Chapter Six
Once Jane found out Alan's room she made her way there, he was asleep until Jane came in. "Hey, are you alright?" she asked him. They were seeing each other so much lately that even Jane had some concern for him."I've been better. How's Regina? They won't tell me anything." he replied. Jane had to admit that he was actually a pretty decent father. "She's...stable...but still in critical condition. She's in PICU now. The driver of the car did damage to her, they...they had to amputate her right arm and right leg." Jane said as she tried her hardest not to break down in front of him. "This is my fault...Regina had a seizure so I turned to check on her, I didn't see the other driver that hit us." he replied. "Listen to me, this is not your fault. The person driving was paid by North to attempt to kill you both." Jane informed him.
"This was an attempted murder?" he asked her. "Yeah." Jane told him. They sat there silently for a few moments. "Why did you two leave the office? I packed Regina's lunch." Jane asked him. "I left the room to get my lunch and when I came back a co-workers daughter was attacking Regina. Regina then managed to get the upper hand, she broke the girl's nose before I managed to pull them apart. Regina told me her chest was hurting and she started to cough up blood, so I was taking her to the hospital." Alan explained to her. "Well that explains the punctured lung and broken ribs. "Apparently the reason Regina hasn't been making friends is due to the fact that this girl has been bullying her in school and having the other kids make fun of her." he added.
"So attempted murder and now bullying...she cannot catch a break..." Jane sighed. A few seconds later someone marched into the room. It was Denise, along with her daughter with the broken nose. "Where is she Alan? That girl of yours broke my daughter's nose!" Denise said angrily. "Well let's see, she was just involved in a life threatening accident and is now missing two of her limbs after your daughter broke two of her ribs that punctured her lung causing her to cough up blood." he explained in a somewhat sarcastic tone. "Is this the girl who has been bullying my daughter?" Jane asked him. He nodded at Jane.
"Bullying again? Bradley!" Denise said angrily. "Bradley?" Jane snickered. "Why is my daughter's name so humorous to you two?" Denise asked. "Anyway, back on topic, your daughter has been bullying my daughter so she isn't making friends. Apparently she's been having the other kids make fun of her too. Now that my daughter is missing an arm and a leg your daughter will probably find new material to bully her with. And I'm not sorry Regina broke her nose, your brat deserved it." Jane told her, she was so angry. Regina was a good kid, she didn't deserve this, always sweet and caring of others.
"Mommy, she started the fight!" Bradley said to her. "How about I have Shirley view the security tapes, they will show who really started the fight." Alan told Denise. "Alright, fine." Denise told him. Denise called and asked Shirley view the security tapes of Alan's office to see who started the fight. Shirley sent the video to her phone and she played it for Alan. They watched the whole thing, with Bradley starting it while Regina insulted her. Alan was impressed to see that Regina came up with her own colorful insults. Jane felt embarrassed about the piss in the boot one.
"Well now isn't that interesting, once again my daughter has been trying to deal with your daughter's harassment, only this time she managed to stand up for herself. You know, if I were a greedy man I could sue you for your daughter's bullying and harassment of Regina, I could even blame your daughter for the fact that my daughter might actually die and probably sue for the whole car accident." Alan said. "And how exactly would you do that Alan. Bradley didn't cause the car accident!" Denise told him. "You don't think I couldn't convince a jury that the reason we got into a car accident was due to the injuries your daughter imposed on Regina? That the reason we got into that car accident was due to the stress your daughter caused on my own caused her to have a seizure which was caused by her injuries and the stress of having to go to the hospital for the fifth time in the span of two months? Denise, you wound me." Alan told her. Denise looked at him with a hint of worry on her face. She knew damn good and well that Alan would attempt that and he might even win.
"But I'm not a greedy man, so here is what I'll do Denise. If your child ever so much as breathes a word to Regina, I will sue you so fast your head will spin. If the other kids do not stop harassing her I will also sue. If my daughter doesn't pull through I will again sue." Alan told her. He was quite serious too. Jane looked at him and couldn't believe what he just said. Sure she was angry that this girl was bothering their daughter, but she wasn't sue happy like Alan was either. Jane had a dumbfounded look on her face. Denise left with her daughter in a huff and Jane looked at Alan. "Are you insane?! This was North's fault! You can't blame that woman and her child for this! I don't know why I expected better from you, I thought having a kid would change you, but no, you're still the same sleazeball I slept with!" Jane yelled at him before stomping off to go be with her daughter.
