by Brenda Ford
“You need to go to the hospital too,” the police officer reminds me kindly. “There is a car for you as well.”
“I just need to contact everyone first. I need them all to know. My friend. Brad’s family…”
“I would advise you to do that when you get there. Take care of yourself first.”
“But you don’t understand. Brad has a lot of brothers. They will be worried…”
“Then do it on your way. You really need to get checked out. I think you’re more hurt than you think.”
His words do the trick. They worry me enough for me to follow his command. I suppose I am in shock and focusing more on Brad which could mean that I’m not feeling the agony that is definitely there.
“Okay, fine.” I nod. “I will do it on the way.”
I set up a group message to all of Brad’s brothers, so I can contact them all at once. It will make my phone blow up for sure as they all freak out at once, but it’s all I can do. I hate having to share this news with people who have already lost their parents and could risk losing their parental figure, but I’m sure that Brad will make them proud by pulling through. He has to. I don’t know what I will do otherwise.
Tami: I just wanted to let you all know that Brad has been taken to the hospital. He is okay but he has been stabbed by an ex of his. Maria. I’m sure that name means more to you than me. She came after me and he wanted to protect me. He was conscious when they took him a moment ago but I’m sure you want to see him.
Wesley: What the fuck? That’s who it was all this time? Shit, she’s crazy. I’m on the way.
Angelo: I hope you are okay too. I’m on the way as well. See you there.
Alex: Shit, I am supposed to have a show tonight. I will sort out cancelling. See you soon.
Nelson: Oh my God, I tried to warn him about her. I will be there soon.
Oliver: That’s terrible. I am going to join you all there. What happened to Maria?
The smile that was sitting firmly on my lips as I watched Brad’s brothers rally around him, glad that at least he has an incredible family, fades away. I don’t want to think about what happened to Maria. That’s something I would rather push to the back of my mind, but they deserve to know. After all, she could even think about going after them, couldn’t she? If she wants to target someone that Brad cares about… well, his brothers are perfect. The fact that she managed to take Brad down so he couldn’t stop her shows how bad she is.
Tami: She got away. She ran when the police turned up. They are looking for her though.
Nelson: Bitch! Can’t even face up to what she has done.
Wesley: I will see if I can see any online presence of her.
Alex: Fuck. We should all keep a look out. There’s no telling where she will turn up.
Oliver: That’s bad. Who knows what she will do next?
Angelo: You be careful too, Tami. I will come and check on you at the hospital.
That’s good. I will be able to talk to Angelo about the mean girls who were involved in this to see what he thinks I should do about it. They need to hold some responsibility for this as well. Angelo will help me while Brad is out of action, I just know it. It’s nice to have him care about me. It almost makes me feel like I am part of the family as well. Which maybe, one day if our relationship keeps going forward, I will be.
But for now, I have someone else that I need to message. Someone to thank.
Tami: Thank you for contacting the police. They broke the whole mess up.
Seconds later, Ruby calls me. I should have guessed that messaging wouldn’t be enough for her.
“Oh my God,” she gasps the moment I pick up. “What happened? You didn’t give me any details.”
“I know,” I groan regretfully. “I didn’t really have the time, but thanks for helping anyway.”
“Of course! I wanted to come myself, but I was a bit freaked out. I didn’t know what you were doing.”
“It was Brad’s ex. The person who has been messaging me. She came to my home. I thought that it was you, so I accidently let her in. Anyway, she went all crazy at me. Brad too when he came in. He got stabbed and she hit me around the head a few times. It was nuts. I don’t know what she would have done if you hadn’t helped.”
“Oh my God, that’s even worse than I thought it was going to be! I don’t even know what to say. I just hope she’s all locked up now for scaring you and hurting you like that.”
Uh oh, the idea of telling Ruby that she’s free is even scarier than telling the Smith brothers. She might really lose her mind…
Chapter Twenty-Six
Brad
Everything is white and far too bright. It’s almost inhuman. As a pain radiates through my body, I find it impossible to open my eyes, to figure out what the hell is going on. There must be something, I wouldn’t be in this unfamiliar place if not. I don’t even know how I can be so sure that it’s unfamiliar… I just am. I just know it. There’s also a strong sense that I am or have been in danger, and I don’t know why.
“Was that his eyes?” Was that Wesley? “I seriously hope he is waking up now. For real this time.”
I try to say Wesley’s name but only a groan comes out. It’s like my vocal chords haven’t been used for such a long time and because of that, they’re broken. Why would I have needed to be silent for ages?
“Oh my God, that was him. We need to get a nurse in here now.” Why is Oliver talking about nurses? “Don’t you remember? That doctor said we need to contact someone as soon as there is any sign of life.”
Life? What the fuck is… oh my God. All of a sudden, something hits me hard. Maria. She was there… it’s hard for me to remember why but I know that she’s around or she was for some reason.
“Go on then,” Alex snaps. “Go and get someone, Oliver. We don’t have time for this.”
“Alex, stop getting so angry.” As Angelo’s voice tries to soothe him, I can’t help but wonder if I must be dreaming. Me and my brothers are only in the same place at the same time for big events. There are just too many of us to make it happen regularly. “We all just need to be calm and collected. For Brad’s sake.”
