September 1, 2004
Angel Grove, CA
I weaved in and out of consciousness the whole ride to the hospital. I knew we arrived when the feeling of the truck moving stopped and Tommy jostled me around a bit. It was fuzzy as I felt my body move but I didn't see anything. It was like I was swimming in a warm pool in a dark room. The pain had even faded, the only thing there was a calm sensation that came from Tommy holding me.
That calm feeling disappeared in a second once someone moved my broken wrist. I was yanked right out of the blissful state and into one where my entire body felt like it was on fire. I screamed out in pain and my vision became clear. I was laying in a hospital bed now, several people crowded into one of the half rooms located in the emergency room. There was a man standing over me dressed in blue scrubs. He was the one who was holding my arm. I tried to pull it away but two nurses grabbed my shoulders and held me still.
"Kimberly, you need to lay still." The man said, giving me a reassuring smile. In my mind, I knew he wasn't trying to hurt me but I didn't want him to touch me in the same regard. He set my arm back to my side and started to lift up my shirt. I scooted away to the other side of the bed.
"Hey. You gotta let them help, okay?" Tommy's voice said as he appeared to my right. I shook my head.
"No. I need to go home." I said.
"You can't. Not yet."
"No. I need to. Right now. Please. Let me out." I pushed against the nurses and tried to climb out of the bed. They held me in place and I began to panic. If I wasn't home when Nick got back, he was going to know that I ran for help. He was going to think I had left him for Tommy. He would track them down and kill him. "PLEASE! I NEED TO GO!" I screamed. I watched as Tommy was pushed back away from me and another set of nurses ran into the room. They grabbed my legs, pinning me down to the bed. I spotted Jason and Trini in the doorway, Marci between the two of them. Their eyes were wide as they watched me be wrestled down on the thin mattress.
"Alright. Shhh." The doctor said, a sharp pain in my arm. Looking down, I saw he had injected me with something in a needle. He pulled it away when it was empty and I felt my eyes begin to droop shut. I continued to fight, my limbs growing heavier as I moved.
"Wait! She might be pregnant!" I could hear Trini's voice say from the hall. Tommy moved forward, trying to reach me. A security guard was there, blocking him from reaching me.
"Tommy." I whispered, looking at him. For the first time in my life, I saw that he looked helpless. My whole body fell to the bed and I couldn't keep my eyes open anymore.
Everything hurt. For a moment, I laid there and tried to remember which one of Rita or Zedd's monsters I had faced to cause this much pain in my body. Had I been dropped from the top of the Megazord? Had the Dragonzord dropped kicked me into the next timezone? I couldn't recall. All I knew was that it felt like someone was just stabbing me over and over again in each muscle of my body. Slowly, my eyes dragged open and I felt a wave of nausea hit me. There was a bright light and a weird whirring noise but my attention was on that of throwing up. I gagged, a cough coming from me. On the table next to where I was laying, I saw a shallow bucket. I grabbed it as quickly as I could, barfing the contents of my stomach into it. The acid burned the back of my throat as I heaved, it adding to the pain of my body. I gasped between retching, my torso feeling as if I was turning myself inside out. Tears streamed down my face as I willed my body to stop. I liked being numb instead, I decided. This was worse than anything I had ever felt.
It took a moment or two for the dry heaves to stop. When it did, I plopped back into the pillows again. I saw I was still in the hospital, now in an actual room. It was small, seafoam green tile on the floor and an awful white paint on the walls. There was a curtain that was tan, hanging from the ceiling in a track. It was pulled half way through the room, blocking the door from my sight. I saw I was attached to an IV pole, liquid dripping into me. I saw the port in my arm as my eyes swept the room. My other arm was in a temporary cast, an ace bandage running from my thumb up to my elbow. I noticed a window on the right side of the room and that it was dark out, street lights illuminating the parking lot.
It was dark out.
It was nighttime.
Nick was probably home looking for me.
My eyes widened in horror at the realization as to why I was in the hospital bed and that I was now in a hospital gown and socks. I shifted, sitting up. I put the waste bucket on the table and swung my feet over the bed. As I climbed out of the bed, I heard movement behind the curtain. The door opened and the curtain moved to the side. I saw that it was Tommy, a paper coffee cup in hand.
"Where exactly do you think you're off to?" He asked, cocking an eyebrow at me.
"Home. I feel better now." I replied, shuffling towards the corner of the room where there was a small closet. I opened it but saw that my clothes were not there. I swore under my breath, looking around the room. "I'm sorry for worrying you, Tommy. I told Marci it wasn't a big deal. I didn't mean to get you guys all worked up. I'm fine now."
"Oh, well then I guess you should just leave then." He said. "If you're looking for your clothes, you won't find them."