The next twenty-four hours were crucial. Jane had been crying all day, when Angela heard he news she rushed over to the hospital, not giving a damn about Regina's request for her to stay away. She came immediately to Regina's room and and practically ran over to Jane, hugging her tightly. Jane sobbed into her, she just couldn't stop crying. She hadn't cried this much since Regina was taken the first time. "How is she?" Angela asked. Jane showed her mother Regina, and Angela noticed that she was missing her right arm. "Oh my god, what happened to her arm?" Angela asked. "It's not just her arm...they also took her right leg." Jane sobbed as she lifted up the blanket to show her mother Regina's missing leg. "My poor grandbaby." Angela said as she started to cry as well. "The next twenty-four hours are crucial, she might not make it." Jane informed her. Maura had left as Frankie needed her help identifying something. "She's a strong girl Jane, she's going to make it, never talk like that. The last thing Regina needs right now is to hear this." Angela told her.
"How's her father?" Angela asked. "He's going to be fine, he had shards of glass embedded into his shoulder. The jerk is threatening to sue the mother of the girl who has been bullying Regina. He said he could convince a court room that the injuries the girl caused caused her to have a seizure which Alan had to check on, which is why they were involved in the accident." Jane told her. "Injuries? What injuries?" Angela asked her. "The girl broke her ribs which punctured a lung making her cough up blood." Jane informed her. "Do you think he could win that?" Angela asked her. "I don't doubt that he could." Jane replied. "Alan only cares about one person...Alan. I thought Regina might change that, but..." Jane added. "It sounds to me like Alan cares a lot for Regina." Angela told her.
"How do you figure that?" Jane asked her, raising her eyebrow. "Alan wouldn't be threatening to sue if he didn't care about Regina. I've seen the way Alan spends time with her, they care a great deal for each other. He wouldn't spend time with her if he didn't care about her." Angela surmised. After visiting hours were over Angela went home and Jane had fallen asleep once more crying. She dreamed of what life was going to be like for Regina, she dreamed that the bullying hadn't stopped and when Regina grew older she hung herself on a ceiling fan in her room. She woke up with a start, her heart nearly pounding out of her chest. She had to check on her daughter. Jane looked at her and made sure she was still breathing before she settled down. It took her a while to get back to sleep, but when she did at least she didn't have that horrible nightmare again.
The next day Alan was released from the hospital. The first thing he did was visit Regina. Denny had visited him the previous day and he had told Denny about him threatening to sue Denise due to her child's bullying. He thought it might be a fun case to try and so Alan told him if they did go to court then Denny could try the case. Alan walked into the PICU unit and saw Jane asleep next to Regina. He sat down beside her and watched as his daughter struggled to breathe on her own. Regina was a tough girl, he had no doubt that she would pull through, but this was the second attempt on her life, and he had once again failed to protect her. Regina pulled out his best qualities, and he wasn't going to let her die. He looked at Regina and saw something. Her eyelids were fluttering, like she was trying to open her eyes. He stood up and looked more closely. "Regina?" he asked, which woke Jane up.
"What's going on?" she asked as she saw Alan standing there. How long had he been there for? And why didn't he wake her? "She's trying to open her eyes." Alan told her. Jane stood up immediately and examined her daughter. She too could see Regina's eyes trying to open. It was like Regina couldn't open her eyes until her father was there as well. Soon her eyes opened and she started to choke on the tube down her throat. Jane ran out of the room calling for help as the nurses and some doctors rushed in, they kicked both of them out as they tried to get the tube out of her throat. Once they succeeded she settled down and Jane as well as Alan were allowed back into the room. They sat next to Regina. "Hey sweetie, we're here okay." Jane told her. Regina looked at them and started to scream, but her scream was just completely hoarse and non-existent. "Regina? What's wrong?" Jane asked her. "G-Get a-away from me! S-Stranger danger!" she said as she tried to get away from them, but was trapped.
