CHAPTER 22
1908 Words
CHAPTER 22
The next few minutes could have lasted an hour or more. When Vinny left the room, the unmistakable feeling of total isolation weighed down Kennedy’s whole body. What if Jodie died? How much blood could a person lose and still survive? She sucked in her breath at the sight of the puddle pooling around Jodie’s body and knew they were in need of a miracle.
She lay Jodie’s head flat on the ground, hoping to keep some of the blood going to her brain. Wasn’t there something about elevating the legs as well? Or would that cause more blood to flow out? She wasn’t sure. Her fingers never left Jodie’s wrist, and she fully expected that frantic flutter to cease any minute. How long could your heart keep up such an impossible pace? She knew the basics of CPR but had never taken a class. And was it different on an adult than it would be for a child?
A child. A child who should have never been pregnant in the first place. A child who should have never found herself a pawn in this dangerous political game, where her family members held no regard for her safety. What had her uncle been thinking? Even if it wasn’t the pills he prescribed that did this to Jodie, Kennedy would hold him guilty for it. All of it. No thirteen-year-old should be forced to endure a fraction of the trauma Jodie had suffered.
Kennedy thought about the articles from her dad’s pro-life magazines. She thought about all those testimonies, victims of rape who carried their babies to term and found room in their hearts to love and nurture them. Or the story Willow told her about the lady who died because she delayed cancer treatment that would have killed her child. Kennedy felt like the biggest hypocrite who had ever volunteered to work for a pregnancy center. She couldn’t find room in her heart to worry about the baby. She only had the energy and psychological fortitude to care about one thing right now, and one thing only — Jodie’s safety. If she ever saw Carl or Sandy again, the first thing she would do was resign her position at the center, insignificant as it was.
The seconds passed. The puddle of blood widened, seeping into Jodie’s shirt, creeping its way toward Kennedy’s shoes while she crouched on the floor. In eight years, Kennedy would have the medical skills necessary to handle situations far worse than this. She would know exactly what to do. She could save Jodie’s life. Maybe even the baby’s. But time wouldn’t hold still until she got her medical degree. This emergency was happening right now. Kennedy was just a first-year in college. An undergrad. She had never set foot in a med-school class. She had never completed a single rotation. She had no idea how to start an IV, how to stop a patient from hemorrhaging. She didn’t know how many chest compressions you were supposed to do during CPR. And she still didn’t really understand what she was doing here. Had God allowed her to be kidnapped just so she could care for Jodie? Why couldn’t he have kept them both safe in the first place?
Her body trembled violently, as if all those prayers the Lord left unanswered that day sat festering in her blood like a toxin. Her teeth chattered noisily, her breathing grew shallower. What would Vinny say if he came back to find Jodie and her both passed out on the floor? And what in the world was she supposed to do now? Even if she knew a way to help Jodie, even if she possessed the magic knowledge it would take to stop her bleeding or save the baby inside her, how could she execute any of those lofty plans when it felt like she was going to suffocate?
Kennedy gasped noisily in time with her shivers. The blood beneath Jodie widened with each passing minute. Kennedy had to fight the irrational fear that she would faint dead away if the puddle made it all the way to where she squatted. How many blood-borne pathogens were there, and what were the chances of someone as young as Jodie carrying one of them? Careful not to let her sleeves drip down, she swept her hand against Jodie’s forehead and had to watch her chest for the next ten breaths to assure herself the girl was still alive. She was so cold to the touch, it was almost as if Kennedy had reached out and encountered death’s forerunner seated on Jodie’s brow.
“She’s in here.”
Kennedy never expected Vinny’s voice to bring such a surge of relief. She tried to stand up but was too dizzy. How had she gotten so weak? Was it actually her blood pooling all around them, her life source draining out of her in a steady, unstoppable stream?
“What’d you do to her?”
Kennedy had never seen Jodie’s uncle before, but he had the same build, the same hairline, the same square jaw as his brother. He was taller than Vinny and skinnier, someone who might have passed for a male model if he were ten or fifteen years younger, or the kind of actor who would make middle-aged housewives swoon.
“What happened?”
Kennedy didn’t know if Anthony was talking to her or not. Either way, she didn’t have the strength to respond.
“We think she’s having a miscarriage.” Vinny’s voice lost a little bit of its brusque edge as he glanced up at Anthony Abernathy.
“So you got her to take the pills after all?” It was worded like a question but came out definitively like a statement.
“No, this happened before the pills.”
Kennedy wondered if Vinny was going to tell him about the fight, about how he fell on top of Jodie. She doubted it.
Anthony shrugged. “Well, it got taken care of one way or another.” He spoke casually, as if someone had made plans to take the subway but ended up hopping on a bus instead. “Now why’s she on the floor like that?”
“She’s hemorrhaging.” Kennedy’s voice came out steadier than she expected. “She needs to see a doctor.”
Jodie’s uncle frowned. “Unfortunately, I don’t think that’s possible. What can you do for her from here?”
