Drake: I’m glad. We’re about to stop for some food so I’ll talk to you later.
Me: Ok, love you.
Drake: Love you too.
I set my phone back down and smiled at my own joke. I glanced up to see Jordan and Kadi watching me closely. “What?”
“Was he mad?” Kadi asked.
“Nope. He didn’t appreciate them, but Jade certainly did.”
Jordan gave me a smug smile. “Who wouldn’t? I mean look at me. My abs have abs.”
Kadi and I started giggling like idiots. “I still don’t think that’s enough to make Drake bat for the other team. Sorry about your luck,” I wheezed out between giggles.
“Whatever,” Jordan mumbled, “I need to run inside and make a quick call to my coach, will you be ok here by yourself for a couple minutes? You’re mom still isn’t home.”
I waved him away. “I’ll be fine, go do what you need to do.”
He walked to the patio doors and slid them open. “I’ll only be gone a few minutes.”
I rolled my eyes as he closed them behind him. “He worries too much. I think I can survive sitting by the pool for five minutes.”
“He just worries about you,” Kadi said as she stood, “I need to head home, so I’ll see you later.”
“Ok, later.” I waved goodbye as she grabbed her clothes and left.
I decided to go for a quick swim while I had some alone time. It was nice to have Jordan around, but I wasn’t much of a people person and I enjoyed being by myself more often than not. I climbed the ladder to the diving board and did a cool little spin dive into the water. I surfaced and started leisurely swimming back and forth from one side of the pool to the other. I felt the muscles in my arms and legs start burning as I killed some of the nervous pent up energy inside of me.
I did a few more laps until my arms felt too heavy to move. Deciding I had pushed myself enough, I swam to the steps and stepped out of the pool. The swim had the intended effect; I was worn out, but my mind was calmer.
I walked over to grab my phone, but before I reached it, I felt a pair of hands circle my neck. I shrieked as I was thrown to the ground and someone kicked me in the ribs. I groaned as I tried to roll over, pain slicing through my ribs.
My mother was standing above me with a look of pure rage on her face. “You little bitch, you’re going to pay.”
Before I could utter a word, she kicked me in the ribs again and bent down to grab me by my hair. I tried to free myself, but she must have been on something because my strength was nothing compared to hers. She lifted my head and slammed it down onto the ground in front of me repeatedly. I felt blood running from my nose and I could taste it in my mouth. The taste alone made me gag.
She pulled me to the edge of the pool and held my head an inch from the surface of the water. “Maybe next time you’ll think about crossing me. If there is a next time.”
With that, she pushed my head under the water. I struggled to free myself as she held me there. I don’t know how long she kept me like that, but I knew it was longer than I could hold my breath. Without thinking, I opened my mouth to take a breath and the water flooded my mouth. My lungs instantly started to burn as it filled them.
I felt myself losing consciousness when suddenly I was free. Strong hands grabbed me and pulled me from the water. I rolled onto my stomach and started coughing, trying to get all of the water out of my lungs. I felt it leaving my mouth and nose in streams and I panicked because I still couldn’t breathe.
“Jesus Christ, breathe Chloe! Breathe!” Jordan shouted as he hit me on the back.
I laid my head on the ground when I was finally able to take a breath. My lungs and throat felt like they were on fire.
“Jordan,” I croaked, “Mom.”
“Shhh, you’re safe. She ran when I pulled her off of you,” he said as he gathered me into his arms and cradled me there. The movement caused pain to shoot through my ribs and I cried out.
“What is it Chloe?” He asked, sounding frantic.
“My ribs.”
“Holy shit!” He shouted as he finally took a good look at me. I knew I had to look a mess from the beating she had given me. “You’re face is fucking bleeding from everywhere! We need to get you help!”
He started shouting at the top of his lungs, trying to get someone to hear him and get help. Within a few seconds, Allison came running out of the house with Danny right behind her.
“Oh my God!” Allison shrieked as she saw me.
“What happened?” Danny demanded.
“I left her alone for a couple of minutes because I thought her mom wasn’t home. Call 911, it looks like she’s going to need an ambulance as well as the cops.”
Allison was gone in a flash as Danny leaned down in front us to inspect me closer. “Where does it hurt Chloe?”
Sobs were overtaking my body, causing my ribs to hurt worse and I couldn’t bring myself to speak through the pain.
“She cried out and said her ribs hurt when I picked her up. It looks like the bitch kicked the shit out of her before she tried to drown her.”
I felt cool fingers gently press against my ribs and I cried out again.
“I’m going to bet they’re broke, or at least cracked. Jesus.” Danny growled.
“This is all my fucking fault!” Jordan shouted, “I shouldn’t have left her alone.”
“Don’t beat yourself up, you said you left for just a couple of minutes. Even with the way Andrea reacted earlier, I never thought she would do something like this,” Danny said quietly.
“How can I not beat myself up? Look at her! If I had been there this wouldn’t have happened. She nearly killed her, all because I needed to make a fucking call!”
“Not your fault,” I wheezed.
“Don’t try to talk Chloe Bear, just stay still.”