"Regina, settle down, it's me." Jane told her. "I don't know you!" she said hoarsely. "Regina, it's me mommy, You don't recognize me?" Jane asked her. "No!" she said as she started to cry. "What about me Regina? Do you recognize me?" Alan asked her. Regina shook her head and continued to cry. One of the doctors heard the commotion and examined Regina. "Your daughter has amnesia, she doesn't remember anyone at all. Do you have some photos that might help jog her memory?" the doctor asked. "I have some in my phone." Jane admitted. "I have some in mine as well." Alan told him. "They might help jog her memory or at least make her not so afraid. We don't know when her memory could come back, if it ever comes back." the doctor explained.
Jane and Alan entered the room with Jane showing Regina her phone. "Okay Regina, you see that girl in these pictures? That girl is you. And that's me, I'm your mommy." Jane explained to her. "And this is a picture of us together." Alan said to her. "I'm your daddy." he told her. Regina wasn't quite sure she trusted them, but decided to give them a chance. They continued to show her pictures until she looked down and noticed both her arm and leg missing. She started to panic. "Regina, calm down, I know you're scared, but you need to calm down." Jane told her. "W-Where's my arm and leg?" she asked. "Regina, you were in a terrible car accident. Someone hit us as I was taking you to the hospital after that girl hurt you." Alan explained.
Images of the car accident flashed before her eyes. She remembered barely coming out of her seizure and her father looking at her before they were hit. Regina started to cry even more and her father gently hugged her. Regina didn't fight it because she remembered him, maybe not fully but enough to trust him. Regina looked at her mother, but still couldn't remember her, at least not for a few hours, but while Regina slept she had a dream that reminded her just of who she was. She remembered being raped and beaten, she was about to be struck again when Jane had burst in and saved her. However these two instances were all she could remember.
When Maura came to visit she couldn't remember her either, and when her grandmother came to visit, not only could she not remember her, but she didn't remember that she thought that Angela hated her for forgetting her in the park. Angela was somewhat thrilled about this and hoped she didn't remember. She had pulled the adults aside and asked them something that had been on her mind. "How is Regina going to write or even get around?" Angela asked. "Well..." Jane thought for a minute, she had no clue. Alan offered to buy her prosthetics until Maura chimed in. "I have a friend who specializes in robotic prosthetic limbs. I can see if Regina would make a good candidate. She would be a test subject, but these limbs could give her a new lease on life." Maura told them. "How much would they cost?" Jane asked. "Well if she's a good candidate, which after I examined her she would be, then in exchange for being a test subject the limbs wouldn't cost you anything, he would also do all the repairs in house." Maura told them.
"I'll talk go talk to him and have him examine Regina." Maura said as she got up and left. Regina was only missing the lower half of her limbs, which would make her a decent candidate. After her wounds to her limbs healed, Regina was released from the hospital. It was about a month and a half and now school was over for the year. It was summer vacation, but Regina couldn't do much, she couldn't even play her video game or draw. She couldn't really do much of anything with only one arm and one leg. She had recovered a few more memories, but everything else was still a blank. Regina was taken to the robotics doctor and the doctor examined her limbs to take measurements and see if she would be a good candidate. "Regina would make an excellent candidate. It will take a while, but I will build her these prosthetic limbs." he told them.
Another month had passed and the limbs were finally ready. He attached the limbs to Regina, and had her use the hand first. All she had to do was use her mind to tell her arm what to do, just like a real arm. It opened and closed, her fingers moving all about. After she got the hang of her arm, they had her try the leg, bending the toes repeatedly until it was time for her to try walking on it. She had been bed bound for so long that she had forgotten how to walk. She was placed near two bars and held onto them so that she could attempt walking for the first time in over two months. She would have to continue to use a wheelchair until she completed physical therapy to help her walk, but the prognosis was good. She was able to remove the limbs with ease as well, they were also waterproof in case they got wet say on a theme park ride. Regina was not allowed to sleep with them on, nor swim or bathe with them, but she was able to run with this one, that was something Jane made sure of in case Regina got into trouble with those people after her.
