I hear a driver call out my route and I peel myself off the bench, taking small steps toward the bus. When I reach the ticket person I hand it to him, my heart pounding in my chest.
“Thank you, ma’am,” he says, handing my stub back to me.
I stare at the first step for a few seconds. Put your foot forward. Stepping up into the bus I try to hold back the tears.
“I’m sorry, Braeden.”
Chapter 61
Braeden
“Jesus Christ!” I call out, as Chelsea wraps the cloth around my bloody knuckles.
She remains silent, which is unusual for her.
“Spit it out,” I say, still in my anger driven attitude.
“Nothing,” she mutters, continuing to work.
We both fall silent and the sound of machines and people milling about fill the ER. Within a few minutes I see my father bolt through the door.
“Oh, great, here we go,” I mutter under my breath, it making Chelsea look up at me.
Without a word he flicks on the X-ray view box and slides two pictures onto it.
“You have two broken fingers on your right hand,” he states harshly.
I just laugh. “I’d like to see what his face looks like.”
My father’s posture straightens even more. “Please leave, Chelsea.”
She turns around immediately and before I know it, it’s just my father and I.
“I don’t even know how to begin to tell you how disappointed I am in you.”
“You’ve got to be fucking kidding me,” I blurt out.
He lets out a sigh.
“Oh, so it was OK that he was on top of my girlfriend getting ready to rape her, but I’m not allowed to leave a few marks on his fucking face?”
“Don’t use that fucking condescending tone with me!” he shouts.
“Fuck this, I don’t need this shit,” I say as I start to get up.
He steps in front of me. “You may not want me as your father, but I am your doctor. You will not leave this room until I allow it!”
His voice is stern and loud now. I remain in place, my hand now throbbing without the proper support. He lets out a sigh.
“This is not the time or place to have this discussion. I will have Chelsea come back and finish your cast.”
I don’t care about myself. “Can I go see her? Is she OK?” I say, trying to change the subject for now, but I know this conversation isn’t over.
“I will not be assessing her, a female doctor will be. That type of case is…sensitive.”
I cringe at that word, trying to not get worked up again.
“I will come get you when she is available for visitors.”
“Thank you,” I respond.
“You’re welcome,” he says before pushing the door back.
Chapter 62
Phoenix
When I get to my seat I slide up against the window, my hood now over my head again so I can recoil from the world, not wanting to watch the city pass by. So, instead, I shut my eyes, hoping that I can drown all my feelings from existence.
I don’t know how many hours have passed since I boarded this bus, but when I hear the air leave the brakes I sit up, suddenly feeling disoriented and lost. I look out the window, the sun no longer high in the sky and I know that I am far from San Francisco. Far from Braeden.
Pulling myself slowly from my seat I filter out of the bus, in desperate need of fresh air. When I get outside I don’t notice anything in my surroundings, a few people from the bus taking pictures of the surrounding scenery.
“OK, people, you have five minutes then back on the bus,” our driver calls out to them.
Walking into the small café I find the bathroom quickly, making sure to go since I don’t know when we will stop again. Immediately, I walk over to the sink and turn on faucet. Cupping my hands beneath the water I splash it upon my face, the cold water making me inhale sharply. Reaching over I grab a few paper towels and soak the excess water up off my face. Standing up I catch a glimpse of myself in the mirror. I am not surprised by the girl looking back at me. Her hair is disheveled and knotted. Her eyes are red and bloodshot, a result of too much crying. Her body limp, almost lifeless looking. This was the broken girl I have always known.
Reaching up I run my fingertips across my chest, but no visible marks remain. Instead they are like an endless fire deep under my skin. I almost beg for there to be bruise or cuts, at least there would be some sort of healing. It’s as though his lips still remain on me and I can’t push the memory as much as I beg my mind to erase that night. Running over to toilet I empty the contents of my stomach but there is not much left. When I stop heaving, I pull myself up again, grabbing a towel to wipe over my face. Without looking back in the mirror I leave the bathroom, flicking off the light and head back outside.
We all start to filter back onto the bus and pull out of the parking lot, and in that moment I don’t know if I am getting closer or farther away from my home. After a few more hours of sleep I am awoken by the sound of my gurgling stomach. Reaching over I find the paper bag from the older lady and dump its contents out onto the seat. Picking up the muffin in my hand I unwrap it slowly, inhaling the scent of the blueberries that are scattered across the top.
After a few bites my stomach seems to settle, my body thanking me for the nutrients. As I continue to eat I look out the window, the sun starting to finally set among the trees and I know the day is coming to an end.
The rest of the ride I am nervously awake, my body so exhausted but my eyes refusing to shut. I continue to stare out the window; small things along the roadside become familiar. We must be getting close. And then, all too soon, the bus comes to a halt and the engine shuts off. When people start to filter off I remain seated, my hands glued to the seat around me. What am I so afraid of? Before I know it I am the only person left in the bus, the driver staring at me from his rear view mirror.
“Are you heading back?” he asks, frustrated.
