Falling - On the Banks of Lake Saint Clare (Falling - Book One) (34 page)

He hung up.

I sat on the edge of the bed trying to stop shaking, not sure what to do.

I looked at the phone so I could prove he called, but the number was a “withheld” number. I laid back on the bed
.
Why is he doing this to me?!

I dialed my Mom’s number but it went to voice mail. I dialed it again. Voicemail. Again, Voicemail. Again. She answers.

“Mom, Brad just called me. What do I do?”

“Alex, he couldn’t have.
He was just here picking up Rachel
.”

“So you don’t think there was anyway that he called right before, maybe went into the other room. Mom! It was him. He called me!”

She didn’t say anything.

“Oh
,
my
g
od
, you
think I am lying!”

“Alex, I didn’t say you were lying. I just don’t see how it was possible. He was just here.”

“No, you’re right, I made it up. I made everything up. Brad wasn’t in the alley that night. No one was. I made the whole thing up. It didn’t happen. Brad is right. I am such a great liar that I had everyone believe that I almost bled to death. I was such a great liar that I had the hospital convinced to keep me a week. How did I ever get to be such a great freaking liar, Mom? How?”

“Alex, calm down. I will be at the cabin later and we can talk.”

“I’m done talking and I won’t be here.”

I went into the bathroom and watched the steam from the water rising from the tub. Don’t let him make you go crazy, Alex. Don’t let him make you lose your mind.

I climbed into the tub and tried to relax but I kept hearing Brad’s voice. I kept trying to think of other things
,
but it all led back to his voice, his eyes, his mocking smile.

I heard the phone ring but froze. I looked at it and saw it was Michael.

“Hi,” I said, relieved it was him.

“Hey Babe. What are you doing?”
             
“In the tub. Hey Michael? Brad called me.”

“Are you fucking kidding me? This is ridiculous .Are you ok?”

“Yeah, I’m okay. He’s just trying to scare me. And it’s work
ing. I’m not sure what to do.”

“Call the police. That’s violating his restraining order.”

“I’m not so sure they would believe me,” I sighed. “Mom said it was impossible that he was there picking up Rachel. She’s there right now with Dad and Rachel. My dad was yelling at me that I better not go to the game or else.” I took a deep breath.

“I’ll co
me over
.”

“No, I’m okay.
Kaitlyn
should be here any minute. I’ll see you at the game. Although I was forbidden, there is no way I am going to miss your tournament.”

I hung up the phone and it instantly rang. “Withheld” My heart started pounding like crazy. I thought if I could keep him on the phone talking
,
I’d have a better chance of someone catching him. I needed my detective friends with me! Why didn’t I watch every
CSI
and Law and Order episode so I’d know what to do? Hurry up
Kaitlyn
and get here while he’s on the phone.

“Hello?”

“Uh! Much nicer than before. I was afraid you were mad at me.”

I didn’t answer.

“Alex, why did you tell your Mom I called you?”

“Because you did call me. And it’s against the restraining order for you to call.”

“Well, let’s just put it this way, if I want to call you, I am going to and there isn’t anything you can do about it. So, call the police, or whoever you think gives a shit and tell them. They will listen and act like they care and then hang up and laugh at your sorry ass, because everyone in town is talking about you. They all know you are a lying whore that just wants attention. It’s so funny all the stories I am hearing. I forgot to ask you the last time I called; do my fingers inside you feel better than Michaels?”
             
Click.

I couldn’t move. I hated him, hated his voice hated that he was getting in my head and I didn’t know how to get him out. I never in my life wanted somebody to die until that moment.

I heard the phone again,
“
For Christ sakes, please just leave me alone!” I yelled, looking at the phone. It was my mom.

I sighed in relief but I still didn’t want to answer. I didn’t want to talk to her either.

“Hi,” I said, knowing there was going to be a “discussion
.”

“I talked your Dad and Rachel into dropping their restraining orders. I do not want you to go to the ballpark. Your father doesn’t want a distraction. And we are dropping the one against him. He won’t come around you and we don’t want it to go on his permanent record. I think you can at least give him that much respect”
             
I wanted to shake her. I wanted to take her and shake her till I couldn’t shake her any longer. How dare she ask me to do anything out of respect for
him?
He had never given me an ounce of respect my entire life.

“Alex?”

“I need Detective Sanders’ phone number.”

“I don’t have it on me. Let me look for it and I’ll call you back. Is there a problem?”

“I told you that Brad called me. I think it i
s something she needs to know.”

“Alex,” she said, sounding disappointed. “I don’t think it was h
im. He was right here. Maybe it
was a prank.”

“Fine. Just fine, Mom
.
I see once again where your loyalties are. At least do one thing for me
.
T
ell Rachel to keep closer eye on her boyfriend so he will quit calling me.”

Kaitlyn
texted:
I’ve been outside knocking on the door for 5 minutes. Open please

“Sorry,” I said, letting her in.

“What’s wrong? You look really pale.”

“It’s been a horrible day.
”
I didn’t want to go into the conversations. I wasn’t in the mood to hear her gasps and her sad puppy dog pity eyes. I just wanted to get out of the
house and go to the tournament.

“That’s a cute dress,” I told
Kaitlyn
as I dug my clothes out of the drawer.

“Thanks. I thought I’d try something cute for the game. No reason really, just wanted to look better than usual.”

