Camila
I reenter Sofi's hospital room to find her just staring down at her fingers in her lap, her face screwed up almost looking as though she is in pain.
"Sof" I say quietly, as I'm not sure if she even heard me enter the room, and the last thing I want to do is startle her, especially after I just ran out on her while she was in the middle of opening up to me.
"I'm sorry" She immediately says.
"You don't have to be, you have nothing to apologise for Sofi, I am the one who is sorry I should have never run out on you like that, I understand that you need to talk about it, you had no one to tell for years, it's only natural for you to want to speak about it"
"We used to tell each other everything" She smiles shyly.
"We did" I nod and step closer to her bed.
"Sofi I need you to tell me how you got out of there" I hesitate before taking her hand in mine, sighing in relief when her fingers grip mine tightly.
Sofi's eyes connected to mine, her head cocking to the side ever so slightly as she studies my face, a look of concentration present on her own, almost as if she's contemplating if she should tell me, which only makes me more concerned, I'm not sure how much more I can possibly handle in one day.
She slowly turns her head away from me and looks towards the wall.
"He didn't want me anymore" Her voice sounds completely dull, almost as if she was sad that he didn't want her anymore.
"What do you mean?" I ask.
"He has been saying it for awhile, he'd come downstairs to me drunk and he would look at me and say that I was getting too big for him, that he wouldn't be able to hide me anymore, he said he didn't like the way I was starting to look, that I was starting to become a woman and he didn't want a woman, he wanted a girl"
I once again had to swallow bile that rose in throat, this man is disgustingly sick in the head.
"So what happened Sofi?"
"He was scared, he didn't know what to do with me, he kept saying that he couldn't let me go because he knew I would tell someone, then people would be after him and he would go to prison and once people in prison found out what he had done, he would be killed in there, and he didn't want to be killed, then he kept saying that he would have to kill me, but he didn't want to kill me, because then he would have to get rid of my body and he didn't know how, if he got caught with me then it would be even worse for him in prison" Sofi continued to stare at the wall, her voice completely monotone as she says these words to me.
It was irritating me that she was taking so long to tell me how she had left, she just keeps telling these stories and taking the long way round to tell me something, almost in a child manner when they can't seem to just tell you the thing you want to know, you have to hear their entire version of the story first.
"So I escaped, I didn't want to die" Sofi shakes her head.
"How Sofi? How did you escape?" I can feel myself gripping her hand tighter as my anxiety starts to spike, I take a deep breath and release her hand slightly needing to calm myself down before I hurt her.
"He brought me dinner one day, and he gave me a real knife and fork, usually he would give me plastic ones and they would end up breaking by the end of the meal, but this day he must have run out, because I got a real knife and fork" Sofi had this small smile on her face, seeming to be so happy over the fact that he had given her cutlery.
"He told me he was going out, he kissed me on my cheek and told me to be a good girl before heading upstairs and locking the door, I heard the front door close and waited a few minutes more to make sure that he wasn't coming back" I nod as I listen, at least she was smart about that.
"I went to the door and I used the end of the knife to take the screws out of the door handle, it took me a long time because the knife didn't really fit and it kept falling, I heard the front door open upstairs and I got really scared, I had two of the screws loose and I had to get them back in incase he came downstairs, I managed to do it but I kept dropping the knife and must have been making a lot of noise, because then I heard him coming, I quickly ran over to my mattress and laid down with the knife underneath me pretending to sleep, I opened one eye and see him standing in the doorway watching me, I stayed really still so that he wouldn't do anything to me, when he closed and locked the door I cried, I cried until I fell asleep"
"If he came home Sofi, how did you get out?" I was growing impatient now, I just needed to know how she got out.
"When I woke up the next day I couldn't move, my hands and my ankles were tied together with plastic and it was really tight, I could feel it cutting my skin 'good you're awake' he said, I didn't even know he was down there with me, he smiled down at me and climbed onto the mattress between my legs, I watched him as he pulled my dress up and I looked to see that I had no underwear, he must have taken them off before he tied my feet up, then he done it again, he put his thing inside me and he was really rough, he hadn't been like that since the first time, it hurt me like the first time, I didn't like it, I cried the entire time and I shouldn't have done that, because he kept slapping me"
I held my breath as she spoke, keeping my feet planted in the same place to stop myself from running, this is her way of telling me how she escaped, so I have to stand here and listen to it.
