8
995 Words
Jessica
The first thing I registered was the beep... beep... beep of a heart monitor.
My eyelids felt heavy, like they had been glued shut. When I finally managed to pry them open, the harsh lights of the hospital room blinded me for a second.
"Jessica!"
A warm hand grabbed mine. I turned my head, my neck stiff and aching, and saw Ava sitting in the chair beside my bed. Her eyes were bloodshot, her face puffy, and her cheeks stained with fresh tears.
"Ava..." I croaked.
"You scared me to death!" Ava sobbed, "When the hospital called... when they said you were pulled from a fire... Jessica, how could you? How could you try to kill yourself?"
I frowned, my foggy brain struggling to process her words. "Kill myself?"
"Why else would you stay inside a burning penthouse?" Ava cried. "I know Michael broke your heart. I know everything feels impossible right now. But committing suicide? Leaving me all alone to deal with this? How could you be so crazy?"
"No, Ava, no," I whispered, shaking my head as much as the oxygen tube resting beneath my nose would allow. I squeezed her hand as tightly as my weak fingers could manage. "I wasn't trying to die."
Ava sniffled, looking up at me with confused eyes. "Then what happened? The police said the fire started in your bedroom."
"I started it," I admitted, a wave of exhaustion washing over me. "But I didn't want to die. I was just... so angry."
I closed my eyes, the memory of the roaring flames flashing behind my eyelids. "Tom brought the divorce papers. After he left, I was all alone in that cage. I went into the bedroom, and I saw our wedding photo sitting on the nightstand. Michael was smiling. He looked so in love. And I realized that every single memory in that room, every dress he bought me, every kiss we shared... it was all a lie."
"I couldn't bear to look at his fake poses anymore. I couldn't stand being surrounded by the things he bought with my family's blood. I just wanted to burn the memories. I wanted to destroy the room. But I was stupid and impulsive, and the fire spread faster than I thought it would. The smoke... it just knocked me out before I could get to the door."
Ava stared at me, her expression softening from anger to pity.
"I'm sorry," I whispered, my voice breaking. "I promise you, Ava. I will never do something so reckless and impulsive ever again. I'm done being a foolish and emotional brat."
Ava let out a shaky breath before giving my hand a reassuring squeeze. "You aren't a brat, Jessica. You're just in pain."
"We need to leave," I said, almost begging her. "As soon as they discharge me, we are leaving this city. I can't breathe the same air as him right now. We need to go somewhere quiet, somewhere he can't find us, so we can regroup and think."
Ava nodded slowly. "And Edward?"
"I promise you," I said, "I will not abandon him. I am going to find a way to clear his name and free him from those fake charges. Michael will not get away with destroying our family. I just need time to figure out how to fight a monster."
Ava managed a small brave smile. "We'll do it together."
Jannet and Edward gave life to both of us. He adopted her when he found her in an orphanage and gave her the position of his little sister. I was eight when he brought her home; we were both orphans, and perhaps that was the reason why we wanted to save our only family so badly.
Before we could say another word, a doctor in a white lab coat walked in, holding a metal clipboard.
"Ah, Mrs. Smith. It's good to see you awake," the doctor said, stepping up to the foot of the bed.
"It's Miss Miller now," I corrected him, the words tasting bitter but necessary.
"My apologies, Miss Miller," he said, flipping through the pages on his clipboard. "You took in a significant amount of smoke, but luckily, your lungs look clear. We've been giving you pure oxygen, and your vitals have stabilized nicely."
"When can I go home?" I asked casually, wanting nothing more than to leave this sterile room and start planning my escape from the city.
"Well, physically, you should be fine to discharge by tomorrow morning," the doctor replied. He paused, his brow furrowing slightly as he looked down at the paperwork. "We also rushed a full blood panel when you came into the ER, just to make sure there were no hidden toxins in your system."
"And the reports are out?" Ava asked, sitting up straighter in her chair.
"Yes, they just came back from the lab," the doctor said.
"Is everything okay?" I asked casually, adjusting the blankets around my waist. "Did I inhale too much carbon monoxide?"
"Your carbon monoxide levels are elevated, but returning to normal," the doctor explained slowly, lowering the clipboard. He looked directly at me, his expression turning serious. "But that's not what I need to discuss with you, Miss Miller. We need to be very careful with any medications we prescribe for the smoke inhalation moving forward."
I frowned, completely confused. "Careful? Why?"
Is everything okay with me?
The doctor clasped his hands together in front of him. "Because your blood tests confirmed it, Miss Miller. You are pregnant."
The beep... beep... beep of the heart monitor suddenly seemed deafening in my ears.
Suffocating silence filled the room.
Ava's jaw dropped, her eyes going as wide as saucers as she stared at me.
My mind went completely blank. The walls of the hospital room started to spin violently. All the anger, the plans for revenge, the desperation to run away—it all evaporated into thin air, replaced by terror.
Pregnant.
- Writer