I heard the patio door slide open and then footsteps approaching. I tensed, afraid my mother was coming after me again.
“I called 911, they said not to move her until they get here in case her back is injured,” Allison said as she approached.
Danny and Allison sat with us as Jordan continued to hold me until we heard sirens in the distance. I felt myself drifting in and out of consciousness as the pain increased. My eyes flew open when someone started to pull me from Jordan’s grasp.
“No!” I managed to get out as I clung to him for dear life.
“It’s alright, my name is Aaron and I’m a paramedic. I’m not going to hurt you, but I need to take a closer look at your injuries.”
I looked up to see a middle aged man crouching in front of us. He gave me a small smile as his eyes went down my body, searching for injuries.
“It’s alright Chloe, you need to let him check you over.” Jordan said as he looked down at me.
I was lifted from Jordan’s arms and placed on a stretcher next to him. My body screamed in protest at the pain as everything went black.
Chapter Eleven
Chloe
I awoke to an annoying beeping sound. I tried to open my eyes to see where it was coming from, but failed miserably; it felt like they had been glued shut. I laid there and listened to the never-ending beeps for several minutes before trying to open my eyes again. I made a little more progress this time as I managed to open them enough to see my surroundings. I was in a plain white room with bright lights beating down on me. The light hurt my eyes and I blinked several times, trying to adjust to the brightness of the room.
After my eyes adjusted, I glanced around the room and realized I was in a hospital bed. The annoying beeping sound was coming from some kind of machine sitting next to me. I looked around, confused, as I tried to figure out why I was here. I shifted slightly and a searing pain shot through my ribs. I sucked in a deep breath at both the pain and the memories that started flooding my mind. My mother. She had beat me, apparently bad enough that I was in a hospital room.
Tears stung my eyes as I remembered every blow she had given me. I knew she hated m
e, but to do this? If there is a next time. She hadn’t just meant to hurt me; she had tried to drown me. In all the years of abuse I had suffered at her hands, I had never feared for my life the way I had by the pool.
I caught movement from the corner of my eye and turned my head. Jordan was sitting in a chair by the window, sound asleep. He looked as bad as I felt; even in sleep his face was drawn tight with worry and his normally clean-shaven face had scruff covering it.
Danny entered the room with a steaming cup in each hand. He smiled at me when he noticed me watching him.
“I see that you’re finally awake.”
I nodded, not trusting my voice at the moment.
“You scared us when you blacked out. We thought she did damage internally,” he said as my eyes widened, “Don’t worry, they checked you over when the paramedics brought you in. You’ve got a couple cracked ribs and you’re beat up, but that’s it.”
“How long have I been here?” I croaked out. My throat felt raw, but at least I could speak.
“Almost twenty-four hours. Jordan hasn’t left your side since they put you in this room. I had to get him something to eat because he wouldn’t even leave for that. He’s been beating himself up, thinking he’s responsible.”
I shook my head. “He’s not.”
“I know, but he thinks you’re going to hate him. I’m surprised he even went to sleep, guess he couldn’t handle it any longer,” he sat both cups on the table next to Jordan, “I need to go get one of the nurses, I’m sure they’ll want to know you’re awake.”
“Wait! Where’s Drake?” I called out as he turned to leave.
“I didn’t call him. I wasn’t sure how much you wanted to tell him and I wanted to wait until you were awake so he wouldn’t freak out.”
“Thank you.”
He nodded as he left the room. A few minutes later he returned with a nurse following him.
“Good to see that you’re awake Chloe! My name is Audrey and I’m your nurse tonight. How are you feeling?” She asked loudly.
At the sound of her voice, Jordan jerked awake in his seat. His eyes instantly found mine and he jumped out of his chair and ran over to me. “You’re awake! Oh thank God, I’ve been freaking out! Are you ok?”
“I’m fine,” I said to both him and the nurse.
Neither looked convinced as Audrey pushed Jordan out of the way and started checking me over. She prodded my ribs and I stifled a scream at the pain it caused.
“Tender?”
Well no shit. “A little.”
“Let me get the doctor and he can talk to you about everything. I need to contact the police and let them know you’re awake as well. I’m sure they’ll want your statement.”
I turned to Jordan and Danny as she left the room. “The police?”
“Yeah, they showed up right before the paramedics. Your mom was gone by then of course but they’ve been searching for her. Jordan and I both gave statements, but I missed all of it and he only caught the end so you’ll need to fill in the rest.”
Even though I knew I shouldn’t, I felt guilty about the police being involved. “Do I have to file charges against her?”
I nearly flinched at the rage that crossed Jordan’s face. “I’m going to pretend you didn’t just ask us that Chloe. She nearly killed you!”
“I know, I just feel guilty. She’s still my mom.”
“Chloe, think about this. She obviously isn’t worried about herself, so you shouldn’t worry about her. Even if you refuse, I’m still filing charges on her; it happened on my property,” Danny said.
I looked down at my hands and saw the tattoo on my wrist that I had gotten with Drake. Now more than ever, it seemed like the perfect choice.
“You’re right; she deserves to be locked up for this. I won’t let her hurt me again.”