Regina spent most of her summer vacation with her father in his office, with some time with her grandmother on her days off. They didn't trust Regina with just anyone because anyone could be hired by North to kill Regina, it was just safer for Regina to be in the care of her family. On Alan's breaks he frequently helped her re-learn to walk. "Alright Regina, it's time for us to work on your walking." Alan told her as he set his pen down. "Okay daddy." Regina said. She started to put on her limbs again, giving them a break every once in a while. Alan locked the wheelchair and helped his daughter stand, holding onto her hands and helping her walk forward. "You're getting better Regina." he told her. A girl appeared out of nowhere and started laughing. "The freak just got freakier!" the girl laughed. It was Bradley. "Bradley!" a voice scolded. It was Brad Chase, he had come to see his wife to take her to lunch. Regina started to cry and made her way back to her chair, taking her limbs off.
Alan had had enough, the girl wasn't stopping, despite his threats to sue. She was still terrorizing his daughter. Yesterday she took her prosthetics and hid them from her, as well as wheeling her into a closet and locking her in there. Regina was extremely claustrophobic as she was often locked in the closet when Marina still had custody of her. Finally he was going to make due with his threats. "Look Alan, I am so sorry." Brad apologized. "You obviously aren't going to do anything about your daughter harassing mine, I'll see you two in court." Alan told him. "Alan come on, you can't be serious. She's just a kid. Regina needs to toughen up." Brad told him.
"My daughter does not need to toughen up. Coming back here was the first decent thing to happen to my daughter. Let me run you through her life Brad. Imagine being born a premie, now imagine being kidnapped from the hospital hours after your birth. The woman who took you is abusive, and her second husband molests you for years. Now you're given to grandparents that clearly don't care about you after the man who is supposedly your father can't stand you. Now imagine being forced to visit your kidnapper and her second husband who not only molests you, but now starts to rape you. The woman breaks your leg for crying during the rape, as she was present, pinning you down. You aren't safe until your biological mother, would found you at the park earlier that day comes and saves you. And that's only the beginning Brad. You also have epilepsy and severe food allergies, getting sent to the hospital a day after being released because you accidentally consumed peanut butter. You meet your biological father while your at the hospital again." Alan starts to yell.
"The next day your grandmother takes you to the park and forgets about you because you have been gone for ten years Brad! Ten years! So as she takes her other grandchild home, forgetting you are sitting on the park bench playing a video game, one of the few things that brings you joy, and someone kidnaps you for a second time just to get back at your parents. They tie you up and call your father giving him riddles to solve and then they store you in a running deep freezer so that you nearly freeze to death. You get saved, but you are in the hospital yet again. A few days later someone is hired to be your waitress and poison you with peanut oil and remnants of fish. On top of that, on top of that Brad, you are getting bullied at school by every student in the class thank to a ringleader. Then that bully harasses you when your father is away getting his lunch and then when you try to use your wit to fight back that bully beats you up, breaking several of your ribs to the point that it punctures your lungs." he continues to yell while staring at Brad.
"Your father takes you to the hospital, only for you to have a seizure in the car due to the stress, your father is trying to time it and drive safely to the hospital, when someone his hired to hit your car. You then are a victim of a horrible car accident Brad, you lose two of your limbs and your memory, your father threatens to sue if the bully does not stop harassing your daughter, and the parents don't care, they don't because if they did they would have stopped it. Your bully then makes fun of your robotic limbs and you are so upset that you just burst into tears. Do you understand why the father is so angry now Brad? Because I am furious. So don't say my daughter needs to toughen up, she is the sweetest, and kindest person I have ever met, and she doesn't deserve any of this!" Alan finishes, he is seething with anger at this point while Regina cried.
"My daughter is a good person, a very smart girl with a wonderful personality. She's always willing to share and think of others before herself. This morning she offered her breakfast to a homeless child so she could have a meal for the day since school is out for the summer and she can't receive a meal. Can you say the same about your daughter Brad?" Alan asked him. "Come on Bradley, let's go." Brad told his daughter, who had stopped talking during Alan's speech. "Regina, everything is going to be fine, we are going to go to the headmaster of the school when school begins and I will get her expelled so you don't have to worry about her anymore." Alan told her. Regina nodded and hugged her father. She was a daddy's girl deep down. While she loved her mother, Regina was very attached to her father. She loved him more than anything. And Alan was not going to let anything happen to her again. Not on his watch.
