ωє'яє αℓℓ gσσ∂

Chapter 19

I woke up reluctantly. My head was throbbing and my whole body felt like I was hit by a bus. I slowly began to open my eyes but immediately shut them after seeing the harsh light that flooded the room. After a minute I was finally able to open them completely and realised I was in a hospital room. I slowly moved my head over and saw Chres sound asleep in a chair next to my bed. He was securely holding my hand and was laying his head on the edge of my bed.

“Chres.” My voice came out very soft and dry but somehow he heard me and sat up in his chair. His eyes seemed panicked and relieved all at once and he let out a sigh. I could tell he hadn’t slept in a while and probably hadn’t showered either.

“What’s going on? Why am I in the hospital?” I looked back over to him and his face was ashen. He opened his mouth to speak but was cut off by a knock on the door. A second later a woman walked into the room, closely followed by my mother. As soon as my mom’s eyes landed on me she burst into tears. She walked over to me and pulled me into a strong hug that caused a sharp pain in my ribs.

“Mom, you’re hurting me.” She quickly let go and wiped her eyes with the back of her hand.

“I’m sorry honey. I’m just so happy you’re finally awake.” She moved some of the hair out of my face and gave me a small kiss on the head. It took me a second to realise what she had said to me.

“What do you mean finally awake? How long have I been asleep?” She looked over to Chres who still hadn’t uttered a single word since I woke up. He still had a firm grip on my hand and was slowly rubbing the back of it with his other one. Letting out a sigh, my mom slowly looked back at me and held my other hand in hers.

“You’ve been asleep for two weeks Destiny. You had a pretty bad concussion and they put you in a coma to stop the swelling in your brain.” She looked to be on the verge of tears again and slowly looked away from me to compose herself. Again, I let the information sink in and looked over to the woman at the foot of my bed, she sat there quietly and looked up feeling my gaze on her.

“Oh. I’m sorry. I’m Mary McClain. I’m here to ask you some question about your attack. I know you just woke up so I can come back another time if you like.” She motioned over her shoulder to the door and I shook my head letting her know she could stay. She nodded and opened her bag, bringing out numerous items, setting them on a nearby table. I sat up a little higher in my bed, disregarding my body protesting the movement.

“So I want you to tell me everything you remember about that day. Was there anything strange about it?” She asked me after pressing play on a recorder. I thought back to that day. Somethings seemed a little fussy but for the most part I remember it clearly.

“Well I went to work that day like usual and Chres came and told me he was working late that night. That wasn’t really strange because he sometimes works at night. My mom and her boyfriend were in town and were staying at our house, so I decided to spend the night with my mom. I left work and went home but when I got there the door was already opened.” I stopped for a minute to think of what I remembered next.

“How was the door opened? Did it look like the lock was picked or that someone used a key?” Mary asked trying to trigger a memory of what happened. I thought a minute more before I remembered what I saw.

“I looked like it had been kicked in. I remember the wood was kind of splintered. I walked into the house because I was worried that my mom might be hurt. I had mace in my purse and I got it out before walking in. I went to the kitchen and saw that my mom had left earlier for the pool. A noise came from down the hall and I slowly walked towards it. Now I realise I should have called the cops but I didn’t think of it at the time. That was my mistake. I looked and saw someone laying on the floor. It’s not clear who it was.......” I paused mid sentence and looked up, realising what happened. The whole thing became clear and everyone’s attention was on me.