by Hotcheri
Hesitating as I remembered one pivotal detail, I said, “Won’t Mr. Astor mind?”
Not that I would let Mr. Astor’s prejudices stop me from going to the hospital, but even Hope wouldn’t be able to do anything if he tried to keep me from seeing Luke. But he wouldn’t do that, would he? I hope not.
“He can’t even think straight. None of us can. And you’re Luke’s girlfriend; you have the right to be by his side.”
That was good enough for me. I slipped into a pair of sneakers, suddenly realizing that I was wasting valuable time. “I’ll be right there, Hope.”
“Thank you, Celsi. Please hurry.”
Hope hung up as I tied my laces, my hands shaking so much I had to stop and breathe for a second. Pull yourself together, Celsi. Luke needs you.
I zipped up my hoodie and walked out of my room, closing the door behind me. Just as my hand was on the front door knob, Nate spoke behind me, sending shivers down my spine. I totally forgot he was home!
“Where the hell you think you’re going?”
Quaking, I turned to face him. He was standing right in front of me, his muscular arms crossed over his chest and a sneer on his face.
“Nate. I- I thought you were out,” was all I could think of to say. He was sober, I could tell. His eyes weren’t red, but they were narrowed in my direction. I didn’t like the look in them at all and I took a tiny step back, hating him for making me so scared to be around him.
Glaring at me, Nate said, “And I guess that gives you the right to sneak out when you feel like it?” I swallowed nervously, spotting the evil glint in his eyes. Oh boy. “Answer my question. Where the hell are you going? To see that boy?”
Where was Aunt Kelly when I needed her?
Trying to sound calm and unafraid, I said, “Nate, I have to go to Mount Sinai hospital. Something-.”
“Oh, really?” Nate interrupted, sounding eerily understanding. “Why? Did the daycare you volunteer at tell you they need you to work overnight? Do you think I’m stupid, Celsi?”
I shook my head no rapidly, my eyes not leaving his face. “No, Nate. It’s not like that. My friend Luke, he’s in the ICU.” My voice broke. “He could- he could die, Nate. I need to go see him.”
“Wow, this kid’s really got you whipped, huh? You coming up with all these stupid stories, just so you can go ‘hang out’ with him.” Nate gave me a fake admiring look, his lips turned up in a smirk. “You know, I should just let you go. Let you become another statistic. Just another teen baby mama living in East Harlem. How would you like that?”
Wringing my hands unconsciously, I whispered, “I’m not lying, Nate. Please, just let me go to him.”
“Get back to your room,” Nate snapped, his eyes turning hard. “I’m done playing.”
My heart thumped in my chest as I shook my head, fumbling for the door knob. “I can’t. I have to go.”
“What?” Nate sounded more incredulous than angry as I finally managed to open the door, stepping out into the empty hallway. “Girl, you better get your ass back into this apartment right now. I told you I’m done playing.”
As he spoke, he reached out and grabbed my arm, dragging me back into the apartment. Adrenaline pumped through my body along with rage. Rage that he had the nerve to keep me from getting to Luke when that was where I needed to be. Rage that his fingers were digging into my flesh as he painfully squeezed my arm. Rage that he felt that he was the boss of me and could stop me from doing and going where I damn well pleased. I had a dad now, a dad who wanted to be in my life. He had never laid a hand on me. Why was I letting Nate abuse me?
“Let go of me,” I hissed, anger churning up my blood. For the first time in a long time, I allowed myself to get visibly enraged at Nate. He just laughed at me, throwing me against the wall and slamming the door shut.
“Or what?” he asked, a taunting smile on his face.
It was all too much for me. What part of ‘I need to get to Luke’ don’t you understand? With an infuriated yowl, I rushed at a stunned Nate, who held his arms up in apparent defense. But I wasn’t going for his face. I kneed him in the groin, noting his grunt of pain with a twinge of satisfaction as he bent over, both hands cupped over his crotch. Reaching for the door knob, I opened the door again and took off running down the hallway, my heart in my mouth. Oh, Lord, what have I just done? The hallway had never seemed so long in my life and I tried not to look back as I ran. Please let Nate be in so much pain that he-.
“Oof!”
