by Jude Ouvrard
Chapter EIGHTEEN
Abbie
I COULD GET used to driving Presley’s car. It's spacious, and the leather seats are so comfortable. I’ve almost reached the bar. Presley told me to park behind the building, where there's private parking. Joshua’s SUV is parked nearby, so I know they are already here. I can hear the music thumping through the walls. I’m excited about tonight. I want to have fun and enjoy the music. Maybe have a couple of drinks, too. I hope Presley won’t be annoyed that it took a bit longer than I expected. Cameron’s in town and I offered to let him stay at my place for now. It's sitting empty, anyway. He wasn't convinced until he saw the condo; that made up his mind, right on the spot.
I get out of the car and decide to send Presley a text message to let him know I’ve finally arrived.
Abbie: Hey baby, I just parked your mistress, I’m
I jump at the sound of very loud laughter from nearby. ''Look who’s here,'' Kelly announces.
''Who is that?'' A woman with curly pink hair responds.
''This...'' Kelly points towards me, ''is Presley’s little toy.''
The pink-haired woman strolls towards me. ''Her?'' She laughs uproariously. ''Are you kidding me?'' She gives me a fierce look I’ll never forget and goose bumps break out across my skin. I know this situation has no hope of ending well. I don’t stand a chance against these two. I try to finish the text...but I only manage to press ‘send’.
''She cost me my man and my career. She cost me everything.'' Kelly spits in my face and sneers. ''Payback’s a bitch.''
Pink hair has worked her way around to stand behind me. She pins my arms behind my back, holding me in place.
''Let me go,'' I beg, frightened of what they’re going to do.
''Why should we?'' Kelly says, slapping me across the face. The pain is sharp, but not unbearable. ''He was mine. MINE!'' she screams at me. She’s close enough to my face so I can smell her breath, a mix of cigarette smoke and alcohol.
A man standing to one side speaks up, but makes no move to help me. ''Girls, come on, let her go. You know who Presley’s father is. If he finds out, you’re both going to be in big trouble.''
''He won't find out, because this slut isn’t going to say anything, are you? Just feel it, Abbie,'' she snarls as she hits me in the face again, this time with her closed fist. ''This is how I feel, knowing you stole Presley from me.'' She kicks me, taking out my knee with a heavy blow.
I struggle against pink-hair’s grip, panic rising as I know I won't be able to get away. I slump against her, not certain I’ll be able to walk when she does let me go. Fear is setting in. I‘m helpless…I can’t escape.
''Aren't you going to say anything?'' Kelly hits me again, but this time smashes her fist into my nose. I smell the blood and taste it as it trickles down my throat. I try to get away from pink hair’s grip again, but she's too strong and holds onto my arms tightly. Nausea rises in my throat…and rage builds inside my chest. If only I could scream loudly enough for Presley to hear, but I know it’s impossible for him to hear me from inside.
''You’re going to marry him, huh?'' Kelly kicks me again, and the pain is intense. She watches me for a moment, an amused smirk on her lips as I slump against pink’s arms. ''Donna, make sure she stays upright. I'm not done with her yet.''
She thumps my face again. It hurts like hell. ''Stop, Kelly, just stop, please,'' I beg tearfully. Every time she hits me, I can feel my teeth cutting the inside of my cheeks.
Donna releases her grip and shoves me onto the ground, and they both start kicking me. Donna and Kelly are laughing; enjoying my screams of pain. Donna grabs my phone from my fingers and smashes it against the wall.
I’m going to die here. My head is pounding with pain as I curl up on the ground, trying to protect my head.
''Girls, come on now, that’s enough.'' The man orders sharply, sounding anxious.
Kelly straightens up, breathing heavily. ''Goodbye, little bitch. Now, you know not to fuck with me,'' she says, before she turns and walks away with her friends, still laughing.
It takes me a few minutes just to breathe through the incredible pain and begin thinking again. What the hell have I done to deserve this? I attempt to roll over onto my feet, but find I can’t move. I’m ten feet from Presley’s car, lying on the ground in the middle of the dark alley. This is bad. There are no lights on out here and I'm so cold. My whole body starts to shake. I don’t know if it because of adrenaline, or because I’m scared and cold and going into shock, but either way, I know it isn’t right. I try to move my legs; they hurt a whole lot, but I don't think they're broken. My ribs and my head are where the majority of the pain is centred. I can feel my pulse beating raggedly in my head. Am I going to die?
