Broken Hearted on the Mend

Rhiannon's Point of View

When we had gotten to the living room and Bella had led me to the couch I immediately closed the jean jacket as much as possible. It was a normal reaction to my bruises that I was hiding. I wasn't sure if I would ever have the courage to tell Emmett about my abusive uncle or not, but I did know that today wouldn't be the day even though I had promised Bella that I would explain everything. I was actually going to ask Emmett if he would take me to see my aunt in the hospital. I felt around my neck for the locket, but I couldn't find it
anywhere.

"Where's my locket," I said suddenly.

"Locket," Emmett asked confused.

"I had a locket on my neck last night, where is it," I asked getting worried that I had lost it.

"Oh, sorry Rhiannon, I took it off while you were asleep because I didn't want you to choke.
Here," Bella said handing it over.

I composed myself as best as I could so it didn't seem as if I was angry with her. That locket was not going to come off my neck unless I gave it to my own daughter to wear. I placed back around my neck and felt calm after it was back in place around my neck.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to sound hysterical about my locket, it's just my aunt gave it to me before the paramedics took her away," I said after a small silence.

"Paramedics, what happened to her," Emmett asked getting worried.

"She was stabbed in a few places last night," I replied.

"Stabbed, by whom," he asked.

"I don't know. I came down the stairs and she was bleeding profusely from both legs, her right arm, and I believe her left side," I lied.

I felt Bella's eyes on me narrow. I looked at her and sure enough she was glaring at me. This wasn't what she was thinking when I said I would explain things.

"Do you want to go to the hospital and see if she's alright," Emmett asked.

"If you don't mind taking me," I replied looking down.

I couldn't do it. Well at least not yet anyway. I couldn't tell Emmett my secrets yet it was too painful. He would feel betrayed in our friendship and I couldn't do that to him. I couldn't make him feel betrayed. Edward and Bella decided to come with us, much to my displeasure. She obviously didn't like me at the moment because I hadn't said anything about my bruises to Emmett like she thought I would. On the way to the hospital Emmett had to change the radio three times. The first time was because the song "Daddy's Hands" by Holly Dunn was playing and it reminded me too much of my dead father. The second time was because of the song "So Small" by Carrie Underwood reminded me of my dead mother. Of course I didn't say what they reminded me of because it still hurt to think of them as gone forever.

"RHIANNON LORI HART STOP THIS BEHAVIOR THIS INSTANT," my mother screamed at me.

"WHY MOM, WHY SHOULD I," I screamed back at her.

"Rhiannon you better listen to your mother," my father said in that calm serene voice of his.

My dad never raised his voice at me unless he had reason to, which wasn't often. I envied him for that control that he had. I had just gotten home at midnight after a long night out with my best friends Kristy and Kaitlyn. They had always made fun of my name because it didn't start with a 'K' like theirs did so we couldn't be the KKK sisters of San Diego High School. We always had fun when we went out. My mom had been furious with me because I had gotten home later than I had told her.

It became a screaming match like it normally did when she tried to talk to me. I hated that I couldn't get along well with my mom. I tried so hard not to get on her nerves and to do everything she asked me to do. I was normally a good kid, but recently I had been hanging out more and slacking on my household chores as well as my schoolwork. It worried my mom and whenever she breeched the subject of schoolwork I always flew off the handle. I never knew why, I just did.

"RHIANNON WHY DO YOU HAVE TO ACT THIS WAY," my mom yelled at me.

"WHY DO YOU INSIST ON YELLING AT ME," I yelled back.

"Emma please calm down. You both need to calm down," my dad stepped in.

"NO DAD, I'M NOT CALMING DOWN BECAUSE EVERY TIME THAT I TURN MY HEAD I HAVE
MOM BREATHING DOWN MY NECK ABOUT SCHOOL. HAVE YOU EVER THOUGHT THAT MAYBE I DIDN'T WANT TO GO TO THE SAME COLLEGE AS YOU AFTER I GRADUATED," I
screamed at him.

"RHIANNON, DON'T YOU DARE TAKE THAT TONE WITH ME," my dad yelled suddenly.

My mouth snapped shut. I had never heard my dad raise his voice at me before. He was always this calm and collected person who dealt with matters like this sensibly. Well obviously not tonight.

