Nervously chewing on her lip, Brandy stared at the phone attached to her hospital bed as she tried to build up the courage to dial that number. Why was she so worried? This was Mark. Surely, once she explained everything, he would understand, and things would be just fine. 'Just do it, and get it over with. You are running out of time,' she thought to herself, and taking a deep breath she finally picked up the phone. Dialing his number, her heart thudded heavily in her chest as she listened to it ring, part of her hoping there would be no answer while the other part of her begged to hear his voice once more.
Suddenly, Mark answered, "Hello?" Brandy went to say something, but her voice remained stuck in her throat. "Hello?" he said again after a moment of silent, and cursing herself in her head she tried again.
"...Mark?"
There was a pause. "...Brandy?" he finally said, the sound of him saying her voice making a warmth spread throughout her entire being.
"Yeah, it's me."
There was another pause. "So what do you want?" he asked, and she immediately noticed the bitterness in his voice.
"I...we need to talk."
"I don't think we need to talk at all, actually."
"Mark, please. I get you're upset with me, I don't blame you, but please let me explain."
"What is there to explain? I didn't make you happy. Things weren't working out, remember? Or did you forget that last conversation we had?"
"No, I remember it. Please, I'm begging you to just let me explain."
"Fine. Explain."
"I...I'm actually in the hospital right now, and I'm supposed to be discharged soon, so I don't have enough time to explain it over the phone. If you could just come get me-" she started to say, when he cut her off with a sarcastic laugh.
"You are so fucking pathetic, Brandy. You're not actually wanting to talk, are you? You just need a fucking ride. Unbelievable. What's the matter? Did the jerk off you left me for get tired of your bullshit and leave you, so now you have no one?"
Tears stung Brandy's eyes at his harsh words. "It's not like that-"
"Please, spare me. You can go fuck yourself. Don't call me again," he shot back, and hung up before she could say another word. Fighting back the urge to completely break down, Brandy took a deep breath as she hung up the phone, and thought hard about what to do next. She had expected him to still harbor resentment, but she had not expected such severe hostility from him...
Once she had managed to somewhat regain her composure, Brandy dialed another number, and as she listened to the phone ring, she went over what she would say. Finally, there was an answer. "Jacobs residence, this is Teresa."
"Teresa, hey, it's me...Brandy," Brandy stated, silently begging for this call to go better.
"...Oh. Hi," Teresa finally replied, the conversation already off to a not so promising start. "What do you want?"
"I...well, I was kind of hoping you could help me out."
Teresa scoffed. "You're seriously asking me for a favor, after what you did to Mark? What the fuck is wrong with you?"
"Teresa, I'm begging you, please just let me explain. It's not what you think, this has all been a huge misunderstanding."
"How in the hell is this a 'misunderstanding'? Please, humor me."
"I...I never wanted to leave Mark, but I didn't have a choice. It...it's complicated. If you could come get me at the hospital-"
"Honestly, you know what, Brandy? I don't want to hear shit from you. It's obvious nothing but bullshit is going to come from your mouth, so don't bother. Oh, and stay the fuck away from Mark, you've caused him enough pain as it is," Teresa shot back, and once again the line was disconnected before Brandy could say another word. It was this which caused Brandy to finally break down, silent sobs shaking her entire body as she put the phone away. She felt so completely, and utterly alone in that moment...
) ) ) )
Shaking her head, Teresa put the phone back down, her good mood suddenly soured by the unexpected call from her ex-best friend.
"Who was that?" Glenn asked as he walked into the room.
Teresa turned to face him. "You're not going to believe me." Glenn gave her a questioning look. "It was Brandy," she informed him, his eyes immediately going wide.
"Brandy? Really?" Teresa nodded. "What the hell did she want?"
"Get this, she expected me to give her a ride," Teresa informed him with a scoff. "I can't believe the bitch. She said she wanted to explain things, but I really didn't want to hear it."
Glenn shook his head at this. Seeing she was clearly upset, he asked, "You okay?"
Letting out a sigh, she nodded. "Yeah, I'll be okay. I just wasn't expecting it to be her, of all people." Forcing a smile, she added, "I'm going to check my email, and get some work done."
