Chapter 7 - The Waking Hour
Consciousness returned in waves of heavy, throbbing sensation.
My right arm was encased in an immense, rigid abduction sling, holding my limb immobilised at a forty-five-degree angle away from my torso. An ice-water circulating pump hummed quietly beside the bed, sending rhythmic pulses of cold across my stitched flesh. My throat felt raw, but my mind was remarkably clear.
The morning sun was streaming through the hospital window, casting long golden rectangles across the white linoleum floor.
"Hey," a soft voice spoke from the corner.
I turned my head carefully. Caleb was sitting there, his laptop resting on his knees, a half-empty cardboard coffee cup beside him. He looked disheveled—stubble darkening his jaw, shadows under his eyes—yet his smile was warm and incandescent.
"Hey," I managed to croak out.
He immediately set his computer aside, poured a cup of fresh water, and guided the straw to my lips. The cold water felt like heaven against my parched throat.
"Dad went home to shower and pack a bag of your clothes," Caleb explained, gently brushing a stray lock of hair away from my forehead. "He hasn't left your side for eighteen hours. I had to threaten to revoke his visitor privileges to get him to rest."
"How... how bad is it?" I asked, looking down at the monstrous contraption bolted to my shoulder.
"Dr. Vance said the surgery was an absolute success," Caleb said softly. "The anchors are holding. The bone is aligned. You're going to heal, Tessa. Fully."
Tears pricked the corners of my eyes, but I blinked them back. "And... the outside world?"
Caleb’s smile turned razor-sharp, filled with fierce satisfaction. He pulled up his tablet and turned the screen toward me.
The headlines were staggering:
*VIRAL WEDDING VIDEO SPARKS CRIMINAL PROBE: DA CONFIRMS CHARGES PENDING.*
*OAKRIDGE SOCIALITE ARRESTED FOR WITNESS TAMPERING AT LOCAL HOSPITAL.*
"Your mother spent the night in the holding cell at the municipal jail," Caleb told me quietly. "She was formally arraigned three hours ago for misdemeanor harassment, criminal trespass, and attempted witness coercion. The judge set bail at twenty-five thousand dollars, which your father flatly refused to pay from the joint account. Her brother finally bailed her out an hour ago."
I stared at the screen in disbelief. "And Lena?"
"Lena was served thirty minutes ago at her new townhouse," Caleb said. "First-degree reckless endangerment and third-degree assault causing serious bodily injury. A formal summons for arraignment on Tuesday."
Before I could process the magnitude of it all, a sharp knock sounded on the wooden door of my private room.
A young woman dressed in a crisp grey pantsuit entered, carrying a leather binder. "Miss Vale? My name is Detective Sarah Lin with the Oakridge Special Victims and Assault Division. Do you have a few minutes to give a sworn victim statement?"
I looked at Caleb, who nodded encouragingly.
May you like
I took a deep breath, feeling the titanium inside my shoulder hold firm, and looked straight into the detective’s eyes. "Take a seat, Detective. I have a lot to tell you."
***
