Long awaited first chapter. Please rate/review!
CHAPTER 1
"To weep is to make less the depth of grief"
Henry VI, Part III (Act II, Scene I)
Bella vaguely remembered waking to the loud whirring of a machine. When her eyes flickered open, she was encased in a world of white. It resembled a coffin how close the white plastic was to her face. Everything around the spaceship capsule was glowing. Her arms had been moved down by her sides, and felt straps over her arms to keep them in place. The soft fabric covering her chest replaced the blood spattered t-shirt. Her legs were bare.
Was she dead?
Her mouth parted. Air brushed against her chapped lips as she gasped.
Nope. She was still breathing. But where was the air? She hated enclosed spaces. And why was a plastic mask immobilizing her head?
"Deep breaths Bella" the voice boomed over a loudspeaker above her. She winced at the harsh loudspeaker assaulting her ears. "We're almost done with the MRI. Just a few more minutes."
Bella glared at the white ceiling inches from her face. For all the reassurance she was receiving from police personnel, the EMTs, to whoever that asshole was behind the machine, she wasn't feeling very reassured.
Good thing it's just you now … a small inner voice bit back.
She grimaced. Biting her inner cheek to keep the sobs from ripping her open, she shut her eyes to the outside world, too tired to relive the day or fight the tears freely falling down her cheeks.
There was movement near her feet. Within seconds she felt an icy liquid running up her veins, pulling her back into the empty depths of sleep.
The next time she woke, it was in a very dimly lit room all to herself. It was spacious, with an armchair and table to her left, and a physician's computer to her right for writing orders. The obnoxious lime green patterned curtains were drawn on either side of her, except for the opening in the front where she could glimpse at the nurse's desk. Her eyes landed again on the empty plush armchair in the corner.
She kept staring at it.
The sudden flash of her mother's brown eyes, and bleeding neck on the carpet, sent an unpleasant shock into her stomach.
Her body lurched forward, going from 0 to 100 as she found the pink basin at her bedside table. Her stomach depleted itself of acid into the small bin. Her hands shook as she regained composure, spitting into the basin, wiping her mouth with the back of her hand before slumping back into the gurney.
She turned her attention to the IV drip with a large bag of saline halfway-filled, and two clear medication bags beside it; penicillin, and Levetiracetam. The second she hadn't heard of before.
She made a move to lift herself in the bed, but was stopped by the full-feeling around her neck. Her fingers brushed over the soft collar.
"Good to see you're awake Isabella!" a young woman in a white coat entered the room with a clipboard. Bella's body instantly tightened in reflexive response.
The woman had a calm smile that complimented her features, and Bella could swear there was a dim halo around her.
"My name is Dr. Madison. We just received the results from your MRI. You must be feeling a little whoozy, huh?"
Bella kept blinking, unsure how to reply. Dr. Madison handed her a small plastic cup of water, disregarding the new contents in the pink basin.
"Isabella, do you remember anything that happened?"
Bella was going to shake her head but remembered the C-collar. "No" her voice came out hoarse. Her answer appeared sufficient for Dr. Madison who only nodded.
"Do you mind if I do a quick neuro exam on you while we talk?"
Bella gave a small nod of her head, but immediately regretted the action. She winced as Dr. Madison started shining the penlight in her eyes.
"When you arrived, you had given the EMT's quite a scare on the field. Appears when they tried to extract you from the car, you had a generalized seizure. Please squeeze both fingers for me"
She squeezed both of Dr. Madison's forefingers, then replicated the movements Dr. Madison was directing.
"You look neurologically intact my dear!" she beamed, walking over to the computer. Her fingers moved like lightening over the keyboard.
"I had my suspicions when you arrived, and after looking at your MRI they're confirmed. It looks like the seizure was brought on by the swelling in your brain."
She turned the console to face Bella. Black, gray, and white pictures of a brain came into view. The contrast made Bella's eyes hurt.
"See this area?" Dr. Madison pointed with her forefinger an area of bright white around the edge of her brain.
"It's a hematoma. You must have hit something hard that caused the vessels to break in your brain, causing internal bleeding."
Just thrown against a wall ….
"Thankfully the surgeon doesn't think it requires removal, and it is benign enough to resolve on its own in a few months. But there was a small crack in your skull from whatever you hit, And after looking you over I noticed the bruising behind your ears"
Bella reached up to the tender area behind her right ear.