I have to try to stand up, and get myself into the bar. It's the only way I'm going to get any help. My right eye is so swollen; I can barely see out of it. I manage to sit up, but I can barely breathe; the pain in my chest is excruciating. I slowly get up onto one knee and push myself to a standing position. I stumble towards the brick wall; my whole body is trembling terribly. I try to push myself to move a little faster, because I’m not certain how long I’ll be able to stay upright. I’m limping and unsteady as I stumble towards the door. I walk inside, trying to adjust to the dim lighting. At first, nobody seems to notice me. After I take a few steps further into the bar, I see people staring at me, shock visible in their eyes. I must look terrible, for them to be staring at me like this.
''Presley!'' I shriek, crying loudly. ''Presley!'' Please, baby, look at me, please. I don’t know how much longer I can keep myself upright, and stumble, which makes a girl standing nearby scream.
Presley is sitting at the bar. He hears the girl scream and turns to me, and I see the horror seep into his eyes. I watch him running towards me. When he reaches my side, I give myself permission to give up and I close my eyes, giving into the pain as I collapse onto the floor.
''Joshua, call 911!'' Presley barks out the order, drawing me into his arms and cradling me against him.
My whole body is going numb.
''Bee, what happened? Open your eyes, Abbie!'' Joy-Anna shouts.
I manage to open the left one; the other refuses to open and I guess it’s too swollen. I find everyone staring at me.
Presley's begging me to stay awake. ''Who did this…love, tell me...who did this to you?''
''Kell— Pink.'' They’re the only two words I can utter. My whole body is shaking uncontrollably, and I’m too exhausted to speak.
I can hear them, murmuring around me. I feel their touch, soft hands trying to make me more comfortable. Presley’s warm body is pressed against mine. He's cradling me with tears in his eyes.
It hurts,'' I murmur.
I start shutting down. Everything goes black and the pain fades as I lose consciousness.
Presley
I’m checking my phone and discover a text message Abbie sent me five minutes ago.
Abbie: Hey baby, I just parked your mistress, I’m hkjgfkjl
What the hell? Why would she text something like that? I look up when I hear screaming. “Presley!”
It’s Abbie. She stumbles and another woman in the crowd shrieks.
My heart stops in my chest. Blood. She's covered in blood; her eye is swollen as if she’s competed in an MMA fight. What the hell has happened to her? I run towards her as fast as I can. Horrified, I watch as she falls and smacks her head on the concrete flooring.
''FUCK!'' I yell. I fall onto my knees beside her and draw her into my arms, terrified I might hurt her even more. I order Joshua to call 911. I need to save my baby. I ask Abbie who did this to her.
''Kell— Pink.'' It’s all she needs to say. I know who did this. Her whole body is shaking; her nose and a cut above her eye are bleeding heavily.
''Joy, call Dad,'' I order.
She places her hand on my shoulder. ''I'm already texting him, Presley.''
''Abbie, please. Stay with me, love. Please, Bee, I
'm begging you.'' I cry, holding her tightly to my chest. I can’t control my panic. I keep kissing her forehead, gently, over and over.
Joy-Anna’s eyes are wide. She shakes Abbie’s shoulder, none too gently, and yells. ''Bee, what happened? Open your eyes, Abbie!''
The music in the bar has been stopped. Everyone is staring at us, but I couldn’t care less. Let them see me cry. The love of my life is lying, broken and bleeding, on the floor. My heart is pounding in my chest and I’m my hands are shaking as I cling to Abbie.
''FUCK!'' I shout. ''I’m sure it’s Kelly and Donna. They left just a minute or two before Abbie texted me. It’s got to be them!''
Joshua shakes his head slowly. ''No...” Suddenly, his eyes harden. “Shit. It makes sense.'' He’s standing by the doors, waiting for the paramedics to arrive.