All the wind was knocked out of me as Nate tackled me out of nowhere. I did a fancy little twist in the air and ended up landing on my back, my bones jarred. My eyes wide with fear, I stared up at Nate, who was panting, his face a grimace of pain.
“You little bitch!” he spat, grasping a handful of my hoodie and hauling me back up to my feet. “What the hell? You kneed me in the groin!”
He shook me till my teeth rattled, shook me until I was dizzy and all I wanted was for him to stop. And all the while he was yelling at me, screaming obscenities with his eyes red with anger.
Then Nate let go of my hoodie and slapped me across the face, the force so hard it made me stumble a few steps back. I stared up at him, shivers running down my spine at the look in his eyes. He looked like a mad man. I stumbled, trying to run, but my foot caught on the threadbare carpet and down I went.
Nate threw himself on me as I tried to scramble to my feet, catching me by the neck and slamming me down again. My face hit the floor, a searing pain shooting through my cheek as Nate continued cussing me out. I squirmed, trying to get him off of me, but he held me down, pressing my face into the musty smelling carpet. Dust particles went up my nose, making me sneeze.
“Nate, please,” I blubbered, twisting in an attempt to shake him loose.
“I try telling you in plain English, you don’t want to listen. So I guess I’m just going to have to show you,” Nate told me, his emotionless, flat voice scaring me. I’d never heard him sound like that before and I went cold.
He rose over me, hitting any part of me he could reach with his fists. I raised my arms to my face, trying to block the attack, but he just pushed my arms aside and kept hitting me. Heavy blows landed on my face and I cried out, tasting blood.
There was a creak as a door in the hallway opened. Nate stopped hitting me, turning his sneering face towards the nosy neighbor who dared to intervene.
“What’s going on out here?” Mandy Childs stuck her head out of her door. Her eyes bulged with horror as she took in the scene in front of her. “Nate! What are you doing?”
Eyes pleading, I turned my face to her, feeling sticky liquid ooze down my face. “Please help,” I wailed.
Nate stood up and stepped towards her, his bloodied fists clenched. “What does it look like I’m doing? This is a family affair, Miss Childs. You got five seconds to get your nosy ass back into your apartment or I’m just gonna have to deal with you as well.”
With a high pitched scream, Mandy Childs ran back into her apartment, locking and bolting the door shut behind her.
Nate snorted. “Scared her off,” he muttered to himself, kicking me in the side with his steel toed boot. “Nobody’s gonna save you, slut. Not your little boyfriend, not anybody.”
He reached down and cuffed me in the face, rocking my head and making me see stars.
I rolled my body up into a little ball as he continued hitting and kicking me, waiting for him to get tired, waiting for the pain to stop. I wanted to die. Find your happy place.
I didn’t hear the stairs creaking as somebody came up onto our floor, but the strong, commanding voice I heard next was enough to jolt me out of the foggy state of mind I had been lulled into as Nate continued to rain blows on me.
“Nathan Grant, what are you doing?” an outraged voice exclaimed.
Groggily, I stared up as a tall figure passed right by me and pinned Nate to the wall effortlessly.
Pastor Weeks.
“Pastor, I- you- she- what di
d I do?” Nate babbled, looking down at his skinned knuckles then at me, his eyes suddenly widened and horrified. Was it all an act or had he just been taken over by so much rage that he hadn’t been himself? I don’t know. And I didn’t care, either. All I wanted was to get as far away from Nate as possible.
Ignoring him, Pastor Weeks knelt down beside me, slowly raising me up to a sitting position. My tears stung my cheeks, but I couldn’t stop crying. I started shaking as the delayed shock hit me and Pastor Weeks wrapped his jacket around my shoulders, taking care not to touch me with too much force.
“Celsi, my dear child,” he said softly, bringing out a spotless handkerchief and dabbing at my split lip.
I shook my head. No time for that. “I need to get to Mount Sinai hospital,” I blubbered, wincing with pain. My words sounded slurred. I hated myself for letting Nate do this to me. You’re weak, Celsi.
Hospital. Luke. Oh, God.
