The window of HOPE...

Chapter-11

Without any delay, Chloe straight away checked in 'Bed and Breakfast', as soon as she reached her room, the first thing on her mind was a hot shower and that's what she did. She stripped her clothes off and sluggishly stepped beneath the shower, letting it beat over her head in steamy stream, she closed her eyes as the water drenched her skin; sensation of the steamy water calmed her, it took her mind of things.................. she propped herself against the cold tiles as her legs threatened to buckle. The water gushed down her body and massaged all her cramped muscles from her long journey. She spotted a bottle of shampoo in the midst of other toiletries, poured down a little on her palm, and started massaging her scalp, the lemony scent of the shampoo freshened her......it made her feel new, after a few seconds she rinsed her hair off and then wrapped herself in a soft robe and exited the bathroom.

           She casually glanced towards the wall clock, and her mouth hung open as she saw that it was nearly eight.......she was shocked that she almost spent an hour and a half in her shower . She quickly got dressed in the first outfit she saw and that was a short-sleeved top and her grey scrub pants, left her wet curly hair loose since there was no time left to blow-dry them. She left the room in swift long strides with her canvas tote slung around her shoulder towards the dining hall for breakfast, all the while mentally scolding herself for taking such a long shower, when she had to be in the hospital at exactly eight thirty, she thought of skipping her breakfast but knew she had to eat........because she had also skipped her dinner yesterday in her haste and panic. As soon as she reached there, she sat on the first empty table she saw.......and briskly ordered pancake and coffee. She completed her breakfast in record time barely registering the taste and made a beeline towards the counter, where she left her room keys and made her way straight to the hospital.

        The Redwood Hospital was at a walk able distance from the Bed and Breakfast, as she sauntered to the hospital she was glad that she had worn flats; she literally reached the hospital in no time. As she stood in front of the hospital, old memories gripped her heart...........memories when she had seen her sister's dead brutally battered body here........the helplessness she had felt inside, the grief of being alone in the world, since her sister was the only one she had. That bastard who had committed the crime and escaped it...........once he surely had been successful in playing the role of an innocent, grieving widow who had lost his beloved wife......but not again, her little niece, Jenny had been his downfall..........her friend, Juliet, helped her, such a brave girl. Once upon a time she had screamed her lungs out, begged this town's people to help her..........for she always knew that Reynolds was behind it........but no one believed her, instead they turned against her, they all hated her, and blamed her for being jealous of her sister's happiness, there were rumours that she was madly in love with Reynolds but when he married her sister, she hated him and was seeking the revenge now! ........nobody was there for her, her friend Sophia believed her but she was scared.............., fortunately it wasn't the same for her niece and she was glad for it. Refusing to remember anymore bad memories, she hurried inside the hospital, the smell of disinfectants enveloped her and she walked towards the counter, there she enquired about the Jenny's room no., and her health conditions, about which the receptionist didn't had much idea, except that a surgery needed to be done, she filled the form of the guardian and rambled towards the room where her niece was currently resting.

           Her palms felt sweaty as she pushed the door inside, to enter the room. Nervousness crashed her body as she took in the scene in front of her, Jenny was lying down on the hospital bed, with her eyes closed, body still......no other sounds could be heard except the beeping of the machines placed nearby the bed. It felt as if the time had stood still, there was no one else in the room except the two of them her............she stumbled forward to Jenny's bed, and stood still...................the first thought that came to her mind after seeing her bruised, pale yellow face was that her little niece was no longer little, in fact she had grown up................into a beautiful girl, she looked a lot like her mother, her sister, Helen, how she missed her! She lifted her hand and caressed the pale bruised face with her fingers, as if trying to remember her sister's face. With the other hand, she entwined her fingers with Jenny's........... as if trying to reach her in her sleep. She softly murmured, "I am here baby.......I won't leave you alone, never again............. I am soo sorry, Please forgive me."