“Derek has nothing to do with you wearing a new dress with hair and makeup that is perfectly done?”

“It’s that transparent, huh?” She laughed.

“He’s going to love it,’ I smiled.

We pulled into the doctor’s office and went inside. I was felling nervous about the doctor seeing me. What if Brad was right? What if everyone thinks I am lying about the attack? How could I possibly do all that to myself and why in the world would I? It made absolutely no sense. He was trying to get to me. Trying to scare me. I thought about the alley. I could smell him. The smoke he blew in my mouth. The burning of my lungs. Seeing him loo
k down at my breasts. Just star
ing at them with the smoke coming slowly out his nose. “No one is going to believe I did that to you Alex, they all think you are a liar.”

I felt a push, “Hey, they called you,”
Kaitlyn
nudged again.

“Oh, I didn’t hear. I’ll be back in a few.”

I walked into the exam room and the nurse handed me a robe. “Go ahead and change. I’ll be right back.”

“I’m just getting my stitches out.”

“It says here a follow up exam. Sorry.”

I sighed, and changed into the too starchy
,
too large robe. I climbed on the table and wondered if I was supposed to lie down, sit in the chair, or stand. I looked around wondering why there wasn’t a “How to get an exam manual
.”
I always had my Mom with me, so it was never quiet and scary.

The nurse came back in and took my vitals and listened to my breathing. I heard a knock on the door and a doctor walk in. “Wow, you look a lot better than the last time I saw you.”

“I’ve heard that more than once,” I smiled. “I didn’t do it for attention.” I have no idea why I blurted it out.

“I’m pretty sure no one thinks that.”

I sighed, and then felt stupid for saying it.

“I’ll be asking you some questions during the exam and while I remove the stitches. So just relax and it will be painless.”

I nodded. I really wanted my mom there, but figured I needed to grow up sometime.

I could feel him pulling at my head making it itch like crazy. “How many stitches are there?”
H
e asked the nurse.

“36.”

“That’s what I thought. You had a pretty rough night, Alex. I was pretty worried about you. How is everything going now? Still some pain?”

“At times.”

“What is your pain level on a scale of one to ten?”

“I have no idea how to figure that out.”
             
“Ok, that night let’s say your pain being at a ten. We can start at that and you can figure what is has been since then.”

“I would say a two most of the time and then there have been a few times that it’s been a 7 or 8? Is that right?”

“There is no right or wrong. I have 20 stitches out so far. Are you doing okay? You seen a little nervous.”

“I’m fine. I just don’t want to answer wrong and you not believe me.”

He sat down on a stool in front of me. “Alex, I want you to listen to me, I saw you that night. I don’t know the story behind your attack but whoever did this to you had no mercy. So you need to stop beating yourself up by worrying if it was your fault. It wasn’t. Understand?”

“It’s just been a rough day.” I took a deep breath and tried to relax.

“Ok Alex, the stitches are out. If you can lay back I will check your ribs. How many were broken?” He asked the nurse.

I watched her thumb through the charts while the doctor started to lift my gown. I sat up so fast that he jumped back startled. “Can I come back tomorrow? Please. I really need to be somewhere right now.” The room was spinning and I was getting extremely anxious.

He placed his hand on my shoulder. “Would it help if your mom or someone came in?”

“My friend brought me.”

“He nodded to the nurse and she walked over to t
he phone. “
What’s her name?”

“
Kaitlyn
. I am sorry. I know you are a doctor. I don’t know why I reacted that way. I truly am not crazy.”

“I didn’t think you were crazy. You are upset and scared. It’s natural.”

Kaitlyn
walked in and looked like she was walking to the electric chair. I knew Michael would have smiled at that, which made me calm down a tad. The doctor lifted half of my gown and of course I hear a gasp from
Kaitlyn
.

“It’s just a bruise,” I sighed.

“Oh,” she forced a laugh, “I didn’t even notice.”

He started talking to the nurse who was writing things down on my chart. Lots of words like hemotoplicarpin or poligoagilan blah blah.

“I have no idea how you ever remember all those words,” I said, hearing a word that was at least 12 syllables.”

“Me either,” he smiled. “Ok, do you want to talk about anything else? Any questions? I remember hearing your boyfriend being at the hospital the entire time. Seems like a pretty good guy.”

“He is pretty great.”

“Well if you are sexually active I can get you a prescription for the pill or the shot.”

Second gasp from
Kaitlyn
.

“We haven’t been. I’m not sure we will anytime soon.”

“Good, good,” he said
,
writing something down.

I wasn’t sure what he was saying good about
. If it was
that I wasn’t having sex or that he wasn’t going to have to mess with a prescription. “Before you leave, you can pick up some info about all the different methods. Not trying to rush you, just want you to know it’s available. Then if you need anything, come back and I will set you up.
You don’t even need an appointment.
I don’t like to see good kids mess up their lives when it can be prevented. It’s strictly confidential. So
,” he patted my
leg,
“
you
think you need another pain prescription or do you just want something over the counter?”

“I’m not sure what I want,” I thought, hating my mom for not being there to help me. “What do you think?”

“Let
’
s give you 4 days worth and then if you need anything after that you can take over the counter. The pain should be going away fairly soon. Just take them when you need them. Try to hold off or just take them when you are hurting. Ok?”