"After he was done he cut the plastic away and pointed to a bag in the corner 'I got you new clothes' then he turned away from me and said 'Tomorrow this will all be over, I will no longer need to worry' I knew what he meant, it meant that he was going to kill me, he bought me new clothes to make up for it, he always bought me things when he felt bad" Sofi looks around the room before glancing back at me.
Felt bad? If the sick twisted bastard actually had any kind of guilty conscious he would not have done what he done in the first place, if I ever find out who this man is or where he lives, I will murder him with my own two hands.
"He came back a little while later, told me he was going out and wouldn't be back until early hours the next morning, he done the same thing as he did the day before, he gave me some food, kissed me on my cheek and told me to be a good girl, I waited a few minutes again after her had left, and I got my knife out again and started unscrewing the door handle, it was dark by the time I managed to pull it off, but the door still wasn't opening, so I put the knife down the side and pushed the lock in, the door creaked as it opened and I got scared incase he was in the house, I knew he wasn't but I was still scared, I walked slowly upstairs making sure to not make any noise, all of the lights were out apart from the hallway light upstairs, I looked both ways around the house before running to the front door, it had three locks, one at the top and two at the bottom, I took them all off and swung the door open, the wind hit me in my face and it made me want to cry, I haven't seen or smelt outside in so many years kaki" A sob leaves Sofi's mouth as her eyes connect with mine.
"You're out now babygirl, you're free" I pull her into my body, cradling her head against my chest as she cries.
"I ran, I was so tired and everywhere hurt but I just kept running, that's when the police found me and brought me here" Her voice is muffled against my chest, but I still hear everything she says.
It takes awhile before Sofi finally pulls out of my grasp, a small hiccup leaving the back of her throat.
"I'm thirsty" She tells me.
"I'll go and get you some water, I'll be right back" I kiss the top of her head before walking out of her room and towards the nurses station, I'm going to pop into Lauren on my way back to Sofi's room because I feel like I haven't seen her in hours.
I grab a jug of water and two cups to take with me to Sofi's room, only now just noticing how thirsty I am also, a small smile graces my lips as I think about Lauren and how she managed to pull out of it, I walk slowly down the hallway heading towards her room, when I see doctors and nurses rushing past me and into Lauren's room.
"I NEED A CRASH CART IN HERE" I hear Dinah shout.
The cups and jug slip from my grasp crashing to the floor, the water splashing all over my feet and legs, my breath catches in my throat as I run the last few feet to Lauren's door in what feels like slow motion, I push it open and watch as Dinah shocks Lauren, seeing her body rise and fall off the bed causing my heart to drop to my stomach, the long drone coming from the heart monitor letting me know that Lauren's heart still isn't beating.
"Up to 250, CLEAR" Dinah shouts.
I watch as everyones hands leave Lauren's body as Dinah shocks her again, that's when I hear and see her heartbeat on the monitor, not being able to feel my legs as they fall from underneath me, I just watched my Fiance die and be brought back to life all within a matter of minutes.
Lauren gasps for air as her body reacts by sitting up, her face screwing up as she cries out in pain.
"You're okay Lauren, lay down" Dinah coaxes her softly, places her hand on Lauren's shoulder to slowly lay her back down.
Dinah's head turns and she sees me standing in the doorway.
"Oh Mila"
I feel the tears stroll down off of my chin, a few drops falling onto my hands that are clasped close to my stomach, Lauren's eyes are concentrated on me as the nurses remove all of the equipment from the room.
"I'm okay Camz" She croaks out.
"Your heart" I shake my head not being able to finish the sentence.
"She's okay Mila, she's had a lot of stress and strain on her heart in the past 48 hours, I would have been surprised if this didn't happen" Dinah explains.
"Is she" I try to ask if she's going to die, but my brain refuses to connect the words to my mouth.
"She's perfectly fine Mila" Dinah encourages, but I shake my head at her, trying to explain that's not what I wanted to ask.
"She's not going anywhere anytime soon, she's got a strong heart that woman, and she'll probably out live all of us" Dinah caught on to what I meant, grabbing both of my hands and staring me dead in the eye as she speaks.