"Alight," Glenn replied, and leaning down he kissed her forehead before grabbing a drink and walking back out of the kitchen. Exiting the kitchen as well, Teresa made her way into her office, and sitting down at her desk she started up her computer. As she opened her email and began to read through them, her curiosity began to get the better of her, and opening up her web browser she did a search of Brandy's name. She frowned when the first thing to pop up was a news article, and opening the web page she began to read through the article, which discussed the shooting of a man, and the rescuing of a kidnapped woman. Knowing Brandy's history, an unease settled over Teresa as she read further into the story. A disclaimer of disturbing footage was made, before it shared a link to the website created by the kidnapper, and she hesitated before clicking on it. As the new web page loaded, dozens of videos greeted Teresa, all of them involving the description of some form of torture. She again hesitated, before clicking on the first video, and as it began Teresa grew sick to her stomach when the site of a hogtied Brandy greeted her. She watched in horror as this disgusting human being hit, punched and absolutely destroyed the girl Teresa had grown to love. Brandy's entire body was black and blue from the obvious repeated torture, and lying limp all she could do was accept it, the site of her looking so helpless bringing tears to Teresa's eyes. Shaking her head, she stopped the video just as the man began to choke Brandy, and getting up she rushed out of the office.
Glenn was just about to open up his book, when Teresa walked into the living room. Seeing she was clearly upset, he immediately put the book down. "Honey, what is it?" he asked, taken by surprise when she threw herself into his arms as she began to sob. Pulling her into his lap, he softly shushed her as he held her close, not understanding what had upset her so badly. When she finally regained control of herself, he gently pulled back and asked, "What's going on? What's the matter?"
"I...Glenn, I fucked up. I fucked up so bad," Teresa stated, her eyes still shining with tears.
"What do you mean?"
"It...Brandy...she..." Teresa tried to explain, but was unable to form words.
"What? What about Brandy?"
"We have to help. We have to help now," she said, and standing up tried to pull him up as well, but Glenn resisted her.
"Baby, calm down, and tell me what's going on. I'm sorry, I don't get what you're trying to say."
"Brandy needs us, we need to go and find her."
"Why do you give a shit about her again?"
"Because she...just follow me," Teresa replied, and once more pulled on Glenn's hand. This time, he complied with her wishes, and followed her into her office, where she had him sit at her desk. "I really don't know why, but I had decided to search her name, and came across an article about an abducted woman, and her kidnapper being shot. It had a link to the website the kidnapper had made, and on it I found this," she explained, and restarted the video she had been watching.
Looking at the screen, Glenn watched the video as it unfolded. "Is that...?" he started to ask, looking up at Teresa, but could not finish the question. She simply nodded, and looking back at the screen, disbelief filled Glenn as he witnessed unimaginable pain being inflicted upon Brandy. Unable to finish the entire scene, he stopped the video. "I...I don't know what to say to this," he finally said, running a hand through his hair as he absorbed all the information which had been just given to him. "Jesus, who the fuck is that guy?"
"The article never mentioned his name, but I feel like maybe this was her ex...Tom, I think his name was. From the way she has talked, he had been crazy before, but apparently somewhere along the line he completely lost his shit."
"No kidding," he muttered, shaking his head as he looked back at the computer screen.
"Glenn, we have to do something."
"Babe, what are we supposed to do?"
"I don't know, Glenn, I don't know, but we have to do something. She said she was at the hospital, we should go get her." Tearing up once more, Teresa added, "She has no one. Glenn, she's been going through this all alone."
Seeing she was getting upset again, he stood up and hugged her. "Let's go get her, and make things right," he replied, and she nodded in agreement before the two of them quickly made their way out of the house and to their car, both hoping they were not too late...
( ( ( (
"Good afternoon, you two, how may I help you?" the lady sitting at the information desk greeted Glenn and Teresa with a smile.
"Yes ma'am, we are wondering if our friend is still here," Teresa explained.
"I'd be happy to look into it for you. What is your friend's name?"
"Brandy Williams."
The lady typed in the name, and did a search, each second of waiting feeling like hours to the both of them. Finally, she shook her head. "I'm so sorry, it looks like you may have just missed her. There was a Miss Brandy Williams which was just discharged about thirty minutes ago."
"Is there any possible chance she might still be in her room?"
"I'm afraid not, ma'am. Once the discharge has been finalized, that means the room has been cleared out."
Teresa let out a frustrated sigh, unsure of what to do from that point forward. "Could you point us in the direction of the unit she had been in? It's important we find her, and we would just like to ask the staff who might have interacted with her if she told them anything."
"Of course, if you go down the hall that way, it will lead you to the elevators. Take them up to the fourth floor, once there make a left until the hall ends, and then make a right. It will lead you right to the unit."
"Thank you, ma'am," Glenn replied, and the two of them made their way to the elevators. Once in there, Glenn glanced at Teresa, and could see the worry on her face. "We're going to find her," he reassured her, making her look up at him and give a small smile.
"I feel like the worst person in the world, right now," she commented quietly, staring ahead at the wall.
