His Mystery

Four

Ximena

“Why don’t we do this? How about you stay here until you are discharged? Once you are discharged, you can go and stay with me.” She told me as she squeezed my hand.

Could I trust this woman? She must’ve sensed the fight that I had going on in my brain when she continued.

“I live alone, darling. My husband died five years ago.” She said, making me sigh in relief.

“No one can know about me.” I told her as the tears I was trying to hold flowed freely now. “You don’t know what he is capable of.” She shook her head and patted my hand.

“Don’t worry, honey. Once you are well, you can go ahead and live your life.” She assured me.

“How long do I have to be here for?” I asked her, trying to waive away from the fact that she looked at me like she was sorry for what had happened to me.

“Once you heal a bit more. It can be anywhere from another twenty-four to forty-eight hours. It all depends on the doctor, honey.” She informed us as she walked over to the blood pressure machine, grabbed the cuff, removed the clip to remove the rest of the air, and placed the pin back on. She wrapped it around my arm and pressed the button, making the cuff tighter and tighter on my arm as it measured my blood pressure.

“Do you know where you’ll go once you heal properly?” She asked as she grabbed her stethoscope from her neck and placed the earbuds in her ears.

“Breathe in and let it out.” She said as she placed the other end on my chest. I did as she said, then when she was done, she looked at me, waiting for my answer.

“You know I can’t tell you that. If he ever finds out you helped me, God only knows what he will do to get it out of you.” I advised her as I looked down at my fidgety hands.

“All right, honey. Once you are out of here, you will have to tell me your story.” She said as she placed the stethoscope back around her neck. I nodded as she walked over to the door. She curled her hand on the handle before looking back at me.

“Rest. I will see what the doctor plans to do next.” She said, turning around and pulling the handle.

I lay my head back down on the pillow and closed my eyes, letting sleep consume me. The only thing is that rest does not destroy me. I can’t move to toss and turn, so I opened my eyes and stared at the TV on the wall across from the bed.

‘How the fūck did you get into this situation?’ I asked myself.

~Two days later

“Okay, sweetheart. The doctor has cleared you to go home. I will be coming right back with your discharge papers.” Nancy, the nurse that has been like a sweet old grandma, said to me.

“Thank you, Nancy. You have been a God sent.” I replied, smiling at her.

She has tried to get me to talk to her about my past, but I am just scared that Roberto will come back and hurt her.

“I will be getting off my shift in about two hours. You can hang out in the cafeteria to wait for me if you wish.” She said as she walked toward the big compartment that held drawers, typing in a number on the keypad and the drawer opening so she could take out a bandaid and some gauze.

“I guess not much I could do right now.” I told her, shrugging my shoulders.

She looked at me and smiled. I know I will have to tell this lady my past, which makes my nerves skyrocket.

Two hours and twenty minutes later, we were walking toward her car, as I wore a black hoodie provided by Nancy. The beeping of her unlocking the vehicle indicated that it was ready for me to jump in at any time.

Once I am in the safe space of her Ford Focus, I locked my door, put my seatbelt on and duck my head. I am not sure why I am so worried. He left me to die at the hospital entrance.

The drive to Nancy’s house was quiet, to say the least, she would glance at me here and there, and I knew she wanted to ask, but I didn’t want to spill the beans as she was driving. Stopping in front of a lovely one-story home with a white picket fence, I smiled at her. She turned off the car, unlocking the doors. She opened her door, getting out of the vehicle, not giving me another choice but to follow her.

“Welcome to my lovely home.” She said as we walked up to her front door, where she slid the key inside the keyhole.

“Thank you for everything you have done for me. I don’t know how I will ever repay you.” I told her just as my nose began to tingle as tears wanted to form in my eyes.

“You can thank me by getting better and staying away from your husband.” She said, making me nod.

“I will start dinner. If you want, you can go and freshen up. The room is the last door to your left in the hallway. It’s a master, so there is no need to leave the room. I also left some clothes folded for you on top of the bed,“ She said, placing her things on the dinner table.

I nodded and turned around to follow her instructions. The room had a beach vibe to it. The walls were white, with a queen-sized bed at the end of the wall. Touches of turquoise, seashells, and mermaids along the walls. I walked to the windows, closing the blinds and the curtains to ensure no one could peek inside. I walked toward the bathroom, and noticed the decor followed the same as the bedroom.

I looked at myself in the mirror and did not recognize who I was anymore. I had lost a minimum of fifteen pounds. My eyes no longer shined with happiness. They looked void and sad. I had a green bruise around my eye and the corner of my lip. I was no longer able to hold all my feelings. I am strong, but we strong women have the right to crumble at least for five minutes, and that is precisely what I did. I slid down the wall of Nancy’s bathroom and cried for five minutes.

I cried for the life I had before I married Roberto. I cried for letting him ruin my life. I cried for letting him control me to the point that I could not talk to my own family. I cried for five minutes. That was all I gave myself.

Then I stood up, wiped my face and stripped out of the clothes that Nancy gave me to leave the hospital, and walked as best as my ankle let me into the shower. I let the shower wash my sadness away, and I told myself that this was the last time I would feel sorry for myself. After this shower, I had to be strong and look for the options I had to get out of this country.

Once I was done with the shower, I walked out of the room, finding Nancy serving the Alfredo on plates.

“You look refreshed.” She said, making me smile.

“Can I do anything to help?” I asked as I walked over to her.

“Nope, you can sit your sweet ass on that table and not move.” She said, motioning to the table with the spoon of Alfredo.

“Yes, ma’am.” I replied, making her chuckle.

Once she was done serving both plates, she placed them on the table and sat down.

“Enjoy.” She murmured.

“Before I start. I want to tell you what happened.” I told her, waiting for her response. She placed her fork down and looked at me.

“Go on.” She said.

“I was eighteen when I met him. Roberto Rivera was twenty-three and in college finishing his bachelor’s to go into the FBI. We met at a grocery store, and we just clicked. One year later, I walked down the aisle, but my parents hated him. My dad used to say that he had a weird vibe and did not trust him, but I thought I was in love. He treated me like a princess, but that all changed about two years ago. The undercover cases became more and more, and he spent less and less time at home. I knew what I was signing up for when he left for training and what would come for the job.” I said as tears ran down my cheeks and looking at Nancy, she had the same look on her face of sadness. I cleaned my face with the back of my hand and continued my story.

She asked questions two hours later as she reheated dinner in the microwave. But once we were done, I walked into the room she was letting me stay in and crashed on the bed.