Take the shot

Chapter two

I remember hearing the police arrive, but I couldn't see them. I could hear my moms voice with me and the loud sirens of an ambulance, and then the soft bed of the hospital.

I felt more relaxed, at least enough to open up my eyes now.

I slowly opened my eyes, and saw my mom sitting by my side, and two cups of coffee on the little table by her side.

I squeezed her hand.

"Mom," I croaked. I was pretty dry due to my lack of water.

Her head jolted up to look at me.

"Jesse, are you alright? What happened?" She asked me, her eyes so tired and weary. I remembered her smile this morning and how it's vanished.

"Mom you look so tired. You need to go get some rest," I said, knowing that it was because of me that she was under so much more stress.

"Jesse, you listen to me. You're my daughter, and I want to know who did this to you. I don't care about me right now. Please, honey," she said, her voice breaking down.

"I - I don't know who it was. I tried to get a good look at him. He tripped me, and then Noah came. I didn't know - I wanted to - I tried to fight but I couldn't," I stuttered out, and found myself beginning to cry.

"It's alright Jess. You don't have to talk about it now if you don't want to," she said.

"How long have I been here?" I asked her.

She gave me a small smile.

"A few hours now. Carisi is on his way here now, he was interviewing Noah. If it wasn't for him, I don't know what would've happened," she said.

"Can I talk to him?" I asked her.

"Actually, Liv just took him home," she said looking at the text on her phone.

"Oh," I said, "I just wanted to thank him."

"The doctor said you can come home today, you only hit the back of your head slightly. She just says to keep ice on it, but you did break your finger by your knuckle," she said.

I looked down at my pointer finger to see it all wrapped up and in a splint.

"Oh no," I said, "that's my good hand."

"The doctor just said one more hour here and then I can sign you out, but you need to rest at home," she told me.

Just then, I heard a knock at the door, and in walked Carisi, balloon in hand.

"Jesse you're awake," he said, excitedly.

"How are you feeling," he asked me.

I just gestured to my head and finger.

He winced a bit.

"What did Noah say?" I asked him.

He breathed out, and glanced at my mom.

"He said he heard you scream when he walked in to find you. He said you were supposed to meet him in the courtyard and when he walked in to look for you he saw your stuff on the floor and you screaming. When he barged into the bathroom," he stopped again and looked at my mom. "He said he saw a boy a grade above him with his fly down grabbing at you while you were by the door, and your head was bleeding. So far he's the only witness. He says he recognized your attacker from the hallway earlier. He's going to sit with a sketch artist. You'll be okay Jess," he finished, giving me a smile.

I was really happy to have my family here, people who cared about me.

I smiled at them.

"Thanks for the balloons Sonny," I said, pointing to his "feel better" balloons.

"Oh yeah, my sister said that you would like them. She wishes you well, prayers and all," he said.

"You're the best," I said.

He laughed at me, then things went quiet for a minute.

"Jess, I'm not allowed to work your case," my mom said, beginning to see me notice the odd silence.

"What? Why not?" I asked.

"Because your my family, and we have a personal relationship, I'm not allowed. I know you know the other detectives, and if you feel uncomfortable or are hurting at any point, don't hesitate to tell me, alright sweetheart?" She asked.

"Your not working my case?" I asked again. This wasn't good.

"No Jesse, I'm not," she sadly said.

Sonny put a hand on her shoulder and gave it a squeeze.

"But Fin and I will be, along with Olivia," Sonny told me. That made me feel a bit better.

"I'm making dinner for you guys tonight. Do you feel well enough to be released yet Jess?" Sonny asked me.

"If I don't move too fast, I think I'll be okay," I said.

Then I looked at my mom, and I blushed a bit.

"Mom, I need to get changed, will you, you know, help me?" I asked her quietly.

"Well, that's my cue to go,"
Sonny said, as he escaped the room in time.

"Take it slow Jess. Don't rush or you could loose balance," my mother informed me.

I grabbed onto her arm and slowly walked into the bathroom to change and wash up.

She had packed me a clean pair of sweats and my NYPD sweatshirt. I left in slippers instead of the shoes she packed for me.

"Do you need a chair?" My nurse asked me.

"No," I said, "I didn't hurt my legs."

"The hospital recommends it for head related injuries too," she said, giving my mom a look.

"Jess listen to the doctor," my mom told me, "it'll be better for you."

"Fine," I said, giving in, "but I hate being treated like this. I don't even know if I want to testify."

My mom stopped at the comment.

"We will talk about this at home," she said to me as she wheeled me out to where Sonny was waiting to drive us home.

Once we got in the car, my mom began.

"What do you mean you don't know if you want to testify?" She asked me.

I huffed out. "I feel embarrassed enough as it is, and I don't want to talk about it in a full court room," I said, looking down.

"Jesse," Sonny said, "you have nothing to be embarrassed about. This wasn't your fault. Tomorrow I think you should come down to the precinct with your mom and make your statement. It's better to go this way so he doesn't hurt any other girls."

We all shared nervous glances.

"Do you think it's the best thing to do? I mean he didn't...rape me," I whispered.

"But he tried to, and that's attempted rape. You told him no, and he didn't listen," Mom said.

"I guess you're right," I admitted.

Thinking it over a little bit more, I made my decision.

"I'll go down to the precinct tomorrow and make a statement and describe him. I don't want this to happen to any other young girls. No one deserves this," I said, sounding sure.

"Good," mom said.

"It's the right thing to do. You won't regret it. We're gonna find him, and put him away Jess," Sonny added.

"I know," I said, "I hope."