“No,” I say softly.
Picking up what is left of my bagged lunch, I peel myself off the seat, each step making my knees seem weaker. I set my left foot down on the ground and a strange sense of calm washes over me.
Chapter 63
Braeden
I remain lying in my bed, the pain from my fingers now radiating up my arm but I couldn’t care less. The anger and adrenaline that still surges through me is serving as a pain killer. All the events of last night are running through my mind. How the fuck did a perfect night turn to this?
When I saw him on top of her my whole world crumbled. I was supposed to be there to save her, to keep scum like him and her stepfather from touching her. I had failed. And here she was, in the hospital again, hurt.
I soon become impatient, Chelsea nowhere in sight to finish wrapping my cast. Swinging my legs over the bed I push the door open out into the hallway. When I find a nurse who isn’t Chelsea I pull her aside.
“Can you tell me which room Phoenix Harper is in?”
She looks at my arm.
“Please,” I beg.
She just smiles.
“She’s in exam room four,”
“Thank you,” I whisper.
Turning around, I know exactly what room it is, having spent a lot of time in this hospital as a kid. When I get to the room I notice that the door is open. I slowly step inside and my eyes lay upon the empty bed, a hospital gown crumbled on the floor beside it.
Everything in the world stops. No sounds reach my ears except for the loud boom of my heartbeat. I don’t have to look around. I don’t have to check to see if she’s in the bathroom.
I can tell she is no longer in this building. The pull I always feel when she’s around is gone, my body feeling alone and cold. When I tell my body to move I leave the room, hastily making my way down the hallway.
“Braeden?” I hear Chelsea say as I blast past her, her form a blur in my vision.
My mind is only on one thing. Pushing open the door
I see my father seated behind his desk, a phone to his ear. He looks up at me, instantly noticing my state.
“I’ll have to call you back,” he says, immediately hanging up.
He flies up out of his seat, making his way to me in a few strides.
“Braeden? What’s going on?” Why isn’t your arm in a cast?”
I freeze, not knowing how or where to start. I hear footsteps behind me and I turn around hastily, hoping to see a pair of beautiful brown eyes looking back at me.
“Phoenix is gone,” I hear Chelsea say, her breathing labored.
My eyes find the floor. I cringe at her words, hoping that maybe my eyes were lying to me. I look up at my father, his eyes telling me that he has now caught on.
“She couldn’t have gone far,” he says as he pushes past us.
My mind screams at my body to move but I remain frozen as a statue. I don’t even have the energy to tell them that she’s not here. Every second that I am alone in the office seems like an eternity and at some point my body decides to seat itself, my legs curled up into my chest. When I see both their forms re-enter it confirms my biggest fears. It’s now that my body decides to react.
“How the hell did she leave without anyone noticing?” I shout rising out of my chair, a new found anger coursing through my body. “Isn’t this why there are protocols?”
My father sighs and I know that I am aggravating him again, but I don’t care. Phoenix’s safety was the most important thing right now. It always was and always will be. Even if she didn’t want me anymore, I need to know that she was safe.
“Maybe she went home,” I exclaim, making my way to the door.
My father’s arm shoots out in front of me, effectively blocking my exit.
“I know that you are concerned right now, but for the love of God can you please get your cast on before you cause further damage to your arm.”
His eyes are closed as he speaks this and I can tell he is trying to gain his exposure. All I do is nod.
“Chelsea,” he says, allowing her to enter the room, all the components still in her arms. “Sit,” he directs to me.
I do as I am told like a five year old who just got put in a time out. Each second it takes Chelsea to wrap my arm I become more impatient. Every second I am here is another second unknown of her whereabouts. As she continues to work we remain quiet like before. I notice that my father leaves the room.
“I’m sorry,” I blurt out, Chelsea looking up at me in astonishment.
“For what?” she asks.
“For basically being an asshole,” I say almost with a laugh. “You’re a good person, and you and my father deserve happiness. Especially him.”
“Thank you,” she says softly. “And I never want you to feel like I am trying to take the place of your mother. I couldn’t even if I wanted to.”
I swallow the lump in my throat.
“I appreciate that.”
“Believe me; I know how it is to have new people trying to worm their asses into your life. My parents got divorced when I was young.”
“Sorry,” I say quietly.
“Eh, I was better off without them,” she shrugs. “And you, sir, are done.”
She gives it a once over before standing back up.
“Let’s go get your girl.”
Chapter 64
Phoenix
I inhale the crisp, clean air, my brain barely remembering that it once breathed this fresh air. Grasping the very little amount of food I have left I walk away from the bus, my body still not sure that I am actually here. As I walk through the streets of the small town I swear that nothing has changed, even down to the fliers on the windows. Memories of my time here take hold of my mind, seeming as though every inch of this place has one. Memories of my father.
