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“Willow’s my best friend. She can stay.” My eyelids threaten to fall. “I’m sorry, Dr…?”
“Dr. Lee,” she huffs. “As I was saying, you’re very lucky to be alive. That was quite the cocktail you took. Unfortunately, we were unable to save your baby.”
What the fuck did she say?
Willow and I whip our heads toward each other. My mouth drops open, but no sound escapes.
Willow recovers first. “Excuse me, did you say baby?”
“Mhm,” Dr. Lee confirms.
“She wasn’t pregnant.”
Dr. Lee clicks around on the computer. “Yes, she was about twelve weeks. However, she lost the baby.”
I killed my baby. I didn’t know… I didn’t fucking know. Another fucking ounce of control those assholes stole from me. I could’ve run, hid, disappeared. I don’t know what I would’ve done. Anything else but take those pills! Please let me wake up from this godforsaken nightmare.
“No. No. No!” I scream. “They told me I wasn’t pregnant. Dr. Sheppard did a test. She did a test!”
“Ms. Parks, you need to calm down, or I’m going to have to sedate you,” Dr. Lee warns.
My chest tightens, and my breaths are shallow. The air is thick in the room, and dots spin around in my vision. I jerk my hand free from Willow and claw at the IV. Blood squirts across the blanket as I toss the needle aside and swing my legs over the edge of the bed. Nausea threatens to drop me to my knees, but I run toward the door. Before I can escape, it swings open, and three nurses surround me. The first one reaches for my wrist, but I dodge her.
“Ms. Parks,” Dr. Lee says authoritatively. “Get back into bed.”
Willow runs to my side. “Aurora, please. We’ll figure this out, I promise. Get back in bed.”
My shoulders slump in defeat, and I crash to the floor. I curl up in the fetal position, sobs wracking my body.
“Don’t you fucking touch her,” Willow warns before multiple hands land on my body all at once.
Screaming like a banshee, I kick and claw while someone throws their weight on me.
“Aurora!” Willow bellows, but her voice isn’t close to me. “Her father will have your fucking license for this.”
A sharp prick in my thigh jolts my movements. Within seconds, my eyelids grow heavy, and I’m unable to stop the hands from groping me and placing me on the bed.
Nightmares plague me, and Dmitri’s smug face plays on repeat. No matter how fast or far I run, he always catches me.
Voices penetrate the air around me. “What the fuck did you do to my daughter?” My dad’s normally calm voice is raised.
“Sir, lower your voice, or you’ll be asked to leave,” Dr. Lee orders. “I can’t give you any information due to HIPAA laws.”
“Willow, what happened?”
I’m trapped in my body, unable to move or speak. My eyelids are heavy like lead still, I plead silently to Willow.Please don’t tell him I was pregnant.
“Aurora was a little distraught when she woke up,” Willow begins.
“Distraught?” Dr. Lee interrupts. “She ripped out her IV and pushed a nurse.”
“You’re a damn liar!” Willow shouts. “Aurora ripped out her IV, but she didn’t push anyone. She moved away from the nurse who tried tograbher, and then when I had her calmed down, she collapsed to the ground. The three of them seized her like she was a common criminal, and one jumped on top of her!”
“I’ll be transferring her care immediately,” Dad sneers. “Get me the CEO of the hospital right now.”
“Sir, you can’—”
“Dr. Lee,” Dad interrupts. “My name is General Parks. You will get Mr. Bradshaw on the phone immediately, or I will have this place crawling with reporters regarding the poor care my daughter received.”