“Do you remember the time you came home from school and told your mama and me about some school dance? I think you said it was Homecoming. You begged us to let you go.”
“We said you could go. That was until you started to talk to your mama about some boy who asked you to go. I changed my mind, of course. No way was I letting some young punk take my princess out.”
I heard him talking as if he was replaying a memory.
“You were so overprotective of me.” My voice sounded scratchy as I forced myself to wake up.
“Mia. Mia, oh my God, you’re awake. You scared me, princess.” His strong arms enfolded me, and I winced at the pain in my ribs.
“Water, please?” I croaked out.
“Sure, princess. Right away.” He handed me a cup of ice water.
The cool liquid soothed my parched throat, and I took a greedy gulp.
“Slow down,” he said. “You’ve been out for a few days. Take it easy.”
I managed to make myself take only a few sips. I handed him the cup. “Thanks, Daddy.”
“Princess, what happened to you?”
I knew he was going to ask. Only I wasn’t ready to tell people yet. I hated lying to him, but the words came out anyway. “I’m sorry, Daddy, I don’t remember.”
“Don’t you push yourself to remember. I’m gonna get the doctor and tell him you’re awake now.” He kissed my forehead and walked out of the room.
I knew I should have told my dad about Caleb, or at least what had happened to me over the last four years. I just couldn’t talk about it. I remembered everything about that night, no matter how much I wished I could forget.
Usually, Caleb had only hit me when he was drunk. This last time, he was completely sober. I couldn’t stand to think about it. I was still so tired. As everything faded away, I closed my eyes and decided to rest.
The flashback faded away. I was brought back to reality when I heard the doctor talk.
“Hello, Mia, I’m Dr. Taylor. I’ve been taking care of you while you have been here. How are you feeling? Any pain at all?”
The doctor looked too young and skinny to be in charge, but his calm voice and touch reassured me as he checked my vitals. A sudden rush of fear made me wince as he probed my sore ribs, and I looked at my dad to keep myself from freaking out.
“My arm is throbbing, my chest feels like it’s burning, and my ribs are killing me.” I grimaced as he pressed gently again on my aching ribs. I didn’t want to think about why they hurt so much or why I was here.
“On a scale of one to ten, what’s your pain level?” Dr. Taylor asked.
The door opened. Uncle Mason walked in and sat next to my dad. My heart leaped at the sight of my mom’s older brother.
“My arm is about seven,” I said honestly. “My chest is kind of the same, but not really. My ribs are an eight.”
“Your ribs were damaged, but we were able to wrap them. That should help. And your arm is broken in two places, so that pain is to be expected. I want you to be prepared for the possibility you might need surgery.” He paused as though I might protest, but I was glad for his bluntness. My dad had always taught me to face the worst. Dr. Taylor gave me a gentle smile. “The pain in your chest is from a large cut you have. That pain and burning feeling should go away within a couple of days.
“Okay, thank you. When can I go home?” I’d hated hospitals ever since my mom died.
“We are going to keep you here for a few more days. Just to keep an eye on you since you lost quite a bit of blood, especially with your pain level still somewhat high,” the doctor said as he wrote something in my chart.
A few more days didn’t sound so bad, but I shifted on the bed, trying to get comfortable. “Oh, okay. Thank you, Dr. Taylor.”
“You’re welcome. I’ll have the nurse come in and give you something for the pain,” he said, then walked out.
I turned my head to look at my uncle and dad. My emotions swelled. I’d missed them so much. I had never wanted them to see me like this.
At that moment, the nurse came into the room to give me some pain medicine.
I closed my eyes against the needle’s sting. It wasn’t nearly as bad as the pain in my mind…and my heart. “I’m sorry, Daddy,” I whispered as the medicine started to help.
The last thing I felt was his hand gently taking mine, and I let myself sink into sleep. With my dad here to take care of me, I knew I’d be safe for now.
But what about the future?
