Blood (The Grimm Cases Book 3)
Page 28
“Oh…”
“In either case…” Bryce shrugged. “Whatever he is charged with specifically, Garrett Cole will go to prison.”
“What about…” My voice trailed off again. What I wanted to ask was what about me? Would I be questioned? Would the police want to talk to me?
“What about what?” Bryce studied me.
I bit my lip, looking away. If I brought this up, would I be incriminating myself? Did Bryce know what happened in that room?
But Bryce still seemed to know what I was thinking. “What about you, you mean?”
My surprised glance was all the confirmation he needed. “You should be questioned, considering you’re the only living victim. But outside of the police’s silence on the matter, there’s another reason you’re being left alone. A well-respected physician, ‘Dr. Reed,’ has come forward on your behalf, though why she’s using that name is beyond me. She claims that, as your psychologist, she can’t clear you to withstand the process. Between her, and pressure from both Damen and Julian, you’ll be left alone.”
The majority of Bryce’s words faded away as my thoughts latched on to one aspect.
Dr. Reed.
My skin felt tight and gross. I hadn’t seen her for months. How had she even found out about this? What if she knew I’d stopped my medication?
I was going to be sick. I sat up, clutching my sheets to my chest as my vision darted around the room. “Dr. Reed? She’s here?”
“You’re scared of her?” Bryce frowned at me, but then his attention was captured by something outside the window. He continued speaking regardless. “That’s surprising. She’s actually a reasonable and kind person. I was shocked to learn she knew who you were.”
“You know her?” My stare was fixed on Bryce now, so I didn’t miss the odd expression on his face as he continued to frown at the window.
“Quite,” he responded, not looking at me. “What in the world are they doing here?” he muttered, so quietly I almost missed it.
He was about to say something else, when the door slammed open. And, within a second, Bryce had been forgotten.
My mother rushed into the room, the sound of her heels loud in the space. She looked impeccable, and if it wasn’t for the spark of annoyance in her eyes, I’d have thought she was calm. After a tentative glance at me, my father trailed in behind her.
My heart thudded as I stared at the couple who had raised me.
I had hoped this day wouldn’t come, but all along I knew it was inevitable. She wouldn’t ignore the fact that I hadn’t answered her messages. I knew I would have to talk to her one day.
But I hadn’t expected to have this confrontation while lying in a hospital bed. Nor with Bryce Dubois as my only source of moral support.
“Mother…” I began.
“I don’t want to hear your voice right now,” she snapped, pacing at the foot of my bed. Since she’d entered the room, besides meeting my eyes for a brief second, she hadn’t even looked at me. “I cannot begin to describe how much trouble you’ve caused. Or to go over how disappointed I am right now. After everything we’ve done for you…”
I opened my mouth, but she continued, “I’ve been worried out of my mind. You’ve ignored me all week, and I had no way to get ahold of you. And the only update from Finn, days ago, I might add, was his concern that you might not be taking your medication properly.”
“I…” She was worried about me? I wasn’t certain how to respond to that. I had no idea she even cared. She’d always been so distant, even in the moments when she took care of me.
“But then my fears were validated! Dr. Reed called me this morning. She’s told me that you have stopped them!” She stopped pacing and pointed at me. “And what’s this nonsense about you getting involved with a haunting? You know my feelings about this. The reason you’re in this situation is because of your inability to stay out of trouble.”
“Wait a minute.” Bryce jumped to his feet, moving beside me. “Isn’t she your daughter? Are you even concerned that she’s in the hospital? Look at her—she’s completely covered in bandages. You haven’t even asked her how she feels. That ‘medication’ should be the least of your worries.”
My father had been standing, stern and immobile, in the background as my mother ranted. But at Bryce’s interruption, he put his hand on Mother’s shoulder. “Bianca, who is this? Where is Finn?”
I wanted to reply, but I couldn’t speak. It was impossible to miss my parents disappointed faces as they gazed between Bryce and myself.
“Who is this man?” Mother crossed her arms, studying him. “Bianca, don’t tell me you’re sleeping with him. I was worried about this… they said this might happen in severe cases. Is that why you haven’t been with Finn?”
If this were any other situation, I’d have thrown up from how awful the idea was. We were talking about Bryce. It was unthinkable.
But at the moment, the thought didn’t make me feel a thing. I’d moved past horror, into a state of unfeeling. My mother’s expression spoke volumes. It didn’t matter what I’d say, she already had made up her mind.
“We’ve raised you better than this,” she said. “It’s obvious you’re unstable, again. This is further proof of your lack of judgment. You’ve endangered others and have become a hazard to your own health. I’m sorry, but drastic measures must be taken until you’re back to normal. Don’t worry, we’ve arranged for a nice, quiet space for your recovery.”
I couldn’t move. This was one of my worst nightmares come to life.
It was happening again.
I didn’t want to go back to a world where people would medicate me and tell me I was crazy. Where I’d be poked and prodded until I admitted otherwise. Where I’d be helpless.
I couldn’t do it again. I couldn’t live a lie.
How could they do this? Bryce was here. He had the same abilities I did. The boys were like me. I wasn’t alone. I didn’t want to leave them.
I didn’t know the level of their involvement, but they had to know. Surely, they didn’t really believe I was sick. “N-n-no…”
“Don’t tell me no.” My mother snapped her fingers, and three men in white uniforms entered the room. Two of them carried a stretcher between them, and I couldn’t look away.
“This is for your own good,” she said, her voice a distant sound in my mind.
