Reduced to Ruin

Chapter 26

Friday came all too quickly. During the couple of days after our conversation, James hardly came upstairs, which was perfectly fine with me. I was hoping he had changed the plans, and we were no longer going to the appointment. But in the morning as I ate a bowl of cereal at the counter James came upstairs. 

         "Good morning," he said.

         "Hi," I said dully.

         "Just to let you know, we're leaving for Dr. Manning's tonight around ten."

         I stared at the cereal box.

         "Make sure you're dressed and ready to go, okay?"

         "Why are we going so late?" My curiosity got the best of me.

         "Because we're going to Dr. Manning's office after hours."

         Of course, James still thought I could try to run.

         The rest of the day zoomed by, and I tried my hardest to forget about what would happen that night. When ten o'clock came, James entered the apartment. But he wasn't alone. Dan was with him.

         He brought in the troops.

         "Ready to go?" James asked.

         "What's Hulk doing here?"

         James went to say something but stopped.

         "Don't trust me? Hmph."

         I gave James a How could you? look of death.

         "After you," Dan said, motioning me down the stairs.

         As I headed down the stairs, I said sarcastically, "So good to see you again, Dan."

         I looked down to the bottom of the stairs, and there was Tyler. What the hell?

         Very clever way of controlling me, I thought. Put your forces in the front and back. James really didn't trust me anymore. It made me sad. And angry at myself. It felt like we were taking huge steps backward. And it was all my fault. If I had just gone with the flow and not objected, they wouldn't be here. Now, James was on high alert. He was ready for me to try something. But I wasn't planning anything in the first place.

         "Hello," Tyler said quietly when I reached the bottom of the stairs. I said nothing and refused to look at him.

         I followed Dan out to James's car, and he held the back door open for me. After I buckled in, he stood there until the guys were nearby, then he got into the back seat with me. Every move felt calculated. Especially Hulk sitting next to me in the back.

         I didn't talk the entire way there, and even they were relatively quiet. I could feel the anxiety in the air. When we pulled off the freeway, my stomach was tied in knots. I began crying, but I tried so hard to hide it. I didn't want to give them the satisfaction of seeing me cry.

         Dr. Manning's office was in a one-story modest building in a commercial area of their small town. It said Family Medical on the outside of the building, along with a couple other companies that were housed in the building. James opened my door, and I slowly climbed out. As we walked into the building, I stopped and pulled on James' arm.

         "Please, James, we don't have to do this," I pleaded. I tried so hard not to cry, but I couldn't hold it back any longer.

         "Oh, Corrine, I know you're scared." He put his hands on my shoulders and brushed back my hair. "But it's going to be okay. I promise. Trust me, okay?"