"Babe, stop. You're not the worst person, how were you to know? How could we have known this was happening? Obviously, things would have been handled much more differently had we known her situation, but we didn't. All we can do is try to fix things from here."
Teresa gave a heavy sigh. "I know, you're right."
"I always am," he replied with a smirk, and pulled her to him for a quick squeeze just as the elevator doors opened. Walking out, they made their way down the hall to the unit Brandy had been staying in.
As they walked up to the nurse's station, a nurse sitting there greeted them, "Hello there, was there something you needed?"
"Yes ma'am, our friend was discharged about half an hour ago, and we were hoping maybe she had said something to her nurse as to where she would be going."
"Oh, um, well okay," the nurse replied, clearly brought back by their request.
"I know, it's an odd favor. I'd explain, but it's a long story. It's just really important that we find where she went."
"No, no, you are perfectly fine. I'll see what I can do for you. What was her name?"
"Brandy Williams."
"Williams," the nurse echoed, a look of concentration on her face. "I believe I know which nurse was taking care of her. Give me a minute, and I will see if I can grab her for you," she added, and walked away from them. Glenn and Teresa stayed there next to the desk, anxiously waiting for her return.
Finally, the nurse walked back up to them, accompanied by another nurse. "Hi there, my name is Ann. I understand you had some questions for me?" the second nurse asked, thanking the first nurse as she walked away.
"Yes ma'am, were you the one who was helping Brandy Williams when she was discharged a little bit ago?" Teresa asked.
"I was, yes."
"We are friends of hers, and are just trying to figure out where she might have went to. I know it's a long shot, but did she by chance mention where she would be going?"
"We did speak briefly. She had asked how long our cafeteria remained open, and if it were alright for her to sit there while she figured things out. Other than that, I'm so sorry, she did not really say anything else. If I were you, I would take a look down there. If you go down to the first floor, just make a right out of the elevators you came from, it will be on your left. I'm sorry I'm not more help."
"No, no, I appreciate what you told us, thank you," Teresa replied, and with a smile and a small wave the nurse turned around to head back down the hall.
"I guess let's go check down there," Teresa commented, and the two of them made their way back to the elevators to go back down to the first floor. As they walked into the cafeteria area, Teresa silently begged to find her there. Looking around, they made their way through the seating area, and her hope began to fade when there was no sign of Brandy. "She's gone...we're too late," she stated, sinking wearily into one of the seats and burying her face in her hands.
"Hey, it's okay, we are going to find her," Glenn said comfortingly, placing a hand on her shoulder as he sat by her. "We just need to keep trying. Surely, she didn't get that far away. I need to use the restroom, so I am going to do that, and then once I am done we can ask some of the workers in here. Brandy is a very sociable person, maybe she spoke to one of them."
Teresa nodded. "I'm just going to stay here," she replied, and Glenn softly touched her cheek before standing back up and walking back out to the hall. As she sat there, Teresa found her mind wandering back to that video of Brandy. She did not know what exactly she would do, but she planned on doing everything in her power to try and make it up to her. Just as she happened to look up, her heart leaped up into her throat when she saw Brandy walk through the entry of the cafeteria. She strained to look closer, wanting to be sure she was seeing things correctly, and when she more fully faced Teresa, it was obvious to her she was looking at Brandy. "Brandy?" she called out as she stood up, and when their gazes met, Teresa could not stop the tears which came to her eyes. Unable to help herself, Teresa ran towards Brandy. "Brandy, oh my god, Brandy," she added in a choked sob, flinging herself at Brandy. When she yelped in pain, Teresa pulled back. "Shit, are you okay?" she asked, and when Brandy nodded she simply continued to look at her for a moment. Once more beginning to break down, Teresa added as she pulled Brandy back to her, "I'm so sorry. I'm so, so sorry, I had no idea. I feel like such a piece of shit for how I was towards you."
In shock, Brandy simply stood there, trying to comprehend everything which had just conspired in the last thirty seconds. However, hearing and feeling Teresa made it sink in she was really there, which in return made Brandy's own emotions surface, and returning the embrace she also broke down. "I was so miserable," Brandy cried, holding tightly to Teresa. "I've never felt so alone before."
Teresa simply held her as close as she could without hurting her, vowing to never abandon her friend like she had ever again. When they were able to somewhat regain control of themselves, she pulled back, and ran a hand through Brandy's hair as she commented, "You're really here. I'm actually touching you, I can't believe you're actually here."
Brandy smiled weakly at her. "I'm really here," she replied, and once more Teresa hugged her.
"You're safe. I promise, you're safe now," Teresa whispered in her ear, and Brandy simply hugged her tighter.
