug her.
"I'm glad you're here,” she says, letting out a deep sigh.
Where is..." I halt my sentence when Bella's voice echoes through the foyer. With rosy cheeks and messy hair, she halts beside me. "What happened? How is she? Where is she? Can we see her?"
"Breathe, Bells. I've just arrived myself." I say, touching her arm.
We turn our attention to our brunette friend, who is biting on her bottom lip. After a deep breath, she explains. "I found Alisha this morning, beat up, lying on the concrete floor in the alley behind the store. She was hypothermic, and she didn't respond when I called out her name. Her breathing was so shallow that I called nine-one-one, and thank God, the ambulance arrived within seven minutes."
"And what injuries does she have?" We asked simultaneously.
"The doctor told me she's been lucky. She has no internal bleeding, but she has a kidney contusion and a bruised face."
We gape at Amanda with an open mouth as she continues.
"The doctor gave her powerful painkillers, and they warmed up her body temperature. He expects her to make a full recovery, but she'll need to stay here for at least a few days so they can monitor her kidney."
"Can we see her?"
"Yeah. The doctor said she needs rest but that she can have visitors," Amanda clarifies as she pushes the button for the elevator.
I shiftin my seat while inspecting the cold, white room. "They should use color in this place. Most people who come here are hurt and sick. Why don't they cheer them up with different shades and tints? This white on white is depressing." Bella says, pointing to the walls.
We've been sitting here for three hours, waiting for our friend to wake up. Since there are only two visitors allowed in her room, Amanda has gone back to open Venus. We hurry over to the bed, and both stand on a side when we catch a grunt coming from the bed. My gut keeps clenches, seeing the bruises and swelling around her eyes. God, she's been through hell. Alisha's lashes part, and her observant gaze drifts from me to Bella and back.
"Why are you two here?"Her lips tremble and she bites down on it to conceal her emotions.
"What kind of question is that? You're hurt and in the hospital. So, where else would we be?" I say. "How are you feeling?"
"Like I've got a whooping."
"God, Alisha… That's not funny. Who did this?" Bella asks.
Her face contorts when she takes a deep breath in, and her fingers clench the bed sheets as she explains.
"Last night, I locked up and walked to my parked car in the alley behind the shop. Suddenly, I'm pushed against the wall and a hand covered my mouth." She swallows and lets out a sigh.
"Did you see the person who did this?" I ask.
She nods and continues. "Knowing is a big word, but it was a man who approached me in a club a few months ago.” She sighs. "He said a woman like me needed to learn a lesson. Then his fists met my face and stomach. He hit so hard I thought I'd vomit, and when he let go, I crashed to the floor. I tried to get away from him, but I was in so much pain that I couldn't. He dragged me to the middle of the alley, shoved me on my back and began touching me."
Bile rises in my throat as I picture the horrific scene in my mind. "Oh, God Alisha, did he...?"
She shakes her head. "He didn't. There was a hard crashing sound that stopped him. When he turned to see what it caused, I tried to crawl away, but when he saw this he started kicking me against my ribs with his shoe.” Her knuckles turn white as her grip on the sheets tightens. "I turned away from him, but then he hit my back. I thought my spine broke, and I begged him to stop. After a few more blows, he said, “see you later," and left. The pain must have knocked me out, because when I woke up I was lying in an ambulance," she says with a faint smile.
"If they find this man, I will kick him in the nuts and when he's down, I'll pull the skin off his genitals with a tweezer."
Alisha lets out a snort, followed by a grunt of pain. "Please don't make me laugh, Bells."
"How is the pain?" I ask.
"Let's just say I love the painkillers they have here."
A tall male police officer walks through the door. He gives us a polite nod. "Miss McQueen? I'm police officer Eastman and I'm here to take your statement if you're ready."
Alisha sighs but nods her head. "Yeah, come in."
