This chapter is dedicated to HeyItsPamida. Thanks for following this story and your many inline comments :)

15 - Visitors  

Dr. Fallon made sure I was pumped full of pain remedy before I was transferred up to my room and warned I would feel even worse tomorrow. Back then, I shrugged it off, not realizing how right he would be and that it usually takes hours for the full effect of a beating to sore the body.

Up to this day, I don't know what he told Brent but my boyfriend did not reappear that night. I was so exhausted and drowsy from the drugs that I drifted off to sleep in no time. I only noticed vaguely that the nurse checked on me in the morning and I didn't fully wake until almost noon. By that time, I felt like I was hit by a bulldozer.

Dr. Fallon checked on me in the early afternoon and ordered this cool little gadget where I could administer a shot of pain medicine by myself every so often. I needed it. Every twist and move was excruciating but the worst was when I had to cough. Pain radiated from my cracked ribs all through my body, leaving an aching throb behind. I felt miserable and was actually glad not to be home on my own. I was not sure how I could have even managed without the pampering of the nurses.

Brent came by around six, carefully scouting out the room but when there was no sign of Dr. Fallon, he was confident enough for a visit.

"That guy is an asshole," he announced. "Did you know that he threatened me with a police report if I came near you while you were in here?"

I could imagine. "Maybe you shouldn't take a chance. He could be back any moment."

He looked triumphant. "I asked down at the nurses' station and his shift ended thirty minutes ago. I think it's safe."

Somehow, I was disappointed. I had anticipated Dr. Fallon to check on me before he went home but truthfully, what did I expect? I was just a patient and in good hands with the nurses. There was no need for him to babysit.

Brent stayed until almost ten o'clock and we got a chance to talk. He apologized for hurting me but was adamant that it was my fault.

"How would you feel if I went behind your back with something that important? You betrayed my trust. If you didn't want a baby, you should have told me and not ran to your doctor and got yourself birth control pills without my knowledge. Those things are really bad for you and can make you fat."

I had to admit that I wouldn't have liked it if the situation was reversed.

"I didn't think you were really interested in my opinion," I remarked. "You were so firm that you wanted a child. I was scared to oppose you."

"Oh, honey." He looked shocked. "You never have to be afraid to tell me what you truly feel. That's important for a healthy relationship."

I felt like a fool. Maybe I did misjudge the whole situation and should just have been truthful?

"I guess I'm sorry." I gazed at him contritely. "I shouldn't have lied to you about my intentions."

He kissed the palm of my hand. "And I am sorry for overreacting. Like I told you, I really need your help to get a handle on this. I don't want to keep hurting you. And I am devastated about the baby." He gave me a sheepish smile. "But if you want, we can try again in a few months but that will be totally up to you."

His eyes were desperate and pleading.

"Well, we'll see," I muttered, inclined to forgive him.

He had warned me about his temper and it was at least partially my fault to put us into this situation. I should have known that he would lash out if he ever found the birth control pills. It had been a stupid idea to just go behind his back and I should have been forthcoming. Or so I thought at the time. In reality, he totally manipulated me and I ate straight out of his hand like a tame, mindless sparrow. Nothing I had done, of course, could have ever justified the violence against me but his mind games were starting to work. He had me convinced that I misbehaved and deserved at least some form of punishment.

It was a very confusing moment for me. On the one hand, I wanted to break it off, scared that he would hurt me again yet there was a part of me that felt oddly lost without him. He was all I had left. My father seemed a distant memory, I had no friends to talk to, nothing in my life but Brent.

He had been such an important part of me - my first crush, my first lover, the first person who stuck it out and didn't abandon me. I didn't know if I could survive without him and the fear of loneliness was so overwhelming that it beat any reservations about further violence. Being alone in the world would be real – another beating just a maybe.

For the rest of the evening, he smoothed things over. He told me how much he missed me and how empty the house was without me. He was depressed and couldn't wait for me to come home. In the end, I made the decision to stay with him, I was just not ready to call it quits. Today, I know it was the wrong one, one of those times in my life I stood at a crossroad and turned the wrong way. But it is like with all the other choices we make – we can never take them back and have to live with them, only able to change the future but never the past.

"Can't you just sign yourself out?" Brent asked me at some point during the evening.

I remembered the promise I made to Dr. Fallon but chose not to tell him about it. Somehow, I sensed it would get him mad again.

"Because of the miscarriage, there could be complications," I advised which wasn't even a lie. "It could have an impact on future pregnancies. I don't want to take the risk of not being able to have kids of my own."

