Page 41 of Madam Alana

“What is this? It’s three in the morning,” he said afterlooking at the clock on his side of the bed.

I reached for the phone that was on my side. “Bonjour?”Isaid.

“Alana,” Celine slurred my name as though it washard for her to speak. “It hurts…so bad.”

“Celine? Celine, what’s happening? What hurts?”

“I’m bleeding…everywhere…” she croaked.

I popped out of bed and pushed my hand through my hair,trying to think. “Where’s Darren?”

“He’s passed out.” Her voice became a tad bit clearer as ifthe cobwebs had been cleared out of her throat. “Maybe he OD’d. I don’t know.He drugged me too. They…they all used me, Alana. All of them.” Her voice wasbut a whisper. “Over and over. Then hurt me. The blood…it won’t stop. It’spouring down my legs. Alana, it hurts so bad,” Celine sobbed.

“Honey, I know. I know. Can you call an ambulance?” Tearstracked down my face, but I kept my voice calm. Celine needed me to be strongfor her.

“W-what if he w-wakes up?” The sound of her teeth startingto chatter sounded overly loud through the connection. “He’ll k-kill m-me. He’llr-r-really k-kill meth-this time,” she whispered.

“Honey, youhave tocall the cops.Get help. Then call me back. I’ll be on the next flight out. I swear.”

“I la…la…l-love y-you, al-ways. I’m s-so s-o sorry,” Celinestuttered, her voice getting softer and her words more spaced out.

“I love you too!” I said as the line went dead.

I immediately called the authorities in her area to reporther assault and her potential inability to call for help. They assured me theywere on the way.

“Christophe, we need to get to Los Angeles as soon as possible,”I informed my husband who was already in the closet getting dressed and pullingout our suitcases.

* * * *

“As Mrs. Holt’s emergency contact and next of kin on recordalong with her husband, I can have the doctor explain everything to you,” a nurseinformed us. Her gaze as she assessed us was filled with compassion andconcern—two things that didn’t bode well for what we were about to hear.

We’d gone straight from the Los Angeles airport to the ICUand had shown our identification cards to the reception desk. We were thendirected to the ICU nursing station.

“Hello, I’m Dr. Turner,” an older gentleman with white hairand glasses stated as he approached.

“Doctor, how is she?” I asked, emotion clogging my voice andmaking it sound deeper.

The doctor’s appearance was gentle, his eyes sad. I knewright then he was about to give me the worst news possible.

“Your friend suffered an enormous amount of damage to hervaginal and rectal regions. We had to perform emergency exploratory surgery tohelp control the bleed and repair the trauma.She also sustained multipleinjuries to her head. The damage to her skull has caused several bleeds and alarge amount of swelling in her brain. We noted some old and new fractures allover her body as well. We’re doing our best to treat her, but the drugs in hersystem are wreaking havoc on her organs. Her kidneys are now failing, and herliver isn’t faring any better. We believe she has experienced irreversiblebrain damage. Given her grave condition, we don’t recommend any heroicmeasures, as they would not be helpful to her.I’m sorry, Mrs. Toussaint.I don’t believe your friend has long.”

I don’t believe your friend has long.The phrasespun around and around in my mind like a spinning top.

“What?” His explanation was taking a moment to sink in. “No!I just talked to her last night. She was alive and she was talking. She was!” Icried. “She was talking to me!” I pounded at my chest, needing the doctor toknow she was fine not long ago.

“That must have been before the drugs in her system and herinjuries had taken over. I’mreally sorry. We’re doingeverything we can to make her comfortable.”

Christophe lifted his hand to stop the doctor from speakingany further. “Can you bring us to her?”

He nodded. “Again, she’s comfortable and on painmedication.”

“And her husband? Darren Holt?” Christophe growled low inhis throat, sounding more like a tiger ready to strike than my sweet, gentlehusband.

“I’m not at liberty to share his condition, but he’s hereand expected to make a full recovery,” the doctor answered.

“Yet Celine was brutally raped by multiple men, beaten,drugged, and is facing death. I want charges pressed immediately.”

“We have already notified the authorities of our findings.The detective assigned to her case left a card in her room. Let me take you toher.”

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