"Why?" I asked, bending over to look under the bed. I regretted the decision when I saw nothing was there and my vision narrowed when I stood up straight again, pain radiating from my rib cages.
"The police had to take them for evidence." He replied, walking over and sitting on the chair in the corner of the room.
"Evidence for what? I tripped and fell down the stairs. It was an accident." I said, continuing to search the room. Tommy had to be lying. I hadn't told anyone anything about what happened. Had I?
"Right. I'm sure the stairs also left the handprints on your throat and the boot marks on your back as well." I stopped, glancing at him over my shoulder. "Kim, it's time to stop pretending."
"I don't know what you're talking about. Why are you here? You can go home now." He sighed, setting his coffee down on the window cill before standing up.
"Let's get back into bed and we can chat, shall we?" He walked over and helped me climb back into bed, careful of the IV tubing. Once I was in bed and under the covers, he sat on the edge of the bed. "Kim, we know about Nick and what he's been doing to you. Marci told us everything."
"Well, she's lying." I said, shrugging my shoulders. "She's 16. She doesn't know anything."
"I think the girl is smart enough to know when someone is getting the shit kicked out of them on a daily basis. We thought this was going on but didn't know until she confirmed it. She said she wanted to tell Aisha a long time ago but she was worried about you hating her. She saved your life, you know? If she hadn't come home in time, you would have bled to death."
"I told you. I fell down the stairs. Nick had nothing to do with it." I said, feeling a churning sensation in my stomach and tears in the back of my eyes. "I just want to go home." He sighed.
"You can't, Beautiful. You have to stay here for a few days just so they can make sure you are alright. The doctor is supposed to be coming in shortly to check in. Can I get you anything?"
"No. I just want to go home." I pleaded.
"Kim, I-." He was cut off by the door opening. I turned and saw that the doctor from the ER had walked into the room. Now that I wasn't high or panicking, I saw that he was an older man who was probably in his late forties or early fifties. He had dark red hair on the top of his head and green eyes. He smiled when he walked towards me, a clipboard in his hand.
"Well, hello there. It's good to see you up and talking. How are you feeling?" He asked, stopping by the bed.
"Fine. Can I please be released?" I asked, giving him a smile.
"I'm afraid I can't recommend that. I do have some questions for you if that's alright." I nodded. He grabbed a stool from behind the curtain and sat down. "When was your last menstrual cycle?" I shrugged.
"I don't get a normal cycle. My doctor said that it's caused by PCOS." I replied. He nodded.
"That's true. That condition can cause it. When you came in, you were in pretty rough shape, Kimberly. You have a fractured arm, two cracked ribs, a concussion, and some serious bruising. You'll need a cast for your arm before discharge and we'll show you how to wrap your ribs to make sure they heal right."
"Is that why I'm still here then? Can't you just put a cast on me now? They did it when I was younger." I asked, recalling when I fell off my bike when I was seven and broke my leg. They had me in and out of the ER in a matter of hours.
"There's more to it than that. We run a number of tests before we can do x-rays and MRIs, both of which you had. It's part of the procedure for the police as well. Kimberly, were you aware that you were pregnant?" He asked. Suddenly, the memory of me taking the pregnancy test came to me. I hadn't forgotten all about it. Nick's attack had been the main focus on my mind. The baby. I gasped.
"Oh my god. Is the baby alright?" I asked, tears welling in my eyes. "I only found out about it this morning. I took a test before coming home from work. Is there something wrong with them?"
"From what we can tell, the baby is fine. Your levels were good and the ultrasound we did while you were under shows the baby still had a heartbeat. You're about six weeks pregnant. I want you to stay for a couple of days so that we can monitor you and the baby. Though the baby seems fine, we aren't quite out of the woods yet. We can give you some fluids and medicine to help ensure the baby is getting everything they need."
"Will the baby be alright?" I whispered. He gave me a small smile.
"It's still early but I think so. This is just a precaution. We did need to inform the police however of the pregnancy. I understand this can be difficult but you will need to speak to them in the morning. I instructed them to allow you to get some rest. They'll be back then. I want you to get some sleep though." He stood up. "You can have visitors tomorrow as well. I've given staff permission to allow someone to stay with you for the night if you'd wish. Get some sleep, okay?"
"Okay. Thank you." I said. He nodded at Tommy before walking out of the room. The door shut behind him, sealing us both in a room full of silence. Tommy had heard him say I was pregnant. Six weeks pregnant. That was when we had been together. It didn't take a rocket scientist to know that math. I held my breath, afraid to look at him.
"We're gonna figure this out. All of us." He said, breaking the silence. "You don't have to do this alone."
"What?" I asked, glancing at him.