I had no clue if this could really happen but my words made him shut up. Not being able to plant his seeds inside me must have been an unbearable thought.

"Well, I called the school and told them you had an accident and would be out for a couple of weeks. I think it would be better if you stayed home until at least the swelling in your face is totally gone."

"Do I look dreadful?" I asked. I was peeing into a bedpan and hadn't had a chance to observe myself in the mirror.

He grimaced. "Let's say you wouldn't win a beauty pageant. But don't worry, you will be back to your pretty self in no time. And look on the bright side - if you are still banged up by Halloween, you won't need a costume."

I wasn't sure if I appreciated his dark humor but gave him a crooked smile in response.

After he left, I watched a little bit of television before going to sleep. The drugs were still keeping me in an almost constant state of drowsiness and there were no nightmares to interrupt my sleep. Those wouldn't come until later.

Dr. Fallon resurfaced in the late afternoon the next day, armed with a chess board.

"I thought you could use some distraction," he grinned. "I hope you like chess."

I used to play it with my dad a lot and was actually quite good.

"Don't you have patients you need to attend to?" I asked, somewhat surprised that he was allowed to just spend time with me.

"Nope, not today. It's my day off and I only swung by the hospital to pick up my paycheck and decided on the spot to cheer you up."

I was glad that he obviously didn't know about Brent's visit from the night before, afraid that he would change his mind and call the police on us.

We started to play and soon had a conversation going. He was real easy to talk to and even quite funny which was not a good idea in the state I was in. The laughs were worse than the coughing.

He was already twenty eight and in his residency at the hospital. He had a younger sister just a year older than me and a twin brother who was a lawyer and worked in his mother's firm. His father was some manager for a multinational, making enough money for his kids to afford an Ivy League college of their choice.

He went to medical school at Columbia University in New York and was only back in Chicago for a couple of years. Since he loved the Big Apple, he considered moving there permanently at some point though he also toyed with the idea of living in LA.

 "So what do you want to do after high school?" he asked.

If it was up to my boyfriend, nothing. "I was thinking of becoming a school teacher," I said, not really eager to dive into a discussion about Brent and his old fashion expectations. "I hope I will get a scholarship since I don't have any money."

He cringed. "That boyfriend of yours, is he financially supporting you?" he asked, somewhat suspicious.

"For the moment," I admitted. "But I am thinking of getting a part-time job after school to get my own money."

It was a lie. With homework and things around the house, there wouldn't be enough time for anything else.

He pattered something under his breath before moving his queen across from my king. "Check mate."

I gazed at the board. He was right, I should have paid better attention. The conversation had distracted me.

"Up for a rematch?" he inquired with a small smile on his lips.

Brent would disapprove. I shouldn't even have accepted the first game.

"I'm really tired," I claimed. "Maybe some other time."

He slowly got up and stretched and I couldn't help but admiring how the muscles bulged under his shirt. "Well, I'll better go then. Good night, Rena."

I gave him an appreciative smile. "Good night, Dr. Fallon. Thanks for the visit."

He grinned. "You can call me Kade. After all, I'm not calling you by your last name even though I'm supposed to."

I wasn't sure what to make of that and just kept gazing at him.

He hesitated before he left and turned when he reached the door. "You are going to go back to him, aren't you?"

I shrugged. "I have nowhere else to go."

"How about your folks?"

Oh, that was a sore topic. "My mom is dead and my father and I don't get along."

His eyes were thoughtful. "You know there are women shelters and loads of help groups. I can give you some names if you like."

Those places were for desperate wives who were beaten for no reason. There was no way I would humiliate myself and admit to the world that Brent and I had a problem that I - after my conversation with him yesterday - didn't even consider that serious. If I just straightened up and tried a little harder, things would be fine.

"He promised me he will seek help. I believe him and we love each other. And truthfully, this is none of your business." I was surprised at the sharpness in my voice, I didn't mean to be snappy but also saw no need to justify myself to him. We weren't even friends.

He just nodded. "You know, they all say they love you even after they've killed you."

With that, he left, throwing me somewhat back in a state of confusion. All of a sudden, I again had my doubts if Brent and I would get our happiness in the end. 

Alright guys, we are now well into the book and I would like your overall comments on how you like it so far. The story will take on a new direction beginning with the next chapter when I will add a new POV to the mix and I want to ensure you are all on board. 

Tell me how you feel about the main characters - are they believable, do they make you sympathize, can you relate? Any changes you would like to see? I know that many of you are really fed up with Rena's stupidity by now but try to see the situation a little through her eyes :)