263

263
  Chapter 263
  Riley Burke
  ~•~
  When we finished at the restaurant, my father asked my mother to drive me back home. He wanted to go to the station to see Maxim and the other men who kept me hostage. 
  My mother wanted to accompany him but he refused, saying she would see him later. As soon as my father left, I followed my mother to the car. 
  I couldn’t wait to go back home and see my brothers. 
  I was so excited to see everyone. 
  Being free felt so good. 
  “Riley, I’m inviting the doctor over, so she can do a checkup and give you the necessary treatments you need.” My mother said as I settled down on the passenger’s seat. 
  I hated anything related to hospitals or medical care, but I couldn’t protest against it. I actually needed medication because I was still in pain. 
  My legs and my head were still hurting and I needed the pain to stop. 
  “Sure,” I responded with a smile and my mother nodded. 
  A few minutes later, we arrived at the house. 
  My heart leaped for joy as the security guards opened the gate. I felt so happy being back home. I would never take my freedom for granted anymore. 
  The car came to a stop at the driveway. 
  Before I could even loosen my seatbelt and turn around to open the door, Rowan and Jason were already running towards the car. 
  I couldn’t stop smiling as Jason helped me open the door. They engulfed me in a suffocating hug as I stepped out of the car. 
  “Don’t scare us like that again,” Rowan whispered in my ear. 
  “Yes, Rowan was almost losing his mind.” Jason teased. 
  “So y’all love me so much?” I asked with a mischievous smile registered on my face. “I won’t go missing again,” I promised them. 
  After a few moments, we broke the hug and were on our way to the house. 
  “When did you have this ugly sweater?” Rowan asked in shock as we walked through the front door. “I’m sure this is the reason why they took you.” He added, making everyone laugh. 
  One thing I loved about my siblings and me was the fact that we would make jokes out of every situation. Even if we were going through the worst things, we always tried our best to be happy. 
  “Hey, don’t bully your sister. She just came back home.” My mother defended me before I could even open my mouth to speak. 
  “You heard Mama,” I added. 
  I spent some time with my brothers in the living room before heading back to my room. I jumped on the bed and let out a relieved sigh. 
  Nobody understood how happy I felt to be back home. 
  At some point, I thought my life was going to end in that desert. 
  I didn’t even have access to my phone anymore, so I needed to get a new one. But that would be when my father returned from the police station. 
  My friends must be really worried about me and I needed to let them know that I was safe now. 
  I stood up from the bed and made my way into the bathroom. I changed from the ugly sweater and had a long, nice, and relaxing shower. 
  When I was done, I dried my body with a clean towel before heading over to my closet to find something better to wear. 
  As soon as I changed, I lay on my bed and drifted off to sleep. 
  I had no idea how long I had slept, but the next time I opened my eyes, I saw my mother sitting beside me. 
  “Are you awake now? I’ve been trying to wake you up for a while now.” She said gently, placing her hands around my body as though she was trying to check my temperature. 
  I yawned loudly and tried to sit upright. “Yes, I’m awake,” I replied, rubbing my eyes with my hands. “What time is it?” I asked, my voice laced with confusion. 
  “It’s a little bit past nine.” My mother replied. “The doctor is here, should I ask her to come inside?” She asked and I responded with a curt nod. 
  I remained in the room while my mother went outside to get the doctor. A few minutes later, she returned with the doctor who normally attended to me whenever I needed medical attention. 
  “Hey.” I waved at her as she walked to my bed. 
  “Riley, how are you doing?” She asked, placing her equipment on the table. “I heard what happened to you and I’m so sorry about it.” 
  “Thank you.” I forced a smile. “Other than being in pain physically, I’m good,” I replied, running my hands through my hair. 
  “I’ll start by giving you some painkillers, but that would be after I’m done with the checkup.” 
  I closed my eyes and lay on the bed while she started working on me. I still felt like sleeping but I forced myself to stay awake throughout the whole process. 
  In about twenty minutes, she was done. 
  “Everything looks good.” She announced as I opened my eyes. “But I’ll still have to put you on medication. Plus, if you have any emotional distress, you should reach out to me.” 
  I knew the experience was traumatic but since I wasn’t awake most of the time, I didn’t think it would affect me badly. But I was curious to know what happened when I passed out for almost two days. 
  The doctor finished with me and finally left the room. 
  She left some medicine on the table with instructions on how I would take them. 
  My mother returned to the room with dinner. 
  “The doctor asked me to give you a lot of food and water.” My mother said as she placed the food on the table. She didn’t even need to tell me because I was already starving. 
  It was as if I hadn’t even had anything to eat even though I ate a lot at the restaurant. “Is daddy back?” I asked my mother as I sat upright on the bed. 
  She nodded. “Yes, he is.” 
  I couldn’t wait to be done with dinner, so I would meet him to request a new phone. I needed to talk to my friends. And Mason too.