Daddy’s Little Pet

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THERE WAS NOTHING BUT DARKNESS. A thick black veil engulfed me, and I couldn’t see a thing. I couldn’t move, and my limbs stiffened.

Then SILENCE. It was smothering and left me feeling empty and hollow. Like a dead person. Like nothing. And all I wanted to do was scream for rescue. I wanted to scream, wail, and tear my throat out. But I couldn’t. I could only stay motionless and silent.

DARKNESS AGAIN. It threatened to suck me in. To suffocate and consume me. I wished it would all end. The terror. The agony.

Then, all of a sudden, it did stop-and in its place, a weird sound echoed in my ears, making itself heard.

It sounded like a gentle hum at first, but then I realized it was the steady tick of a nearby clock. But I was mistaken. It wasn’t a clock that was ticking.

The sound was a muted buzzing-constant beeping machines accompanied by various whirring noises and people conversing. It sounded far away. As I sought to figure out what they were saying, I burst through the darkness.

My eyelids flickered several times. I forced them open in anguish. Gradually, I became aware of my surroundings.

I was at the hospital, in a room with brightly lighted sterile white walls. The fluorescent light that illuminated everywhere had a harsh glow that made my skin burn, but I didn’t care. Instead, I kept looking about while my eyes adjusted to the brightness.

The beeping sounds from earlier were made by several machines. IV tubes were attached to my hands, leading from various drops tied to fluid bags. An array of monitors displayed data I couldn’t understand, and the air smelled vaguely of antiseptic and bleach.

As I scanned the room again, I noticed a woman sitting on a chair beside me. She was so still she had to be sleeping. Her hair had fallen beyond her shoulders, concealing most of her face but revealing a portion of her profile.

Nicole.

I might be able to-

“Renee, sweetheart. You’ve woken up.” Nicole spoke gently and without moving. She must’ve sensed my confusion and hysteria.

Despite being roused up from a deep sleep, her voice was warm, comforting, and calm and collected. Hearing her speak caused my body to relax significantly, and I felt my pulse rate return to normal. But my anxiety didn’t go away totally. It was still there, barely beneath the surface, seething.

“Welcome back to the land of the living.” She spoke again, this time with a sweet grin as she raised her head to face me.

“What happened?” I croaked softly. My parched lips became entirely numb. I swallowed numerous times, attempting to moisten my throat. “Have I been here a long time? Why…” I began to ramble. I couldn’t complete one sentence.

Just too many questions were piling up inside my head, jumbling together. There was too much confusion, and I needed it to go away. So I pushed through and asked again as politely as I could. “Nicole, what happened?”

“You…” The door flew open loudly before Nicole could say another word. Both of our heads whipped around.

Someone had walked in. Even with my poor and foggy vision, I immediately recognized her.

Sally.

And then the events of earlier hit me like a whiplash. I instantly remembered everything. From the moment I walked into the restaurant…to everything that followed.

Meeting Sally and Mrs. Andrews. The breaking news of Robert’s arrest. In despair, I’d buckled under my feet and fell. My mind fell into that dark, bottomless pit. Then there was nothing. After that, I had no recall of anything until I awoke here.

I went crazy in a split second, like a mad woman, as if someone had pulled the plug on my brain.

All at once, I began yelling incorrigible words. I screamed and thrashed madly on the bed, furiously kicking out at anything near me. My fingers moved to the drips linked to my vein by a needle, and I yanked them out rapidly. I didn’t care that blood was spurting onto my lap and soaking my hands.

I didn’t care that I was hurting myself. I didn’t mind that I was making a huge mess. I only cared about getting out of these dreadful constraints and away from this horrible place.

Nicole sprang out of her seat and hurried forward to restrain me. “Renee, stop! Please knock it off! You’re hurting yourself.”

She tried to separate my fingers from the IVs, but it was futile. I refused to budge. I would only fight harder against her grip, doing everything I could to break free.

But she didn’t let go. And she never faltered, even when I attempted to push her away. Instead, she continued to hold my arms in the manner of a mother restraining her wayward kid.

Tears streamed down my cheeks, and a knot formed in my throat.

“Let me go, Nicole. Let me go.” I half yelled.

“I won’t. Renee, I’m afraid I can’t. You need to be calm.”

“But I can’t stay calm. I need to see Robert. I need to make sure he’s all right. I…” I couldn’t continue, and I choked on the words.

My voice sounded strained. Frail and broken. I was desperate and terrified, the feelings and worry for him evident in my voice. For the first time since I awoke, I felt a different kind of way. I was worried that he might not be alright. I was terrified for his safety-and scared that something awful might happen to him. I was terrified for his life and reputation.

Who knew what lies the media were spreading about his arrest? What were the rumors about him like? How many articles would be published to back up their lies? All of these thoughts, more terrifying than any I’d ever had before, whirled around in my head and blended into my chaotic mess. My mind raced with questions, and it spurred my next actions.

I started pulling on the IVs that were still attached to me. The wounds bled profusely, splattering across the bedsheet and even across Nicole’s clothing. She cringed in disgust, but she never let go of me. She saw the blood on her clothes and still held me.

“You have to fucking calm down, Renee.” She hissed. “If not for yourself, but for the child growing inside you.”

I froze. Then, slowly, I stopped tugging on the IVs. And instead, I gazed up at Nicole, perplexed. “Child?”

“Shit. Shit. I really shouldn’t have said that.” She mumbled under her breath and averted her gaze. Her grasp on my arm eased slightly as well. “At least not now.”

“What child?” I inquired again, my gaze shifting from her to Sally, who was standing near Nicole. She looked at me blankly before becoming pale.

“Can any one of you fucking talk!” My voice cracked at the final word as I screamed violently.

Silence. They exchanged glances before turning to face me. Sally cleared her throat first, seeming hesitant and uncomfortable about what to say. Her eyes were filled with bewilderment and pity. I wouldn’t say I liked the look.

I opened my mouth to speak, but Nicole beat me to it. And gradually breaking the stillness, she announced. “You’re pregnant, Renee. Congratulations.”