I nod and take a deep breath, trying to convince my brain to accept the words that are being said to me, Dinah nods finally seeing that I am going to be okay, before exiting the room allowing me to walk in completely and stand next to Lauren's bed, she looks up at me with a sleepy smile, clearly exhausted from the current events.
"Sleep princess" I whisper pressing my lips to her forehead.
"Stay with me?" She whispers.
"I'm not going anywhere" I tell her, linking my fingers with her, slight guilt setting in on me as I remember Sofi, I'm sure a nurse will check on her soon and get her water.
I stand here next to Lauren's bed, just watching her as she falls in and out of sleep, checking her vitals every twenty minutes, being careful not to wake her each time that I do, I walk in circles round her bed, checking her amputated leg to make sure it is healing correctly, constantly checking the heart monitor, then checking to make sure all the wires are placed correctly, before using my stethoscope to hear her heartbeat for myself, I don't want to leave her, but being here with her while she is sleeping is sending my paranoia through the roof, I'm grateful when I hear the sound of the door swinging open, and seeing Chris walk into the room with a small smile on his face.
"How's she holding up Mila" Chris asks, walking to stand beside me.
"All of her vitals are good, I've been checking them every twenty minutes" I nod as I tell him, it's one of my anxious ticks, it annoys me so I feel sorry for anyone who is around me when I am doing it.
"Every twenty minutes?" He asks.
"Yes"
"For how long?"
I look at the clock on the wall, before looking at the watch on my wrist.
"About four hours" I nod again, checking my watch once more.
"Mila I think you need to take a break from Lauren duty" He says in a comforting tone.
"When she wakes up, then I can leave"
"She could be asleep for hours, it's been a long day and a lot has happened to her" Chris says.
"No, the last time she was awake and okay I left, and her heart stopped beating; I have to stay here and make sure that she is okay Chris" I tell him.
"I went in to see your sister Sofi" Chris says changing the subject.
My head snaps up towards him, waiting for him to speak further.
"She seemed slightly frightened when she saw me, I told her who I was and I took her a few drinks and different kinds of chocolates and snacks, I heard all the nurses talking and saying she hasn't been eating, so I thought maybe some of the good stuff would work, it's not exactly healthy, but if it's going to get her appetite working again, it's better than nothing" He shrugs.
"Thank you" I say quietly.
"It's nothing"
"Did she say anything to you?" I ask.
"She asked me where you were and if Lauren is okay, she also said that she understands if you don't go and see her while Lauren is still in here" He shrugs.
"Right" I nod "Nothing else?"
"No, would you like me to go back and see her?" He asks.
I contemplate it for a moment, do I want him to go and see her again? Would it be best to just leave her alone? The nurses are good here, they're probably taking real good care of her.
"No Chris it's okay, you don't have to.. I'll um, I'll go see her in a little while" I nod.
"Okay" He nods. "I do think you should take a break though Mila, Harmony has been asking for you, maybe you should head over to the school and pick her up, go have lunch with her, go home and have a shower and a decent couple hours of sleep, Lauren will still be here when you come back, I won't leave her side"
Maybe Chris is right, I haven't seen Harmony in what feels like a week, it would be good for her and for me to have some real food with her, she's probably scared and worried, she wants to know what is going on with her mama, I wish I could bring her here to see her, but Lauren is too weak for that right now, hopefully in a few days she'll be strong enough to have her here, even if it is just for five minutes.
"Mila" Chris calls my name, bringing me out of my thoughts.
"Okay, I will" I nod at him.
"You'll pick up Harmony?" He asks.
"Yeah, I'll leave now.. You'll call me if anything happens? Anything at all?" I ask.
"Of course Mila" He nods.
"Okay" I nod.
I take Lauren's hand into my own and bend down to press my lips against her forehead.
"I won't be long okay? I'll be back in less than five hours, Just some food and a little nap with our girl okay? You stay resting and sleeping to build up your strength, and hopefully Harmony can come see you in a few days, I love you so much baby girl, keep on fighting for me and we will get through this together" I stand up after kissing her forehead softly one last time, before nodding towards Chris in thanks, squeezing his arm softly before walking out of the hospital room.
TBC......