4

Waking up in the hospital was the cliché;it was bound to happen. Her mind braced itself for the nauseating niff of antiseptic and sickness;the smell of freshly ground coffee beans seeped into her nostrils instead. Her head felt light and her brows furrowed up in confusion when she opened her eyes to a room that certainly doesn't belong in a hospital. She looked around and surely,it wasn't. Something about the room looked familiar but she couldn't place it. Her mum walked in. A very pretty blue eyed blonde,mug of strong coffee in hand,and a slight frown spoiling the perfectly made face. "About time you woke up."  Leah tried sitting but got waved off by the still frowning blonde. "They warned about that. You shouldn't be up immediately."

"Who warned?" She calmly laid back down,mentally avoiding trouble with her mum. The woman was always in for drama.

"The doctor and detective." She sipped from the coffee and scrunched her face more firmly into a frown. Leah wondered why she took it black if she never liked it. Probably because her soul was just as black. "I'll fetch the detective. He said to call when you awoke." Her mum turned back from the door and somehow managed a look so piteous and disgusted. "I'm very disappointed,Leah. Very."

Leaving her muddled,Leah did what helped her survive all these years. She trained her mind to focus on something else. Her mum was whom the good book called the author of confusion.  She looked around and recognised the room now;it was hers. Well,as a child,it had been because she had no intention of coming here to stay over. Never. Her mum had made a few changes;her night glow star shaped light was no longer attached to the ceiling but the marks indicating something had been there remained;her wallpaper,which had been set up by her and her father -one of her happiest childhood memories- had been yanked away too. The room was repainted an awful beige so it looked completely different. Her framed pictures were missing too;her mum probably had them all towed away in the attic. The woman was too sad. What sold it as hers was the cupboard at the side and the large stuffed animals still crowding the top of it. Her mother had changed her flowery mirror for a standard wall to ceiling mirror. That one change seemed better,in the very least.

The detective came in,a tall handsome black man. Stereotypically wearing a hat and holding a note in his hand,he walked towards her side. She wondered where the tie had gone though. His shirt looked very rumpled,like someone who just escaped a bar fight. Regardless,he was eye-catching...and really muscly. She watched his arms flex as he adjusted a teddy from falling.  "Leah Caroline Flemming"

"One and only." She muttered. 

"Do you feel sore or anything?" He asked,dragging a chair against the tiled floor -Carol,her mum wouldn't approve- to settle comfortably beside her. His eyes watched hers keenly.

"I've had worse days,detective-?"

"Hilton. Dennis Hilton,ma'am"

"Detective Dennis Hilton." She loved how smoothly the name rolled off her tongue. "I don't understand why I need you but I wouldn't need a doctor."

"Silly since I took the liberty of calling the doctor before coming in. You're my priority at the moment." She loved the sound of it. But coming from a detective? Not so really since it smelt like trouble. He smiled. "Your timing is impeccable,I just got here to check on your progress. Do you want to wait for the doctor or could you go through some questions with me?"

The door opened immediately, cutting off the detective. Leah expected to find a boring doctor but even better,her dad stood in front of the door. He was full of life as ever.

"Daddy!" She sucked in a happy breath and like a little child,sounded giddy.

"My princess." With three long strides,he was at her side leaning into the bed and plowing her face with kisses. She giggled;only her dad could effortlessly make her do so. "I came as fast as I could when Carol told me. Are you badly hurt? Do you hurt?"

She stole a glance at the detective before answering. "Like hell. My back is numb and I've a thumping headache. I hate laying down doing nothing but mum said to not do nothing. I feel sixteen." Her father laughed,the sound was music to her ears. "Thanks for coming,dad. I've wanted to-" The detective cleared his throat.

Her dad got the signal. "Oh yeah,I should probably leave you with the detective." Her brows rose. "Carol insisted I stay out of the room since you had a questioning going. I didn't mean to interrupt but I said that's my princess in there with a bullet wound!" She scrunched her face,not that he saw,as he stretched his hands to the detective. "I'm Raul. Raul Flemming."

"Detective Hilton. You could take a seat. The interview isn't very private." He motioned to the couch neatly positioned against the wall. Hazel inwardly scoffed at the command. It wasn't his home,for goodness sakes! Her dad sat anyway,but by the foot of her bed. The detective didn't wait a beat before starting again. "Now,Leah. If you're ready for questioning,I'm going to have this on recording. Is that fine with you?"

"Yes." She watched the red beeping light go off.

He cleared his throat. "For the record,please state your name and age."

"Leah Caroline Flemming. 26 years old."

"Ms Flemming,could you recount what happened on the night of the first of August?"

And so she did. From sleeping and getting stuck on the bus station to waving frantically when she saw a car pull up. The detective's eyes bore into hers. It was a startling light brown against the dark of his skin. He,however,seemed to be listening. When she finished,the detective scribbled something on the note and she shared a smile with her dad when he rubbed on her hand. She mentally reminded herself it was encouraging having him here as she recounted the horrors of being shot.

"You mentioned looking back to take a look at your pursuers. Can you describe more vividly what you saw?"

"They were two of them. One much taller than the other,a little taller than you are. They both wore leather jackets. The taller one had a cap over his head and the shorter one was bald. I couldn't make out much of their faces but I did see a gun. Something had glinted once so it's possible that the taller one had on an earring. But I wouldn't know.

"

"All you recall?" She nodded. "I'd need you to respond with your voice,Leah" She did. He clicked the recorder off. "Now,our utmost care would be for you and your baby to stay healthy. I'll speak to the officers outside and..."

"Baby? Officers?" Her eyes went wide. "Baby!?"

He paused only a while before explaining. "Before surgery,a series of tests were run and we discovered your pregnancy. Your baby is very much healthy...and young." Her world tumbled down and she stayed frozen,trying to grasp it all. "We planted two officers to guard your room. You made a mistake,even if it was wise at the moment,to throw your bag down. We've been able to retrieve your things which were scattered really close to the crime scene. As you've recounted,you ran at least three blocks from the scene before throwing down the bag. It is most likely that they know who you're and may attack. Your ID wasn't at the scene too,just to be forewarned."

"Oh my god." She looked at her dad. "Oh my god,dad"

He turned towards the door. "I'll give instructions for the doctor to come in. I'll see you soon,Leah."

"I hope not" She said under her breath

The door opened a few seconds after he left. "Hi Leah,I'm Doctor Fisher."

~

She was a beautiful disaster. That night flashed through his mind when he locked eyes with her. He remembered his fright when he found her almost lifeless. Clumsily hitting the cupboard,he caught a teddy before it fell. He had never been nervous with a victim before. 

When she told her story,he just got lost in the descriptiveness of it all. She really was a writer. Just for the formality,he scribbled something on his notepad.

And then,the pregnancy. She hadn't known, that much showed. She was visibly shaken. He did his duty and left the room for the doctor to come in.  Before he closed the door shut,he saw her dad rub on her hands and for the first time in thirty years of his life,he felt genuinely jealous.

Regardless,he just wanted her safe. Her and her baby.