Chapter 38

The chill of November had Anelise pulling her coat tighter around her as she waited for Willow to lock up. She’d agreed to stay late that night, covering for Tina, the branch manager.

Anelise was usually out by four, but they were short-staffed. Between a special event at another branch and a nasty stomach bug making the rounds, they were spread thin. She was tired, and a nagging feeling of unwellness had her hoping she hadn’t caught the bug.

“Sorry for the wait, Ani. Where’d you park?” Willow asked, flicking off the lights.

“West lot. You?” Anelise replied, eager to get home and crawl into bed.

“East. Thanks again for the help. See you Friday?” Willow asked.

Anelise nodded and waved goodbye. She held her keys in her hand, just like Johnathon had taught them, with a small bottle of pepper spray nestled between her fingers.

She hated the walk to her car in the dark, so she moved as quickly as her heels would allow. She was just about to unlock her car when a voice startled her from behind.

“Hand over your purse and jewelry, and you can forget you ever saw me,” the voice rasped.

Anelise’s body tensed, her grip on the bottle and keys in her pocket tightening as she yelled, “~No!~”

The man shoved her against the car, trying to rip her purse from her arm. “Just give it to me!”

Anelise was shaking, her voice rising as she struggled with the purse strap. She drove the heel of her shoe into his foot with all her strength.

He yelped, his anger flaring as he swung his arm, hitting her in the head. She staggered, her vision blurring as she reached out to steady herself.

The man, his face hidden by a ski mask, noticed her rings. “Just give me those, and I’ll be gone!”

“~No!~” Anelise sobbed, tears streaming down her face. The man was trying to force her arm up, and she was screaming and crying. He punched her in the face, the pain searing through her.

She wouldn’t give up her rings! They were from Michael, symbols of their love. She fought back, her hands connecting with his face, which only seemed to enrage him further.

He yanked and pushed harder, and she struggled to get her hand back in her pocket to grab her keys. The pain was intensifying, and she felt like she might vomit from the pressure building in her head.

Anelise managed to pull her hand out and aimed the small bottle at his face. She pressed the button, releasing a stream of pepper spray directly into his face. He yelled and let her go abruptly, and she fell to the ground, the wind carrying some of the spray back at her.

“You fucking bitch!” he screamed, kicking her in the chest and then the head as he flailed blindly.

She was gasping for breath, the pain and the spray making it difficult. She felt her purse being ripped from her and heard another voice yelling. Footsteps retreated, and then a soothing voice told her it would be okay.

She lost track of time, and soon an ambulance was rushing her to the hospital. She had a wet cloth over her eyes, and the paramedics kept talking to her, but she couldn’t respond.

She vomited several times, trying to rid her mouth of the awful taste, but to no avail. She was crying, which they said was good to flush out the spray, but she was scared, hurt, and confused.

They moved her into a room, and she heard a police officer talking to the medical staff, but she couldn’t understand what they were saying.

She felt the cloth removed from her face and saw, through swollen eyes, nurses and doctors asking questions and examining her.

She was so overwhelmed that she didn’t know who to answer and started retching again. A nurse held her head to the side as she vomited once more. Someone cut her shirt and touched her ribs, and she cried out in pain.

A heavy blanket was draped over her a few minutes later, and everyone backed away. She heard, “~Clear!~” and a buzzing sound, and then everyone was back.

She was so tired and must have drifted off or passed out, but when she woke up again, she felt someone’s hand on hers. She yanked it back and screamed, trying to open her eyes as best she could to see who was touching her.

“Ani! Love, it’s okay, it’s just me. You’re safe!” She heard Michael’s voice and saw that it was him, and she broke down into sobs. He sat on the edge of the bed and held her as she cried.

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Seeing Anelise in that bed, battered and bruised, was the worst thing Michael had ever experienced. It filled him with a rage he didn’t know he possessed, a desire to find and kill the monster responsible.

He wasn’t alone in his anger. Johnathan and Naomi had stopped by and were there when the officer came to tell him that Anelise had been attacked.

Michael was in a state of shock when he heard the news, and if Naomi hadn’t been there to get a neighbor to watch Ollie, he didn’t know what he would have done. Sally and her mom rushed over as the three of them raced to the hospital.

Johnathan spoke with the police, relaying what little information they had. Michael felt helpless as they cleaned and examined her. Naomi held his hand as they waited.

The officer explained that her purse had been stolen and advised them to freeze their accounts immediately. Michael handed Johnathan his wallet and passwords, and he took care of it right away.

Finally, they let him in. Naomi stayed back to give him a moment alone. When Anelise woke up screaming and started crying, the anguish nearly broke all three of them.

“Ani, love, are you okay? What hurts?” he asked gently.

Still shaking, she managed to reply. “My chest. It hurts to breathe. And my face and head.”

“You have a few cracked ribs, love. And your eye socket is broken,” he said softly. “Do you want more pain medication?”

She shook her head. “I have to throw up!”

Michael was quick to grab the trash can as she heaved again, the doctor making his way back into the room. Each retch seemed to amplify the pain in her chest, leaving her gasping for air. The nurse and doctor worked to soothe her, easing her back onto the bed while Michael clung to her trembling hand.

“Mrs. Whitlock,” the doctor began, “the pain you’re feeling in your chest is due to your cracked ribs. That’s going to stick around for a few weeks. The swelling on your face will eventually subside, and the minor fracture on your orbital bone won’t need surgery. But it’s going to hurt for a bit.”

He paused, shifting his weight as he continued. “I wanted to discuss your blood work with you. We needed to determine your blood type and run a standard blood panel in case surgery was necessary,” he explained. Then, he dropped the bombshell. “Mrs. Whitlock, were you aware that you’re pregnant?”