It was a warm cloudy day of Waycross, Georgia of January of 2012. We were coming back from and EMS competition.
"The weathers getting bad I hope Aunt Mel is ok." I said. Josh gulped and taped me in the shoulder.
"What?" I asked.
"I wouldn't worry about Mel." He said and pointed out of the back of the car. I looked and saw a tornado.
"WOAH!" we all yelled as it sucked us up and then we landed. We looked around and we noticed it was already 1:00am. We decided to home and get to bed since we had to get up early. Soon it was the next day and we were at Wal-Mart with the other Explorers doing a fun raiser trying to raise money.
"Hey Janie? Isn't that Mel?" Josh asked. I looked and saw a 5'6", 38yr old woman with long brown hair pulled back into a bun, wearing a long sleeve shirt, and long pants, and black sunglasses, and a red scarf around her neck, and 5 months pregnant walking into the store. I looked closer.
"It was, but she is supposed to be on tour for her new album." I answered. Soon all the Explorers were in the subway in Wal-Mart talking a lunch break. I turned around and saw Melanie C again near the produce. I got up and said, "Mrs. Janice I'll be right back."
"Where are you going?" She asked.
"The produce isle. I see my aunt." I said and she nods. I got up and walked over to her and I tapped her on the shoulder and she turns around.
"Hi Aunt Mel." I said with a smile.
"Hi Angel." She replied.
"Aren't you supposed to be on tour?" I asked.
"Oh yeah. I had to cancel." She replied.
"That's strange Aunt Mel." I said. I eyed her curiously noticing a bandage on her arm. The bandage was stained with blood and wrapped tight around her arm. To my surprise the blood was so fresh the stain was still spreading at the edges of the bandage. It was rather odd, but I knew it wasn't normal. I tried to touch it to look at it closer but she backed away.
"I got to go." She said.
"Ok I can come by later then." I said.
"No I have to much stuff to do." She said
"Ok." I said a little upset since I couldn't spend time with my aunt.
"We can still talk later tonight though." She said. I smiled and nodded hugging her.
"Ouch." She said.
"Oh sorry." I said
"It's ok. Just be gentle next time." She said and I nodded.
"Ok. I'll talk to you later then." I said.
"Ok. Bye Angel." She said returning the hug.
"Bye Aunt Mel." I said and she leaves and I walk over to Jaimie, Charlie, Callyann and Rose.
"Guys can we talk?" I asked.
"Yeah. You seem troubled." Jaimie said.
"Something's wrong with Aunt Mel." I said.
"So I've heard. Let's check on her after ems." she said. We leave ems an hour later and we drive up to her house. Once we go there we find the place in shambles. It looked as though the whole entire house had been torn apart. The windows were shattered beyond recondition; the paint on the door has gone from a lustrous ruby red to a dull rusty orange. I push the door open only to have it fall from the hinges. Hesitantly I walk into the rined house. Once inside, I search the house for Melanie. I checked the front of the house only to find a cluster of wrecked rooms. After a few minutes I made my way to the bedroom. After a look around the destroyed room, I found the closet door wedged closed. I slowly open the door to find Melanie sitting in there in fetal position and crying.
"OMG!" I said to myself. Melanie jumps and says, "Angel?"
"Aunt Mel? Are you ok?" I asked and I knelt down in front of her. She starts to shake violently.
"Let's get you outta here." I said. I grab her hand and tried to help her up but she pulls away.
"Angel, just go." She said.
"No Aunt Mel, something is wrong." I said.
"Nothing's wrong." She said.
"Aunt Mel, you're a terrible lire." I said.
"Angel he's coming." She said. "Please go."
"No." I said. I heard someone trampling up the hall. To my surprise Robbie came stumbling in. He reeked of beer and cigar smoke. He smelled like brewery.
"What the? Robbie?" I said and Melanie puts her hand over my mouth.
"Don't say anything." She said and she pulls me in the closet with her. We hear him coming into the room.
"Mel, so help me if you're hiding from me, I'll beat you to a pulp." He yelled for her and Melanie cringes and we hear him stop in front of the closet. He walks out of the room and she starts to cry silently. I knelt down and hugged her.
"Its ok, you're ok." I whispered.
"Angel if he comes back and finds me in here. You have to stay in here but out of his site. I don't want you to get hurt. When he goes away then come out of here." She whispered.
"Ok Aunt Mel. I will." I whispered. Soon we heard the bedroom door swing open. We jumped a bit as we heard footsteps coming up to the closet door. Melanie starts to whimper.
"Shh...We don't want him to find you." I whispered. We hear footsteps walking around the room.
"Oh no, he's back." She cried silently.
"Mel, if I find you, I'll kill you." He said. We heard the footsteps stop in front of the door and we held our breath careful not to be heard. He turns around and starts to jiggle the door handle. I hid away careful not to be seen and then he broke down the door. He grabs her and pulls her out of the closet and throws her on the bed. He sits on her legs and claps his hand around her neck while hitting her with the other. She kicks him off and she tries to get off the bed, but he grabs her and slams her to the floor. I look on with horror as I watched him beat her black and blue. Finally after what seemed like an eternity, he dragged her back to the closet and threw her back in, and walked out of the room. She began to shake and cry with fear and stroked her 5 month baby bump. It was clear to me why he was abusing her. Suddenly he came back and pulled her out of the closet again and started to beat her. He pushed her into the corner of the dresser, making her fall and hit her head, knocking her unconscious, he left the room again and I came out of the closet and ran up to her, I found her on the floor, bleeding from the head.
"Aunt Mel?! Aunt Mel?!" I asked almost in tears. I grabbed her hand and checked her radial pulse and noticed it was very weak. I pulled out my phone and called 911.
Few minute later
The hospital room was hardly more than a closet with a bed and chairs in it. Melanie was hooked up to a respirator and an IV. I heard the high pitched beeping of the heart monitor as it tracked her heart rate. Taking a seat near the head of the bed, I took her hand. Overwhelmed by the site of all of this, I started to weep silently. Looking at her face, I could almost mistake her expression for that shared by peaceful dreams. She was bruised so that her cheeks were almost a deathly shade of purple. Her eyes were almost midnight black. Even her nose was fractured beyond recognition. Her belly was the least bruised area of her body. Her pregnant belly wiggled as she breathed. I decided to place my hand on it to see if my unborn cousin was ok. Thankfully a small kick gave me the proof I needed. I sighed relieved that my new cousin wasn't harmed.
"Is the baby ok?" Jaimie asked
"Yeah, thank god." I said
"That's good. But what about the coma?" Charlie asked.
"We can't fix that." Callyann said.
"All we can do is pray." Ramona said.
"If you like I can say a prayer for her." Jaimie said to me. I nod. We all bowed our heads.
"Oh lord, we call upon the power of the father, the son, and the holy spirit to heal the injuries of this broken and battered body. Make her whole again lord. In Jesus name we pray, amen." Jaimie said.
"Amen." We all said and I hug her.