214
Esmerelda smiled and moved a cart forward, pulling some tape from it. “They’ve got all the help they need right now, sweetie. I’ll get someone in here to stitch this cut up.” The young nurse was cleaning the cut on her cheek, Mike watching intently. He felt a surge of pain well up inside of him when he realized that she’d have a scar there now. Her pretty face forever changed now, because of one asshole. His anger surged again, but he pushed it back down. It would do no good to anyone to blow his top here.
Mike turned as he heard the security door open again and a familiar voice echo through the hall.
“I’ll ask a nurse,” Emma said.
He pulled the curtain aside and peered out. “She’s in here,” he said.
Emma, Sarah, and Beth hurried forward and peered in. Sarah began to cry, tears of joy as she saw her little sister. Smiles were abound, however, and Mike stepped out for a second while his other three sisters each gave Danni a hug and began to worry over her.
“I knew she’d be okay, bro,” the voice said.
‘Yeah right,’ he thought.
Turning, he reentered the small room. Esmerelda stood to leave, saying she was going to see if there was someone available to stitch up the cut on her cheek. She smiled and disappeared.
Mike moved around his sisters and sat next to Danni. They were asking her the same questions Mike had. What happened? Do you need anything?
Danni answered as best as she could, leaving out the part about who it was that had done this. Thirty minutes passed while she answered her sisters’ questions.This is the property of Nô-velDrama.Org.
“Who hit you? Are they okay?” Beth prodded finally.
Danni got quiet then and sighed, looking at Mike.
He nodded.
After a long silence he lifted his head and looked at his sisters. “It was Dwayne.”
Beth shook her head, not knowing who he was referring to.
“Red, the guy that shot my truck tires out, that I knocked out at the frat house, that tried to rape Danni, that Emma punched.”
“Fuck,” said the voice, realizing something Mike apparently didn’t.
Sarah turned and looked directly at him. “Mike…”
He turned and looked at her.
“You said you couldn’t remember anything about the past year.”
He felt a wave of heat sear his face and a single thought passed through his mind: ‘Fuck.’
He stood, holding his hands out. “Sarah…” he started.
“Your memory is back?”
“Sarah,” he started again. “Let me explain.”
“Your fucking memory is back?”
Mike fell quiet.
“Please don’t be upset,” Danni whispered. “Mike just wanted some time alone with us-”
“Don’t.” Anger crossed Sarah’s face then and she turned and pointed a finger at Danni. “Don’t you fucking dare.”
Turning, she looked back at her brother, her gaze ice-cold. “How long?”
Mike sighed and shook his head. “Sarah,” he started.
Her face didn’t change a bit. “Answer me, Michael.”
He sighed and lowered his head. A long moment of silence passed. “Just let me explain!”
“HOW. LONG.”
He was quiet for a few seconds before answering. “Since the night I went out with Emily.”
Anger, mixed with pain, boiled to the surface, showing clearly on Sarah’s face.
Emma and Beth wisely took a step back.
Danni wouldn’t be cowed, however, and tried to stick up for Mike again. “He just…”
Sarah stopped her cold with a glance.
A long, uncomfortable silence followed.
“Do you have any idea how much I’ve been worried about you? Do you know how inconsiderate and mean keeping something like this from me is? How fucking dare you!”
A tear rolled down her cheek.
Mike’s heart sank.
“Sarah, please!”
He turned to look at Danni for support, again.
Sarah moved forwards in one swift motion, bringing her hand up quickly and harshly connecting with Mike’s cheek.
A loud smack filled the room, Mike’s head slinging to one side and his vision blurring for a few seconds before clearing. His cheek stung like it was on fire.
Sarah turned, then, and flung the curtain open, pushing past her two stunned sisters.
Mike clutched at his cheek for a minute, then dropped his hand. “I deserved that,” he said.
An awkward silence filled the room again. Mike stood then. “I’m gonna go to the bathroom,” he said, moving to leave the room.
“Ouch, man,” the voice said. “She just slapped the fuck outta you.”
‘Thanks, Captain Obvious,’ Mike thought.
Mike walked down a hallway toward the bathroom. ‘I really don’t need this right now,’ he thought. He pissed, zipped himself up and moved to wash his hands. He turned and looked at this cheek in the mirror, wincing as he saw the redness. And there it was, plain to see, right there on his face: a white outline in the shape of a hand.
He turned and exited, slowly finding his way to the waiting room. Sarah was standing near the entrance, talking to a police officer. Mike hurried over and caught the tail end of what the cop was saying.
“… but he died at the scene.”
Mike came up to stand beside his sister, who ignored him.
“What happened?” Mike asked.