Celeste Chapter 2 #3
As her words hit me, I dropped into the chair she’d offered me to begin with. The word rattled around in my head. I was sick to my stomach. Oh my God, how could this be? As I sat there processing and the nurse remained quiet, the nausea eventually abated. Questions began to pile up in my head.
“Who did this to her? Tell me they’re in jail. Who called the police? Were there witnesses?” I fired my questions off to her.
“We don’t know much, and Capri can’t tell us much.
It appears she might’ve been drugged. Her recollection is extremely cloudy.
She recalls waking up feeling groggy and in pain.
That’s when she realized she was naked and her body hurt.
There were… signs that she had sex. That was about the time someone walked into the room and found her.
They’re the ones who called the police. My understanding is that they’re other partygoers.
As for witnesses, we don’t know. The police are still on the scene, investigating and interviewing people.
They haven’t arrived yet, but they will.
“I wanted to tell you this not only to prepare you, but so you can help support Capri through this. She’ll be asked a lot of questions by us, the cops, and a sexual assault advocate, a SA, whom we’ve called.
The advocate will be here to assist her and you through this.
There is so much to deal with, and it won’t all happen tonight or even tomorrow.
What we need you to do is support her. Is there anyone else you can call who can assist both of you? ”
It took me a few seconds to be able to speak around the knot in my throat.
“N-no, there’s no one. We have no other family.
Her parents died when she was ten. I’ve raised her and been her sole family since then.
She has a school friend, Vanessa, who attended the party with her.
I don’t know how close they are. It’s a recent friendship.
I’d like the police to see if they can find her.
Or if you have Capri’s phone, I’ll try to call her. ”
“There was no phone in her personal effects. The police may have it. Does she have a boyfriend? Do you have a boyfriend or husband?” Paris asked next.
“No, neither of us does.”
Unbidden, the thought flashed through my mind. This would be the perfect time to have a protective biker like the one in my fantasy. I bet I could lean on him. I shook my head to clear it of the nonsense.
“Please, I need to see her. Is there anything else I should know?” I impatiently asked. I was back on my feet.
“Not that I can think of. Just be prepared for her to be emotional and experience mood swings. She may lash out at you verbally and physically. Keep in mind that it’s not directed at you, truly.
It’s her way of coping. You may experience the same thing.
That’s why if you can think of someone, even a friend, who can be a support for you and her, it would be best to call them.
This is a traumatic experience. Don’t let her keep it bottled up.
The SA advocate can help you with resources.
If you have any questions, just flag someone down, and we’ll do the best we can to help. ”
There was compassion in her tone and on her face.
“Thank you, Paris. I appreciate not walking into this unprepared. I’m ready.”
“You’re welcome. Come. Let’s go see your niece,” the nurse replied.
I followed her through the loud treatment area.
I put one foot in front of the other. I didn’t look at anyone around me.
I worked on shoring myself up so I could be strong for Capri.
When Paris stopped outside a curtained-off cubicle, I knew we had arrived.
I took a deep breath, then I entered the cubicle. Paris remained outside.
Even though I tried to prepare myself, I still moaned when I saw her. I swiftly shut it down. Capri was half sitting up in the hospital bed. She was dressed in a hospital gown based on what was exposed above the sheet and blanket she had pulled up to mid-chest.
As soon as she saw me, she burst into tears.
I flew to the side of the bed. I leaned over the rail and hugged her as well as I could.
Her arms gripped me tightly to her. Her tears swiftly soaked through my sweater to my skin.
I let her cry as I made soothing noises and grappled with the quick peek I got of her.
She was black and blue, just as Paris had warned.
In addition, she had a few abrasions on her arms. Her face was swollen on the left side.
It was bruised there, leading me to believe whoever did this to her had hit her on that side more than once.
Her lip was busted. I rocked her in my arms. I didn’t know how long we remained like that before her crying eased, and she pulled herself away from me.
“I’m so sorry, I’m sorry,” she wailed.
“Why are you sorry?”
“I never should’ve gone to that party. I should’ve been more careful. I don’t know how they got to me. I swear I didn’t leave my drink unattended, nor did I accept one from a stranger. I don’t remember who did it or what exactly happened. As much as I try to remember, it’s fuzzy or blank.”
I moved myself so I could let down her side rail, then I sat on the edge of the mattress. I picked up her hands again. She was trembling.
“Capri, you need to calm yourself. You’re in shock. No one expects you to shake this off right away. Can you tell me where Vanessa is?”
I had to work to keep the accusation from my tone. I wanted to scream at the top of my lungs, Where the fuck is she?
“I-I don’t know. At the beginning, we stuck together.
After a while, we got separated. She went to get more to drink, and then I was approached by a girl we know from one of our classes.
I was surprised she spoke to me. Vanessa and I aren’t popular like she and her friends are.
I could’ve sworn she didn’t know our names.
“I ended up standing with her, talking for about fifteen minutes. I became worried about Vanessa and was about to look for her when we were joined by two friends of the girl I had been speaking to. They were surprisingly friendly, too. After a few minutes, one went to get more drinks. I was asked if I wanted anything. I asked for a bottle of water. When they came back, she handed me one. Before you say it, I checked it out. The seal wasn’t broken, Celeste.
I made sure of it. I swear it was one hundred percent intact.
I drank a few sips, and we were still talking, and then nothing. It’s blank from there.”
She was back to crying. I wasn’t about to grill her right now.
I couldn’t comprehend how she felt. My niece was a sweet young woman, who I knew had been a virgin.
She and I had openly talked about sex. She hadn’t really dated anyone, so she hadn’t given any guy her virginity.
My fury rose at the thought of how she’d been doubly robbed in a way.
I was back to holding and rocking her as I murmured words of comfort. But this time, I was thinking of something more than her pain. I was plotting what to do when her rapist or rapists were caught. I would make sure they fucking paid for what they did. No one hurt my family and got away with it.