“Urgh,” I moan again. “Nurgh.” There are so many things that I want to say, but it’s hard. “Eurgh.”
“Brad, it’s Nelson here. The only one of your brothers with his head screwed on apparently.” I want to laugh at his sarcasm. “So, while the rest of the other guys are arguing, why don’t you wake up for me? We can have a sensible chat about what the fuck happened because seriously… what a shit storm!”
Maria. I just know that this is linked to her somehow. Her appearance in my life can only be bad news. We had a short fling and then she wouldn’t let it go… but that was a while ago now. Things have been different since.
I try to open my eyes yet again, but the brightness of the light makes my head want to explode. It’s agony. If this isn’t just some nightmare then how the hell are my brothers acting like this light isn’t odd? Tears even stream down my face because the whiteness affects my eyes so much. It’s damn near impossible.
“Let me sit you up,” Nelson says quietly as noise bursts around us both. I think the rest of my brothers are still arguing like crazy. “That way, the light won’t be in your eyes so much. It must be killing you.”
My muscles ache as he pulls me up in to a sitting position, but I go with it because I do find it easier to open my eyes as I’m looking forwards. It’s still very white and bright though, not somewhere I would normally be.
“What’s going on?” I groan, the pain of the words stinging in my throat. “Where am I?”
“Don’t you remember anything?” Oliver demands. “Don’t you recall Maria attacking…?”
“Maria,” I gasp out. “Maria and Tami. She hurt Tami.” The memories come racing back at a million miles an hour. “She hurt Tami, didn’t she? Is Tami okay? Is she in the hospital? Am I?”
“You are.” Angelo nods and rests his hand on my shoulder. “
You were stabbed by Maria.”
“Stabbed? Am I…? Oh my God, am I bad?” I feel all panicked and sick. “Am I…?”
“You’re okay,” Angelo reassures me. “It wasn’t a bad wound. You aren’t badly hurt.”
I barely hear his words because I’m so desperately trying to work out what happened to Tami. While the memories have come rushing back, I don’t know it all. It’s all pretty hazy. A bit like this to be honest.
“It was worrying,” Nelson tells me. “We have all been here the whole time. But you’re okay.”
“Right, yes.” I nod frantically a few times. “But Tami, she’s okay too, right? She isn’t hurt.”
“You were far more hurt,” Wesley growls. “She’s fine. They didn’t even need to keep her in the hospital overnight. That’s why I want to know what the fuck happened, because it’s weird. With all the messages, it’s seemed like she was more being targeted then you. So, why are you the one here?”
“It’s always been me with Maria, hasn’t it?” I huff loudly. “Don’t you remember the last time around?”
“She wasn’t like this though. It didn’t end up with anyone getting hurt. She was just annoying.”
I shake my head. “We’re focusing on the wrong thing here. Where is Tami? I know you said that she got out of here but why hasn’t she come to see me? I don’t understand. Did it freak her out?”
Oh God. My blood runs ice cold. Has she been put off me? It was obviously a lot. She might not want to spend time with me again. Maria might get what she wants after all of this. Who the hell knows?
“She’s at the police station, as far as I know. Giving her statement.”
“What for? Didn’t they see what happened?” I snap angrily. “They were there, weren’t they? They just need to lock Maria up forever and throw away the damn key. She’s obviously unhinged and since she only seems to get worse, it’s pretty obvious what needs to happen as far as I am concerned.”
There’s a thick silence in the room which is filled with tension. I glance at each of my brothers in turn, trying to work out what is going on. Oliver has his eyes firmly fixed on the floor. Wesley is staring meaningfully at Angelo. Alex has his phone out as if he’s reading a very important email. Nelson is the only one meeting my eye, but that doesn’t make me feel any better. He’s clearly hiding something from me.
“What the fuck is going on?” I try to move out of the bed in temper, but an IV is attached to my arm and it pulls me back. “Oh, for God sake. This is ridiculous. Someone needs to tell me what’s happening here.” No one says anything and it winds me up. I hope my temper flickers through in my gaze because I want to let them know how much they have seriously pissed me off already. “Guys, what the fuck is happening? This is stressing me out already. Don’t you think that I have been through enough? If there’s something I need to know…”
“I don’t think that there is anything you need to know right now,” Angelo coos. “You just need to calm down and relax. In fact, I think that it’s time to get the nurse in here to take a look at you.”
“Don’t you dare,” I growl. “Don’t you even think about leaving without telling me anything.”
Angelo glances at the others who must nod and tell him that he needs to speak. Thank God because I’m about to break this heart monitor because I’m about to fucking explode. My pulse aches with need. The pain zapping through my body is hot and desperate. My brothers know something that I don’t and I hate it.
“Okay look, maybe it’s best for you to know that Maria is still out there.”
“What?” I shriek in shock. “Is this aa fucking joke? Are you kidding me? They didn’t catch her?”
“Do you not remember her running off as soon as the cops turned up?” I shake my head. My memories obviously don’t extend that far. “Well, she did and now they are hunting for her.”
