Page 28 of Ignited In The Present (The Ties That Bind Us Book 2)

“Are you ready to go?” The soft dulcet tone of Rhys’s voice is like silk on my skin. Locked in this room for the past forty-eight hours, I’ve been teetering on the edge of insanity with nothing to do other than count cracks in the peeling paint and pretend the water stains in the ceiling are clouds. My short term memory is shot to shit and time passes without me realising. I don’t know if it’s the lingering effects of the heroin in my system or if it’s because Jenna has changed the drugs I’m on but everything has this weird distorted edge to it that makes me feel like I’m hallucinating.

I’m clawing at my own skin, desperate to escape the confines of my body. The need for another hit gnaws at me, a relentless craving that consumes my every thought. It’s as if the monsters in my head are spreading their sickness through my veins, and dragging what’s left of my mind into a darkness it can’t return from. The thought of sinking my blade into my skin, the initial bite of agonising pain that is quickly swallowed by euphoria as my body purges the poison in my veins. The weight that will be lifted off my chest so I can breathe. Finally breathe and feel fresh air inside my lungs. I need it so badly, agitation burns through me at the thought of drowning in air but without my fucking knife there is nothing I can do.

“I said, are you ready to go?” A warm hand lands on my neck. I can’t help that I flinch at an unsuspecting touch. “It’s okay, angel, it’s just me.”

A small smile lifts my lips as I lean back into his grounding touch. The buzzing under my skin calms when he’s closer. “Sorry,” I mumble, tucking my chin to my chest.

In an uncharacteristic move he slides his hand around my neck to cup my throat and uses his thumb to push my head back so I’m looking up at him, my head resting against his chest. My fingers slip under his hoodie teasing the sensitive skin above the elastic of his boxers. I smirk as I feel him shudder against me and bite back a small moan. “Hey, none of that. You’ve been through hell the last few days.”

I huff, dropping my hands immediately missing the warmth of his skin on mine. “So have you, but you got to leave—come and go as you pleased.” My words bite. I can see them when they land by the set of his jaw and the way the muscles twitch at the corner of his eye. I feel him move away from me, a coldness seeping under my skin like my body aches for his touch.

“That’s not fair. I have a job to do, you know that’s why I’m here right? I’m not here to be your baby sitter or anything like that—act like a fucking grown up.”

It would have hurt less if he’d punched me in the face. I cross the room and throw myself down on the bed curling my fingers around the sheets instead of clawing at my skin. Rage builds inside me, how fucking dare he?! It’s like something snaps inside me and I can’t rein it back, it’s wild and untamed with the power to destroy me. “Fuck. You. You don’t get to talk to me like that.”

“Fuck, angel, please.” Rhys drops to his knees in front of where I sit on the bed, his warm hands tentatively rest on my palms. “I’m sorry, Kayden. I’m so fucking sorry… I’m just so stressed and so scared I’m going to lose you all over again.” He drops his head to my knees. A pained sound rumbles in his chest. “I’ve only just got you back and I’ve almost lost you once because of Thom. I feel like I’m constantly looking over my shoulder, waiting for him to jump out at me, and I just…” his words trail off. The pain in his voice is gutting me. I know what it’s like to not feel safe to feel like the shadows are hunting you, to have to look over your shoulder every minute of every day.

“Why? You’ll only lose me if you walk away from me, Rhys. You are the only thing that has kept me going all these years.”

I haven’t seen Thom since the day he said Dustan had a message for me and he stuck a needle in my arm but if he lays a finger on Rhys, it’ll be the last thing he does. Those sick fucks are going to pay for making him feel this way. No one ever gets to hurt him apart from me.

“I guess anything has got to be better than being here with me. I’m a fucking piece of shit.”

He sighs, carding his hand through his hair, “It was for your own good, they needed to make sure you’d recovered from the overdose and weren’t going to end up hurting yourself.”

I snort, “Like they really give a shit about that no one does?—”

Rhys grabs hold of my hoodie hauling me up off the bed and shoves me bodily into the wall, his hands bracketing either side of my head. “I fucking care, angel.” He brushes his lips against mine. “I fucking love you, no matter what or have you forgotten that?”

