By the next day, the news of Allison's death had circulated through the asylum. Everyone knew and everyone had an opinion. In the eyes of many, I was guilty of murdering her even though autopsy proved me innocent. They thought I had caused it, they thought I had done something.
I sit, curled up on the small couch, cocooning myself protectively around my stomach. And, although she was dead, I was paranoid that she would come back with her piecing blue eyes and shaggy blonde hair. A mess of a woman who wanted nothing more than to take my little baby from me. My paranoia made way for fear and I flinched whenever someone came too close. Even when Kit and Pepper sat down, Grace too. Although, the two of us don't really know each other I trust her a little bit in part because Kit does.
"How are you holding up?" Kit asks me softly, carefully moving when he reached out to touch my shoulder, a comforting gesture. I let out a breath I didn't realize I'd been holding when his hand came down softly, a feathery touch on my shoulder.
"I'm all right I suppose." My voice came out, a choked whisper.
"You sure?" Grace tilted her head at me, worry flitting across her features.
"Yeah." I take deep breaths, exhaling slowly; working to keep myself calm. I don't want to appear as crazed as the staff and state already think I must be. The two share a look of concern, and I look elsewhere to avoid seeing any possible pity in their eyes, in their expressions.
"If you don't mind me asking," Kit starts, "what even happened down there?" our eyes lock, and words bubble up my throat, but nothing comes out when I open my mouth.
"Take your time." Grace soothes, coming to sit on my other side instead of by Kit. I notice her hands rest over her stomach too, and see the small swell of it. My eyes lock onto it and I stare intently, "You-" I look up to her eyes, a smile tugging at my lips now, "You're-" I work to push words past my lips.
"Pregnant?" She finishes for me, "yeah." Her brown hair swings as she nods.
"May I?" I reach forward, but immediately retract my hand before I touch her. I would want permission for someone to touch me, so I want to extend the same courtesy to her.
"Of course." She rolled her eyes, and I fully reach my hand to gently touch her belly. Sharing a smile with her I take my hand back.
"So, you want to know what happened?" I nod, my lips in a grim line, "I was sure that story would have spread like wildfire. That everyone would know."
"Everyone thinks they have an idea of what happened, but everyone also thinks you had something to do with her death." Kit admits in a hushed whisper.
I close my eyes tight as I shake my head to the side, "No. I didn't kill her."
"Then what happened down there? What happened to Allison?"
"That crazy girl, she wanted my baby for herself. She attacked me when I didn't agree to give her my baby when he or she is born. Her husband cheated on her, took her little baby girl Meredith away when he left her for his mistress who he got pregnant while they were still married." This time the words pass through my lips rapidly, still in a hushed whisper. "She's locked up because she was planning to kill them, the mistress and the husband. She had me pinned down, a knife to my neck." My hand reaches up and my fingers brush across where the bandage was. "But something happened. She was pulled off me, but there was nothing there. She was on the floor screaming bloody murder, all I could see was a shadow above her. It was like it was drowning her, suffocating her as it descended closer and closer to her." My voice shakes and I fight the tears that begin to fill my eyes.
"That's impossible." Kit breathes, his eyebrows furrowing together.
"You have to believe me." I shake my head before brushing my straight brown hair out of my face. "I don't know what it was, but I've seen it before, I've felt it before. The night that Christopher died, I saw the same shadow and felt the same sense of overwhelming serenity and death. It's a strange combination to feel simultaneously." I look up and into his eyes, "You have to believe me Kit." Turning I look back into Grace's eyes. "You have to believe me Grace. Please." I plead with them, hope they don't tell me I'm crazy. That I must have imagined it in my fear. I know what I saw. It was real, I can feel it.