Everything is moving so quickly. The paramedics arrive and tell me to get out of their way so they can work. Abbie winces when they place her on the gurney. They’ve immobilized her neck with a brace. I follow them out and watch as they place Abbie into the back of the ambulance. My body shakes as adrenaline pulses through my system. Placing an oxygen mask over her face, the paramedic takes Abbie’s pulse.
''Is she going to be okay?'' I demand, looking at her.
''She’ll have bruising, that’s for sure. We won’t know the full extent of her injuries until we get her to the hospital.'' The paramedic sighs. ''I don't know what happened to her, but it looks like she got a rough beating. Broken nose, possibly a broken right eye-socket. Of course, this will all need to be confirmed by a doctor.''
Joshua puts a hand on my shoulder. ''Presley, you should go with her. I’ll meet you there. I’ll inform the police about the incident, tell them we think it might have been Kelly and Donna.''
''Thank you.'' I stumble up into the ambulance and settle beside Abbie.
I’m a broken man. I sob, sitting next to my future wife, powerless to help her. I want to take away her pain. I need her so fucking much. I can’t believe this is happening now. We only just got back from South Carolina, and she just lost her mom–why can't she catch a fucking break?
We reach the hospital, after what seems like hours. I wipe away my tears. The vehicle doors open and they take her away. Fast. They ask me about her identity and a nurse is handing me paperwork to fill out. By the time I have her ID cards out of her purse, and glance around the emergency room, I can no longer see her. They’ve taken her into another room, and I have no idea where she is. I’m about to lose my freaking mind. I‘m losing it.
Where the fuck is Abbie?
The nurse pushes me towards a chair. ''Sir, I think you should sit down and take some deep breaths. We’re doing our best for your fiancée. A doctor is checking over her injuries, and he’ll be ordering some tests on her.'' She pats my shoulder with a cold hand. It smells like hospital hand sanitizer. ''Don't worry, she’s in good hands.''
I sit there, feeling like a complete moron. Abbie needs me. I have to be by her side. I want to punch some holes in the wall. I’ve never felt so useless in my entire life. I can’t believe Kelly would do this to her. To Abbie. Only to get back at me. It’s my fault.
If the cops confirm it’s true, I’ll ask Dad to press charges against Kelly for anything and everything we can. She won’t get away with it this time. She’s been stalking me for weeks now. I thought she had gotten over this bullshit. I guess not. I lean my head against the wall and wait for one of the nursing staff to come and tell me what’s going on. My family will probably get here soon. I rest my trembling hands in my lap, the paperwork discarded on the chair beside me. My bottom lip keeps trembling and I can’t stop crying. Why? I keep asking myself. Why would Kelly and Donna hurt her like this? I bury my face in my hands.
''I just want to see her, please,'' I beg, as a nurse rushes past, but nobody listens. I’m alone. So fucking alone.
I sit for what seems like an eternity in the waiting room. I finally see Alicia and Joshua enter the sliding doors. I stand up and hurry towards them.
''Joshua.'' It's all I manage to say, before he wraps me in a huge embrace.
''We’re here, brother, we’re here. The police got Kelly, Donna and Nathan.'' He pats my back. ''I’m sorry it took so long. We had to fill out a ton of paperwork. They took the security camera tapes from outside. It's all there, Presley. I saw the video. '' He can’t hide his disgust at what he saw. ''It's all I know for now.''
''She’d better be OK, Joshua. I don't know what I’ll do if something happens to her.''
''Presley, calm down. She’ll get through this. She’s strong and she loves you way too much to leave you. She's just going to need some time to recover.'' Alicia joins us in our embrace. ''Joy-Anna will be here soon. She went to pick up a few things from your place for Bee,'' Ali says.
I rub my fingers over my throbbing temples. ''Thank you guys, so much.''
''No problem, man. Where is she now?''
''I don't know. They took her away when we came in, and I haven't seen her since.''
''I’m sure they’re doing everything they can. It won't be long before they come out to give you some news,'' Joshua says, trying to comfort me.
With nothing else to do, we head back to the waiting room together.
Shaking my head, I slump into one of the uncomfortable plastic seats. ''I’m sorry, guys. I'm a mess right now. This is not exactly how I’d planned to spend the night.''
''Don’t be sorry, Presley. None of this is your fault,'' Alicia replies, wrapping her arm around my shoulders.
