Heartbreak Hotel

E L E V E N

STEPS AGAINST DELICATE flooring, Ophelia heard her ears ring with the sound of Jude’s feet padding against the floor as he entered the room. She tugged her lip between her teeth with anxiety as he got closer and closer until finally, Jude’s jade green eyes finally settled on Ophelia.

“Jesus... “ He breathed out.

She was sprawled against the floor, face pointed towards the ceiling with her legs strewn out and her arms lying limply by her sides. Her cheek was smeared with crimson blood, and some matted her hair and dried on her forehead while her clothes were slightly damp with sweat. Ophelia winced as she tried to lift her head slightly, but it was no use: it hurt too much. I probably look stupid, she thought to herself angrily. She was upset she let it get to this point.

“What happened, Ophelia?” Jude hurriedly rushed to her side, squatting down on the ground, a frown marking his forehead, “Who did this to you?” He asked her when she didn’t reply, his voice lower… more… what was it? Angry, dangerous? She couldn’t tell but she was too exhausted to even think twice about it. She needed some damn ice, medicine, a shower and some damn sleep already. It was already embarrassing enough that she smelled slightly sour from all of her perspiration.

“Don’t worry.” She clenched her jaw.

His eyebrows furrowed even further, “Ophelia--”

“Please,” she sighed, her eyes fluttering shut, “just help me. Please.”

It was odd to hear her say it so softly, so kindly. Although Ophelia wasn’t rude to him, she wasn’t the softest person ever, so it was almost shocking. However, Jude knew that he should dig deeper into the matter, it was serious enough for him to report it to the officials, in fact. But right now, in this moment, she needed to be taken to the infirmary, it was an urgent matter. He could ask questions later, she needed his help.

“Okay,” He whispered, why did it feel like his heart in his shoes? He felt a mix of extreme concern and… ire? Yes, fury. He felt this need to hurt the person to do this. He didn’t know how it happened, maybe she had just slipped, but his gut was telling him that someone did this on purpose, that this was an assault.

“I’m going to lift you up, okay?” He told her shakily, his knees feeling like jelly. Carefully, he leaned down towards her and slipped one arm under her knees, and when he went to position the other under her arms, she let out a yelp of pain. On instinct, he moved back, guilt swirling in his stomach. “Where does it hurt?” He asked, not wanting to proceed before knowing everything.

“Neck, shoulders and head,” she bit hard on her lip again.

“Okay, I’m going to put my arm under your back. Let me know if it hurts too much.”

Ophelia barely managed a nod. She felt sore all over.

Jude tried again, fingers trembling with a blizzard of emotions, with his arm under her back this time. Slowly, he lifted her from the ground, carefully secured so that he could stand up properly. Ophelia’s eyes nearly rolled back with the dizziness that came with being picked up, this time digging her teeth so far into her lip that she tasted blood. Tiredly, her head lolled and caused tears to spring from the pain, so to hide her embarrassment, she hid her face in his hoodie-clad chest.

He paused, “Should I put you back down?”

“No,” she managed to get out, “bed, please.”

Luckily, because of Ophelia’s thin and short body structure, she didn’t weigh much. Ninety five pounds maybe. This made it a lot easier for Jude to carry her to her bed. He walked a few feet, exceptionally carefully, and lightly placed her down on the mattress. Ophelia held back a gasp of pain as her head made contact with her pillow, causing throbbing to pulse in her head. God, she didn’t know what the hell Orion did that her neck and back hurt this much, but it couldn’t be good. She was sure she hadn’t broken or fractured anything, so maybe it was just really bad bruising.

“Wait here,” He told her, “I’m calling the nurses.”

“Don’t,” Ophelia told him suddenly, catching him by surprise. “I- just don’t call the nurses, Jude. I just need some tylenol and--”

“No,” He told her, “you need to see a medical professional. Unless there’s some reason you can’t.”

Ophelia stared hard at the ceiling. She would’ve glared at him hard if it weren’t for the following two reasons: one, she couldn’t turn her head without being in immense pain. Two, she knew he was just concerned and that he was trying to help her despite how difficult she was being.

Ophelia blew out a sigh, “because the nurses are going to ask what happened to me and I’m not ready to talk.”

“So are you ready to talk to me, then?” He asked, voice clouded with an unknown emotion.

Ophelia’s eyes were watering and she blinked hard at the tears, pleading to her brain to make them go away. “No,” she said, her voice now sounded a bit more lower pitched from her trying to sound stronger than she actually was. “You can’t get a nurse, Jude. They’re going to ask what happened and if I tell them they won’t believe me.”

“I know someone,” Jude rushed out, biting his tongue as soon as he said it. “I can get someone to help you, no questions asked. But you have to tell me what happened, or I’ll just figure it out myself.”

Ophelia pressed her mouth shut.

Jude nodded, taking her silence as a sign. “I guess it’s up to me. I’ll be right back,” he told her. He glanced at her one more time, taking note on how she didn’t even look at him through her peripheral, almost as if she were ashamed for accepting help. Ophelia looked in a daze staring at the ceiling, her face stoic and her bottom lip tucked into her mouth as she pondered God knows what.

Jude turned around and headed to the door, shutting it behind him. The sprint to the sixth floor had his worn out shoes made dragging sounds on the floor as he headed towards the patron’s quarters, only one thing on his mind: Xenia. Seemingly one of the few people in the facility with an actual soul. She was previously a registered nurse, she’d be able to help.

Normally he’d feel rude for intruding on her like this, but it was an emergency. He also wondered how he hadn’t been told off yet for being in the patron headquarters, it was trespassing, after all. Nonetheless, he carried on, finally reaching her door. He lightly tapped once, and upon no immediate answer, he pounded on the wood.

The door opened wide, with Xenia wearing a frown on her aged face which was masked with surprise upon seeing Jude. “Jude?” she whispered sharply, “what are you doing here?”

He was breathing hard from the running. The elevator was under maintenance and so he had to sprint up four flights of stairs. “Oph-,” another gasp for air, “Ophelia’s-- I need your help.”

“What’s wrong?” She asked.

“I don’t know, bring your nurse equipment, something’s happened to her,” He panted.