"Now you will go to your bedroom and you will stay there until tomorrow afternoon. You are grounded young lady and I don't want to hear another word about it," he said reverting back to his calm demeanor.

"SCREW YOU DAD. I DON'T LOVE YOU ANYMORE. IN FACT I HATE YOU. I HATE YOU BOTH. YOU CAN GO ROT IN HELL FOR ALL I CARE. ALL YOU DO IS RUIN MY LIFE AND I WISH YOU WEREN'T MY PARENTS," I screamed at the top of my lungs.

Those were the last words I had ever said to my parents. I had stomped up to my room like a little girl furious that my parents didn't see me for the talented person that I was. They always focused on the bad stuff. That night there had been a knock on the front door. My dad had told me that he and my mom were going out for a drive to blow off their steam while I blew mine off at home. I had to get the door. I ran down the stairs because it was already midnight and my parents hadn't returned home. I was scared for them. When I opened the door a police officer was standing on my front porch.

"Can I help you," I asked.

"Is this 7354 Hazel Beech Court," he asked.

"Yes, what can I do for you," I asked again.

"Is your name Miss Hart," he countered my question with his own.

"Yes, my name is Miss Hart, now will you please tell me what the hell you are doing here," I almost screamed at him.

"I'm sorry to tell you, but your parents were just discovered in a ditch just outside of San Diego. Their car it appeared had rolled over after being hit by another car that had a blown out tire. They were killed after the five rolls it took down the ditch side," he informed me.

"Excuse me," I said not believing a single word.

"Your parents, they are dead. I'm truly sorry for your loss," he repeated and then left.

I closed the front door and sagged to the floor. What had I done? Did I just kill my parents without realizing it? I wasn't sure. We had, had a huge fight and they had just left to go blow off steam. I inadvertently pushed my parents over the edge this time and it had gotten them killed.

I didn't cry or mourn the loss of my parents for days. I had seen their mangled bodies in the morgue because I had to identify them. I was given their personal belongings that they had with them at the time of the accident. The package consisted of my father's wallet, my mother's purse, their wedding bands, and a picture of the three of us smiling like one big happy family. I had clutched the bag to chest like a book as Kristy drove me back to my place. My mother's car had been completely totaled. The only car I had left was my father's Volvo.

I didn't really care for Volvos, but a car was a car. I had called my aunt and told her the news of my parents. She told me to get into the car and drive out to Massachusetts as soon as I could after the funeral. The double funeral was horrible to attend, but I did. Before my parents were put into the ground I had placed single rose with a small note of apology tied to the stem inside each coffin. After the coffins were lowered into the ground and covered with dirt I had stayed staring at the mounds of freshly spread dirt for hours. A few tears fell from my eyes onto each mound. I felt horrible.

"Rhiannon, Rhiannon are you okay," someone asked next to me.

I shook my head out of my memory of my dead parents.

"Yeah, I'm fine," I replied wiping a single tear from my eye.

"Are you sure you want to see your aunt today," he asked.

"Can you wait here while I go alone," I asked.

"Of course," he replied.

I got out of the Ferrari that we had taken instead of Emmett's huge Jeep. I thought that the Jeep would be less conspicuous, but Edward had insisted on the Ferrari. I walked into the hospital alone. Once inside I went to the receptionist's desk and waited in the small line. Three people were ahead of me and they also were visiting admitted people. Once they were told where to go it was my turn.

"Hi, how can I help you," the woman asked with a kind smile.

"I'm here to see my Aunt Maria," I said tentatively.

"Last name please," she asked.

"Um, Hart," I replied.

"Okay, I'll have a doctor come and take you to her," she said.

"What room is she in, I can find her by myself," I said.

"No, this room you will need a doctor to escort you to see your aunt," she said a grim smile replaced the cheerful one from before.

"Is something wrong with her," I wanted to know.

"Not that I know of miss, but a doctor will have to escort you to see her. Please wait in the lobby while I page someone," she said a little too kindly.

I went to the hard plastic chairs in the lobby and waited. I tried to figure out why a doctor would have to escort me to see my aunt. I came up completely blank though. I waited for what seemed like hours, but in reality it was only about twenty minutes. A doctor finally called my name and I looked up to see a middle-aged man. He was medium height and well built, but that was it really, nothing too special to look at in my opinion. He led me to the elevators and hit the button that said basement. I instantly became confused. Once the elevator doors opened up I wrapped my arms around my body at the sudden cold draft in the room. My ankle smarted a little.