“How has she managed to escape for so long? Why didn’t they get her right away?”
No one has an answer for me, which only makes this a million times worse. I squeeze my eyes tightly shut to see if there is something that I can remember to make this easier. The information has to be there inside my brain somewhere. I just need to search for it. I need to scratch through all the fuzziness and find the truth.
“Who is watching Tami?” I suddenly demand. “Why are you all here? If Maria is still out there and she is after Tami, then someone needs to be with her. She could get attacked again, couldn’t she?”
“She isn’t by herself,” Oliver insists. “Her terrifying friend is with her. Ruby?”
“Is that enough though? What if she comes at her again? With no one to protect either of them there is no telling what might happen. Maria could… well, who the hell knows? That bitch is crazy.”
“They are at the police station, Brad. Nothing will happen there. They are fine. Then they’ll be here.”
Hmm, he sounds confident, but I’m not convinced. I don’t think that Tami will come back here. This is heavy shit, much too heavy for me at thirty five years old. Never mind Tami, who is only twenty two. She’s too young to be going through all of this crap, to deal with this drama. This is probably the time that she needs to walk away from the situation. I hope that she doesn’t, but I can’t blame her if she does. If she wants a normal life.
“Can someone talk to her?” I beg. “Send a message or something? I just want to know that she’s alright.”
“I’m on it,” Angelo reassures me. “You don’t need to panic as much as you are, Brad. She’s fine. She’s tough.”
“I know that, but I have also been on the receiving end of Maria and I’m scared. I’m scared for everyone”.
I lean my head back on the pillow and allow my eyes to fall closed once more. As I do, words flood my mind: “I love you too, Brad. Even if it is nuts and far too soon. I do. I haven’t ever felt this way about anyone, and I know that I never will again. You are everything to me. My world. This time with you has been the best of my life. Even with all the drama. I wouldn’t give it up for anything.” I remember them so clearly, Tami telling me how she feels in the middle of everything. Both of us finally confessing our love to one another. It felt good at the time. A bit of happiness in the hell that lay in front of us… but it might not have been anything else but that. Words spoken in a stressful situation. Or she could have meant them, but it might not be enough.
“Go and get the nurse,” I growl out angrily. “I want someone to see me, to clear me to leave because I need to get out here right now before something else happens out of my control.”
“I don’t know if they’re going to let you go right away…” Wesley offers, but I glare at him. “Okay, okay, I’m going now.” He holds his hand up in a surrendering gesture. “I just don’t want you to get your hopes up.”
I let out a little growl which sends him away. My other brothers remain in a stilted silence around me as we wait, probably afraid to even step on the egg shells for fear of driving me mental, but that doesn’t feel like the most important thing right now. With so much up in the air and no chance of answers, I can’t calm down.
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Tami
“You did well, sweetie,” Ruby comforts me as I exit the police station with tears staining my cheeks. “You told them everything that they needed to know and more. You did good.”
“It isn’t enough though, is it?” I cry out. “Because she’s still out there. And it’s my fault as well. If I had just done something to stop her from getting out. But I didn’t. I couldn’t move quick enough which is stupid. It isn’t an excuse, is it? I should have just grabbed her ankle or something. I just… I thought that they would stop her.”
“Shh, shh,” Ruby does her best to reassure me. “You shouldn’t blame yourself. Not when you haven’t done anything wrong. You seem to forget that you were badly injured and terrified. Probably really tired as well. You hadn’t slept for a long time. You can’t blame yourself for anything that happened. You were just trying to su
rvive. You can’t feel any guilt for it. It isn’t right. No one else will blame you.”
Her words are nice, and I know what she’s trying to do, but it doesn’t make me feel any better. I just feel like utter shit. Even unloading everything that I can remember on the police and leaving them to sort it out doesn’t assist me. I’m utterly drained, emotionally exhausted by it all. I just want it to be over.
“Ruby, I just don’t know what to do now.” I lean against her, needing her support. “My head is all over the place. I was feeling all screwed up before, but now it’s a million times worse.”
“Of course it is. Why wouldn’t you feel that way? Ever since you and Brad started dating it’s been drama. And not just the normal sort of drama, but serious issues. Anyone would want to run away.”
“What would you do?” I ask her desperately. “I know it isn’t something that you can relate to because you’re in such a normal relationship, but if you were me then what would you do? Would you run?”
She shrugs. “I can’t give you any answers. I wish that I could just tell you what to do, but I can’t. It’s entirely up to you. All I know is that I haven’t ever seen you as happy as this before. He lights you up.”
I really think about this knowing that it’s true. He does. Especially when things are calm and normal between us. But if Maria is still out there, then are we ever going to have that chance? Can we ever just have that life that we keep dreaming of? Or is the world just trying to tell us that it won’t happen? That it will always be tumultuous.
Ruby moves me towards a bench, and we take a seat outside the police station. I’m glad for this because it means that I can take a little while longer to get my thoughts in order. Right now, I’m in an absolute state.
“He told me that he loves me, Ruby. Just before the ambulance turned up.”
“That doesn’t surprise me,” she replies. “And I’m sure that you feel the same way too.”
