“Are you listening to me?”
“Hmmmm?” It was the same way she responded to students when she was multitasking and hadn’t been listening to what they’d been saying.
“I said we’re leaving for the hospital now. Ernie, the cop, is getting your belongings and locking up your car. He’ll follow us to the hospital. He’ll take your statement there.”
“I ran a red light. He must be upset with me.”
“It’s okay.” Mary patted her hand. “You’re entitled. I want you to lie down. I need to get you strapped in, okay?”
Mary indicated the pillow, and Aliana shook her head. That was a mistake, she grabbed at her gauze covered neck. “Isn’t there a place for me to sit? I don’t want to lie down.”
“Honey, I took your blood pressure. You’re light headed. This is for the best.”
“Please?”
“It’s policy. You’d really be helping me out if you would just rest. It isn’t far.” Mary’s eyes were soft and coaxing. Aliana stretched out on the gurney, and Mary did up the straps. “Thank you.”
Aliana shut her eyes. Mateo’s face swam in front of her closed lids. She slammed them back open and stared at the ceiling of the ambulance. She felt nauseous. She swallowed and bit back a groan of pain. Seriously, she needed to quit being a drama queen, this was nothing. Eventually, she felt the vehicle come to a stop. The rear doors opened, and the steamy heat of the night billowed into the back of the ambulance. It felt suffocating.
The straps wouldn’t come off. She tried to get them off. The more she struggled and moved the more pain shot through her chest.
“Calm down, Miss, let me help.” Jerry jumped into the back of the ambulance and loomed over her. Aliana shrieked.
“Jerry, move your ass. Let me,” Mary said sharply.
“Sorry, sorry, sorry, sorry, sorry,” Aliana repeated over and over again.
“You have nothing to be sorry for. Jerry is a dumbass. Let me get you unstrapped, and you can walk out, will that be okay with you?”
Aliana was free, she pushed up with Mary’s help.
“Take it slow.” She looked around. Jerry was standing outside looking contrite. She gave him a tentative smile, and he saluted. Mary put her arm around her waist. “Watch your step, it’s a big one. Will you let Jerry help you?”
“Of course. I’m sorry for being out of control, I don’t know what came over me.” She held her hand out to him like a lady be handed out of a carriage. He took it like a courtier with a slight bow. Aliana gave a small grin in return.
There was an orderly waiting with a wheelchair. “Your chariot awaits,” Jerry said.
“Now you’ve got it,” Mary laughed.
“Thank you, both,” Aliana said.
“It’s our job,” Jerry said. “Good luck.”
The big orderly whisked her in through the double doors.
***
“Officer Robinson, it was dark. I can’t describe them.”
Aliana willed herself to treat this like she was in control, that she was having a conversation with the principal at her school. She could do this. She refused to give up her power again tonight. When she felt her hands begin to clench, she forced them to spread out and rest on her thighs.
“Can you walk me through it again? I still don’t understand how you got away from them.” She looked into his intelligent face. It was obvious he didn’t believe her, and who could blame him. Her story sounded as flimsy as a piece of paper. From dealing with so many students, the one thing she knew is the kids who stayed closest to the truth, they were the ones who tended to get away with their crimes.
“I told you, one of the teenagers said he heard a siren.”
“If you can’t describe them, how do you know they are teenagers?”
That was a great question. How could she? “I deal with teenagers all the time at my school, there was just something about them that seemed like my students. I can’t exactly explain it, but it was a sense I got it.”
“Fifteen? Sixteen? Nineteen? What age did you sense them to be?” She looked down at the bed she was sitting on. At least she wasn’t hurting, it was a good thing she hadn’t allowed them to give her anything stronger than the local anesthesia, otherwise she wouldn’t be sharp enough to navigate this interview.
“I’m not sure.”
“Surely if you work with teenagers day in and day out, you can take a pretty accurate guess,” he insisted.
Aliana tried to think of an excuse. “It was dark, and I was scared for my life, I’m sorry I wasn’t paying better attention.”
“Usually victims remember something,” he said mildly.
She had to stick to her story. Her mother’s life depended on it. They stared at one another. She knew his game. She played it often enough herself. She waited. And waited. And waited.
He blew out a breath. “If you can’t tell me their ages. Can you tell me what they sounded like? Did you have an idea if they were African American? Hispanic? White?”
“Hispanic. They spoke Spanish. They drove away in a late model, hyped-up car.”
“Well, at least that’s something. Would you recognize the car if I showed you some pictures?”
She nodded. That shouldn’t be giving too much away. The bandage scratched. When would she remember to stop doing that? How was she going to explain her injury when she got to school? A nasty kitchen accident wouldn’t be believed, she thought wryly. Good, at least she found a little bit of humor. She was coping.
“Is something funny?” Officer Robinson asked sharply.
“I was thinking of excuses to explain my injury to the people at school,” Aliana admitted. “Some of the stories were somewhat unbelievable.”
“Imagine that.” He sounded amused.
“Are we done?” she asked.
“I’m going to ask that you come to our station to look at pictures of cars. Can you make it tomorrow?”