Joy-Anna and Derek arrive with a backpack for Abbie. The nurse arrives and asks to speak with me. I follow her anxiously. She opens the door to a cold, private office and ushers me inside.
''The doctor will be available to see you in about five minutes. Are you the only member of Ms. Abbie Rylee's family?''
''Yes...I am.''
I sit in another uncomfortable plastic chair and wait impatiently. My knees are still trembling. I can't remember being this stressed over anything before. I pray that they’ll allow me to see her as soon as I’ve finished talking with the doctor. I'm dying to make sure she’s okay.
The door opens and a woman comes in. ''Hi, I'm Doctor Tracey Adams.''
I stand up and hold out my hand. ''I'm Presley Williams, Abbie’s fiancé.''
''Okay. On the x-rays, we found a broken nose and a cracked eye-socket. She also has a broken rib and a mild concussion. She has multiple bruises all over her body. Abbie’s body was assaulted very badly. Right now, she isn’t in too much pain, but she will be aware of it tomorrow. She's very emotional right now. The nurses are giving her some medication to keep the pain reduced and help settle her. I’d like to keep Abbie overnight. We should be able to release her in the morning.
''Can I see her?'' I demand. If the doctor is wise, she better not tell me I can't.
''Certainly. Just remember she’s been through a lot. She might be sleeping, but you’re welcome to sit with her.”
I walk into her room and stop in the doorway, my breath catching in my throat. Her eyes are closed and their both black and blue. One of them is so swollen; I doubt she could open it even if she were awake. She's wearing a blue hospital gown and her hair is all over the place. She looks terrible, and it breaks my heart.
''Be careful with her. You can’t see it, but she has very bruised and cracked ribs,'' the nurse warns me as I step further into the room.
''Is she in pain?'' I ask, terrified.
''Right now, she is feeling absolutely no pain.'' The nurse gestures toward the IV. “This will relieve her discomfort, but it will make her very sleepy.”
I nod to the nurse and settle down in a chair beside the bed. I intend to stay by her side all night, regardless of whether the nursing staff like it or not.
The nurse slips out of the room and I slump against the side of the bed, watching Abbie anxiously. Only days ago, Erin and Dwayne were in exactly the same position. At least I know Abbie isn’t going to die, but the memo
ries of sitting in the hospital room are still there, reinforcing hopelessness I’m feeling. While I'm lost in thought, Joy-Anna, Derek, Alicia and Joshua enter the room and they settle around the bed with me.
''Dad called. Kelly, Donna, and Nathan are in big trouble. They had a large amount of drugs on them. The police have the security video to prove what they’ve done tonight, and apparently, Donna was due to report to the courts last Monday on other charges. She failed to appear, so she’s screwed,'' Joshua informed me.
''Good.'' It’s all I can manage to say and I shake my head, watching Abbie. ''Look at her; I can’t believe Kelly is responsible for this. Abbie’s never done anything to her.'' I'm sick to my stomach at the thought of any human being doing this to another.
''We know, Presley.'' Alicia is standing next to me, and places her arm around my shoulder. ''She’ll be fine. You just need to give her time to recover.''
''I hope she’ll still want me,'' I cry, my anxieties overwhelming. “How can she forgive me for what my ex-girlfriend has done to her? I wouldn’t blame her if she dumped me and never looked back.”
''What? Are you serious? Abbie loves you.'' I know Joy-Anna is right but I’m tired and too anxious to feel any better about her words.
''I’ll stay with her tonight.” I announce.
''Of course,'' Joshua agrees. “Wouldn’t expect you to be anywhere else.”
They stay for few minutes, then decide to head home. Joy-Anna assures me they will call first thing in the morning to see how Abbie, is and come back in if she doesn’t get released right away.
Once they are gone, I close my eyes and try to rest for a while, gently holding onto Abbie’s hand. The next thing I’m aware of, Abbie is kicking her legs beneath the covers and crying hysterically. I think she’s having a nightmare.
''Abbie, you’re safe, my love. '' I squeeze her fingers, trying to get her to wake up.
''Mom....Dad...'' She cries out in a panic. I try to wake her up a second time, but she doesn't react to my voice at all. I push the emergency button, hoping the nursing staff will know what to do.