"Bianca, the authorities are trying to reach you. Shane and June have been in an accident. Bea, Shane....your father, he didn't...honey I'm so sorry, he didn't make it. June is on life support but they tell me they are holding out little hope for her..." It was a shaken April Bettles, June's mother who had left Bianca the message Bianca say paralyzed in shock as she listened to the horrific news "the baby, he is critical, but he's alive Bianca, and he may make it. You need to get to Oxford as soon as possible. I'm leaving Florida now. I'm sorry to have left you this message but I don't know what else to do. Please call me just as soon as you can." Bianca felt faint, and realized she wasn't breathing. She sharply inhaled as she listened to the voice mail menu rattle off her options. When it prompted her to press 2 to save the message she did and the next message began playing "Bianca! What the hell is going on, why are you not answering the phone. I'm here in Oxford, I got your message baby, please call me. April Bettles got ahold of me I am on my way to the hospital that your family is at, I can't believe your having the baby, I'm so sorry that I'm not there, I need to know what you want me to do, do you want me to come back or stay here. Darlin' I don't even have the words...i don't know what to do, I called the hospital where you said you were going, they say your not there. God please don't let something have happened to you. Bianca...." the message cut off after that, Bianca presumed it was because it was too long. Again she pressed 2 upon the voicemails instructions. "You have no new messages in your mailbox".
Her trembling hand replaced the reciever. Daddy's dead she whispered. Junes dying. I had a baby. Where is my baby. Tylers looking for me, he doesn't know anything. She continued talking to herself as her brain tried to digest everything that had just been revealed to her When she was startled by a man's voice. "What are you doing here!" The man shouted, he was wearing a uniform, he looked like he could be a police officer, maybe just a security gaurd. He had one hand hovering over a night stick and the other held up as if telling her to stop. He was a very tall black man and looked to be in his early forties. The metal name badge on his shirt read "Bishop" beneath the name it said security. Bianca couldn't move or speak she felt as if she were watching herself from outside of her own body. Reading the name "Bishop" over and over again she could feel her lips mouthing the name, she was unable to stop, she wanted too, but her body felt like a robot that had short circuited. "Maam!" Bishop snapped at her again "what are you doing here?!" He insisted. Bianca's ears were ringing, she could see his mouth moving but she could hear nothing beyond the deafening buzzing ring in her head. Bishop approached her cautiously, she followed him with her eyes, her lips still mouthing the name but everything else still frozen solid. He approached the counter speaking into a walkie talky attached to his shoulder. One hand still hovering over the nightstick. She still heard nothing but could tell he was telling her to come out from behind the counter, she couldn't move, she couldn't even shake her head. He continued towards her slowly, still motioning for her to come forward. When he reached the counter his brown eyes widened in disbelief. Seeing now that she was wearing a hospital gown and was unarmed his demeanor softened and Bianca could tell he was speaking softly he paused from time to time to talk into the speaker on his shoulder but no longer held his hand over his nightstick. The ringing in her ears began to subside slightly, she heard him ask her if she was okay and for the first time since his appearance she was able to move. She shook her head no slowly, and slower still raised her hands to her abdomen. She may have been able to speak if she had tried but there just weren't any words sufficient enough to summarize how not okay she was. Bishop spoke into his shoulder "She's bleeding from her abdomen, we need a doctor here immediately." Puzzled Bianca looked down at her throbbing abdomen. Her gown was soaked in blood. She felt like she was going to pass out "no," she plead with herself quietly in her mind, "do not lose conciousness, Bianca, you have to stay alert, God knows what will be done with you if you pass out." Bianca could feel her eyes fluttering and her brain slipping into a dream like state of confusion "no" she wimpered at Bishop "please, don't let me pass out, please" Bishop ran around the counter and kneeled beside her she offered him her hands and he gently held them. "Help is on the way miss, your going to be okay" he told her gently while he squeezed he hands. She nodded indicating she was trying to hold on before the ringing returned to her ears and everything in the room except for Bishop became a foggy blurr. She could feel him squeezing her hands and could see his lips moving and his head nodding assuringly as he was washed in the white fog that had overtaken the rest of the room.
The familiar voice of a woman began singing that song, the one she and Tyler liked so much, their song.
