Chapter 11

"Andrea, come on. Wake up, please" I heard the voice from a distance but I managed to make out the words.

"Open your eyes" he said as he tapped my cheek.
I tried to force my eyes open. I was so confused about what was happening. My eyes finally cracked open slightly and after the blur passed, I could finally make out the face in front of me. Jason?

"What's going on?" I managed to croak out.

A look of relief flickered across his face.
"Oh, thank God" he said as he scooped me off the floor.

"It's okay. Everything's okay now" he said and for some reason, I believed him and snuggled further into his chest, falling into darkness again.

……

I roused awake to voices murmuring. Confusion clouded me as I tried to figure out what was going on.

I slowly opened my eyes and tried to adjust to the brightness of the room. When I was finally aware again, I searched the room for the voices. Jason and Bree were seemingly in a heated discussion but I couldn't make out what they were saying.

I looked around the room, realizing it was the room Violet had brought me to yesterday. My room. Well, for the break. But then, what was going on? My face was throbbing like I had fallen face first into a heap of concrete. I tried to move my hand to touch it but then I noticed a drip was attached to it. I frowned in confusion.

I closed my eyes and tried to remember what happened. That was when it hit me. All the memories, all at once.

I gasped in shock and they both turned towards me.

"Andy!" Bree exclaimed as she made her way to the bed hastily. Jason followed but stayed behind her, giving us some space.

"Hey, oh my God, Andy" she said and I swallowed.

"What happened?" I managed to get out.

"You don't remember?" She asked and glanced towards her dad.

I shook my head.
"No, I- I do but did he- um did he-" I couldn't put my words together.

Jason cleared his throat.
"I'll, um, I'll leave you girls to talk. I'll send Polina up with something to eat" he said before leaving the room and closing the door behind him.

I breathed in relief and turned back to Bree.

"Did he rape me?" I asked and she sighed. I held my breath as I waited for her answer.

"No" she shook her head and I let out a breath I did not know I was holding.

"My dad walked in on him hitting you repeatedly. So, as far as he knows, nothing happened yet. Can you tell me exactly what happened before you passed out?" She asked and I let out a shaky breath, bracing myself before relaying the entire thing to her.

By the time I was done, we were a sobbing mess and she enveloped me in a hug, rocking me till I felt better.

"So, your dad saved me?" I asked and she nodded.

"He was taking a walk when he saw him just hitting you repeatedly and he just wouldn't stop," she explained.

"Where is he?" I asked.

"Jake? Dad got him arrested after beating his ass up" she said and I sighed in relief.

"Thank God. I just don't understand what went wrong. He just turned to a whole different person within seconds" I said and she sighed.

"I'm so sorry Andy. I didn't know he was that type of person. Last time I came here, he was still friends with Tyler but after last night's incident, I found out that they stopped being friends years ago. Tyler said he became a whole different person and just drifted away" she explained, clearly beating herself up about the entire thing.

"Hey, it's okay. There's no way you could have known. Plus, I know you were just looking out for me." I said with a small smile and she sighed before hugging me again.

When we pulled apart, I sighed before I spoke again.

"Can I see a mirror?" I asked and she froze at first, scanning my face before she shook her head. I don't have a compact one. The only one you can use is that one" she said, pointing to the large mirror in the room, before continuing "And well, you can't leave the bed for now. Doctor's orders"

Lie.
I knew she was lying but I didn't push it. I mean, it had to be terrible for her to not want me to see myself, so I wasn't ready for it.

I nodded in understanding before smacking my lips.

"Well, what a first night in Miami" I said, trying to lighten the mood and she forced a chuckle.

"I'll get you some water" she said and I nodded appreciatively. Just as she moved to get up, a knock on the door diverted our attention.

"Who is it?" Bree asked.

"Polina, Miss." The person responded.

"Come in" she said and the door opened, revealing a middle aged woman clad in a neat uniform and neatly packed hair. There was a trolley with two trays of food in it. She grabbed the two trays and walked in with them and handed them over to us.
My mouth watered at the sight in front of me. I was beyond hungry.

We thanked her and watched her go out before devouring our meals like starved animals with Bree constantly trying to take my mind off what happened by bringing other things up.

The effort she was making warmed my heart but the damage had already been done. One that I knew that no amount of distractions could fix.

