Curvaceous

~14~

Melvin--------------->

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Have you ever woken up in total darkness?

Yes?

Well so have I.

Unfortunately, that isn't the case at the moment.

I not only wake up to blinding whiteness.

But I wake up handcuffed to the hospital bed.

How I know it's a hospital?

It smells like death and antiseptics.

Disgusting combination.

Besides the fact that I'm handcuffed to a hospital bed and could probably go blind from all the lights on, the constant beeping is driving me crazy.

"Turn off the fucking beeping." Great, I sound like a man.

Shuffling around the room not only annoys me but prompts me to open my eyes and see who is in the room.

To my utter surprise, dad, Elle, Kale, the De Luca's, a doctor and 2 nurses and 3 police officer are in the room.

Jeez, how big is this room?

"Welcome back Ms. Esposito. We didn't know how long you'd be out but thank you for finally waking up." Finally? How long have I been asleep?

Unbeknownst to me, I asked my question out loud. At least I didn't say anything stupid.

"You've been unconscious for 2 days now. Before you panic, let me introduce myself. I am doctor Ashton Michaels. I want you to be comfortable with me so you can call me Ashton, Dr. Michaels or whatever else you come up with. Now, what happened? You suffered from a panic attack. I guess the shock of the events of that night, the adrenaline rush you experienced, and the thought of being arrested all came together and resulted in an extreme panic attack. However, due to the events that occurred before your loss of consciousness, the police have decided to bring you here but keep you detained. Unfortunately for you, you hit your head on a nearby table and ensued in a mild concussion. Any questions so far?"

"Uh yeah. When can I be released? Am I being charged with anything? Will I have to take off work? When did Kale get back? Why are dad and Elle here? No offense. What happened to Jasmine and Gina? And can you loosen the handcuffs? I may have been sleep but they're still pretty tight."

One of the police officers moves forward but is immediately pushed back where he originally was.

"I am Officer Trent, to my left is Officer Scott and to my right is Officer Will. I will answer as many of your questions as I possibly can but I need you to stay in the bed. Understand?" Curtly nodding, I wait for him or whoever to start talking.

"For starters, you aren't being held. We got the whole story from the guests at the gala and we were informed that you were provoked. You aren't being charged with anything since it was self-defense. However, you may want to keep a lid on your anger little lady. You'll have to ask your bosses about work. Your brother, dad and stepmom arrived yesterday morning. To make you feel better, you're stepmom punched one of the nurses in the face for getting in her way and your dad and brother knocked out two of the hospitals security guards. I guess the temper runs in the family huh?"

Snickers are heard around the room but that's all. By the looks on Kale, dad, and Ellie's faces, they didn't want me to know about their little freak out.

"Ms. Gina and Ms. Jasmine are being held for harassment. According to some of the guests, you were directly approached by Ms. Jasmine during the night and later verbally attacked at the dinner table. Ms. Gina is being held for harassment but will be getting out soon. There is a restraining order in the works against them both so you can relax for a little bit. I'm sorry about the cuffs Ms. Esposito but it's protocol. We'll be taking our leave now. If you need anything, give me a call. Have a good night Ms. Esposito and company." Uncuffing me from the bed, Officers Trent, Will and Scott leave without further words and leave the room in an uncomfortable silence.