"The pregnancy. I already talked to Jason and Trini. We're going to help you. We're going to be there for you night and day. You don't have to do it all on your own." Reaching over, he took my hand in his. "I'm going to protect you and the baby from Nick. He has no right to that baby, regardless if he's the father. He'll have to get through all of us." I stared at him, unsure if I understood what he was saying or not. Nick had no right to the baby? Of course he didn't. He wasn't the father. Didn't Tommy know that? Didn't he understand that he was?
"Where are Jason and Trini?" I asked, adjusting myself in bed.
"Trini took Marci to stay at Aisha's for the night. They thought it would be best."
"Where's Jason?"
"Well," He said, leaning back in his chair. "Him, Zack, Billy, Rocky, and Adam are having a little sleep over at your house." I groaned. Why not just line up and let Nick do target practice on them?
"No. They can't be there. Tommy, call them and tell them to leave." I said, looking for a phone.
"They aren't going to do anything unless Nick starts something. Billy already changed the locks on the doors as well so Nick won't be able to get in the house." He replied.
"Tommy, you don't understand!" I felt those tears again, a lump forming in my throat. "Nick is dangerous. He has a gun and he said he would kill you guys." His eyes widened as I spoke.
"Jesus. Give me one second, alright?" He stood up, pulling a cell phone from his pocket. He headed out in the hallway, leaving me lying there. I strained to listen, my sniffles covering anything he might be saying. He returned a few moments later and I sprang up in bed. "I talked to Jason. He said there hasn't been any sign of him yet. He's going to call the police and let them know. He already has a warrant out for his arrest. They are going to have a patrol car outside your house for now."
"You guys never should have gotten involved. This is all my fault. I thought I could protect you all from it. I tried so hard." Tears streamed down my face. "This wasn't supposed to happen. We were supposed to move here to try to have a family. I don't know what changed. He just started acting so differently. I couldn't make him happy no matter what. He's always yelling or screaming at me. He's always so angry." I buried my face in my hands the best I could with the cast on.
"Kim…"
"When it happened the first time, I figured it was just an accident. He said he was sorry afterwards. He even cried. But then it happened again. And again. I tried to hide it. I didn't want anyone to know. I thought I could fix things. I thought I could do better. I thought that maybe I had done something and I just needed to find a way to make things better. Then he...he...he…." I sobbed, dropping my hands and gripping the blanket tightly in my hands. "He raped me."
"Hey. Hey." He said, sitting on the bed again. "You don't have to tell me if you don't want to. I get it." I shook my head.
"No. I have to. He raped me because he found out we were spending time together. He thought that I was having an affair with you. He told me that if I saw you again, he would kill you. That's why I stopped going around everyone. I didn't want to be the reason why he killed you. He would tell me all the time that he would shoot you in front of me and then kill Trini and Jason and everyone else. I thought he did it, Tommy. I really did. That's why I had Marci bring me to Trini's. When he threw me down the stairs, he said he was leaving to go kill them. I had to make sure they were okay." Sobs started to rack my body again and I felt like I couldn't get a breath.
"You have to relax." He said softly, pulling me into his chest. He stroked my hair and I listened to his heartbeat, mine sounding like it was going to come right out of my chest. The shaking of my body lessened and I was able to breathe. There were tear stains on his shirt where my face had been when I pulled away slightly to look up at him.
"I'm sorry." I whispered.
"Kim, you have nothing to apologize for. You were doing what you thought was best to protect us. It's me that should be apologizing to you. We should have done more. I should have done more. I knew Nick was doing this to you. I've figured it all along but didn't know for sure until the last time I saw you. Everyone thought it was going on. We were afraid to call the cops or to try to stop him because of what he might do to you in the long run. We stayed away to protect you. But Trini, Jase and I were worried when Marci told us that things were getting worse. That's what I was doing at their house today. We were coming up with a plan to help you get out of there. If I had known for one second that it had gotten this bad, I would have been there in a heartbeat."
"That was the point though. You weren't supposed to know. When I found out about the baby, I thought this was going to be the thing that stopped him. That maybe I could get him to leave Angel Grove and start over."
"You were going to leave?" He asked. I nodded.
"I thought that if we left, I could make it safer for you guys and that maybe I could get his guard down enough to leave him before it was too late. I guess I passed that though." I said, holding up my wrist. "I feel like death."
"Try to avoid a mirror then." He said, giving me a smile. "Get some sleep. You'll feel better. I'll stop by in the morning to check on you." He stood up, grabbing his jacket from the radiator on the right side of the room.
"Tommy?" I asked as he headed for the door. He stopped, looking at me with the door knob in hand. "Could you stay?"
"What?" He questioned.
"The doctor said someone could stay with me. Would you mind staying with me?" He smiled, nodding.
"I mean, I was planning on camping out in the visitor waiting room anyway but this works too." He let go of the door and walked back over. He tossed his jacket down in the corner and sat in the chair. "Go to sleep. I'll be right here when you wake up."
