Protecting Jess

Chapter 5 - Fainting

Jess was ready to burst wide open when her uncle spoke, already uneasy with the officer studying her. He had a penetrating way of looking at people, his light blue eyes almost glacial, yet searing. She wondered if he was always like this. She had also wondered, when they were riding back, if he was good at interrogation. Likely those eyes boring into you would make you confess your deepest sins.

"Jess, there are some things we need to tell you. It's a bit too late. We should've told you a long time ago," her uncle said, opening his eyes as if the weight of the world were on them. Her aunt shuffled to him, easing herself around to put a hand on his shoulder, the other wiping a tear from her cheek. He looked up at his wife and patted her hand.

"Tell me what? Jesus Uncle, you really need to skip the bullshit now. I've had lots today already."

"Jess, language!" her uncle started, but then stopped, looking down at his hands, folding them on the table. Her uncle had never reacted to anything like this before, andiIt was scaring her.

"The woman in the picture. She's... She's your mother," her aunt wavered out, fresh tears tracking down her face. "I'm so sorry, honey."

A stab of pain sliced through her chest, and she looked down, her hand floating to her breastbone to stop it. She couldn't breathe. Her mother? Her freaking, never-knew-her mother? The one that was supposed to be dead already, from cancer? What in the Hell was going on?

She took a deep breath, but nothing came in, and her stomach flipped itself over, attempting to eject the butter tart she had just eaten. Was she panicking? She never panicked, but when she looked at her fingers, they were shaking. She clasped her hands to her chest, but she couldn't get them to stop shaking.

Maybe this was what panicking was like.

The Lieutenant was beside her, and then she was picked up like a sack of potatoes. Everything was suddenly far away, hollow and tinny, tinged in white.

"Put me down," she mumbled, but the sound of her own voice seemed farther away than before. She still couldn't breathe, and she kept gasping for breath, patting her chest with her hands, willing air.

"You're going to lay on the couch for a few moments, okay? Your Aunt is going to bring you tea," a deep, comforting voice commanded, floating above her head. Before she could protest, she was set onto the living room sofa. She looked around for the owner of the voice, but the only thing she saw before the white closed in on her was two ice blue eyes staring down at her.

"My mother?" she croaked out, and then let herself go.