Hey guys! Thank you so much for the continuous reviews/alerts/subscriptions. You can thank 'xUnknownLOVEx' for practically reminding me to update. And MoxxyRain, *puts in time out*. Please enjoy the ninth chapter of "The Woman In Chains"...
Twitter: TheCliffyG
No Beta Reader, so ignore mistakes if any :)
Warnings: Might cause tears/Cursing
The Woman In Chains
"Clare Edwards, fiance of Owen Milligan, was checked into Toronto Hospital approximately five hours ago. Mr. Milligan claims that no one will be allowed to see her until further notice of her condition. Although, the news has been released that she is currently under suicide watch. We'll have more with details soon. This is Maryellen Sue, reporting live from Toronto Community Hospital."
OWEN
"We're sorry Mr. Milligan, but you're not allowed to see Clare right now. She's under suicide watch, and only family members can see her when the nurses report back that she is eligible for visitors."
"That's bullshit! I'm fucking Owen Milligan, number one football player in the league and I can't get in to see my own fiance! She was hurt!" The secretary behind the hospital desk shrugged her shoulders, "Sir, I wouldn't care if you were the president, you still wouldn't get in. This is our policy, now please, have a seat."
"When will I be allowed to see her? Is anyone with her now?" The nurse slammed her files down onto the table, glaring at me, "You know, you're the biggest, most selfish pig I've ever seen on television...but do you want some news on her? She was found at the scene with the word 'free' engraved on her arm. Now I don't want to assume anything, but I'm feeling that she's glad to be away from you. So please, take a goddamn seat before I call security."
"Mr. Milligan? We would like a word."
I craned my head towards the doors, seeing two police officers.
This can't be happening.
JAKE
"Do you have anything sharp on you? Pocket knives, keys?" The police officer patted me down thoroughly, practically taking everything off me except for my clothes.
"Okay sir, now I'll send a nurse up to let you inside her room."
I turned my head out to the hallway, to see Eli and Adam, sitting side by side with nervous expressions on their faces. They looked worried, traumatized, and most of all-concerned.
Eli smirked my way, trying to show me that I had nothing to worry about.
The dead look in Adams eyes told a story that I couldn't describe. I knew he wanted to see Clare, to talk to her and make her feel better. But, since I was a family member with a newly found privilege to see her, I was the one who would see her first.
As far as I know, Owen was currently being questioned-which means that he's not allowed to see Clare, touch Clare, or hurt her.
"Jake Martin?"
"Yeah, that's me."
"Please follow me."
Upon entering Clare's room, the nurse gave me a stern look, before speaking up, "There's no touching or exchanging anything besides words unless you will be taken out by security. Do you understand the rules?"
"I can't hug her?" she shook her head, "Sorry, but no."
CLARE
"Clare..."
Tick
Tock
Tick
Tock
"Clare..."
Tick
Tock
Tick
Tock
The fear had already settled in when the door to the padded room had opened. I wondered why they would let him in, why they didn't get the message that I wrote in my arm.
"Clare, it's Jake. Your brother."
For the first time since I've been here, I looked up from my interlocked hands. They had placed me in these scrubs, with slippers, and wrapped gauze around my arm tightly.
It didn't matter though; I was free.
"Jake," I smiled, looking across the table at his grinning face.
Tears seeped through his tightened eyelids, his Adams apple bobbing, "Y-You came back to me...even after I left like that-you came back. Wait, are you mad at me? Do you hate me? Oh no, you do, I'm so-."
He cut me off, shaking his head slowly, "Clare, I don't hate you. Hating you is the last thing on my mind. I'm just-are you okay? What happened?"
Thump
Thump
Thump
"I had to do it, you don't understand. H-He took away your clothes, Adam's boxers, and Eli's shoes. A-After that, I almost gave up. But I'm here again, with you. Aren't you happy to see me?"
"Do you even know where you are?" His voice raised, but I could tell he was fighting himself to not scream.
"In the hospital."
"You're under suicide watch Clare, you hurt yourself," I scoffed, "I was only trying to save myself. Waking up in this place, it was a blessing. Don't you get that? Don't you get that living with Owen wasn't easy? Try to understand!"
"You should've stayed at the apartment, but you left. Clare, this could've all been avoided if you just stayed."
I stared down at the gauze wrapped tightly around my arm, making my skin itch irritably. When I began to pick at it, Jake's voice became suddenly distant. The next thing I knew, my fingers were clawing at the bloody scar, and after a sharp pinch was felt in my right shoulder, everything went black...
OWEN
"Have you ever touched and/or took advantage of Clare Edwards?"
I rolled my eyes, "Really? She's my fiance, of course I've touched her."
"You're not answering my question, Mr. Milligan. I asked you if you've taken advantage of her, have you?" The 'questioner' stared me down, before placing his gun on the table.
"Mr. Milligan, I don't want to be here just as much as you don't."
"Do you know how much publicity attention this will cause? My reputation will be ruined because of Clare! She's crazy, honestly! Before this incident went down, she was telling me how she had an obsession with blood...and she even cut me a few times in my sleep. Listen, between you and I, I'm the victim here. I was just trying to help the woman I love."
Mr. Turner sat across from me, toying with the file between us, "Do you know how much investigation we can do between the scene of an attempted suicide and now? It's been eight hours, Mr. Milligan."
"What? I've got nothing to hide," he laughed, before flipping open the thick-paged file.