I’ve already done everything I can think of, Kennedy wanted to scream. Which was basically nothing except for lowering Jodie’s head so the blood didn’t have to travel against gravity to get to her brain.
“She passed out from all the blood loss. She’s ...”
“Yes, I hear that’s natural with miscarriages.” Was he even listening? Did he care? Or would he stand here and watch his niece bleed to death? “I’ll send Dustin out for some ibuprofen. That might help if she wakes up with cramps.”
“She’s not sleeping!” This time Kennedy did allow her voice to rise. “She passed out. She may already be in shock.” A blanket. Why hadn’t Kennedy thought to cover her up with a blanket? It’s what the first responders always did in the suspense novels she read, at least.
Anthony frowned. If he gave her another shrug, it might invigorate her enough that she could summon all her strength and attack him with her bare hands.
“Look at the toilet.” Kennedy pointed. “Look how much blood she’s lost in there. That’s on top of all this.” She gestured to the floor. “And that’s just from the past ten minutes or so.”
Jodie’s uncle fingered his chin. “That’s a lot.” He said it thoughtfully, as if they were discussing a late commuter rail. “But a fetus that small should pass easily enough.” He scratched his chin again.
He still had no idea.
“Her baby is five months old. She’s over halfway through the pregnancy.” Kennedy’s voice was steady, but she felt like she was screaming at a small child who refused to accept common-sense reason.
At this point, Kennedy expected one of two things to occur. Anthony would either maintain his stoic demeanor and refuse his niece medical care, or he would spring into action and make rapid plans to get her the attention she needed.
He did neither.
His indifferent stare morphed almost instantaneously. The dull, apathetic eyes narrowed, boring hatred into his niece’s body. The muscles in his face and neck all seemed to flex at once, making some of the veins pop up underneath the smooth skin. The formerly calm, placid voice was now laced with disgust. “The lying little brat.”
His alteration occurred so dramatically, his words spewed out so vehemently that Kennedy nearly lost her balance. Still managing to maintain her squat, she stuck out both arms so she wouldn’t topple onto the dirty floor. She had no idea what brought about the sudden change, but she understood now why Jodie lied to him about the pregnancy.
Anthony stomped out of the bathroom, nearly plowing Vinny over on his way. He stormed back a few paces later. “Five months you said?”
Kennedy bit her lip. She wanted to believe Jodie was telling the truth about her relationship with Samir. Now she wasn’t so sure. Maybe the two kids really had been together. Had she just betrayed Jodie’s trust? Well, the uncle had to know at this point. He had to realize how serious this was.
Anthony kept pacing and lifted his eyes to the ceiling. A few seconds later, he punched the wall, exclaiming more loudly, “Five months!”
A tiny gurgle of a cough made them all fall silent and lean toward Jodie.
“Is she waking up?” Vinny asked.
They stared expectantly for several seconds, but there was no more movement. Kennedy kept her eyes on the girl’s chest, as if she could keep Jodie’s lungs functioning by sheer willpower.
“She needs a hospital,” Kennedy whispered.
“She doesn’t deserve it.” Anthony resumed pacing the length of the bathroom in two strides at a time, swinging his arms as he went. Vinny had to avoid him more than once. “To think of all that planning, the lengths I went to cover up for a deceitful little ...”
So was he going to let her die, then? Is that how this was all going to end?
“Five months.” Anthony shook his head and muttered under his breath. “So she was with him that whole time. The sneaky, conniving, spoiled brat. Five months.”
Kennedy did her best to keep from getting in the way of his boots as he paced. For a minute, she imagined what would happen if he slipped in the puddle of blood. The whole scene played out like a bad Three Stooges sketch. Only there was no comedy in this drama.
“She lied to everyone.” Anthony slowed down and crossed his arms. “If she had told me the truth ...” He glanced at Kennedy. For a moment, his eyes reflected a pained, tortured sadness. He shook his head, and the tenderness was replaced with calculating malice. “If she wasn’t family, I’d let her bleed to death right here.”
For the first time in her life, Kennedy realized how grateful she was for her own mom and dad, how glad she was that her definition of family bore no resemblance to Anthony Abernathy’s.
He bumped into Vinny’s shoulder when he started to pace again. “She’s been with that toad this whole time. I told her parents that little Muslim was no good. They should have sent him to Vermont as soon as I told them to, then this wouldn’t ...” He shook his head and waved his hand in the air dismissively. “Take her to the hospital. And tell her that if she even drops a hint as to who she really is, I will find her Arab boyfriend, and I will murder him. Got that?”
Vinny bent down, and Kennedy wanted to protest before he jostled Jodie up in his arms. Shouldn’t they call the paramedics instead? Shouldn’t they have a stretcher and someone trained to transport patients in such critical condition? But there was nothing she could say. At least Jodie would get the help she needed. Kennedy hoped it wouldn’t be too late.
“Well, that’s out of the way,” Anthony growled, fixing his gaze on Kennedy. “Now get up. You’re coming with me.”
- Writer