I breathe him in, inhaling his exhale as his parted lips hover above mine. The fire of a thousand suns burns in his velvet blue eyes. “I…” I lick my dry lips, the tip on my tongue teasing his. “It’s hard to understand why you want to be with someone as fucked up as me.” I lay that truth out there before him, vulnerable and raw. “You have everything going for you and I’m,” My breath catches in my throat as I shrug. “I’m just a fuck up, with no prospects and a shit tonne of baggage.”

Rhys cups my face, his thumb stoking along my cheek. “Listen really carefully now, Kayden. I have loved you since the first day we met. I might not have understood what you meant to me then. I might have spent years battling with what loving you meant but I always have and I always will. No matter what happens.” he brushes his lips against mine. It’s not a kiss, it’s more of a caress. “I want to be the one who holds you when the monsters in your head get too loud.” His eyes look like a mirrored lake, the depth of emotion in them stealing my heart. “I want to be your quiet in your storm. I want to be your solace when the darkness gets too much. Can I be that person for you?”

My heart stutters in my chest, a thunderous beat echoing through every fibre of my being. “Yes,” I breathe, the word heavy with meaning, it’s a promise, a vow. I press my lips to his, claiming him with a fervour that words could never express. His lips curl into a knowing smile as I lick into his mouth as I deepen the kiss. My tongue duels with his seeking solace in the taste of him. I flip us to his back against the wall, pin him with my hips. I moan into his mouth when I feel his hard length against mine through our jeans. I twine my fingers in his hair and pull his head to the side bearing his throat to me and run my nose across his skin inhaling him. “You’re mine, little devil, as much as I am yours.” I punctuate my words by sinking my teeth into the base of his neck and revel in the moan that punches from his mouth.

“Angel,” he gasps, gripping my hips tightly as he rolls his hips against me sliding his length along mine. “We need… to stop.”

I pull back from him looking at his kiss swollen lips, as we try to regulate our breathing. “I know we need to go and see Jenna, I rest my forehead against his. “But can we make a quick stop first? I’d like to introduce you to someone.”

“I’ve met all the residents, angel.” He places a kiss on my forehead and slides out from under me adjusting himself as he goes. I turn to look at him over my shoulder while I do the same. “I know but you’ve not met them as my boyfriend.” His eyes dance with amusement, as my words echo his from the summer when he took me bowling to meet his friends for the first time officially as his boyfriend.

“I’m sure we can make time.” He takes my hand linking our fingers and lifts it to his lips kissing each one of my fingertips then opens the door for me like some fucking kind of gentleman. I expect us to garner lots of curious glances as we walk through the hospital wing but none of the staff even look our way; they just carry on with their jobs. It’s odd but kind of a relief going back to being invisible, that’s something I understand. It’s safe.

As we step into the main reception area, my feet freeze and I halt in mid-stride, causing Rhys to crash into my back. “What day is it?” I ask, my voice wavering as I take in the scene before me. Deep green garlands cascade from the ceiling and adorn the main staircase, intertwined with twinkling fairy lights that gleam like shimmering diamonds amidst the foliage. Nestled within the garlands are ornaments in hues of gold and purple, adding a touch of regal elegance to the festive decor.

Opposite us, a towering Christmas tree stands proudly, adorned with an array of baubles in various shapes and sizes, all echoing the same rich colour scheme. The air is infused with the nostalgic scents of pine, cinnamon, and clove, enveloping us in the unmistakable ambiance of Christmas.

“It’s the twenty-seventh,” Rhys murmurs, leaning forward to wrap his arms around my waist, his lips brushing against my ear sending a shiver down my spine. I can feel the ghost of his smirk against my cheek. “Happy Christmas, angel,” he whispers, and a wave of emotion crashes over me.

Christmas has never been anything special for me, my only memories are of pain and isolation. I’d sit and watch my mother walk around the elaborate parties Neil threw like a mindless zombie with a fake smile on her face. Rhys would spend his time talking to his friends and I’d be left alone available for Neil to use in any way he pleased.

“Hey, angel. Come back to me.” I blink back into myself. Rhys’ hands cup my face, concern etched into his face. “You okay?”

“Yeah,” I sniff. “Just never really enjoyed Christmas. Rhys sucks in a breath like he’s going to speak but wisely stops himself, pain flickering in his eyes. “I’ll tell you once we’re free of all of this.”

“Okay.” He squeezes my hand, brushing his thumb over my knuckles.

“Oh, while I think of it, can I have my phone and my knife back?” I hold my free hand out, palm facing up and wait. Rhys hesitates. “You can call it my Christmas present if that makes you feel better,” I snark.

