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“Yes, and she’s terrified and fighting the tube that’s helping her breathe,” I gasp.
Nodding, she bustles into the room, which now has machines beeping and screaming as Chas’ blood pressure also rises.
Ash pulls me into a hug as he watches other nurses run into the hospital room.
“I always knew you’d be lucky, Tempest,” he murmurs.
Elbowing him, I mutter, “Are you kidding me right now? I just called you every name under the sun on Chas’ behalf.”
Shrugging, he says, “Doesn’t mean you were wrong about any of it. Because of you, we all have a chance to earn our forgiveness from our girl.”
I watch them remove the tube, and Chastity gasps for breath as tears of grief and relief run down her face. I hope for their sakes that they’re able to.
“What on earth is happening?” Mother Cross grumbles as she pushes her way to the window. Gasping, she crosses herself and whispers a quick prayer. “She’s awake! Thank God. I think it’s important we give her space, everyone. Please go wait in the main waiting room. I need to speak to my granddaughter.”
Chapter5
Hands shaking, I look down at my arms as I see the heavy bandaging from when I hit one of my lowest points in my life. I don’t know how I survived. No one was in or around the Chapel when I went inside.
I'd finally had enough after having to give up my baby. Eyes filling with tears as questions continue to fill my mind, there’s a light knock at the door before my grandmother walks in.
Recoiling into the pillows, I whimper. If the man who raised me would pay people to beat me and sell my child, what evil will come to me from Grandmother?
Is she even my grandmother?
I don’t trust anything or anyone right now. My grandmother’s eyes soften as she looks at me.
“Child, what happened to you? You’re looking at me as if you’re afraid, and I swear, I would never hurt you,” she says softly as she walks toward me.
That isn’t completely true though, because she has hurt me in other ways, in her extreme treatment to help me earn my redemption.
“I don’t know what’s going on, and it makes me feel afraid,” I explain softly. My throat is scratchy from the tubes the nurses just removed, and my body feels as if I was hit by a train.
Nodding, she sits by my bedside and explains. “Father Levi and the boys are responsible for finding you at the Chapel, after you used a ceremonial knife in an attempt to end your life,” my grandmother explains without preamble.
“How did they find me?” I ask. “I had nothing left to live for, Grandmother. They took Angel from me, beat me, and left me to die. I figured I’d finish the job for them. I was left broken and I was weak.”
My grandmother looks older, exhausted, as she glances at me. “Oh. The bruises,” she whispers. “Chastity, I swear I thought you had earned your redemption, and were going to spend time with your daughter. I never imagined your parents would do this…”
“They’re not my parents,” I spit out. “I never want to see either of them again. The man who raised me enjoyed watching me being beaten. I can’t tell you everything, Grandmother, because the story seems so fantastical, you’ll think that I’m lying again. I swear I’m not, and I swear my daughter is the only good thing that has happened in my life. I need her.”
Hands shaking, my grandmother looks down at her fisted hands. “Chastity… I don’t think I can keep you safe anymore. You’re clearly dealing with a lot of heavy emotions. What if we checked you back into Hidden Hills for a bit? It wouldn’t be forever, just enough time for you to realize your life is precious. And also… to figure out what’s real and what’s not,” my grandmother whispers at the end.
She doesn’t believe me. No one ever believes me.
I don’t blame her in a way, because the story is so out there, who would want to believe my twisted experiences?
“No,” I moan. “I can’t go back there. I’m not crazy! I did what I did because I had no one, but Tempest is here now. I have people who believe me. I won’t let my thoughts become that dark again. Please, Grandmother,” I plead. “I need to stay at Holy Cross.”
Ash, and his blackmail, flits through my mind. It doesn’t matter anymore, because of everything that happened with Angel, but I owe it to myself to talk to him.
I have been the perfect scapegoat for people for years, and as I observe the dark bruises on my arms, I decide something needs to change.
I need to heal, because my entire body is screaming in protest, but I want my life back. I want my baby, and I never want to return to that hospital and forget her again. The drugs make me into an entirely different person, and I don’t want to be forgotten and rot.
“No,” I say again. “You let me get in that car. You’re supposed to want good things for me, to protect me, and the opposite happened, Grandmother. You will not leave me to rot in that mental hospital again. Please. I won’t survive it.”
My grandmother leans back, finally looking up to meet my eyes. There are so many good times I remember as a child with her, but my entire time at Holy Cross has been filled with nightmares and punishments.