Jordan nodded, looking satisfied. “That’s my girl.”
A couple of minutes later, a doctor and two police officers entered my room. The doctor glanced down at the chart in his hand before smiling at me.
“Evening Miss Richards, I’m Dr. Browing. How are you feeling?”
“I’m alright, just a little sore.”
He nodded. “Yes, I bet. You took quite the beating, but the good news is that there isn’t any permanent damage. We’ve tended to the cuts on your face and taped your ribs. I want you to stay one more night just for observation, but if everything stays the same you will be released tomorrow morning.”
I smiled. “That sounds great, thank you.”
“Not a problem, I’m going to prescribe you something for the pain to help with your ribs and overall soreness. If you need more, just contact me and I can write another prescription for you.”
He waved as he left and the two officers stepped forward. Neither one of them looked happy as they stared down at my bruised and battered body.
The younger of the two stepped forward and shook my hand. “Hello Chloe, I’m Officer Daniels and this is Officer Bradley. If you’re feeling up to it, we have a couple of questions for you about last night.”
“Sure, go ahead.” I answered.
He pulled out a small notebook and flipped it open. “Alright, we have the end of the story, but can you tell us what happened from the beginning?”
I nodded. “Sure, I decided to go for a swim. When I got out I started to walk over to get my phone, but my mother came up behind me and grabbed me around my neck. She threw me to the ground and started kicking me, and then she grabbed my hair and started hitting my head against the concrete.”
I looked at Jordan as I spoke and I saw him tensing up more and more with every word I said. I immediately felt guilty for telling the officers all of this with him in the room.
The officer noticed me watching Jordan. “Would you rather we did this without anyone in the room?”
I nodded and Jordan shook his head. “No Chloe, I want to hear it too.”
The officer raised an eyebrow, but said nothing.
“I don’t want to upset you Jordan.”
“I’m already upset, nothing you say will make it worse.”
I sighed before turning my attention back to the officer. “It’s fine. Where was I? Oh yeah, after that she pulled me over to the pool and held my face right above the water. She said something like,“Maybe next time you’ll think about crossing me, if there is a next time.” and then she shoved me under the water.”
My throat closed off as I thought about how much venom she had put into those words.
“And then what happened?” The officer asked.
“I don’t really know for sure. I think Jordan pulled her off of me and then pulled me out of the water. Danny and Allison came running out right after that and then Allison called you guys.”
He nodded as he continued to scribble in his notebook. “Got it, but just one question. What was she talking about when she said you had crossed her?”
Danny spoke up from the corner of the room. “My mother just passed away and left Chloe a substantial amount of money. My aunt thought she would also be getting some of that money as well, but she was sadly mistaken. She is severely addicted to drugs and my mother refused to leave her anything unless she sought treatment. Andrea has it in her head that Chloe is to blame for my mother’s decision, but that’s not the case. My aunt has abused Chloe for years.”
The officer looked at my sympathetically. “Is that true?”
A simple yes was all I could manage to get out.
“Alright then, we’ve got everything we need here. We are already searching for her, but so far she’s disappeared without a trace. As soon as we know something we’ll be in touch, but in the meantime if you can think of anything else just give me a call.” He handed me his card and I smiled.
“I will, thank you.”
After the officers left, Audrey brought in a tray with some soup and jello. “Here you go honey. If you need anything else, just push the call button and I’ll be right in.”
The soup felt
like nails as it slid down my tender throat, but I forced myself to finish it. I didn’t want to give them any reason to keep me here longer than necessary. Jordan helped by feeding it to me and I couldn’t help but giggle.
He cocked an eyebrow, “What?”
“Nothing, it’s just some big bad football player is spoon-feeding me soup. If this gets out, it’s going to ruin your macho football player reputation.”
He snorted. “Like I give a damn about my reputation. I’d quit football right now if it meant you weren’t lying in this hospital bed nearly beaten to death. It’s because of my football shit that you’re here anyway.”
“Don’t say that Jordan, she was after me and it would have happened eventually. You can’t blame yourself for another person’s actions.”
“It was my fault. Drake trusted me to take care of you and I let both of you down.”
I sighed as I gave up arguing with him. There was no changing his mind and I was too tired to fight about it anyway. Jordan could be just as stubborn as Drake when he wanted to be.
I forced Danny and Jordan to both go home for the night. I thought I was literally going to have to get up and push Jordan out the door, not that I would have been able to do much, even on a good day.
He finally gave in when I told him he looked like crap and was starting to smell funny. As they walked out the door, he told me that he would be back bright and early the next morning. I had no doubt that he’d stick to his word.
Once they finally left and the night nurse came in to check on me, I grabbed my phone off the cart beside me and unlocked it. Danny had been kind enough to bring it with him the night before and I appreciated his thoughtfulness.
My stomach dropped as I noticed several missed calls and texts from Drake. I read through all of his texts quickly, each one growing more and more concerned. The last one had been sent only an hour before.
Drake: Chloe I’m seriously freaking out over here. I can’t reach you, Danny, OR Jordan. If you don’t answer me soon I’m coming back to check on you!
Twisted (Torn Series) Page 11