He sighs, pulling them out from the back pocket of his jeans. “Now can you explain to me how and why you have them? I know you’re not allowed access to electronic devices and a knife K? What in the actual fuck?” He says placing them in my waiting palm, his hand trembles with agitation, the set of his shoulders tense.

“Sure, I can tell you, while we walk.” I drop his hand and slip my butterfly knife into my boot and turn the phone on. “This way.” I nod my head towards the doors that lead out onto the terrace at the back of the house.

“It’s fucking cold out there, angel. You need a coat.”

I scoff, grabbing his arm and dragging him outside. “Stop being a big baby, it’s only a bit of frost.” Rhys looks at me in disbelief arching his eyebrow. “Holy fuck balls, its colder than a witches tit out here.” The cold air whips around us, biting into my flesh and chilling me to the core. Within seconds, it feels like a layer of ice covers my skin, sending shivers down my spine. Mother Nature, in her infinite artistry, paints the world with delicate frost crystals that cling to every plant, every leaf and brave winter flower. They shimmer in the faint light, creating intricate patterns that dance like fractured rainbows, a breathtaking display of nature’s beauty amidst the cold embrace of winter’s grasp.

“Told you it was cold,” Rhys snickers as he wraps his scarf around my neck and pulls the hood on his hoodie over his head. “Where are we heading?” He asks, shoulders hunched up by his ears and hands shoved in his pockets.

Something warm blooms in my chest and spreads down through my arms and legs as I look at him. Willingly coming outside to do something just for me when he knows it’s cold enough to shrink your balls. Cold enough to snow. “Not far,” I say as my phone starts to vibrate like a broken butt plug.

“What the fuck?” He looms over my shoulder looking at the barrage of messages coming through from a withheld number. “I’ll tell you about it after we’ve seen Jenna?” I know it’s a long shot but I promised him I’d tell him. How do I explain to Rhys I’m planning to expose every skeleton Neil has in his closet, dig up every grain of dirt he’s hidden through power plays and blackmail. That I want people to know that he’s the devil incarnate and what he’s done to me and others like me. How I want to make him feel every ounce of pain I have over the last ten years ten fold before drugging him and leaving him to burn alive in his own house?

How do you tell the person you love, the one man who gives you a reason to live, that you are a monster too and will stop at nothing to make sure the devil is sent back to hell in chains?

“Promise?”

“I promise.” I grab hold of the draw strings of his hood and pull him down to me, desperate for another taste of redemption. Anticipating my intentions Rhys’ hand cradles the back of my head holding me still as our lips meet. My tongue trails across the seam of his lips demanding entry. His lips part on a soft groan as I taste every inch of his mouth, my tongue tangling with him for an all too brief kiss. I push at his shoulders for him to step back but he doesn’t go far.

“I’d only just got rid of my erection and now look at me.” My eyes trail lazily down his body to the prominent bulge in his jeans, I lick my lips missing the taste of him on my tongue.

I chuckle, a grin splitting across my face as the cold wind bites at my cheeks. “Oops.”

“I’ll give you oops,” he grumbles, burning his head in my hair and lets loose a happy sigh. I can almost feel his hidden smile. Rhys wraps his arm around my shoulders as I slip my phone into my back pocket dreading what the messages are going to say but that’s a problem for later. Our strides match perfectly as the frost covered ground crunches beneath our feet as we make our way around the extensive rhododendron brush at the of the woods. Huddled together, talking too quietly for us to hear is the reason we ventured out here in the first place.

“I hope you have a damn good explanation for this, my little holly berry.” Michelle chirps as she bounds over to me, ripping me from Rhys’s grasp and wrapping her arms around me. “I’m so fucking glad you’re ok, Kayden.” She brushes her knuckles across my cheek as a brilliant smile splits across her face.

“I’m fine,” I mutter as she gasps, her eyes darting between me and Rhys but before I can say anything Kait barges in, shouldering Michelle out of the way.

“What the fuck do you think you were playing at?” she pokes my chest with her index finger. “She was in fucking pieces over you, you selfish?—”

“That’s enough,” Rhys growls, putting his body between us, protecting me. “He hasn’t done anything wrong, and if you’d give him a chance to explain you’ll see this.”

Huffing Kait steps back narrowing her eyes at Rhys. “And who the fuck are you?” She stands there with her hands on her hips looking like a mother about to scold her children.