Just then, Glenn walked back into the cafeteria, brought back by the sight of the two of them hugging. "Brandy!" he exclaimed, his comment making the two of them pull apart to look over at him.
"Glenn," Brandy stated, her chin quivering as she walked over to him to hug him as well. Leaning down, he lifted her up, allowing her to hug him around the neck as he squeezed her fiercely around the waist.
"Everything is okay now," he murmured, holding her close for a long moment before finally putting her back down.
Wiping the tears from her eyes, Brandy started to say, "You guys, I'm so sorry for everything. It's just-"
"You don't have to explain, we figured it out," Teresa interrupted. "You have absolutely no reason to apologize. We are the ones who should be apologizing to you. I was such a cunt, I'm so sorry for how I was."
Brandy gave a small shrug. "It's okay, you didn't know," she replied. With a frown, she added, "Wait...how...I don't understand?"
Seeing the cafeteria was beginning to get busy, Teresa suggested, "Why don't we head out to the car? Let's go somewhere more private to talk about this."
"You guys...are okay with me coming with you?" Brandy asked hesitantly.
Teresa once more pulled Brandy to her. "You're never getting away from me again," she commented, and grateful to once more feel so wanted, Brandy simply hugged her back.
"Of course we want you to come with us," Glenn reassured her, giving her good shoulder a soft squeeze. "Let's get going, I'm sure you are ready to get out of here."
"You have no idea," Brandy replied, making the other two laugh, and holding onto one another all three of them made their way out of the cafeteria and toward the parking garage. "So...wait, I'm still confused," Brandy stated once they were all in Glenn's truck.
Both Glenn and Teresa turned around to look back at her. "What are you confused about?" Teresa asked.
"I just...how? How did you guys end up here? Teresa, you wanted nothing to do with me when we spoke on the phone, and now it's like nothing happened, like I never left. I just...I guess I don't understand what changed."
Teresa hesitated, before explaining, "Brandy...we found videos of you...videos of what that...that asshole had done to you. As soon as I saw them, I understood what you had been trying to explain over the phone."
A queasy feeling came to Brandy's stomach upon hearing this. "I was afraid of this happening as soon as I found out this shit was out there," she muttered, burying her hands in her face. "I'm so embarrassed."
"Honey, you have nothing to be embarrassed about. This was all beyond your control, you obviously couldn't stop what all he did to you," Teresa commented, reaching back to run a hand through Brandy's hair as Glenn started up the truck and began to make his way out of the parking garage.
Brandy looked back up at her. "I know, I just...it's not exactly something I want out there. It's bad enough that it happened, I didn't really want other people knowing, or seeing such a vulnerable moment."
"I understand," Teresa replied softly, and after a moment asked, "So how are you feeling? What all did they treat you for there at the hospital?"
Brandy shrugged. "I've obviously felt better. He shot me in the shoulder, so they took care of that. Surprisingly, aside from some fractured ribs, I didn't have a lot of injuries from what he had done at the house. My body is still pretty sore, and I have some nasty cuts and bruises, but that is about it. So I guess, really, I'm doing okay...physically, anyway. Mentally and emotionally, I'm pretty fucked up."
"That's going to take a little more time to heal from," Glenn commented, glancing back in the mirror at her. She simply nodded at this, looking out the window at the passing scenery. "Mark is going to be so happy to see you."
Brandy's gaze shot forward at them. "No!"
Both of them looked back at her. "What do you mean, 'no'?" Glenn asked.
"I'm not ready to see him. I..."
"Brandy, why don't you want to see him? I thought that would be the first thing you would want to do, is see him."
"I'm not ready for that. I...honestly, I don't even want you guys seeing me like this, but I didn't know what else to do. I miss him so much, but...I'm just not ready to face him. I'm not in a good place, mentally." Brandy hesitated, before asking, "Does that make me a terrible person?"
"No, not at all. I understand where you are coming from, and once Mark knows I know he will understand too," Teresa reassured her.
"I..."
"What?" Brandy struggled to find her words. "What's wrong?"
Finally, she managed to get out, "I...I was wondering if I could...possibly...stay with you guys? Just until I figure out what I am going to do? I'll pay rent, and whatever you need me to do."
"Brandy, we don't need your money," Glenn insisted. "Of course you can stay with us. Don't you want to go back to your own home, though?"
"I do, I just...I don't know. I can't explain it, I'm just not ready to go back to how things were. I don't think I could do that even if I did want to."
"You can stay with us as long as you need to, but I do think you should reach out to Mark soon. He deserves to know what happened."
Brandy sighed. "Yeah, I know," she replied, and once more looking out of the window she thought about how she would even to begin picking up the pieces of her once more fucked up life.