Gabriella's eyes fluttered open to the faint murmur of voices hovering above her…soft at first, then they got sharper as the words pressed into her half dreaming mind.
"No, we can't take her home, honey!" a woman's voice snapped, tight with panic.
"We have to!" a male voice…it took a few seconds to understand that it was her father talking.His deeper tone thundered in response to the woman's voice."Legally she is still a minor.Biologically she is my daughter,my blood. Her mother is gone. She has no other place to go to!She is coming with us."
"But, honey…" the woman's voice quivered, almost pleading. "What if she…tries… you know, her little tricks? We have built such good rapport in this town. The founders even look up to you. She will shatter your image in a heartbeat if we bring her back.Think about it." After a pause she added."Think about our baby! We don't want any bad influences around during this pregnancy! You know how difficult it was, don't you? I am just looking out for… "
The words swirled around Gabriella like smoke, pressing heavy on her chest… suffocating.
Her lashes lifted fully, vision sharpening through the harsh white of hospital lights. Her father's tall figure loomed over the bed, his hand rising in the air…not to strike, but to silence his woman…his wife. Gabriella's step-mother. As his palm cut through the air, her stepmother's lips clamped shut instantly.He was as domineering as ever.
Gabriella's throat burned as she tried to sit up.
The hurried motion sent a dull ache pulsing down her ribs, but before she could gather her breath, a gentle hand pressed to her shoulder.
"Thank God, you are awake, sweetheart." The nurse's voice was a balm, steady and kind as she leaned closer. "How are you feeling? Don't strain yourself. Let me just do a quick check, and then I will go get the doctor."
Her father and stepmother both turned at once, their argument falling silent. Their eyes locked on her…his narrowed with some disturbing thoughts, hers wide with unease.
Gabriella definitely felt helpless between their gaze…like two predators caught mid fight, had paused only because the prey had opened her eyes.
She lay very still. The steady beep of the heart monitor was the only sound filling the silence at the moment. Her breath was shallow as if even the air itself could betray her.
The nurse's hands trembled slightly as she adjusted the stethoscope against Gabriella's chest. Her brows furrowed. She checked her pulse once more, then lifted the thermometer, blinking at the numbers as though they couldn't be trusted.
Her lips parted to say something, but instead, she forced a small smile. "Ummm, please excuse me, I will just call the doctor." Her shoes clicked hurriedly against the floor tiles as she left.
Gabriella turned her head ever so slightly, her gaze drifting towards her father. His jaw was set, his hand gripping the armrest of the visitor's chair so tightly his knuckles whitened. Her stepmother leaned close to him, whispering something Gabriella couldn't quite catch, her hand resting protectively over her belly, as if Gabriella's mere gaze would cause her to miscarry.
The door opened again, and the doctor swept in, his coat flaring slightly as if his pace had been rushed.
He gave Gabriella a practiced, reassuring smile and began his examination…light in her eyes, reflex hammer to her knee, a quick listen to her breathing.
But as each test passed, his expression shifted from calm professionalism to bewilderment.
Finally, he stepped back, rubbing the back of his neck with the edge of his clipboard.
"Um, Mr. Hale…" he hesitated, then chuckled awkwardly. "Forgive me, but I…I don't know what to say. When she was brought in, her condition was critical. Multiple lacerations, internal bleeding, a possible concussion. And now…" he gestured helplessly at Gabriella. "…it's as if she is perfectly fine. Not a bruise, not a fracture. It's a little too much of a miracle, if you ask me. He! He! " He laughed softly at his own words, as if trying to diffuse his own confusion. "But the good news is, she is ready to go home!"
Only Gabriella caught the sharp flicker of rage that passed across her father's face like a shadow under the hospital lights. His lips pressed into a thin line, and his eyes darkened, though the doctor never noticed.
"We will be signing her discharge papers," her father said curtly, standing before the doctor could speak again.
The rest happened in a blur…the hiss of pens against paper, the crinkle of discharge sheets, the nurse helping Gabriella into her clothes, the smell of phenyle and antiseptic clinging to her as they guided her through the double doors.
By the time she was buckled into the car's leather seat, Gabriella's stomach churned. The silence pressed heavier than the hospital walls.
At last, her father twisted towards her, his eyes cold as steel.
"Listen very well, girl." His voice was low, venom dripping from every syllable. "I am only taking you in out of pity. If you dare let anybody see even the slightest hint of that hocus pocus anymore… one step out of line, and I will not waste a single second in throwing you back on the streets. YOU GET THAT?NO FUNNY BUSINESS IN MY HOUSE! "
The words exploded from him, loud enough to rattle the windows.
Gabriella flinched, her whole body shuddering as she nodded quickly,curling onto herself…the sound of her own breath ragged in her ears.
The car rolled forward, swallowing the silence.
Gabriella's only thought at that moment was to run inside, scurry to her room and then lock herself in there. She just wanted to cry in peace. Stay small. Possibly vanish.
But the moment the engine died, her stepmother had another plan.
She flung a large bag and a heavy file at Gabriella. She barely caught it. "Since you are all fit and fine, " Her tone was a hundred times worse than her father's but Gabriella tried to ignore that. "Get your ass to the school uphill and get yourself admitted. I have already spoken to the principal. I can't be bothered with the rest."