“You know who I am, Kait.” Michelle snorts, a giggle bubbling up her throat. Kait turns to glare at her so she slaps a hand over her mouth in a pathetic attempt to stop it escaping and ends up squeaking.

“I do but who the fuck are you to him.” She points at me but doesn’t take her eyes off Rhys. I can feel the unrestrained hurt and confusion radiating off her.

“He’s obviously the stepbrother, Kait,” Michelle adds, sidling up behind Kait peering at me over her shoulder.

Throwing a thumb in her direction Rhys says, “What she said.”

I roll my eyes at their stupidity but it warms my cold heart seeing the girls being so protective over me. “Guys, guys enough, alright. Its been a stressful few days—” Understatement of the fucking century. “Let’s just get to know each other, yeah?”

Within five minutes the three of them are best of friends and the girls have welcomed Rhys into our little friendship group, if you could call it that in a place like this or is forced proximity acquaintances more accurate? Rhys is chatting with Michelle about the decorations in the main house that she helped coordinate with him and Kait sidles up to me. “Here,” she says stuffing a packet of fags and a lighter in my hand.

“Awww, you shouldn’t have gone to all the effort.” My eyes burn with emotion when I take the packet of cigarettes all wrapped up nicely with twine topped off with a colourful bow. It’s the first Christmas present I’ve had in years that hasn’t come with a load of stipulations attached.

Rolling her eyes, Kait smiles at me indulgently and ruffles my hair. “Well, it is Christmas even if you did miss it.” She shrugs. “And you’re kinda like the little shit of a brother I never had.”

“Thank you.”

“Don’t mention it,” She says as I spark up taking a long drag feeling relieved when the smoke hits my lungs and the nicotine starts to work its way around my system. “I heard a rumour that the new guy was leaving today.”

“Oh?” I take another drag as my hands start to shake, if Kait notices she doesn’t say anything just rests her hand on my shoulder turning me to face her.

“Just so happens that my brothers are visiting later and they are very knowledgeable about cars.” I narrow my eyes at her in confusion but she just smirks and winks at me.

“New guy’s car was dropped off yesterday. Let’s just say it won’t be road worthy by the time he leaves and the roads around here can be very treacherous especially this time of year. I hear black ice is a big problem.” She kisses my cheek and goes over to collect Michelle from Rhys. “We’ve got group therapy and I believe you have a meeting to get to.” My hand stops half way to my mouth as she grins at me over her shoulder before they walk off.

“That was?—”

“Odd,” I finish for him.

“Yeah.” Rhys looks at me frowning. “You’re not meant to have them here.” He nods towards the fag in my mouth.

I smirk. “Not meant to have a lot of things here but there are ways.”

“Like how you got the phone? I assume it was from the same person who gave you those.”

I nod, dropping the but in the grass and stomping it out. “Exactly like that.” I look up at him in disbelief. I can’t believe after everything that’s happened we’re here together. I shove my hands in my pockets because it feels like my fingers are turning to ice. “I hear we have somewhere to be.”

“We do.” Rhys wraps his arm around my shoulders and steers me back in the direction of the house.”

I’m so glad Rhys didn’t push to know what Kait and I were talking about, even if my mind has only just put together the pieces of the puzzle she gave me, I don’t think it would be something he approves of but I guess only time will tell. I can’t say I feel sad about what’s going to happen because I don’t I feel fucking ecstatic that one more monster will be wiped off the face of the earth. I hope it fuckin hurts its the least he deserves.

Jenna opens her door with a look of trepidation on her face. “I must say I wasn’t expecting both of you. Rhys this only concerns you,” she says, stepping back from the door to let him in and I hover in the doorway feeling like an unwanted intrusion.

“It concerns both of us.” He steps back and slips his finger through mine entwining our hands and drags me into the room whether I want to be here or not. Rhys sits down in the chair opposite Jenna’s and pulls me onto his lap.

Jenna sighs and closes the door softly. “Can I get you both a drink before we start?” She gets out three cups and starts making us a hot drink before we even reply. She busies herself muttering under her breath as I squirm on Rhys’ lap. I might be the dominant one in the bedroom but sitting here like this is something that has only ever been a fleeting thought in my mind that I could never quite grasp.

