Dark Side

Chapter 24

As I clear my throat, I notice Officer Jones take out some sort of recording device, and press a button. Automatically, I felt the hospital turn into an interrogation room, leaving me feeling uneasy.

"Well...I let him in and asked what he wanted. He was hesitant to answer, but agreed to tell me once we got outside, away from Maddie...He then proceeded to tell me I was under arrest, and I should hand myself over peacefully... I thought it was some kind of joke, but soon realized it wasn't... I surrendered, and that's when I was struck for the first time... My head ended up hitting a nail, and I began to feel nauseous.... Eventually, he pulled me into his car and drove me off to that shop..."

I stop talking. Not only was it difficult to speak physically, but the events that occurred next were nightmares that I never wanted to think about again. I just stared at my sheets, unprepared to continue speaking. In my peripheral vision, I saw Officer Jones look up at me, waiting for me to continue. But I don't. I simply sit and try to regain composure.

"Demi, I know it's hard, but I need you to tell me the rest if Wilmer is to get the sentence he deserves."

I look up at Officer Jones, and see his reassuring expression. That's one thing I learned about him; he always knew how to make someone feel comfort in a traumatic situation. Maybe that's why he was always assigned to cases like these. Reluctantly, I continued the story.

"He took me and sat me down at a table for interrogation. But first, he had to tell me why I was there. It turned out, he had faked being a policeman in order to get to me. I was necessary for him to get into Eddie's vault, or so he thought..."

My voice trailed off. No one else knew what happened that night. No one else knew how to get into the vault. I was the only one, and I intended on keeping it that way. His secret will die with me. When the time comes, I will share it to the one person who needs to know, the true heir. But I wouldn't tell anyone else until then, not even Officer Jones.

"What do you mean by that? Or so he thought?" Officer Jones questions.

I pause, thinking up a quick lie. This was all on tape, so it's not like I could deny saying it.

"I wasnt aware of the password. Eddie never told us that, nor the location of the vault. It all remains a mystery."

I look at the officer's facial expression, and realize he bought the lie. Shutting my eyes real quick, I silently thank God for helping me slip through that narrow obstacle.

"And after that? What happens next?"

"He didn't believe me that I didn't know, so he beat me..each beating got increasingly worse until he shot me, and I passed out... Then, I was dragged into the closet you found me in where I was left alone until I regained consciousness, and he beat me again..and that's when you ca-, ca-, came-"

I start to fall into a coughing fit and my head rages in pain. Each cough sends more searing jabs to my brain, and I soon find myself bending over until I've curled up into the fetal position.

"Demi, are you okay?" I hear Officer Jones ask.

He doesn't wait for a reply, but pushes the button to send a nurse down. No sooner had he pushed it did a nurse walk in. I guess she was already on her way because she was holding the bags of morphine the doctor had requested. Quickly, she put them down on the table and rushed to my side.

I payed no attention to her; I was in pure survival mode. Breathing became difficult, and my already sore ribs began to throb. Impulse took over, and I began to panic.

I felt the nurse grab the upper part of my right arm and used her other arm to push down my leg, attempting to straighten my body out from the curled up ball I was in. However, I refused to give in.

"Demi, I need you to relax," I heard her say softly.

Eventually, the pressure became too much to resist and I flattened out slightly, rolling onto my side. The nurse slipped an oxygen mask over my face, and began to fix the drip.

"Here, drink this. The pain should subside shortly, but you need to drink more fluids so your throat doesn't dry up, okay?"

I took the cup in my hand and waited until my heart rate calmed down before drinking. Slipping the mask off, I took small sips of the juice. In the background, I heard the nurse say,"You need to leave. She can't be experiencing any level of stress right now, no matter how small it is. I don't care how important this is, it can wait."

A small smile formed on my face at these words. At least the nurse understood what that interview was doing to me. I had just woken up, it was too much questioning all at once. The officer reluctantly walked out, taking the uneasiness of the room with him. Now, I was left alone with the nurse.

"Is there anything else you need? Anything I can get you?" she asked, smiling at me.

I may have just met her, but she made me feel at ease at once. There was that motherly nature about her, that care, that made me feel more at home, safer, more at peace. I almost dismissed her question but then I realized, I had family waiting for me. Family that I didn't get the time to talk to since everyone else felt the need to interrogate me.

"Uhm, yeah, actually. Would you mind getting my family out there?" I ask, hoping she wouldn't think they would bring stress too.

"Of course. Anything else?"

"No, that's it. I should be fine."

"Okay, I'll go get them. Don't hesitate to hit the buzzer if you need me."

With that, the nurse left the room. Through the window, I saw her pleasant smile inviting Joe and my sisters back in. Immediately, they sprung up off their seats and filed back into my room. At last, I was left alone to enjoy my family. At last, there was peace.

Sorry the writing is so crappy; I just wanted to get something out to y'all. What are your thoughts? Let me know in the comments; I need 10 before I continue 💜