Somehow my feet carry me on, my memory guiding me to where I knew I wanted to be all along. I don’t know what to expect. What if a family lives there now? With the turn of a corner my eyes lay upon it. My feet move the rest of the distance and before I know it I am on the front lawn. Or where the front lawn used to be. In its place are weeds as tall as me. Bushes that were once strategically placed have now over grown, their branches climbing up the walls of the house. The paint on it is dull and cracked and it reminds me of a haunted house and not the home I once loved. I look around to see if there is anyone watching and when the coast is clear I walk around back, happy to see the tree still standing near what was once my bedroom window. Swinging my leg up I climb onto the first branch, pushing my weak body up until I reach the window level. When I do I sit there staring at it, the glass so dirty that I can’t peer inside. I remember that the lock on this particular window always got stuck. Reaching my fingers out I jiggle the window and after a few forceful slams I hear it unlock, the window going up with ease.
Shoving my front end in first I tumble to the floor, a large scream leaving my throat. When I regain my composure I look around and amazed at what I see. Everything in my room is in its place. It is exactly how I remembered it. But everything is covered in white cloths. And just like that, my body heaves into crying and my head falls into my hands.
“What the hell am I doing here?” I mutter to myself.
After a few more minutes of crying I pick myself up off the floor, wiping the tears away from my face. My mind still doesn’t believe that I am actually here. Leaving my bedroom I walk down the hallway and the sight before me almost causes me to breakdown again.
Rubbing my hand over each picture that is hung against the wall, I expose a new year of school pictures. My dad always hung the new one up every year, all of them in sequential order. I smile for a moment at the pictures of me when I was young, my hair more blonde, and my front two teeth missing. I try to think about, try to remember when I was that girl, but there is little to no recollection of it. Elaina and Carl stole that girl from this world. There is nothing left of her.
Making my way further downstairs I am somehow still amazed that mostly everything is in its place. It’s as though I could close my eyes and envision my father coming down the stairs. But that won’t be happening. But why is everything still here?
Walking over to the couch I pull off the sheet, it creating a cloud of dust in the air, it making me cough excessively. Lying down upon it I realize how exhausted my body still is. I feel as though I could sleep for decades. And just as I suspected, I fall asleep quickly.
~
“Phoenix!” his voice calls out for me, a sense of panic in the tone.
Slamming my brush down I pull open the bathroom door, flying down stairs in seconds. On the floor of the kitchen is my father, his body crumbled onto the ground.
“Dad?” I cry out.
Next to him is a shattered plate, food scattered all around him. I fly to his side and hook my arms under him, trying everything to help lift him but he is too heavy. Tears started to flow down my cheek and I try to stop them but I can’t.
“I’m fine,” he says softly, his breathing labored.
“I’ll be right back,” I say, pushing myself away from him and bound out the front steps to the house next door.
I bang on the door repeatedly, waiting for someone to answer. Soon after the door flies open, an older woman looks down at me, her eyes wide.
“Phoenix? What are you doing out here alone?” she asks.
“My dad fell down and I can’t get him back up,” I utter through heaves of my chest.
“Mitchell!” she screams and the three of us bound down the steps and back to my house.
When we reach him there is even less color in his face and I start to cry again. I bury my face into the wall, it all too much for me the watch. When they get him in the chair I peer out again, a small smile on my father’s face.
“I’m fine, sweetie,” he says, his breath short. His arms spread out towards me. I bound off the wall and slam my body into him, smelling his musky scent.
“You alright?” I hear Mitchell ask.
“Yeah, I’m fine,
” he huffs, his arms still around me, my hand stroking the back of my head.
“Don’t leave me,” I cry out.
I pull back from him, my vision blurry from the tears.
“I could never leave you, kiddo,” he says. “As long as I am in here.” He points to my heart.
~
I am startled awake by a loud banging on the door and I realize that the house is completely dark, a small amount of light being emanated by the street lights. I panic, my heart racing. A small part of me hopes that it is Braeden, but I know it won’t be. No one knows where I am.
I walk to the front door and place my ear upon it. Reaching up on my tippy toes I peer through the peephole, seeing no figure in front of me, but instead there are red and blue flashing lights. I muffle a shriek. There is another loud knock on the door and my whole body jumps. I almost think about bolting out the back door but I quickly push aside that. There is nowhere else to go.
“I know that someone is in there,” the voice calls out. “The neighbors claim they’ve seen movement.”
Swallowing my fears I wrap my fingers around the door knob, the coolness of the metal pressed against my clammy skin. I pull open the door a few inches, a tall figure looking down upon me. He lifts up his flashlight, the bright light hurting my eyes. I become effectively blind for a moment but I can tell that the figure has not moved.
“Phoenix?” the voice calls out, it sending a chill down my spine.
I remain frozen, my body trying to connect that voice. I know that voice. He lowers the light and small dots dance their way across my vision, his full form coming into view slowly. I stare at him.
“Do I know you?” I ask nervously, ashamed that I can’t remember.
I see him clutch his chest, the fast movement scaring me.
“I’m hurt that you don’t remember me,” he responds. “You used to spend a lot of time at my house.”
And then it clicks.
“Tate?” I shout, my eyes widening.
A Brand New Ending Page 29