A Brand New Ending

Chapter 67

Braeden



"Dude, where are we going?" Donovan continues to complain. "You don't even know where she is."

I huff. "I don't need to know where she is, all I need to know is that she is OK."

I see his confused expression out of the corner of my eye. I don't care. When we reach the hospital I push the door to the cab open, noticing I am alone.

"Are you coming or what?" I call out.

A second later Donovan exits the cab, his form by my side.

"Have you lost your mind? She's not…" Donovan stops talking abruptly. He's finally caught on. "Good thinking."

I don't know if anyone else believed her visions, but after that previous night I would believe anything she would tell me. I remain quiet and enter through the employee entrance, the hospital busy at this time of the day. With my head down I make my way for Rain's room, my heart racing. But when I push open the door all I see is her empty bed. The room dark and vacant. Spinning around I see Lucy behind the nurses' station and I curse silently under my breath. Walking over to her, she looks up and catches my gaze.

"Braeden! What did you do to your arm?" she squeals.

"It's nothing," I begin to say.

She walks out from behind the counter, her fingers trailing up the cast and onto my shoulder.

"Seriously, I'm fine," I snap at her, my eyes closing in frustration. "Listen, I just need to know where Rain is."

"Rain?" she asks confused. Does no one care enough around here to learn f*cking people's names?

"Patient in room eight."

"Oh!" she giggles. "I think she left."

I snap open my eyes.

"What do you mean 'left'?" I ask again.

"Like, as in, not here anymore," she says sarcastically. "Are you sure you are all right, Braeden?"

I don't respond and instead turn around, heading back out the way we came.

"Well, that went...unexpected," I hear Donovan say behind me.

"Thank you, Captain F*cking Obvious."

"Where do you want to go now?" he asks.

"Home," is all that I could utter.

~

When we get back to my father's house I notice that all the lights are on, my father's car in the driveway. When I open the door my father is on the phone, something that is becoming a regular occurrence. Donovan walks over to the couch, his body falling down upon it. My father's eyes stay on me.

"OK, thank you very much," he says into the phone before hanging up. "You weren't here when I got back," he states.

"Yeah, I was out," I state.

"I can see that," he declares. "What were you doing?"

"Nothing," I say, hoping that Donovan can keep his mouth shut. All three of us are silent.

"I have some news about Phoenix," my father speaks.

At that moment my body goes through all emotions. This is where he tells me she's dead.

"She is safe," he says.

I let out a large breath that I didn't know I was holding.

"And how do you know this?" I ask.

"That's not important," he says.

"Bullshit it's not," I snap.

More pieces of the puzzle snap into place

"That's why Rain is gone isn't it? You sent her to check up on Phoenix," I say, her name causing my heart pain.

His facial expressions tell me yes.

"You wanted to know that she was safe, right?" he asks.

I just nod. "Well, now you do."

For some reason anger rises inside of me, even though I should be relieved - or thankful - I'm not sure which. All I know is that I am not satisfied.

"Where is she?" I say sternly.