Supernova

The first thing I heard was beeping. Then I felt the pain and I moaned.

“She’s awake,” someone said. “Get her mother.”

I opened my eyes. Above me was a white ceiling. The walls were a disgusting baby puke green and the curtains over the windows were white. I looked down and the monitor beside me started beeping more. A doctor ran in.

“Calm down,” he said as my breathing quickened. “You need to calm down, Nova, or you’ll go into a panic attack.” He looked over his shoulder. “Get me some of the sedative again. Just enough to calm her down.”

I wasn’t wearing a gown or a blanket. My whole body was purple. My rips were wrapped tightly in white bandages. There were bandages on both of my thighs and my arms, as well. My right ankle was in a cast.

“Nova!”

I looked up and sobbed as my mother ran into the room.

“Mom,” I sobbed. “Oh God. It wasn’t a nightmare!”

“It’s okay, baby,” she whispered, letting me cry into her chest. “It’s okay. You’re going to be okay. But you need to calm your breathing or you’ll agitate your ribs.”

“What?” I asked.

The doctor was putting something in my IV and no one spoke. I felt my heart start to slow down and my mind felt clearer.

“Okay, Nova,” the doctor said. “You have fractured ribs, a concussion, your right ankle broke again, and the scars from your car accident were cut open and-”

“I remember,” I mumbled, staring up at the ceiling. “Where am I?”

“St. Anthony’s,” my mom answered, stroking my hair.

“How’d I get here?”

“Ambulance,” she sighed. “What’s the last thing you remember?”

I shut my eyes tightly but I couldn’t stop my tears.

“They left me in a park. I didn’t know where I was and I could barely walk. Some homeless person gave me directions. Someone was shouting my name in our driveway and that’s it.”

“That was Ethan,” she said. “God, he was so worried about you. He still is.”

“I think I’m fallin’ back asleep,” I mumbled.

“You are,” she whispered. “Don’t fight it.”

“You’ll be here when I wake up?”

“Of course, sweetheart.”

-

When I woke up the second time, everything was quieter. I looked around to see I was in a different room. This one looked more personal and less like a horror movie where the patient’s near death. To my right, someone was snoring.

Ethan was in the armchair, his head leaned back. I frowned. There were bruises on his jaw and nose. In the room was a couch and that’s where my mom was sleeping. I couldn’t see my dad, though.

About five minutes later, the door opened and he walked in with a McDonald’s bag and drinks. When he saw me, he smiled and put the food and drinks down. He came over and kissed my forehead.

“Hey baby,” he whispered.

“Hi,” I said in a hoarse voice.

“Do you want some water?” he asked and I nodded.

“What time is it?”

“Shortly after 10,” he answered, coming back from a small fridge with a water bottle. He opened it for me and got a bending straw. “The doctor has been in a few times.” He sat on the bed beside me, holding the hand that didn’t have an IV in it. “Your head is going to be fine. They did more x-rays and they’re certain your concussion was minor. Your ribs, on the other hand, will take a while to heal.”

“Is my ankle really broken?” I asked.

“No. They thought it was but, when they brought you in here, they removed the cast to look at it again. I reminded them of the car accident. They were going based off of what it looked like on the outside, you see. Anyway, it’s just sprained so you’ll have to use your cane for a while.”

I just nodded, sipping the water. He was looking at my stomach.

“I’m not pregnant,” I said and his eyes filled with tears.

“How can you be sure, baby?”

“He kept saying I should be grateful,” I whispered, looking away. “He said not many pimps use condoms.”

He groaned. “So Ethan was right.”

I looked at him. “How’d he get those bruises?”

My dad laughed a little. “I lost my temper. He came to warn us but, before he got the chance to, I kind of…. Well, everything’s fine now. I’m just glad you’re safe.”

I nodded again. “He tried to warn me,” I sighed. “I didn’t want to hear it, though. I thought he was just being jealous or that he thought I would find a guy at the clubs.”

“All that matters now is that you’re okay,” my mom whispered.

I didn’t realize she had woken up. She shuffled over and kissed my forehead. My dad passed her a drink and a breakfast sandwich.

“Should we wake Ethan up?” I asked.

“No,” my dad said. “He hasn’t slept once since you got here.”

I frowned. “How long have I been here?”

“A day and a half,” my mom sighed. “Your boss is coming by in a couple hours. He wants to talk to you.”

“Okay,” I said. “Has it really been that long?”

She nodded. “And… Mrs. Preston wants to come by.”

I looked away but didn’t answer. Instead, I looked at Ethan again. Had he really stayed awake that long? If that was true, his body must have won him over.

No one spoke until the door opened and a nurse came in to take my vitals.

“It’s good to see you awake, Miss Harrington,” she said while my dad moved so she could get to me. “How are you feeling?”

“I’m in a lot of pain,” I answered. “Other than that I’m okay.”

She nodded. “Where is your pain?”

I scoffed. “Everywhere.” She smiled kindly. “My head, my stomach, my ribs, my arms, my thighs, my legs, my ankle, and….”

I didn’t know how to word the other pain but my mom just smiled and the nurse wrote everything down.

“What about your chest?” she asked and I took a minute.

“I guess a little,” I said. “When I inhale.”

She nodded. “That’s normal.”

“If you say so,” I mumbled.

Ethan jerked awake and groaned. “Oh, my neck,” he moaned and rubbed his eyes. “Nova,” he gasped, sitting up straight. “You’re awake.”

“Yeah,” I whispered. “Could we have a minute?” I asked my parents and the nurse.

They all nodded and I reached my hand out for his. He took it and bit his lip.

“I’m sorry,” I said, crying a little and his shoulders fell.

“Oh, Nova,” he said and moved closer so he could wipe my tears away.

“I should have given you the chance to explain.”

He shook his head. “I should’ve curbed my jealousy and-”

“Stop,” I interrupted and he bit his lip again. “I acted like a teenager. But, after what happened with Paul, when you tried to talk me out of hanging out with Jenny I thought it was the same thing. I never thought she would be….”

He sighed. “I know. I was shocked when I first learned. I’ve tried telling Elias but he doesn’t believe me. Maybe now he will. She’s never pulled a stunt like this before,” he added, straightening my blanket.

“What do you mean?”

“Recruiting someone during work hours.”

“Oh,” I mumbled.

“What happened?” he whispered.

I shut my eyes. “I got to a club with her. She offered to buy me a drink but I declined. I just wanted to hang out and dance, you know? Then she introduced me to some of her other friends. They were all men but I didn’t want to judge. We decided to hop to the next club.”

I gulped and he held my hand tightly.

“We got in a car. I had a panic attack. Jenny had them pull over. I thought she was going to help me but we had gotten to a house of some kind. I knew right away something was wrong when I walked in. She introduced me to some guy named Daddy. That’s when I found out she’s a prostitute.”

I sighed. “He took me to a back room. I tried to fight him but he beat me. He said I was lucky because he used condoms. Then he saw the scars from the car accident. He thought it was hilarious so he cut them open. He made identical cuts on the left side. He thought that was hilarious, too. He showed me off.

“Then Jenny started to freak out. She remembered you and I are friends. She told the pimp and he freaked out, too. The put me in a car and dropped me off at some park. I had to find my way home.”

“Good God,” he groaned. “Jesus. I’m so sorry, Nova.”

I opened my eyes. He was crying.

I swallowed thickly and he looked concerned as the heart monitor started beeping rapidly.

“I was lying,” I whispered and he frowned. “It wasn’t a mistake.”

“Nova,” he said and hugged me as I sobbed.