whisper comes out and I manage, “Water… please.”
“As soon as the doctor checks you out I can bring some water and maybe some clear broth. For now I can manage a couple of ice chips for you. I’ll go get them. Doctor Stevens should be by in the next few minutes. I know there are some police officers who have been waiting to talk to you, so I’ll let them know you’re awake.”
“I’ve already called the Chief,” Hank tells her. “He’s going to come by personally and talk to Brielle. We all want to find out who did this to my baby.”
“I’m sure you do, sir.” Claire stops on her way to the door and turns to me, “Don’t worry, honey. I’m sure they’ll find whoever hurt you and he’ll pay for what he did. Your daddy has some good friends.”
They won’t have to look very hard to find the man who hurt me. He’s right here. But he’ll never pay for any of it.
Claire is gone and I start to panic. I’m afraid to be alone with my father. I inch my fingers toward the call button, but the doctor comes in before I get very far. For the moment, I’m saved from any more threats.
“Brielle! I’m Doctor Stevens. I’m glad to see you’re awake. You have a few injuries that will take some time to heal but pretty soon you will be as good as new. You came in with a concussion, some severely bruised ribs, quite a few scrapes and bruises and a lot of swelling in your abdomen. We’ve done an ultrasound and it looks like you got lucky. There was no permanent damage to any of your internal organs. There was some bleeding in your stomach, but that has subsided. We’ve hooked you up to a machine that dispenses pain medication for you.” He hands me a button that connects to the IV stand near my bed. “Press this when you feel you need it. It’s set for the proper dose and it will only dispense after enough time has passed, so don’t worry that you’ll press it too often. I really don’t think you’ll have to be here more than four or five more days if you continue to improve. The neurologist will be coming in to talk to you sometime this afternoon. He will be checking to make sure your brain is functioning properly and will ask you a bunch of questions. Other than that, we just want you to rest. The swelling has gone down quite a bit on your face and things are looking good. You did have a few stitches along your hairline but that shouldn’t be noticeable after a few weeks.”
I am listening to all of this, but it’s like he is talking about someone else. It doesn’t really matter what my injuries are. The most important thing he said is that I only have four or five more days to figure out a plan that does not include going home with my father. I’m eighteen – technically, I could sign myself out of here and go wherever I please, but it’s not that simple. I have no money, no car, no friends, and nowhere to go. Hank knows almost everyone in town and even though I’m sure many of them suspect what he’s been up to they would never say so. It isn’t worth accusing a man like Hank. Nothing would ever stick and he’d just have another reason to come after me. He would never just let me leave. Having a daughter in college is respectable; being the father of a teenage runaway is not. My fear has never been leaving. It has always been what would happen if he found me.
Nurse Claire has returned with the ice chips, but Doctor Stevens tells her he’s putting me on a clear liquid diet, so she fills the water pitcher from my bedside table and brings me a drink. She brings the head of my bed up and the motion is painful but bearable. I reach for the cup and spill a little with my shaking hand as I bring the straw to my lips. The cold liquid feels like Heaven as I take a few small sips and try to ignore my father’s glare. Hank has been watching all of this with narrowed eyes, and I’m sure he hates every second of it. He always
“As soon as the doctor checks you out I can bring some water and maybe some clear broth. For now I can manage a couple of ice chips for you. I’ll go get them. Doctor Stevens should be by in the next few minutes. I know there are some police officers who have been waiting to talk to you, so I’ll let them know you’re awake.”
“I’ve already called the Chief,” Hank tells her. “He’s going to come by personally and talk to Brielle. We all want to find out who did this to my baby.”
“I’m sure you do, sir.” Claire stops on her way to the door and turns to me, “Don’t worry, honey. I’m sure they’ll find whoever hurt you and he’ll pay for what he did. Your daddy has some good friends.”
They won’t have to look very hard to find the man who hurt me. He’s right here. But he’ll never pay for any of it.
Claire is gone and I start to panic. I’m afraid to be alone with my father. I inch my fingers toward the call button, but the doctor comes in before I get very far. For the moment, I’m saved from any more threats.
“Brielle! I’m Doctor Stevens. I’m glad to see you’re awake. You have a few injuries that will take some time to heal but pretty soon you will be as good as new. You came in with a concussion, some severely bruised ribs, quite a few scrapes and bruises and a lot of swelling in your abdomen. We’ve done an ultrasound and it looks like you got lucky. There was no permanent damage to any of your internal organs. There was some bleeding in your stomach, but that has subsided. We’ve hooked you up to a machine that dispenses pain medication for you.” He hands me a button that connects to the IV stand near my bed. “Press this when you feel you need it. It’s set for the proper dose and it will only dispense after enough time has passed, so don’t worry that you’ll press it too often. I really don’t think you’ll have to be here more than four or five more days if you continue to improve. The neurologist will be coming in to talk to you sometime this afternoon. He will be checking to make sure your brain is functioning properly and will ask you a bunch of questions. Other than that, we just want you to rest. The swelling has gone down quite a bit on your face and things are looking good. You did have a few stitches along your hairline but that shouldn’t be noticeable after a few weeks.”
I am listening to all of this, but it’s like he is talking about someone else. It doesn’t really matter what my injuries are. The most important thing he said is that I only have four or five more days to figure out a plan that does not include going home with my father. I’m eighteen – technically, I could sign myself out of here and go wherever I please, but it’s not that simple. I have no money, no car, no friends, and nowhere to go. Hank knows almost everyone in town and even though I’m sure many of them suspect what he’s been up to they would never say so. It isn’t worth accusing a man like Hank. Nothing would ever stick and he’d just have another reason to come after me. He would never just let me leave. Having a daughter in college is respectable; being the father of a teenage runaway is not. My fear has never been leaving. It has always been what would happen if he found me.
Nurse Claire has returned with the ice chips, but Doctor Stevens tells her he’s putting me on a clear liquid diet, so she fills the water pitcher from my bedside table and brings me a drink. She brings the head of my bed up and the motion is painful but bearable. I reach for the cup and spill a little with my shaking hand as I bring the straw to my lips. The cold liquid feels like Heaven as I take a few small sips and try to ignore my father’s glare. Hank has been watching all of this with narrowed eyes, and I’m sure he hates every second of it. He always
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