With Rhys’ arms wrapped around my waist, holding me close as if I’m something precious, I feel grounded, calm in a way I’ve never felt in this room. For once, I don’t have to be hyper-aware of everything going on, especially the door behind me. After our first session, Jenna realised what was triggering me and started locking the bolt across the door as soon as I entered. But now, after months and months of nothing bad happening, of Neil not bursting through to drag me back to hell or barging in to shoot me point-blank through my eyes, she started leaving it unlocked. I know it’s there if I need it, but it was an easy way for her to help me grow in confidence, or so she said.

The sound of cups clinking on the table brings my wandering mind back to the room and the questions Rhys wants answers to. I lean forward and pass Rhys his cup and then restitute myself on the arm of the chair next to him. A frown mars his face but instead of arguing he just rests his hand on my thigh, linking his fingers with my free hand as I take a tentative sip of coffee. I groan as the hot liquid slides down my throat making Rhys’s cheek turn a delicious shade of pink.

Jenna places her notebook on her lap, pulls her shoulders back and steals her spine in a move I’ve never seen from her before. “Thank you for coming to this disciplinary meeting, Rhys.” He scoffs as he takes a sip of his tea looking amused more than anything.

She goes to open her mouth but Rhys cuts her off. Ooph this authoritative version of him is hot. “I don’t think we need to be so formal here Jenna, we’re both here under false pretences so I think it’s time we stopped beating around the bush and pretending this is something it isn’t.” Rhys sits back in his chair with an air of authority pouring off him I haven’t ever witnessed before. I give his hand a quick squeeze and he shoots me a small smile.

“I’m not sure what you mean by that,” she retorts, her voice losing strength as she continues.

“Alright,” Rhys sighs. “I’ll make it simple for you. I want to know why you really hired me and who is paying for Kayden to be here.”

If she was surprised by his bluntness Jenna’s face didn’t show a thing, it was an immovable mask that would have taken years to achieve. The only hint of shock was in the fluctuating size of her pupils, and the drumming of her fingers on her trusty notebook. “That’s a loaded question, if ever I heard one.” She picks up her coffee blowing across the top of the steaming mug to buy herself a few seconds to collect her thoughts.

“It is but sometimes it is best to break an answer down into its easiest form. In this case it means the truth, plain and simple.”

Jenna releases a sigh as she places her cup back down on the mat. “What do you want to know first?”

“Who’s paying for Kayden to be here?”

“Well that’s simple I have a charity account that donations go into and the money to cover the fees of his stay are being taken from there.”

“Nope. Try again,” Rhys snaps.

“I don’t know what you’re insinuating here Rhys but?—”

“I’ll stop you right there shall I?” Jenna stares at him blankly waiting for him to continue, while I’m sitting here with my heart lodged in my throat. “I know the money to cover Kayden’s stay here isn’t coming out of any of the accounts related to Horizon House or its subsidiaries. I know that you are getting monthly payments into your personal account to the exact tune of his fees.”

“Well, I… get,” she splutters, struggling to regain control of the situation.

But Rhys doesn’t give her a chance to continue. “I also know there are no records of him being admitted to or treated at a hospital,” He lifts his eyes and narrows his gaze at Jenna. “So tell me how did you come to obtain my stepbrother from a hospital that appears to have no record of ever treating him. There are no electronic medical records, no paper trails and no CCTV footage of him either. Yet he tells me you came to visit him in the hospital and told him once he was cleared for travel he would be coming here to work with you through the rest of his treatment and rehabilitation.

“Oh, for fucks sake,” Jenna mutters under her breath not quiet enough for us not to hear her. Camping her hands in her lap, she rolls her neck and drops her shoulders. “Kayden is here because I was asked to look after him—it’s that simple. The person who reached out to me said they would make sure it would be like he was never treated at The Royal. They told me that Kayden was in danger and an extremely vulnerable individual.”

“That’s true,” I mutter, folding my arms over my chest, the world starting to get a little bit too loud, the walls a little bit too close.

“But it doesn’t tell who his mystery benefactor is.” Rhys leans forward bracing his elbows on his tights before casting me a surreptitious glance. I give him an encouraging smile before his gaze turns to Jenna. “We don’t have all day, Jenna, it’s imperative I know who is pulling the strings to make sure Kayden is actually safe here.”

“Okay.” Jenna deflates before our eyes, her perfect posture a thing of the past as she slouches back in her favourite chair.

“Start from the beginning.”

