Falling With Grace

He cocks his head to the side and smiles. “It’s no trouble, and they have warm food.”

I glance around the dark, empty park, the pigeons cooing their nighttime songs.

“They might even have pizza tonight.”

My stomach growls at the thought of cheese coating my tongue. “Fine.”

“Excellent.” He claps his hands and nabs my backpack from the bench. “My name’s Miguel, and yours?”

“Are you still with me, Sarah?”

I took in a short breath, then licked my chapped lips. “Someone offered to take me to a women’s shelter.”

“And what happened next?”

I closed my eyes, then glanced out of the large square window. “They didn’t take me there.”

“Do you have any other details?”

Their laughter that night piqued in my mind. “I don’t want to talk about it.”

“Iunderstand, but if you help us, we can take steps to ensure this won’t happen to anyone else.”

Heat crawled across my cheeks as Sarah’s glassy eyes flashed in my mind. “I said no.”

I’d helped enough people, brought them to the brink of happiness, then watched them take their last breaths.

I didn’t help anyone.

Idoomedthem.

The woman slid the pen through the spiral binding with a metallicdut, dut, dut, then stood with an exasperated sigh. “I really hope you change your mind, Sarah.” She tucked the pad under her arm. “One more thing before I go.” She tapped her finger to the back of her ear, and my stomach went cold. “What does this mean? We’ve seen it before, but you’re the only one alive to tell us.”

I set my jaw as I stared at her through watery eyes.

Buzz.

“Hold her still.”

I scream as sharp needles penetrate my sensitive skin. Hands hold me down, and blood ceases to flow through my limbs.

“Goodbye, Detective Gonzalez.”

She sucked in a long and slow deep breath through her nose, then left the room.

I rolled my head to the side and stared out the window that looked out to the other wall of the hospital some distance away.

I’ve stayed too long.

My heart pattered in my chest as I gripped the IV tubes, took a deep breath, and tugged. The tape tore my skin and the small fine hairs until it came away, leaving spurting blood in its wake.

I pressed my trembling hand against the minuscule hole, its presence a mere whisper of pain beneath my touch. I slid off the bed and rushed into the bathroom, covering the distance in long strides.

They didn’t make reaching those rough brown paper towels easy for someone who had their arm pinned to their chest while that hand staunched the gore from carpeting the tiled floor in a crimson bath.

I pressed the towel into my hand, the coarse texture scraping against my abused skin. My teeth ground together, avoiding the rebellious outcry that tightened my throat. I squeezedmy eyes closed, inhaled and exhaled five deep breaths through my nose, and then looked down as I lifted the towel.

The blood dribbled, unlike the aggravated spring it had been moments ago, causing my shoulders to sag.