Free Finding Me (The Bad Boy Series) by S.K. Hartley Page B

energy I had left to keep my eyes open.  
    "Only for a select few, sweetheart. Get some sleep."   
    Ace’s soft voice was the last thing I remembered before sleep completely consumed me.
    I awoke the next morning to an empty room. Nothing but white walls and a grey floor met me as I slowly opened my eyes. The night had been a rough one, I had woken at least eight times during the night. There were no nightmares, not my usual ones at least. I had no grasp of what they were about, but something inside me told me to wake up every time. The fear in those moments had my heart pounding and my skin twitching.  
    As I moved my right hand, I realized it was no longer painful. My body still ached but it was dull, nothing like the pain I had the day before. Slowly, I sat up. A jolt of pain suddenly sliced through my head, but quickly faded as I breathed in deep through my nose. When the pain had subsided, I slowly swung my legs over the edge of my bed. Counting to three in my head, I tentatively pushed myself off of the bed and bared  weight on my two feet. The floor beneath my toes was cold against my skin. A shiver rolled through my legs, from my toes and up to my kneecaps. Flexing my toes, I smiled.   
    My first couple of steps were shaky, my feet slowly adjusting to being back on the ground. Placing my hand on the wall, I slowly made my way to the door at the other side of the room, hoping it was the bathroom. I was desperate to pee, my bladder felt like an inflated balloon.  
    Once I'd done my business, I turned to the mirror above the sink. I gasped. My right eye was a mixture of blues and purples, but thankfully not painful to touch. My eyes roamed my face as  I took in my injuries. The small cut on my upper lip, the gash on my forehead that was now held together with a couple of stitches. I was a mess. My hair looked as though I hadn't washed it in weeks. Blood was still congealed within clumps of my hair. I needed a shower, badly. 
    "Ah, you're up."  
    Turning towards the voice, I had to bite my lower lip to stop the sobs. The image of Jack with a knife in his hand flashed through my mind repeatedly. His demonic-like voice sent shivers down my spine. My mind was reeling. Every painful memory of that day crashed around my mind like a car wreck. Bringing every agonizing emotion right back to the surface. Pain, guilt, fear. Only this time, I couldn't swallow it back down.  
    "Honey, are you okay?"   
    I could see the nurse in front of me. I could see her scrubs, her worried look on her young face. But when I blinked the room got a little smaller, the walls slowly moving towards me. I could see his unkempt face, his uneven, repulsive teeth as the smell of his breath brought fresh tears to my eyes.   
    "I ... I, I ..."   
    I was stuttering, I had no idea what I was trying to get out. My mind was showcasing the horrors of what I did, over and over again. I had stabbed him. I had stabbed him in the leg, and the worst part of it all ... that I would do it all over again.  
    "Okay, sweetie. Let's get you back into bed," the nurse said in a soft voice.  
    It wasn't Nora, it was someone new. They must have had a shift change while I slept. The new nurse was a lot younger, maybe only a couple years older than me. Her blonde hair was tied up into a  bun and her blue scrubs were clean and crisp.  
    I flinched when I felt a hand touch my right shoulder. The memory of Jack's fist colliding with the very same shoulder made my insides quiver and my hands shake. Her hands sent chills through every pore in my body as she  led me towards my bed. 
    "I'm just going to call the doctor, sweetie. Okay?"  
    I didn't register my reply, or getting on the bed. Nor did I register her leaving the room. All I could see, hear and feel was Jack. His slithering tongue that had run down my neck, as it burned against my sensitive skin. I could feel it, it was as if he was standing right next to me.  
    "Neva?"  
    Tears suddenly poured