I felt broken.

As we ate, I couldn't help but think about what had happened. The memories were still fresh in my mind, and I couldn't shake off the feeling of vulnerability. Bree still tried her best to distract me, but I could see the concern in her eyes.

After we finished eating, Polina came back to collect the trays. "How are you feeling, Miss Andrea?" she asked, her voice soft and gentle.

I smiled weakly. "I'm okay, thanks."

She nodded. "Good. Mr. Miller said to let him know when you're feeling up to talking to him."

I nodded, wondering what he could possibly want to talk to me about. The thought made me nervous.

As the day went on, I couldn't help but feel a constant sense of unease. I didn't know what Jake was capable of, and I couldn't shake off the feeling that he would come after me again, even with the assurance Bree gave me that he was arrested. I was terrified.

Bree stayed with me the whole day, watching movies and talking about everything except what had happened. I appreciated her efforts, but I knew I couldn't avoid the truth forever.

As the sun began to set, she eventually gave me some space to rest and left the room. I sighed in relief.

I curled into a ball on the bed, trying to sleep because I dreaded the thoughts that were starting to surface.
Shortly after, I heard a knock on the door.

"Andrea, can I come in?" Jason asked and I sighed.

"Yes, you can." I said and the door knob turned, before the door swung open.

"Hey, how are you feeling?" he asked, his eyes scanning my face.

I shrugged. "I'm okay, I guess." I said and he nodded.

"Well, um, the doctors are here to see you. Can I send them in?" He asked and I nodded slowly.

"Yes please" I said and he nodded before opening the door again, letting in a doctor and two nurses. He stood to the side in the room, watching over us.

"Hello, Miss Andrea, how are you feeling?" The doctor asked as the nurses removed the drip attached to my hand.

"I'm fine sir" I said, shrugging and the doctor gave me a knowing look.

"I'm your doctor. You can be honest with me." He said and I sighed reluctantly.

"It hurts," I admitted.

"Everything hurts so much. My face hurts everytime I move it" I confessed and he nodded with a smile.

"Okay, don't worry, everything will feel better soon" he assured me and I smiled, trying to hold back the tears.

He got to work and when he stepped out of the way, I was face to face with Jason who looked like he was about to go crazy.
It wasn't obvious on his face, he did an amazing job at keeping his cool but he was clenching and unclenching his wrists and I figured he was angry but I couldn't figure out why.

When they were done, they administered some drugs and Jason followed them out to talk to them before coming back inside.

"Well, you have a shit ton of drugs to use" he said as he glanced at the new drip that hung above the bed.

"Good news is, you won't be feeling any more pain for the night." He said and I looked away from him, realizing he was listening to what I said earlier.

"Thank you" I said and he hummed in response.

"Mr Miller, I-" I started but the look on my face told me he didn't like me calling him that.

"I mean, Jason, I just wanted to say thank you. For saving me" I said and he offered a smile.

"I barely did. Also, you don't have to thank me. You're supposed to be under my watch and that happened. I'm sorry" he apologized and a warmth coursed through my stomach.

"There was no way you could have known. If you weren't there when you were, God knows what would have happened to me. So, I mean it when I say thank you for saving me" I said and he smiled again.

"Well, I guess I have a knack of saving you" he said and I froze, understanding exactly what he meant.

I let out a nervous laugh.
"Right" I said and he chuckled.

"About that, can you maybe not mention it to Bree?" I asked and he raised a brow.

"Not that I planned on but why not? It's not like we did anything wrong. We're not having a secret affair now, are we Andrea?" He said and something about the way he said it and the way my name rolled off his tongue made my toes clench.

"N- no, we aren't but, it's just better that way. It's too complicated to talk about" I explained. Even though it made no sense and he had a point.

"Okay, as you wish" he said and I nodded appreciatively.

"Thank you again. For… both times" I said and he smiled.
"Anytime, Andrea. You're safe now." He said and again, my name on his tongue, oh mother of creations.

I smiled softly and waited till he left my room before I finally let out the breath I was holding.

I curled up on the bed again and attempted to sleep. It's so crazy how the littlest things can cause a change in the grand sense of life. So many things led up to this moment and I wasn't sure yet, whether I regretted it or not.
I knew I had a long road to recovery ahead of me, and I wasn't sure if I was ready to face it.