I tried to get to my feet, but Pastor Weeks put a hand on my shoulder. “Wait a second. Get your breath back.” He looked up at Nate, who had a very bewildered look on his face. “Son, I’ve seen many things in my life, but never have I seen an act of such uncalled for violence. Do you want to explain yourself?”
“I-,” Nate started, sounding defiant. His eyes met Pastor Weeks’ calm ones and he bowed his head, ashamed. “I don’t know what happened. It just came over me. I just wanted to- to hurt her.”
Disgusted, Pastor Weeks turned to me again. “I’ll take you to the hospital, but you need to press charges, Celsiana. He can’t get away with doing this to you again. Next time-.” He paused, cleared his throat and resumed. “Next time, you might not be as lucky.”
Did he think I didn’t know that? If Pastor Weeks hadn’t come along when he had, I might have been seriously injured. I’m talking broken bones, concussions- I was lucky.
“I know that. And I will press charges, Pastor, I promise. But I have to get to Mount Sinai. My friend- he’s in the ICU. Please, Pastor.”
The tears flowed freely and I couldn’t stop them. This was the most miserable day ever. Kevin, Luke and now this. I laid my head in the crook of my arm, sobbing in despair.
Patting my arm, Pastor Weeks stood up. “Okay, child. I’ll take you to the hospital. Come.”
His voice sounded weary, like he knew this was a bad idea but he was powerless to stop me. He practically lifted me to my feet. I surreptitiously leaned against him on wobbly legs, knowing that if I so much as stumbled, the offer to take me to the hospital would be voided. It’s all for Luke, it’s all for Luke. A vision of his face swam in front of my eyes, his shaggy mop of dark hair and gorgeous green eyes grinning at me. Suddenly I was seized by a sudden notion that things were getting worse for Luke. I had to get to him asap.
“Please, Pastor,” I pleaded, forcing the words out of my swelling lip. “I don’t think we have much time.”
Pastor Weeks glanced at me, then shot a subdued Nate a quelling look. “Nathan, I want you to go back into your apartment. If you flee the scene it will only make matters worse. I want to help you, but I can only help you if you do as I say.”
I’ve never seen Nate so docile and obedient. He looked at me, his face drawn and scared. “Celsi,” he rasped, stretching an arm out in my direction. I jerked back, terrified despite the fact that I knew he couldn’t hurt me with Pastor Weeks here. Nate dropped his arm, looking abashed. “I’m so sorry, Celsi. So, so sorry.”
His apology didn’t move me. I was all devoid of emotion for him. The only thing that kept me going was the thought of Luke. I needed to see him.
Pastor Weeks made me wait till Nate slowly trudged back into the apartment and closed the door before hustling me downstairs. I thought we were going to go straight out of the building but he made a detour to the first floor, where he knocked on a door on the landing. Still shaking, I drew his jacket closer around my shoulders, staring at the floor. The door opened and I recognized Officer Rodriguez, our very own jolly policeman. He was wearing a white vest and his police issue pants. I guessed that he’d just come off duty.
“Pastor Weeks! What a nice surprise,” he boomed cheerfully. “What can I do for- oh, my God.”
Pastor Weeks had taken a step back and Officer Rodriguez caught full view of my face. I guessed I was pretty messed up. Thank goodness we don’t have mirrors here.
“I don’t have much time to explain, Marcos. I need you to do me a favor. Nathan Grant is upstairs in their apartment. Please put him under arrest immediately. I’ll call Kelly and tell her what’s going on,” Pastor Weeks said succinctly.
Officer Rodriguez nodded, still gaping at me. “Nate did this to you?” he asked me, every trace of good humor gone from his voice.
I nodded, brushing away a tear. My hand came away bloody and I swallowed back bile.
“I’ll go up and get the bastard- pardon my language, Pastor,” Officer Rodriguez said, unclipping his taser from his belt and joining us in the hall.
“Thank you, Marcos,” Pastor Weeks said as I looked at the two men with gratitude filling my heart. Officer Rodriguez apparently saw the emotion on my face, because he enfolded me in a bear hug.
“You’ll be alright, Celsi. You’re a strong girl. You’ll be just fine.”
I hoped he was right, because right now, I didn’t feel strong at all. I felt frail, unsteady and worthless.
