Page 53 of Vendetta
I woke to a ceiling entirely different from the one I was used to. It was big and tiled, with fluorescent lights that stung my eyes. The smell of disinfectant hung in the air, and the open curtains of a faraway window were a dull, unfamiliar green. I tried to wriggle my body, but it was constricted under the weight of overly tucked-in sheets. And yet, despite the warmth that clung to me, I felt a cold stiffness rippling through my left hand.
The bed was edged with bars and the walls beyond were a blinding shade of white. I flexed my fingers against the thick bandage just above them and noticed, with a pinch of horror, that there was an IV drip invading my hand.
‘Mrs Gracewell, she’s awake.’
My bed shook from the other side. I rolled my head and flinched against a sudden onslaught of pain in the base of my skull. The un-made-up face of my mother was the first thing I saw. Beside her was an exhausted-looking Millie, wearing an oversized hoodie and last night’s lipstick, which was just a red stain now. She scooted her chair forwards. ‘How do you feel?’
Trying my best not to completely freak out, I wiggled each of my limbs in turn and was relieved to find them unbroken. I checked my body for bandages and found none. Then I dragged my hands through my matted hair and all around my face to make sure there were no stitches.
‘What happened?’ I croaked. ‘This is the worst headache I’ve ever had.’
‘That’s OK, sweetheart.’ My mother stroked my hand reassuringly. ‘That’s to be expected.’
Millie looked like she was about to burst into tears. Her foundation was streaked with tear tracks and there were dark smudges of mascara beneath her eyes. She dropped her head into her hands and pulled at her dishevelled brown hair. ‘I’m so sorry, Soph.’
My mother squeezed my hand until it stung. ‘It looks as though you were drugged at the party.’
It took several seconds for the meaning of the words to connect in my fuzzed brain. Then my heart plummeted into my stomach. ‘Drugged?’
‘We had no idea,’ Millie sniffled. ‘One minute you were fine and then the next you couldn’t stand up. You kept forgetting where you were and you kept saying you wanted to go home.’
I tried to find them but the memories would not come. ‘So you brought me here to get my stomach pumped?’
Millie frowned and traced shapes in the hospital blanket. ‘We thought you were just drunk. Someone said you had taken some shots of tequila or something. So we sent you home with Robbie Stenson.’
My mother’s features scrunched into a display of disapproval. ‘Though Millie now knows she should have called me,’ she said. ‘Whether you were drinking or not, I still should have been called to make sure you were OK.’
‘I’m so sorry, Mrs Gracewell! If I thought for a second someone had slipped her something, I wouldn’t have just sent her home like that…’ Millie broke into sobs that shook her frame with every heave.
My mother rubbed her back in large, circular movements. ‘I know,’ she said, trying to comfort her.
‘What happened?’ I felt like I was trying to recall something on the tip of my tongue, but the more I struggled, the more I seemed to forget.
‘Robbie hadn’t been drinking and he said he knew the way.’ Millie was holding back, skirting around something; I could sense it.
My mother cut in, ‘I got a call to say a young man had brought you to the emergency room. When I arrived they ran some tests and discovered traces of Rohypnol in your system.’
The word fell into the air like a ton of bricks. ‘R-Rohypnol?’ I stuttered. ‘I was roofied?’ Immediately my hands flew to my underwear.
‘No, don’t worry,’ Millie interjected hurriedly. ‘He got to you in time.’
‘Robbie?’
My mother exchanged a glance with Millie. ‘No, not Robbie. The nurse said a young man with tanned skin and dark hair brought you in. She says he wouldn’t give his name.’
My head throbbed so hard I could barely think. Where did Nic come into all of this? And why was he being so secretive about his involvement?
‘I don’t understand…’
‘He told the nurse he found you with a boy who looked as though he was trying to take advantage of you. He raised his concerns and the boy left. Then he brought you here when he realized what bad shape you were in.’
I felt my hand pinch beneath the drip. ‘Where is Nic now?’
‘He was gone when we got here,’ Millie answered this time. ‘The nurse said he stayed for almost an hour, though, while they tried to reach your mom. He wanted to make sure you were OK.’
My mother sat back in her chair and seemed to relax a little. ‘Millie and I tried to contact the Priestlys, but they’re unlisted. It would be a good idea to have a talk with that boy when we get out of here.’
‘So where did Robbie Stenson go when Nic showed up? Was he the one trying to take advantage of me?’