"Here," my eyes followed his index finger, "Is a picture of the closet on the second floor of your mansion. We found objects such as whips, rope, handcuffs, steel baseball bats, and even a different assortment of knives."
"We like performing dominate sex...what do you want me to do, act it out for you?" Officer Turner stared me down, before asking, "Have you ever seen the marks on Clare Edwards' body?"
"She's my fiance, I see her body all the time."
"Here are some pictures, to refresh your ill memory," my heart raced, looking at the photographs of Clare's body during an examination. You could barely see her skin with all the indents, all the cuts, scars, scratches...all of it was bruised, battered, and oozing.
"Now tell me Mr. Milligan, since you communicate with Clare so well, who has given her these brutal beatings?" I swallowed the lump in my throat, before choking out, "N-Not me! I mean-she goes out, she comes back looking like that! Ever since she started seeing her brother and his crazy ass gay boyfriend."
"If you knew about your fiance getting hurt, why didn't you stop her then?"
"You can't stop Clare when she has her mind set on something. She's strong headed, that's why I love her." I watched as Mr. Turner rose from his chair, and flipped a page in the file, "Since that is settled, please explain to me why your fingerprints and DNA was all over these cuts. Enlighten me to the reason of why Clare told the nurses to keep you away from her. Tell me why she's afraid of you."
"She's insane!" I spat, "She's a crazy, two-faced bitch!"
"Then why do you love her?"
Because she's easy to take advantage of. She's mine.
"I was in it for the sex, not for the strings-too bad the strings came with the sex," he scoffed, shoving his hands in his pocket, "Mr. Milligan, I've seen the magazine articles, the constant videos and everything on 'the Youtube'...it's more than just sex. It's an obsession."
"An obsession with what?"
"A sick, insane obsession with Clare Edwards," I rolled my eyes, "I'm not obsessed with her, I'm sick of her."
If I keep telling the lie, maybe he'll believe me.
"I'm sorry Mr. Milligan, but all of this doesn't seem to be adding up quite right. Only two people know the truth to this story, but as everyone looks at it, I would take Clare's side in a heartbeat with all of this evidence. And lying to me, Mr. Milligan, has only made your plea worse."
CLARE
"Do you want some of my chocolate milk?" He asked, his innocent blue eyes staring into mine, holding the container out. I watched his lips curl into a childish smirk, pushing the lid of the container to my lips, "Come on...it's really good."
"We have to keep an eye on Lizzy, we can't be fooling around, Adam," he rolled his eyes, kissing my cheek playfully. "She's on the slide with Daniel, don't worry, she's well protected."
"Besides, we're watching them. We have to keep an eye on our son too," Eli spoke from beside me, as I stared at the couple. Jake had his hand interlocked with Eli's, while they stared at their adopted child Daniel who was chasing Lizzy around the park.
"They look so innocent, so naive," I admitted, leaning my shoulder on Adams, "Gotta' love kids."
Adam stood up, holding out his hand, "Would you like to take a walk?"
Without a thought, I placed my hand in his. The feeling of his arm wrapping around my waist caused a blissful chill to run up my back, "You know, ever since we had Lizzy...everything feels so much better, like reassurance. Have you been having nightmares about 'he who must not be named'?"
"As long as you continue to sleep beside me, the nightmares will stay away. I love you Adam," I kissed his lips, the warmth from his mouth radiating through my entire body.
The blood rushed to my cheeks, as I watched our daughter run into the arms of...the arms of...him.
"OWEN!"
I jolted out of a dream, sweat coating over my entire body. I could feel it dripping down my back, sticking to the nightgown I was placed in. The heart monitor beside me was beeping loudly.
"Hi..."
Adam.
"Did you have a nightmare?" I smiled shyly his way, wondering how he got inside here. But, seeing as though he looked patted down, and wasn't holding his cellphone in his hands, I knew he had permission to be here.
"You don't have to tell me. I'm just glad you're okay."
I scoffed, "Okay? You think I'm okay?"
"You're alive, aren't you? I'm just happy that your heart is still thumping. Each moment of that monitor continuing to beep is the best noise to ever grace my ears," he teased, before taking a seat in the rolling chair beside me.
"Oh no," all the memories of what happened before I 'fell asleep' rushed through my mind, "Is Jake mad at me? Where's Jake?"
"Eli and him passed out on the hospital cot. Jake isn't mad though, he's just worried about you Clare. You're his little sister, he wants to make sure you're well protected," tears formed in my eyes, as I faced Adam.
"D-Do you think I'm insane?"
I continued to pick at my fingertips, which was a fail, considering the nurses had cut my nails so I couldn't harm myself.
"Clare, you've been hurt by Owen. H-He made you into a worried, scarred wreck...but I know that you can recover. You're not insane, you're just lost," he placed his hand on my bedside, nervously looking up at me.
"Do you believe that I can get better?" My voice cracked, the uncertainty in my tone lingering the room.
"You're Clare...I know you can."
A dead silence approached us, both of our eyes glancing back and forth between us, unsure of what to do. We weren't allowed to touch, and I was partially grateful for that because it would remind me of him.
Tears streamed down my face, the emotional hurricane coming out of nowhere, my heart monitor beeping obnoxiously loud.
What made it slow down; the bottle of chocolate milk Adam held graciously in his hands.
END OF CHAPTER 9
Reviews? :)
Love you guys,
Cliffhanger Girl
3
P.S. I'm trying to update as soon as I can-it just gets hard. But I'm trying!