Lost Daughter

Chapter 19

(Inspired by "Disasterology" by Pierce The Veil)

Mike's p.o.v

I drove to the hospital as fast as I could, not even caring that I sped under three, maybe four, stoplights. The only thing on my mind was Victoria. Everything else was just unimportant at the moment. Alysha screamed at me to slow down, but I only pressed on the gas pedal and sped up even faster, if that was even possible, and ignored her. To me, history was repeating itself. The phone call. Vic attempting suicide. It was as if the horrendous memory had designed itself to insert itself into reality. I parked the car in an empty parking space and ran out the car, nearly getting hit by a passing car. I ran into the hospital and made a beeline to the reception desk.

"I got a call regarding my niece. Is she okay?" I asked frantically.

"Name?" the lady asked me rudely.

"Victoria Elizabeth Anna Maria Antoinette Fuentes." I watched the receptionist type on her computer and glanced at me in a bored manner. "I'm sorry, sir, but no one is permitted to visit the patient at the moment. Please have a seat in the waiting room and wait patiently for a doctor to assist you," she said.

I was pissed off at her. My niece is standing on the edge of death and she's telling me to just lounge around like a bum? "Mike, there's nothing we can do. Let's just sit down," Alysha's voice coaxed me. Reluctantly, I allowed Alysha to pry me away from the reception desk and towards the nearest seat in the waiting area. I sat down and buried my face in my hands, wiping my eyes. "Mike, please don't cry. Victoria will be okay."

"How do you know that, Alysha? How do you know that Victoria isn't lying on her deathbed right now?" I questioned her, my voice cracking. "I don't want to lose her again, Alysha. We just found her."

Alysha pulled me out of my chair and pulled me into a hug, allowing me to cry on her. It scares me honestly, to get a phone call from the hospital telling you that someone in your family attempted suicide. I mentally cursed myself in anger. We all the signs: fatigue, nightmares, anxiety, anger, and we just sat around and let the poor girl suffer. It was bad enough when Cara was an issue, but this is even worse.

"Excuse me."

I pulled away and turned around. A teenage girl stood in front of me nervously. She had long bright red hair, brown eyes and wore a Guns N' Roses tank top, cut off demin shorts and black vans. From the looks of it, she was either Hispanic, or just really tan."I believe this belongs to your niece." She took out Victoria's phone from her pocket and handed it to me.

"Where did you get this?" I questioned her.

"She ran past me and dropped it. I only wanted to return it to her, so I followed her to the haunted house. When I walked in, Victoria was on the floor and her wrist was excessively bleeding. The last thing she said to me was 'help me' before she passed out," she explained. "I wanted to make sure she was in good hands before I left."

"Thank you. Means a lot to me," I said, taking Victoria's phone. "I don't think I got your name."

"Micaela. My name is Micaela Santiago," she introduced herself. "This seems like a family issue, so I'll be leaving. I hope everything goes well with Victoria." I gave her a weak smile and nodded. "You and me both, kid." Micaela smiled and walked away, leaving me and Alysha alone. 

"I called the others. They're on their way," she said. "I tried reaching out to Vic, but he's not answering the phone."

We sat down and waited patiently for a doctor to talk to us about Victoria. It wasn't long until the others came around, but I was just too scared and worried for Victoria, I didn't acknowledge them. Thoughts swarmed my head, and I couldn't focus anymore. I heard the chair squeak next to me and felt a hand on my shoulder. "It's going to be okay, Mike," Tony assured me.