“Yes.” She needed to get to her mother. She looked down at the slim watch on her wrist and was thankful to see it was still only seven o’clock. Visiting hours lasted until nine o’clock, so she could still make it to Glendale if she could get a lift to her car.
“Yes?” The officer prompted.
“Can you take me to my car?”
“I intended to.”
“Oh.”
“You didn’t think I was just going to leave you stranded, did you?”
“Well, yes.”
He gave her an odd look. “They probably won’t let you out of here for another hour.”
“I can’t afford to wait that long. I have somewhere to be.” She started to hop off the bed, and Officer Robinson was immediately at her side helping her.
“You’re an independent thing, aren’t you?”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” Aliana spied her purse on a chair in the corner of the room and grabbed it. “Do you know who I need to talk to get released? I already provided my insurance card.”
“I would assume the doctor who treated you.”
Aliana pulled the curtain open and glanced into the room for her doctor. “Hello,” she called out when she spotted the man. “I need to leave. Can I go now?” He looked up from a chart he was reading. He looked harried. A nurse came up to talk to him at the same time somebody else yelled his name. He started to walk away without answering Aliana’s question.
“Doctor. May I leave?” Aliana repeated more loudly.
He looked over his shoulder. “Yes. Go talk to the nurse at the front desk.” Thank God for overcrowded hospitals.
She winced when she tied the sash tighter on her coat.
“Let me help.” Officer Robinson knotted her coat so that it didn’t bind as much. “I hope you’re planning on going home.”
“I told you, I have somewhere to be.”
“Don’t you need to change your clothes?”
Aliana dipped her chin to check the front of her coat, she saw the blood that stained the front. Sakra. Maybe th
ey wouldn’t notice at the nursing home. She had to get there.
“This is not really your concern.”
She watched as he pulled out his phone. “Hi, this is Ernie. I’m taking a long lunch. I’ll call you when I’m back on duty.”
Why did he do that? “Does this mean you can’t take me to my car?”
“This means I’m going to take you to your appointment, then I’m taking you to your car, then I’m following to your house and making sure you get in safely.”
“Townhome.”
“What?”
“I live in a townhome,” she explained.
“Whatever. You need a keeper, and right now, I’m it.”
He was mistaken. Very mistaken. The last thing she needed was someone to take care of her. She’d learned a long time ago there was nobody she could trust, and this man wasn’t going to change her mind.
Chapter Two
“Mama, how are you tonight?” Aliana asked in Czech. She looked down at the shrunken figure in the bed, hoping against hope tonight might be one of the nights that her mother recognized her. She just laid there, seemingly frozen in her own world. Aliana picked up her hand and gently rubbed in some of the vanilla scented lotion. “Doesn’t that smell good?” she asked. Maybe she should have chosen the tube of rose scented lotion her mom liked. She’d used that scent exclusively when Aliana was growing up, but to this day Aliana gagged whenever she smelled it. It brought back too many bad memories. Nope, vanilla was the way to go.
“How’s Mizz Dee doing tonight?” Shorinda asked as she came into the room.
“Quiet. Can’t get a word out of her.”
“How’s Mizz A doing then?” Shorinda came closer to the bed. As soon as she did, she got a good look at Aliana and let out a screech. “What in the hell happened to you? My God, girlfriend, you’re tore up.”
“I was in a car accident,” Aliana said.
“You’re doing a shitty job of lying. You want to be believed, keep your eyes on me. Now, tell me the damned truth.”
Aliana kissed her mom’s hand and put it back under the thin blanket. “One of my former students got out of hand. He’s pissed I’m trying to lead his baby brother into a better life. He threatened Maminka if I didn’t stop trying to teach his brother.” Aliana bit her lip so hard, the coppery flavor of blood burst into her mouth. “I’ve got to go talk to your administration about moving Maminka to a different room. They knew she was on the bottom floor with the Jacaranda tree in front of her window. If they move her, they have to leave this room empty.”
“They’re going to kick her butt out, Honey. There’s not a chance in hell they’re going to want this kind of trouble lurking around.”
A quick flash of a guitar pick crossed her mind, and she forced it away. “I guess I knew that. It’ll take me a day or two to figure out what to do.” More than that if she was going to be honest with herself. It had taken her over a month to find such a good facility in the first place.
“Can I make a suggestion?” Shorinda asked.
“You’re going to whether I agree or not, aren’t you?” Aliana laughed wryly.
“I like that you’re smart,” Shorinda grinned. “I bet your mama was smart in her day. Here’s my suggestion. You don’t tell the administration shit. Let me just jimmy up one of the electrical plugs so this room can’t be used. Then we’ll move her. In the meantime, you get your ass moving to find her a new place. Me and the other nurses will ask around to the good homes and see if there’s any availability. How about that?”
“Seems to me, there’s a lot of smart in this room,” Aliana said.
“Sure is, glad you recognize it,” Shorinda grinned. “Now you work on your lying abilities. Tell me, is that your cop out there in the hall?”
“He’s not my cop.”
“So, he’s up for grabs? Because that sure looks like something I wouldn’t mind grabbing.”
Aliana choked on a laugh. She was going to miss Shorinda when her mother moved to another nursing home. “Would you like me to introduce you?”
