Barbie Bride 4

That’s when everything went black.

I woke in a strange bed. Looking around, I saw tubes and machines. I heard the sounds of monitors. I fell asleep again, only to wake up coughing. Someone put a straw in my mouth, and I sucked in cold water. I went too fast and started to gag. That’s when I heard a familiar voice.

“Take it slowly. Your throat is bruised.”

I turned and smiled at my mom. Looking at her face, I could see she’d been crying. I realized I couldn’t move my arm. I turned and saw that I was in a cast and looked at her.

She whispered. “Your collarbone’s been broken and will take time to heal. The outside of your throat is bruised from the dog collar.”

Everything came back to me in a flash. I remembered the basement and the pain. I knew how my arm had been broken and why my throat was sore. I felt the tears trickle down my cheeks. I worried that my father would appear in the doorway. I could still see his angry face and feel the spittle as he screamed. I feared he’d return and kill me.

I stared at my mom. She looked tired. I felt her hand wipe my forehead with a washcloth. From the look in her eyes, I must have looked terrible.

Suddenly, I wanted a mirror to see what damage had been done.

“Mom, do you have a mirror?”

She reached into her purse and brought her iPhone. She reversed the screen to make it a mirror. She held it so I could see my face. I looked like a prisoner of war. My face was bruised where I’d been slapped and hit. All the marks were red hot, and ached. My eyes were blackened, and I looked more like a raccoon than a human. I had a large gauze patch across my nose that itched.

I ran my tongue around the inside of my mouth, and while everything hurt, I could still feel my teeth. “Mom, can you scratch my nose?”

I heard her laugh. “I can’t reach the surface. They had to straighten out your nose when you were brought in. You’re just lucky they had a plastic surgeon on call.”

I started coughing again. Mom held the straw to my mouth. As I sipped more water, it reminded me that I couldn’t move. “What’s broken?”

“One of your collarbones is cracked.”

I realized that’s why I’d passed out. I could still feel a throbbing, dull pain radiating from my shoulder. I saw a band running across my chest to keep me from moving. “Why can’t I move?”

“You were thrashing around, and the nurses restrained you so you didn’t hurt yourself. I can release that now.”

I watched my mom lean over and undo the strap. It made me feel better to be able to move around. I was surprised at how much everything ached whenever I moved. “Can I go home? Is Dad waiting for me? Am I in trouble?”

Before I could say another word, Mom kissed me on the cheek. “No, you are not in trouble, but your father certainly is. He’s been arrested and is in jail.”

I must have looked shocked.

“I called 9-1-1 when he dragged you down the stairs and strapped you into the dog’s grooming table. When the police arrived, he wouldn’t listen to them and kept beating you. That’s when they Tasered him. They dragged him off, and he’s been in jail for two days. I refused to post bail. He has a hearing tomorrow. Our lawyer is claiming that he is dangerous.”

I was shaking uncontrollably just hearing all of this. “I’m scared.”

Mom looked at me. “He’s never coming back into our lives. I am done with him.”

“But what if he wants to hurt us?”

Mom blushed. “I unlocked the gun cabinet and loaded a shotgun and a pistol. Our lawyer is asking for a restraining order, and if he comes near us, I will shoot him.”

I lay there thinking about everything that was happening. I knew my father had guns. He was always worried that ‘they’ might come and try to take our house. I was surprised at how angry Mom must have been to talk like that. “We need to be brave and move forward and away from all of this. Our lawyer is asking for a restraining order if they let him out.”

I lay there for a while quietly. I held Mom’s hand and squeezed it. When my heartbeat slowed, I thought about myself. “When will I get out of here, and when will they take off the cast?”

“You’re going home today. The doctor said that within the week, they’ll be able to start cutting back on the plaster cast and get you in a sling. She assured me that you’ll heal quickly.”