"Excuse me, but do you happen to have an Ace bandage on you," I asked.

"No, but when we leave from seeing your aunt I can get you one if you would like," he replied.

"Thank you," I said.

We walked the rest of the hallway in silence until we came to the door at the end of the corridor. On the doors it said morgue. My breath caught in my throat.

"Why are we at the morgue," I asked fear starting to lick at my bones.

"Are you looking for a Mrs. Hart," he asked.

"Yes," I replied.

"Well, she's in here," he answered pushing through the doors.

He pulled out her metal slab and I saw her pale lifeless body on it. Her lips were so pale that it hurt to even look at them. I had lost the one person who could have saved me from the torture I was receiving from my uncle, unless I told Emmett the truth.

"How," the one word slipped out.

"She was brought in last night, but had lost too much blood. The three lacerations that she had received damaged some arteries, which caused too much internal bleeding as well. The one laceration on her side had been deep enough to damage both of her lungs. We did everything we could to save her, but it wasn't enough. I'm sorry," he said.

"Can I have a minute alone with her," I asked in a whisper.

"Of course, I'll be right outside," he said and then left my side.

I stood next to my aunt's body and let the tears spill over. I wanted her back because she was the only family that I had left besides my rotten uncle.

"Why Aunt Maria, why did you marry such a horrible man," I cried silently.

I knew it was pointless to ask her questions that she couldn't answer. I gave her one last kiss on her stone cold cheek and then left. The coroner pushed her slab back into the cold freezer that would preserve her body until burial. The doctor walked me back up to the heart of the hospital and then led me into a small examination room. There he gave me an Ace bandage and then left while I wrapped it around my ankle to help support it from the pain. After I put my sock and shoe back on I stood up from the bed only to grabbed by my hair that I had left down.

"Where is the videotape," a voice growled in my ear.

"What videotape," I asked.

That earned me a slap in the face.

"Don't play dumb with me," he hissed.

"I honestly don't know what the hell you are talking about," I struggled.

His hand found my throat and he started squeezing. My mouth opened and closed trying to find the air that was being cut off. He kept squeezing and even lifted me off the ground a little. He threw me against the wall and I hit my head again.

"Tell me where you hid the tape or I'm going to kill you next," he ground out.

I looked up into the eyes of my attacker and sure enough it was aunt's killer. The disgusting and most ruthless man ever to live and he just happened to be my uncle. He spit in my face and I moved my hand to wipe it away. I spit up at him. He smacked me again in the face. I tasted blood in my mouth as well as on my lip. I bit my cheek and he cut my lip with his blow. He kicked twice in the side and twice in the middle of my stomach. My air supply was limited and almost gone.

"Get away from her," a velvety voice growled softly I didn't think I heard it.

"And who the hell are you," my uncle spat.

"None of your business just leave her alone or I won’t hurt you," the velvety voice replied.

I heard my uncle grumble, but he must have stalked off. My breathing was ragged while I was trying to breathe in the air that I had just gotten back since my uncle had dropped me to the ground. It hurt, but it also felt good to breathe again.

"Rhiannon are you okay," that same velvety voice asked me kneeling in front of me.

My eyes were almost swollen shut from all the pain I was feeling. Through the slits I could make out golden brown hair that was a mess and golden eyes. I couldn't place the face in my head. I felt the person, my savior for now, pull me up and walk me out. I thought that with the new injuries that I acquired today doctors would have stopped whoever was leading me out of the hospital, but I was wrong.

"Rhiannon, are you okay? Edward what happened to her," I heard Emmett growl.

"I don't know exactly, but I heard a commotion in one of the smaller exam rooms when I was headed back to the car. I thought I would check it out and I found Rhiannon slumped against the wall and some asshole kicking her," he answered.

I don't know what happened next just that I felt my body sitting or laying down and the ground moving beneath me. I knew that I would have to tell Emmett my secret now that he had seen me with new injuries. I wanted my uncle dead for killing the last family member I had left that still gave a shit about me. I felt my eyes going in and out of focus as the ground stopped moving and someone's arms carrying me and my back being pressed against something soft and comfortable. My eyes closed for the last time as I drifted off to sleep.