***
The drive to the hospital was undertaken in almost complete silence. All Pastor Weeks asked me was how often Nate hit me. When I told him the honest truth, he sighed, sounding exasperated, but not with me. With himself. “I knew something was going on, but I just blinded myself to the facts.”
The receptionist on duty stared at us as we walked in. I was pretty sure she was about to say ‘emergency room is that-a-way’ but luckily Hope was standing in the lobby, her face as white as a sheet. I pointed Pastor Weeks in her direction, suddenly ashamed of what hope would say when she saw me. Your ‘I fell down the stairs’ lie won’t work this time.
“Mrs. Astor?” Pastor Weeks said, coming up to her.
Hope appeared shaken out of a daydream as she turned to him. “Yes?” she asked, her voice sounding distracted.
“Apparently my charge desperately needs to visit your son. Since it was so important to her that she had to go through a beating to get here, I must ask you to get her medical attention as soon as possible.”
Pastor Weeks sounded irritated and I knew why. He was concerned about me and wanted to get me checked out by a doctor. But Luke was more important than the pain that was flaring through my body.
Hope’s eyes widened in shock and horror as she stared at me. “Celsi? Wha- what happened?” she asked, aghast.
I wiped my eyes. “I’m okay,” I lied. “How is he?”
“Do you mind if I talk to you in private for a second, ma’am?” Pastor Weeks asked Hope politely, drawing her aside. Hope went willingly, but her eyes were still on me throughout their hurried conversation. I only caught several words- ‘doctor, cousin, police, aunt’ as I stood in the middle of the floor, feeling self-conscious as people walking through the lobby gazed at the poor broken girl who was bleeding on the floor.
Their little talk over, Pastor Weeks and Hope came back to me. Hope draped an arm around my shoulder, drawing me closer to her.
“I’ll call your aunt Kelly and tell her what happened. If you need me for anything, just call me. I’ve given Mrs. Astor my phone number.”
I nodded, reaching my arms out to hug the man who had saved my life.
“Thank you, Pastor. I’m so grateful,” I whispered against his chest, tears leaking onto his shirt.
Hope took me up to the ICU in the elevator, still hugging me close.
“He’s been induced into a coma,” she said in response to my questioning look. “His blood pressure was too high so they’re monitoring it. Dr. Khan says he might be able to operate very soon. Don’t worry. It’s gonna be okay. Luke’s strong. He is.”
She spoke like she
was trying to reassure herself.
“I know he’s strong. He’ll make it through,” I said, trying to keep my voice steady. What did my aneurysm research say? ‘It’s important to operate as soon as possible’. How long had it been since Hope had called me? 30 minutes, an hour? Don’t be so negative, Celsi. He’ll be just fine.
The ICU was silent. “Lucas took Faith home as soon as she fell asleep,” Hope explained, ushering me along the empty hallway. “She went into hysterics, poor thing. She’s so close to her big brother...” She dabbed her eyes with a hanky, opening a door to one of those private rooms I had once dreamed about entering. “I have someone I want you to meet, though. She might be able to help get you cleaned up as well.”
There was only one person in the big, sterile room, a lady with long, dark hair, bent over a suitcase. I stood there awkwardly, wondering who she was and feeling embarrassed for meeting anybody looking like this. At the sound of Hope’s voice, the lady turned around. I couldn’t stop my mouth from falling open in surprise. She’s got Luke’s eyes! Before I could wrap my mind around the fact that Luke’s mom, the woman he hadn’t seen since he was five, was in the same room as me, she had taken several steps towards me, her hand at her mouth.
“Oh, my God,” she exclaimed softly, her eyes scanning my face. You’re not the first person to use those words to remind me that I probably look like road kill. “What happened to you, dear?”
“Her cousin beat the hell out of her,” Hope said fiercely. “Please, Vanessa, can you get her cleaned up?”
Vanessa Wright (I was sure that’s who she was, no mistaking the British accent) nodded briskly, whipping a pair of latex gloves on. “Of course. Sit on the bed, dear. Relax.”
She ushered me to the bed and I sat, suddenly realizing how sore I was.
“I’ll be right back,” Hope said diplomatically, excusing herself.
