Miranda

Chapter Sixteen

"Sometimes, the girl who's always there for everyone else needs someone there for her." -Ritu Ghatourey

~Miranda~

I was, once again in the back of an ambulance. Only this time I wasn't drugged to the gills, I had refused the painkillers, but they had insisted on giving me something to take the edge off the injuries I had sustained. The paramedics had on put me on the gurney and were taking me to have x-rays done of my right arm, which I couldn't move, as well as my ribs and face. Nathaniel, who asked that I call him Nate, was sitting beside me. Having never left my side since he KO'd Justin and let the police inside. He told me that he was a lawyer, and his firm would help me if I wanted to press charges, which he said I should do as it was an open and shut case. I had declined because there is no way in hell I can afford a lawyer. The police said that the evidence against Justin was such that charges would be pressed regardless of if I cooperated so I should probably take Nate up on the offer.

Nate had been very gentle with me. He had helped me sit up on the floor but refused to let me stand, checking me over with firm yet not at all creepy hands. It felt more like a father checking their injured child than a god of a man touching a woman. And now he just sat there next to me, asking how I was doing and making small talk. Just as comfortable as can be, like we were old friends.

The police had tried to take our statements as quickly as possible so that I could be taken to the hospital, but had wanted to wait for Nick and Joshua, our loss prevention guy, to arrive. Since it had only been Justin and I in the store working, they wanted to see the video footage of the events before just arresting him on our words alone. Not long after the lead officer and Joshua had gone into the office, the order was given to arrest Justin on assault and battery.

Nick was beside himself, mad as hell at Justin and worried about me. He kept asking about what started all of this. At first, I didn't want to answer but I eventually caved and handed him the now rumpled letter I had left under his door earlier that night. I watched his face as he read it, first with concern, and then shock, and then a look I really couldn't discern.

He finished reading it a second time before he spoke to me.

"I don't know what to say." Neither did I.

"Is this true?" I nodded, my eyes on the floor. He glanced through the letter a third time as if it would glean any more information. Then he just shook his head as if to clear away thoughts cluttering the inside, patted my leg, and said "Go get checked out and take tomorrow off, when you come back, come find me straight away and I might be ready to talk to you."

"But that is my resig..." he cut me off with a hand.

"I said I will see you in a few days Miranda, now go to the hospital and get some rest." And with that he turned and walked back over to the police officers talking to Joshua.

The ER doctor had decided that I needed to have my whole body scanned and discovered not only did I have 3 ribs with hairline fractures, but my right shoulder had been dislocated. My eye was fine and the cut on my forehead was super glued together. Then came the part that I will have nightmares about for a while. The nurse put an IV in my arm again to give me some medication to put me partially asleep, twilight sedation they called it and pumped my shoulder with lidocaine with the biggest needle I have ever seen. I nearly passed out when I saw it. Then two people held me while a third pulled and twisted my arm until it popped into place again. I still screamed even though the drugs they had given me would have felled an elephant. After that I don't remember much. I vaguely recall the discharge instructions being given to Nate and a very large dark SUV pulling up to the door and being lifted into it. I think I fell asleep after that.