Her trembling hand replaced the reciever. Daddy's dead she whispered. Junes dying. I had a baby. Where is my baby. Tylers looking for me, he doesn't know anything. She continued talking to herself as her brain tried to digest everything that had just been revealed to her When she was startled by a man's voice. "What are you doing here!" The man shouted, he was wearing a uniform, he looked like he could be a police officer, maybe just a security gaurd. He had one hand hovering over a night stick and the other held up as if telling her to stop. He was a very tall black man and looked to be in his early forties. The metal name badge on his shirt read "Bishop" beneath the name it said security. Bianca couldn't move or speak she felt as if she were watching herself from outside of her own body. Reading the name "Bishop" over and over again she could feel her lips mouthing the name, she was unable to stop, she wanted too, but her body felt like a robot that had short circuited. "Maam!" Bishop snapped at her again "what are you doing here?!" He insisted. Bianca's ears were ringing, she could see his mouth moving but she could hear nothing beyond the deafening buzzing ring in her head. Bishop approached her cautiously, she followed him with her eyes, her lips still mouthing the name but everything else still frozen solid. He approached the counter speaking into a walkie talky attached to his shoulder. One hand still hovering over the nightstick. She still heard nothing but could tell he was telling her to come out from behind the counter, she couldn't move, she couldn't even shake her head. He continued towards her slowly, still motioning for her to come forward. When he reached the counter his brown eyes widened in disbelief. Seeing now that she was wearing a hospital gown and was unarmed his demeanor softened and Bianca could tell he was speaking softly he paused from time to time to talk into the speaker on his shoulder but no longer held his hand over his nightstick. The ringing in her ears began to subside slightly, she heard him ask her if she was okay and for the first time since his appearance she was able to move. She shook her head no slowly, and slower still raised her hands to her abdomen. She may have been able to speak if she had tried but there just weren't any words sufficient enough to summarize how not okay she was. Bishop spoke into his shoulder "She's bleeding from her abdomen, we need a doctor here immediately." Puzzled Bianca looked down at her throbbing abdomen. Her gown was soaked in blood. She felt like she was going to pass out "no," she plead with herself quietly in her mind, "do not lose conciousness, Bianca, you have to stay alert, God knows what will be done with you if you pass out." Bianca could feel her eyes fluttering and her brain slipping into a dream like state of confusion "no" she wimpered at Bishop "please, don't let me pass out, please" Bishop ran around the counter and kneeled beside her she offered him her hands and he gently held them. "Help is on the way miss, your going to be okay" he told her gently while he squeezed he hands. She nodded indicating she was trying to hold on before the ringing returned to her ears and everything in the room except for Bishop became a foggy blurr. She could feel him squeezing her hands and could see his lips moving and his head nodding assuringly as he was washed in the white fog that had overtaken the rest of the room.
The familiar voice of a woman began singing that song, the one she and Tyler liked so much, their song.
"Your silent retreat was screaming loudly our love had died and tho we were just a moment you took my heart along for your selfish ride. How do I say goodbye to my heart, how do I give up on you, you have to feel it too, just get to know me, let me just know you."
"Why are you singing that?!" Bianca asked with suprising vigor. Still seeing nothing but foggy white, "who is singing that Bishop? I can't see you. I can't see anything" Biancas voice was so strong and clear she didn't know how she had the strength to project it so well. Suddenly her nose was filled with a familiar smell, it was the warm and comforting smell of her mother, just like on the robe in her mother's bedroom when she and Shane had returned after the funeral. " Mom!" Bianca exclaimed "yes" her mother sweetly replied. "Am I dead?" Bianca asked unsure of what she really wanted the answer to be. "No baby, your not dead, you have lost alot of blood, but your going to be alright. Your father is with me now, and we don't want you to worry, everything is going to be alright. We have to go, and you have to wake up now. "
"Please mom, no, don't go yet...mom is my baby with you? Is he dead?"
"No, Bianca, he's not here, wake up baby you must pay attention now."
"Mom, no! I love you!" Bianca plead.
"Please mom, no, don't go yet...mom is my baby with you? Is he dead?"
"No, Bianca, he's not here, wake up baby you must pay attention now."
"Mom, no! I love you!" Bianca plead.
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