Loving the Broken

Chapter 19

As soon as I hear she's heading south, I start making my way towards the gym. There's no where else she'll be. If she's not there, then I'm fucked. I step into my Mustang, deciding that the Bentley isn't right for this. Autopilot kicks in and before I know it I'm outside the massive metal doors. Flinging my car door open and I storm towards the large building, desperate to know if she is okay. However, when I walk in, I see Mr Scott cradling Rachel on his lap, as soon as our eyes meet I see the desperation in his eyes. "What. The. Fuck" is the only thing that I can mutter out.

" I don't know mate, she stumbled through the doors and collapsed. I don't know what to do!" He rushes out, I'm glad he cares about her, but why on earth didn't he call an ambulance? But he soon answered that question for me, "I wasn't sure if she had insurance, I know she's been desperate for money recently, and I don't want to leave her will a massive debt. She'll never forgive me..." He trails off.

"Call 911, I'll sort her bills if she doesn't have insurance, lets just hope she hasn't bled out internally." All I want at this moment if for her to be okay, it can cost me millions and I won't bat an eyelid, it's not like it will make a massive dent in my bank account. As soon as I say this he rushes off to get a phone. Good. Hopefully she can get the best help possible because when I pick her um in my arms she looks lifeless. She's covered in dark purple and green bruises, I can tell someone's hands have been round her throat and face, leaving dark finger in prints, her right eyes is black and swollen shut and her plump, pink lips have a cut in them that has oozed blood down her chin. Pushing a strand of her hair behind her ear I whisper, "My angel, who has done this to you hmm? Don't you worry, they won't get away with this." She doesn't reply, I don't expect her to, her injuries are too serious for her to be conscious. I've never been religious, but I pray to any god that will listen that she will be alright.

I'm lost looking at the broken features of her beautiful face that I don't realise that the ambulance has shown up before I'm dragged away from her lifeless body. After talking some vitals and checking her over, they put her on a stretcher and motive her to the ambulance. I want to go to the hospital with them, but I know I have some other matters to deal with before I'm able to look at Rachel in her eyes. So I take my mustang back home and head to my office to start the long list of phone calls I have ahead of me.

Rachel's POV:
As soon as my eyes locked with Mr Scott, the feeling of safety overwhelmed me and allowed me to blackout. I feel arms around me, and hushed whispering, but eventually I feel my weight move, and different arms are around me. A different scent fills my nose, its a mixture of mint, smoke and something fresh, almost like flowers but with a mixture of freshly cut grass. It's beautiful and reminds be of summer, but with a masculine twist. But it's a scent that I will remember anywhere, its Xavier. He holds me in his arms, brushing the hair out of my face when he whispers, "My angel, who has done this to you hmm? Don't you worry, they won't get away with this.'. His words give me some comfort, he adds and extra layer of safety for me, which allows me to eventually drift off to complete blackness, hoping that I will wake up in less pain.

Once the blackness starts to disappear, my vision is filled with a dark pink, my ears are filled with the sounds of beeping, and mumbled voices that sound like they're outside from me. I try to open my eyes, but my eyelids are so heavy, it feels like they are glued shut, no matter how much energy I put into opening them they just refuse to listen to me. I decide that I should let unconsciousness consume me again, I think my body is going to need all the rest it can get anyway.

Once I wake up again, I hear voices, but they're closer to be this time, they're not as muffled.

"She has some serious injuries, you know about the internal bleeding, but her skull was fractured, and there was some swelling on her brain. We're waiting for that to go down, if there's no bleeding then she should be okay, but if there's more bleeding? Or if the swelling doesn't go down? Then I'm afraid Mr Knight you might have to prepare for the worst... We've done all we can do now, its up to her to fight. She has to fight for her life."

"You're saying she might not make it?" I hear Xavier whisper, he sounds scared, or in shock, or maybe both. Wait, why is he here? Why does he care about me? He barely knows me!

"What I'm saying is, she has to fight, if she feels her life isn't worth it, then she may not fight, if she has hope, then she will fight." A woman responds, she's the same voice as before. She sounds calm and professional, so maybe a doctor? At least this means I'm a live. But then the short conversation dawns on me. Swelling? Bleeding? What the fuck has happened to me? Am I in a coma? Is that why I can't open my eyes? I want to scream, and let them know that I'm here, that I can hear them. But then I remember what else the doctor said, 'if she feels her life isn't worth it, then she may not fight'. And it makes me think about what my life has to offer, sure I have a flat lined up in New York, and I have dreams, but are those dreams worth it? I'm sure ill have mental trauma from my childhood. I probably wont ever be happy, I'll always carry to guilt of my mothers death, and the pain it caused my father. That means I'll probably never find love, I'll never be truly happy. So maybe my New York dream isn't worth it. Maybe I should just give up, let the darkness come some me forever and always, limit the pain for those around me? No one knows me well enough to care, Will and Linda will be glad I'm out of their hair, and Xavier and Faith haven't known me long enough to care if I died or lived. Maybe death is the answer?

But then I think about if I fought? If I tried to survive. What if I made it out of this, it's only two weeks now until I'm 18, until I'm an adult. I can move to New York and start my dream. Maybe eventually I can move back home to England, live in a cute cottage and have holidays in Cornwall like most British families do. God do I miss it, even though the weather is shit, and everyone is grumpy, its still my home, and I love it. Maybe I will find love, maybe I'll find someone who I can trust and who accepts my past, maybe Will and Lynda will leave me alone - let me live in peace forever. One can dream I guess, if only it could be a reality..

This only leaves me with one question. Do I let myself get knocked out and allow 10 seconds to pass? Or do I fight, and get up before the referee has even got to the number 5

Do I live? Or do I die?

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A/N Happy New Year! Let's hope 2021 is better eh? Hope you guys enjoy the new update, I'm getting back into updating and writing now. I'm hoping you guys are enjoying Rachel and Xavier's story - I still have a few twists and turns in mind for them! Will get an update out for you soon - probably when I've had a few drinks again (as I have tonight)! Anyway, love you all for your support!