"It's called a battle sign. It sometimes happens when you've had injury to your skull. You took a nasty hit. And we did notice some suspicious changes in your cervical spine. There's a slight misalignment at your cervical spine C3-C4, but nothing that is too concerning. It won't require surgery."
Bella looked on blankly.
"You can expect a few headaches from the concussion, and some neck nerve impingement. And don't be alarmed if you experience any pain in your upper spine, that's to be expected. We just have to be extra careful you don't have another head injury anytime soon."
How was she supposed to digest all this information? She hoped the doctor wrote it down somewhere so she could process it all later. Bella looked down at her lap, where she caught sight of her left wrist.
"What-" Bella lifted the cast, looking at the plaster wrap in amazement. How long was she asleep?
Dr. Madison smiled, obviously excited. "Yes, our top Orthopedist came in to do that while you were under yesterday. I made sure to call him especially."
"Yesterday?" she choked incredulously. Her voice sounded foreign to her. "How long have I been out?"
"Two days. We've been in contact with Charlie, your father. He gave the consent to go ahead with the surgery. He's taking the first flight out from Washington tomorrow. He'll be relieved to know you're finally awake."
Bella blinked. So Charlie knew.
At least the weight of telling Charlie was off her chest. How did he take the news? He never truly got over the divorce; on some level, Bella suspected he was still in love with her mother.
Dr. Madison filled the silence. "Dr. Imogen diagnosed you with a distal radius fracture. Seems you also crushed a few of your carpals, but they weren't misaligned so they should heal nicely over the summer. He said it was one of the cleanest breaks he's ever seen."
The kindness she was receiving was too overwhelming. It was like dousing a new raw cut with alcohol; necessary for healing, but making the pain all the more fresh.
Dr. Madison paused, her smile falling as she came to stand closer to Bella's bedside. "Isabella, may I ask how these injuries happened?"
Her right hand unconsciously balled into a fist. And Dr. Madison noticed.
The low thudding in her ears was growing louder as the memories pieced together. Black eyes stared back at her.
"It's okay Isabella. If you don't feel comfortable talking about it right now. Or maybe you would feel more comfortable talking with officer Tanner? She told me she was the first on the scene, and she's been very worried about you. She's waiting right outside. Is it okay if she comes in?"
Bella looked up to see the policewoman she had seen outside her car window.
She could tell from Dr. Madison's calm voice, and how careful she was tiptoeing around the 'event,' that she was genuinely concerned. The gesture made Bella relax her posture.
She nodded.
Dr. Madison cheerfully motioned for Officer Tanner to enter the room.
"Nice to see you awake Bella" Officer Tanner offered a cautious mile. Dr. Madison had decided to perch herself on the other side of Bella's bed. It wasn't unwelcome, but the close proximity was starting to put Bella on edge.
"Dr. Madison has kept us updated on your condition, the team will be so happy to see you"
The team? Bella blinked at her words, unsure if she could remember what had happened beyond meeting the eyes of the Officer outside the car window.
"I'm so sorry Bella, but I have some bad news."
Bella's vision began to tunnel. She clenched her jaw. She knew exactly the words that were about to leave Officer Tanner's mouth, and she didn't want to hear it. She already knew what had happened to them. She had lived it, survived it. If you could call this surviving.
Don't say it, don't fucking say it. Her right fist balled up.
"Your mom, and your stepdad, they passed away at the house."
She held her breath at Officer Tanner's choice of words. Passed away?
Her mom's lifeless brown eyes swarmed into view, her own blood spattered across her face
Passed away?!
She could still hear on repeat the sickening snap of Phil's spine as she ran out the door. Like the coward she was.
They were murdered!
"Our coroner confirmed the identity of the bodies as Renee Swan Dwyer, and Phil Dwyer. I'm so sorry."
Bella now could only stare at her.
So much was exchanged in those sixty seconds of silence. Office Tanner's brow narrowed.
"But…you already knew that."
Bella didn't flinch.
"Bella, do you mind if I invite the detective to come in here and ask a few questions? I think you know who did this, and we would really like your help to catch whoever did."
Bella closed her eyes and exhaled slowly.
And so it begins.
