Hello my beautiful loves! I know that last chapter was a bit dark but with rain comes sunshine! :) here's an update enjoy!
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"Erika!" I heard my name being called but I couldn't move.
"Erika! Can you hear me?" The same voice shouted a little louder making me wince in pain. I tried to talk but my whole body ached, the pain was too much.
"I'm going to call 9-1-1 if you don't answer me! I need to know you're okay." The voice cried and finally my mind registered it was Chelsea. She was crying hysterically while she was bent down beside me shaking me gently.
"Chels?" I choked out and groaned in pain.
"Stay here! I'm going to get my dad." I tried to protest but she was out the door faster than I could even get the words out, the darkness took over once again.
After some time went by, I felt my body being carefully lifted off of the bathroom floor and placed on something much softer.
"Erika, it's me. Micheal, Chelsea's dad. Can you hear me?" His tone soft but full of concern. I nodded slowly and pried my eyes open slowly.
"I have to check your injuries. I'm going to remove your dress, is that okay?" He asked for my permission which I gave him unsurely. He was an emergency doctor so I trusted him but I was embarrassed to be seen without my clothes. He looked at Chelsea who was a blubbering mess. Makeup streaming down her face as she cried hysterically.
"Chels get it together sweetheart. I have to check how bad this really is. Will you help me with her dress?" Her dad spoke calmly to her trying not to make her freak out anymore. Chelsea walked to the side of my bed as her dad pulled me up carefully she pulled the zipper down and her dad laid me back down and Chelsea slid my dress down my body and pulled it off tossing it to the side.
Her dad lifted my arms and legs and rolled me side to side. His face held so many emotions worry, concern, anger, sadness to name a few.
He grabbed some equipment from his medical bag. He shined a light in my eyes telling me to follow it. He did a few other things observing each bruise and cut.
"It's really hard to tell exactly what is going on. You definitely have a concussion, a black eye, and your lip and possibly your cheek needs stitches for sure. I really want to get you to the hospital to do an x-ray." Micheal sat down on the edge of the bed.
"No- I can't." I spoke for the first time, my voice laced with fear and panic.
"Don't worry, I won't even admit you. At least let me take you so I can see if anything is broken Erika. Please." He begged and Chelsea took my hand in hers and rubbed soothing circles on the top of it.
"Okay." I sat up with her dads help and he excused himself so she could help me get dressed. She pulled cheer shorts and a T-shirt out of one of my drawers and quietly helped me get dressed.
"What happened?" She asked making eye contact with me. Her eyes were bloodshot filled with sadness and worry.
"Steve's boss and his son were supposed to come over to talk about a partnership at his firm. Well his son ran late and when he finally showed up Rick kept bragging on how good of an intern I was over the summer so his son accused him of sleeping with me." I explained making her gasp in shock.
"That's not even the worst part."
"There's more?!" Her eyes widened in disbelief.
"His son is Dakota."
"Wait, wait, wait.... Dakota from chemistry?" She asked putting the pieces together.
"The one and only." I answered nodding my head. A knock on the door caught both of our attention. Her dad peaked his head in.
"Alright ladies let's get going." Micheal came into the room once he knew I was fully dressed again.
"Are you going to be able to walk?" He asked tenderly.
"Yes I can." I pushed off both of my wrists cringing once sharp pains went through my left wrist. I sturdied myself onto my feet and balanced myself.
"You okay?" Chelsea asked concerned. To say I was in pain would be an understatement but honestly my body felt fine it was just my wrist and my head that hurt the worst. I didn't want to be babied but I didn't want to be rude either when they were clearly so concerned.
"It's just my wrist and my head that hurt, I can walk. I promise." I reassured them and then I started to walk with them.
We got in the car and Micheal drove us to the hospital as we sat in a comfortable silence. He parked the car and we quietly snuck in trying not to draw any unwanted attention to us.
He led us into an exam room and thankfully no one even batted an eye.
"I'm going to take a full body x-ray. It will only take a few moments." Micheal laid a protective mat over my whole body and then stepped behind a shield and very quickly he took an x-ray. He came back over to beside the bed and took the mat off.
"I'm going to print these off. Here's some pain relievers in the mean time." He picked up two disposable cups, one with two pills and the other with water in in. I eagerly took the pills and washed them down gladly ready for this pain to subside.
Chelsea sat on the end of the bed careful not to hurt me.
"Chelsea, you're not going to break me. I promise. Scootch closer." I patted the spot beside me. She scurried up and laid beside me with her head on my shoulder.
"I'm so sorry this happened to you. I'm going to kick Dakotas ass." She apologized even though this wasn't her fault, you could tell she felt awful.
"Chels don't be sorry. It's not your fault." I snuggled closer to her so thankful to have a bestfriend who cared about me that much even if I didn't feel worthy enough to have her.
We laid there in silence until her dad came back. He looked relieved when he came into the room. He put my X-rays on the board and flicked on the light.
"Good news is there's no broken bones. However your wrist is bruised internally so you will have to wear a soft cast for two weeks to let it heal on its own. You do have a concussion as I suspected so you will have to sit out of cheer for two weeks and your ribs are bruised along with your back that's why you're having difficulty breathing correctly. Thankfully with the extent of your injuries you have no broken bones." He pulled up a stool to the side of the bed.
"Your lip doesn't need stitches after all but I'm afraid the gash on your cheek does." He spoke with sad eyes and his tone was so concerned. He had been such a big part of my life since I was five years old and when my dad passed away I felt even more connected to him seeing him this upset hurt my heart.
"I can't get stitches Micheal my mom would freak out." I gasped at the mention of my mom. How in the hell do I explain this to her?!
"You have to, that wound needs to heal Erika." He frowned at my denial of the stitches.
"Can you glue it? Or something else? I don't want to look like chucky." I mumbled making Chelsea giggle from beside me.
"I can put skin glue on it and then cover it with a butterfly bandage but that's the best I can do without stitches. You have to tell your mother, she needs to know the truth." Micheal told me and I shook my head.
"I've tried, she won't believe me." I answered making him frown even more. Worry lines etched onto his face.
"Erika I know I'm not your parent but this isn't okay. Your mother needs to know what happened last night. I know you don't think she will believe you but this can't go unexplained." He patted my hand gently.
"I know but I'm scared what if she doesn't believe me?" I asked seriously, panic that she wouldn't believe me making itself known.
"Erika I don't want you to go back to that house. You can't." Chelsea jumped up from the bed and started to pace back and forth worriedly.
"Chelsea I have to." I told her, even though honestly I didn't want to go back, it would only get worse from here if I did and I can't handle much more than that.
"You are moving in with us." She crossed her arms over her chest and gave me a look that dared me to argue.
"No I can't." I shook my head in disbelief. I didn't want to be a burden on someone else.
"Erika you are more than welcome to, you're a senior. You can stay with us until you graduate. If you want Regina and I will go with you to talk to your mom." Micheal nodded and I sighed letting the argument go. I knew I wouldn't win in the end anyways.
"Okay fine. Thank you guys." Tears brimmed my eyes, happy tears. I was so glad that soon I would no longer have to worry about going home to Steve. One thought that crossed my mind was how would my mother handle me moving out?