“Honey, I see the way he’s looking over at this room. There isn’t a chance in hell he’s going to be interested in me. He only has eyes for you.”
“He’s just doing his job. And if he isn’t, I’ll get the message through to him.”
Shorinda eyed her and then sighed. “Yes, I suppose you will.”
***
“Officer Robinson, thank you for seeing me home.” Aliana held out her hand.
“I told you my name is Ernie.”
“Yes, well, let’s just keep it formal, shall we?” Aliana waited for him to take her hand.
“You’re stubborn.”
“Yes,” she agreed. He didn’t know the half of it.
“The offer still stands for me to pick you up tomorrow. I told you it’s my day off.”
“That won’t be necessary.” Aliana searched him for any sign of irritation, but instead, he looked resigned. Good.
“I’m going to call you on Monday to see how you’re doing.”
“Officer, that really isn’t necessary.”
“Expect a call, Ms. Novak,” he said with a smile. “Now I’m going to wait here until you lock your door.”
Aliana went inside her townhome, shut the door, and immediately locked it.
“I’ll call you on Monday,” Ernie called from the other side of the door.
“Thank you for everything.”
“Stay safe.”
Aliana strode through the large living room straight back to her bedroom, turning on every light as she went. She stripped as soon as she got to the master bathroom, wanting to ignore the bathroom mirror as usual, but this time she couldn’t. She needed to check to see that her chest and throat bandages were secure before she took a shower. She took in her appearance. Yep, it was the same—long, straw-colored hair that was better left pinned to the top of her head, blue eyes too big for her face, and skin which looked washed out. Her gaze drifted lower to her right thigh. There they were. The scars. She looked up at the bandage on her chest and throat, now. she would have more to add to the collection.
She sighed, it really didn’t matter how many scars she collected, it wasn’t as if anybody who mattered would see them, she’d made sure of that. She traced one of the lines on her thighs. It reminded her of so many things, her emotions were so high tonight. Aliana snatched her hand away, trembling as she examined her bandages and determined they were fine for the shower.
She turned the shower on as hot as she could stand it. She needed to wipe away those moments of fear. She hated the feeling of desperation and swore she could actually smell the stench of despair.
She closed her eyes, letting the hot water pelt the top of her head, praying it would wash her clean, wash away the memories of schoolyard terror.
“You’re stronger than this.”
But she wasn’t.
Images like the water washed over her.
***
“I didn’t tell teacher.”
“Lupita said you did.”
Aliana didn’t know what to do when he shoved her in the chest. She teetered on her toes, trying to keep from falling down.
Lupita and Heather giggled. “Push her down in the dirt, Jose,” Lupita egged on her older brother.
“Push her. Push her. Push her.” Heather’s singsong voice grated on Aliana’s ears.
“You snitched to the teacher.” He punched her in her shoulder, and she crashed to the ground.
“Kick her. Kick her. Kick her.” This time it was Lupita.
“Please, stop,” Aliana said in Czech. So scared, she couldn’t come up with the words in English.
“Listen to the dummy, she’s talkin’ foreign.” Heather laughed.
Aliana started to cry. Why were they being mean to her? She didn’t understand it. Heather was supposed to be her friend. They’d been friends since preschool. They went to church together.
“You snitched,” Jose said again.
She didn’t understand. She shook her head wildly. “I did no wrong.”
Heather knelt down beside her and grabbed her hair. “You told the teacher that Lupita cheated off your paper. You’re a snitch.”
“I didn’t tell teacher.”
“Liar!” Lupita yelled.
“I―”
Lupita shoved a fistful of dirt into her open mouth, choking her. The little girl slammed her two little hands over Aliana’s nose and mouth, smothering her. Aliana clawed at Lupita’s fingers, her wrists, anything she could reach, but she couldn’t stop her. She bucked and kicked her legs, but she couldn’t get either Heather or Lupita to release her. She heard laughter.
Why was this happening? She hadn’t told teacher that Lupita copied. She never told teacher anything. Tears mixed with the dirt. Now mud filled her mouth.
“Ooof.”
Pain shot through her as Lupita’s elbow struck her chin. Aliana was loose, she scrabbled away from her tormentor, spitting the dirt and mud out of her mouth. She couldn’t get too far because Heather still had hold of her long hair.
“She’s getting away,” Heather cried.
Now Aliana could see more clearly, she saw a boy sitting astride Jose, hitting him. Lupita was trying to drag him off her brother. Aliana took the opportunity to grab her hair and yank it out of Heather’s hands.
“Now I tell teacher,” she threatened.
“Dirty foreigner, she won’t believe you,” Heather laughed.
Aliana was on all fours. She couldn’t stop her tears. It was true. Her teacher hated the way she talked. She was constantly correcting her in front of the other children. She only liked the way she wrote on the paper.
“―ever hit her again, I will beat you bloody.” Aliana looked up to see who had said that. It was a boy she recognized from the hallways. She thought he might be in fourth grade. Jose was in fifth. The boy had an odd name. He was a Hunter like in Snow White. He turned to Aliana. “Go tell the teacher.”
Her Passionate Hero (Black Dawn Book 3) Page 2