I couldn’t breathe from terror. Despite the pain it caused, I moved to the head of the bed, pressing myself against the headboard. My only covering was the hospital gown and the white bandages. The monitors and IVs had, once again, been pulled out by my movements. But the discomfort from that paled in comparison to what was coming.
“You don’t have the right to take her anywhere.” Bryce stepped in between me and one of the approaching techs. “She’s not consenting, and she’s over eighteen. You can’t force her to—”
“You best mind your business,” my father’s grumbling tones interrupted. “She may be over eighteen, but we have medical power of attorney. She’s not mentally capable of making her own decisions.”
“What is this nonsense?” Bryce hissed, waving his arm. “I haven’t heard the entirety, but I’m not stupid. I’ve been able to put enough together to figure this much out. Your bias appears to stem from a belief that Bianca is lying about her abilities. That is absurd. It’s been a long time, but I recognize you both. Neither of you are strangers to this world. I’m Bryce Dubois, the Wood Er Bashou. And I know who your daughter is. In that case, how can you claim she’s lying? I won’t allow this.”
There was a brief silence, and I glanced over my arms to see my parents watching Bryce in trepidation.
It was my mother who responded as she twisted her hands nervously. But her voice didn’t waver. “Bryce, I don’t know how you got involved. However, you don’t know the whole situation. Bianca is damaged, and she needs treatment.” From the tone of her voice, it sounded as if she was afraid of him. “Besides that. We are her guardians, and we c
are about what is best for her. You cannot claim jurisdiction over a completely legal family matter. We are still better equipped to make decisions regarding her health than you are.”
“We’ll see about that.” Bryce sounded furious. But under that, he sounded slightly desperate. He’d been outmaneuvered, and he knew it. He had no way to stop my parents.
Even so, he didn’t make it easy for them. He remained still, obviously in the way, and the largest aid had to physically pull Bryce out of the way before reaching me. In the meantime, I stared, stunned. My mind a haze of static and exhaustion.
It wasn’t until the heavy weight of a calloused hand closed around my arm that reality hit. My body reacted out of sheer instinct.
“No!” I jerked from the man’s grasp, toward the other side of the bed. But there was someone there already, waiting. Holding the familiar white garment they used to use to torture me.
“No,” I repeated. “There’s nothing wrong with me!”
But my words fell on deaf ears.
I struggled, of course, even knowing it’d be useless. But in situations like this, the only options were to fight or to give up. And I couldn’t give up. Not when I knew the truth. Not if it meant leaving the boys.
“Leave me alone!” My voice was hoarse as I pulled against their hands. My arms were trapped. I couldn’t escape. Wetness pressed against my skin, seeping through my bandages. The struggle had reopened some of my wounds.
“Don’t forget she’s hurt, you incompetent fools,” Bryce snapped from somewhere beside me. One of the men moved from me to confront him, or something he was doing, I assumed. Bryce’s angry tones continued. “That’s why she’s in the hospital.”
“This wouldn’t be an issue if she’d come without fighting,” a deep-voiced male replied. “We’ll reassess her injuries when we arrive on location. This is nothing life threatening. We do have authorization to take precautions for our staff’s safety as well.”
“She’s a tiny girl,” Bryce growled. “She’s not hurting you at all.”
I kicked at the man, both hating him and being unable to move past my fear. The movement made me lose my balance, and I missed. They took the opportunity to push me onto the bed, and I didn’t miss the low instructions that I be sedated for transport.
“No…” I had lost. My sight wavered as I searched for any friendly face. Ironically, my gaze fell to Bryce.
“I’ll take care of it.” Bryce’s eyes held mine before he threw a scorching look at my parents. The two of them stood watching with steeled expressions. Seeing that they weren’t going to reply, his attention returned to me. “Just hold on.”
But he didn’t understand what he was asking. I couldn’t go back there again.
“No…” My vision blurred. It was hard to see, think, or even feel anymore. I was being carried, laid on a familiar cloth stretcher, and restrained. Why the restraints, I didn’t know. I couldn’t move anymore anyway. But the bindings made my helpless situation even worse.
There was an angry shout—Brayden somewhere nearby. But nothing changed. The world moved under me. A moment later, walls and ceilings became overcast sky. I wasn’t sure if the wetness on my face was from rain, or my own tears.
I couldn’t do this.
Once the gurney was secure, and the telltale rocking of the van lulled me, I was already gone.
To Be Continued:
Book Four: Hidden
The Author
Lyla Oweds is a paranormal romance author who resides in the beautiful Pocono Mountains, Pennsylvania. She grew up near Gettysburg, Pennsylvania and is a native of Baltimore, Maryland, and has a deep appreciation for the paranormal, hauntings, and Edgar Allan Poe. As such, she loves all things fantasy, mystery, crime, and horror.
She is the author of the Paranormal Reverse Harem series, The Grimm Cases and related novellas. She is also in the process of publishing Gloria Protean’s story, The Red Trilogy. You can find out more about her current and upcoming works at her website, http://lylaoweds.com.
When not reading, writing, or working as a web programmer, Lyla can be found doing adult-y things such as being a single mom to a toddler and a bird. She also frequently enjoys makeup videos, massages, wine, and coffee.
Table of Contents
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Nineteen
Chapter Twenty
Chapter Twenty-One
Chapter Twenty-Two
Chapter Twenty-Three
Chapter Twenty-Four
Chapter Twenty-Five
Chapter Twenty-Six
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Chapter Thirty
Chapter Thirty-One
Chapter Thirty-Two
Chapter Thirty-Three
The Author