“Of course,” she nods. “I got a call from Bartholomew saying there was a young man who had just been admitted to The Royal who would be needing someone with my expertise and would I go and meet with him to see if I agreed. Barney gave me the room and ward number of where,” she nods towards me. “Kayden was but never gave me his name. When I arrived at the wards and asked to speak with the consultant for the patient in room eighteen I found out a number of things that Barney neglected to tell me.”

“Which were?” I can’t help but ask my interest piqued.

“Well other than you claiming to have amnesia, you were also going through one of the most horrific withdrawals I’ve ever seen and you had also sustained some very serious injuries. Now it was surmised, judging by where you were found that you either jumped or fell off a bridge into the river. Going by the toxicology report it was more than apparent that you had jumped as part of an attempted suicide.”

“Well, you’re not wrong there,” I mutter under my breath, chewing on my bottom lip. Ice sluicing through my veins as the feelings from that day reverberate through me chilling the marrow in my bones. It becomes almost impossible to breathe as the barrage of emotions continues. My throat burns as water surges down it filling my lungs.

“I spent a lot of time going backwards and forwards with Barney over you but in the end when he said he’d cover all the costs of your treatment as long as it didn’t go through the official channels. Even though I knew it was the wrong thing to do I agreed anyway, because I felt like or more importantly hoped I’d be able to help you.”

A small smile curves my lips, but probably looks more like a grimace as white hot pain radiates through my body. “You have helped me in so many ways no matter how ungrateful I seem.” The genuine relief that flows across Jenna’s face makes my heart feel too big. It’s been almost impossible to accept her help and support, to trust that she was honest and genuine with her actions, that her kindness came without a price. How fucked up is that?

“I’m glad.” Jenna picks up her now cool coffee and waits for Rhys’s next set of questions but I get there first.

“Who’s Barney?” All I can think of is the big purple dinosaur from that kid’s TV show I saw once at Henry’s, when Mum was working late. That was before though. Before Neil, before I knew what it felt like to be dragged into the bowels of hell by the devil. Before I knew what it was to feel like my body was being ripped open. Before I knew how I could be so broken I’d wish for death, yet remain breathing. That was before I knew what it felt like to be crushed by the weight of the life I could not live.

Will I ever be able to look at my reflection and forgive myself for everything I never had the chance to be?

Rhys’s shoulders shake, rocking the chair I’m perched on as he tries to suppress the rumbling laugh bubbling up his chest. “I can’t believe I didn’t see it before,” he says almost to himself.

“Would you like to clue me in here?” I snap, panic clawing at me shredding my skin.

Rhys gives me an indulgent smile, relief glowing in the dark depths of his eyes. I wish I could say the same for me as I’m drowning right beside him and he doesn’t even notice. My clothes feel heavy like they’re drenched in water, the fabric of my jeans abrading my skin. “I’m assuming it’s the same man who got me the job here.”

“Yes,” Jenna confirms.

“Seriously, I’m gonna walk right out of here and neither of you are going to stop me if you don’t tell me what the fuck’s going on.” My voice rises with every word as a swell of anger consumes me. Why don’t you see me? See my pain? It’s bleeding out of me in rivers of red infecting everything I touch.

“Bartholomew, is Dr Grey. My mum’s best friend and boss. I guess he was kind of like a father figure to her. He’s watched out for me my whole life and I guess he was watching out for you too.”

“Isn’t it weird he never called Neil?” Rhys ruminates on my words before shaking his head. I rub my eyes with the heel of my hands, confusion addling my splintering mind as I feel water lapping at my fingers. I’m here in the room with Rhys on a chair one minute, the next I’m sinking below the surface of the river, sunlight fading as I’m enveloped in the cold depths.

Rhys squeezes my leg, his fleeting touch pulling me back from the black depths but I start to freefall when he lets go reaching for his drink. “One last thing…” A tension filled silence expands between Rhys and Jenna as they stare at each other without blinking almost like they’re having a silent conversation and I drift further and further away from them.

“I just want to know why he has a tracker and how do we remove it.”

“For fuck sake,” Jenna mutters under her breath, her expression crumpling her face falling into her hands, her shoulders shake as quite sobs are ripped out of her. It’s like now the floodgates have opened, her emotions are running wild and frantic. Welcome to my world I think as my lungs start screaming, the lack of oxygen making me feel like I’m floating and dizzy. The world starts spinning around me and I’m falling.

Falling.

Falling.